Forum Topics

Heron Trading Estate, Acton.

Is there  anyone on this forum who have living relatives who worked at Napier Aero Engines or Shaw and Kilburn car body shop repairs and spray painters which were both based at the Heron Trading Estate, Acton in the 1950's and 1960's? Both premises were in sight of the Bridge Cafe Westfields Road.

Neil Milkins ● 2746d0 Comments ● 2746d

Travelers on The Common

How long does it take before they are removed? They are exhibiting anti social behaviour. It’s been happening since they arrived. I watched a group of “their” children in Tuesday afternoon during the school run try to run over a mum and her son, one through a huge rock at a little girl, and then they nearly ran over me and my dog. Now one of the kids follows me around harassing me while I’m trying to work (local dog walker). This unacceptable. Period. They’ve torn the grass up....again. They pick on the elderly and the vulnerable. But why am I complaining? Obviously this is something that the Ealing Council has loads of experience dealing with. Does the council not realise or fully understand the health concerns after they leave? Where are they dumping their raw sewage from the caravans? On the Common. This spreads disease and bacteria and makes people and their dogs sick. I honestly thought Ealing was pro green space and nature. Just put up a fence and be done with it. Please!!!

Katie Manning ● 2749d7 Comments ● 2747d

Perivale Park Golf Course ruined

Without any consultation with the course, the club, or the organisation which runs it under contract (Everyone Active), Ealing Council has placed a pedestrian bridge across the Brent river connecting to a new footpath which runs directly 30 yards in front of the seventh tee. I understand this was co-funded by City Hall. Not only will this be highly dangerous to pedestrians, it has ruined a popular 9 hole golf course which dates back to at least the 1930s. As a Labour-run council, perhaps Ealing feels that golf is a game for toffs and their bourgeois chums. Not so. Perivale Park GC and Horsenden Hill GC (already shut down by the council) were the only local courses where working class and less well-off folks could afford and enjoy a round of golf. One has to question the council's commitment to health and leisure in the borough. Furthermore, I wonder how many library services could have been saved with a similar amount of investment as this pointless project? After over 15 happy years at PPGC (2014 as Club Captain), I have left the club, heartbroken. Unable to afford private club prices, I've effectively given up the game. Thanks for nothing, Ealing Council.

Mike Paterson ● 2764d29 Comments ● 2747d

How?

Councils, TFL always banging on about safety & doing everything they can to make safe roads, penalising motorists any way they can.However, how can someone raise a petition to have a zebra crossing installed at Scotch Common, between Cleveland Park & Scotch Common parks?A busy road crossing for pedestrians with dogs, North Ealing School pupils & now made even more dangerous by the stupid CPZ put unnecessarily in Kent Gdns causing a bottleneck on a major bus route.Ruislip Rd has had the footway made bigger than the road itself & about 4 zebra crossings installed, going from a relative minor road to some sort of major highway.Where does 1 begin & to whom would it be sent etc etc???

Peter Yale ● 2747d0 Comments ● 2747d

HEALING IN CHISWICK ON MONDAY

A reminder that the monthly healing centre at the London Buddhist Vihara, The Avenue, Chiswick, will be open on Monday, 11th March, between 11am and 1230pm.  Healing helps any condition, from stress right through to physical illness.There is no charge made for the healing (all the healers are working on a voluntary basis), although a donation would be welcome - we put all the money in the Vihara's donation box..There is no need to make an appointment or book but if you want any further information before coming please give me a ring on 0788 189 6449.

Pat Smith ● 2749d0 Comments ● 2749d

Gutter cleaning

Can anyone recommend someone to clean out gutters front and back of house.ThanksChris

Chris Edwards ● 2750d1 Comments ● 2750d

Employment issue advice

Can anyone recommend a solicitor within the Ealing Area who specialists in employment law

Patricia Mary King ● 2757d2 Comments ● 2750d

Letter to Bell re "For the many not the Jew"

Dear Julian Bell,“For the many not the Jew”.  Did you see that on the SKY webpage yesterday?   It seemed rather apt to the present situation in your party.  May I suggest, with that in mind, that instead of attending rallies opposing racism in general, you attend to the particularly virulent strain of it in your own party, anti-semitism, and as the senior representative of the Labour Party in Ealing  apologise to its Jewish Community and also every other resident for it?Yours sincerely,Andrew Farmer   

Andrew Farmer ● 2753d3 Comments ● 2751d

Road works in South Ealing

It's been more than a week since there have all-day tailbacks approaching the junction of South Ealing Rd and Popes Lane. Does anyone have any idea what's going on and how long this nuisance is going to last?

Susan Kelly ● 2763d14 Comments ● 2751d

Yeading Roundabout

Bearing in mind no one at the big house is to blame due to the age of the roundabout, How do you reclaim it back for the community. It's blatantly obvious that The roundabout and pedestrian subway was a bad idea, a bad design, and in the wrong place.Thr traffic can be gridlocked regular by the recent bypass adition, and all the traffic to the target roundabout travels at one mile an hour during peak times. The whole setup requires a fingers crossed approach to getting around it. The entire area gets overloaded.The pedestrian subway is given a wide birth by all but the bravest. It has been home to the sickest of crimes and recently two of the more ugly gangs in west london used it as a venue for a mass brawl that saw multiple stabbings. Even cars have been stripped down there.How do you fix it so pedestrians don't have to change underwear if they need to use it at night?.The shops are taking a massive hit because half of the neighbourhood will not use the underpass, or risk being killed on the six lane pedestrian lights on Church Road. Even the local pub closed.

Dennis Bailey ● 2756d3 Comments ● 2752d

Walking in Lammas Park this afternoon,

I was heartened to hear a father tell his little boy kindly but firmly that he must look where he was going on his scooter and remember that the park was full of people. Give that man a medal for not staring at his phone while the kid ploughs into our poor ankles.

Susan Kelly ● 2760d3 Comments ● 2756d

Heathrow consultation on increased flights

In case any of you have missed this there is a current ‘consultation ‘ on increasing flights by 50% at Heathrow Airport. This is due to happen within the next three years and is entirely unrelated to the third runway issue.The new plans will see flights passing over Chiswick and South Ealing at very low altitudes, from 6am, affecting many people who haven’t been troubled by aircraft noise before.Our sister site in Chiswick has published details on how to respond to the very biased questions in the consultation, so if you want to respond look at http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=flightpathchatr001.htm

Simon Hayes ● 2757d4 Comments ● 2756d

February smile

Randy, the painter, often thinned his paint to make it go further. The Baptist Church decided to restore its biggest building. Randy put in a low bid and got the job. He bought the paint, and, yes, thinned it with turpentine. Well, Randy was painting away, the job nearly completed, when suddenly there was a clap of thunder. The sky opened, and the rain poured down. It washed the thinned paint off the church. Randy fell from the scaffold, landing among the gravestones. He was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty. Randy raised his voice to the heavens, crying, "Oh, God, forgive me; what should I do?" And from above, a mighty voice roared: “Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!"

Graham Weeks ● 2757d0 Comments ● 2757d

New ePetition about Dockless bikes (Mobikes etc)

Are you happy with the way these new bikes just landed on our streets? Within weeks they seemed to become randomly distributed around all our local roads left in an amazing variety of inconvenient places – often on their side and some have even been seen in rivers.There’s a new petition about this on the Ealing Council website (there’s a separate one for Hounslow – below)https://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/E-petitions.aspx  • These are commercial schemes which should be creating a new, flexible and cheap choice of transport.  • Instead, many users seem to ignore pedestrians who might just want to walk on uncluttered pavements and roads    o With blocked thoroughfares life gets harder.    o Harder for the young    o Harder for Mums with buggies or pushchairs    o Harder for our more elderly neighbours    o Harder even for the users – who wants to get to a bike on the app at the end of a cul de sac?  • Any other type of pavement/road blockage is often regarded as unlawful  • There was recent news came that the bikes had also been used in drug related crime  • If the gps technology is vandalised they can simply go off grid and are left  • If the batteries run down the operators say they can simply go off grid and “disappear”  • It can also be argued the schemes are in breach of the tfl code of practice   • http://content.tfl.gov.uk/dockless-bike-share-code-of-practice.pdf  • There simply seems to be no scheme management at all which is not consistent with what tfl seem to think is appropriateThere are commercial schemes with negligible management or responsibilityThe petition on the council website (https://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/E-petitions.aspx) needs 1500 signatures to “win” a council debate OBJECTIVES1. To have a council debate2. For the council to agree to a public consultation (in common with Hounslow council - https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/traffic-and-transport/dockless/consultation/intro/ )3. Then for Ealing to agree to a complete scheme review based on the results of the public consultationThe deadline for the 1500 signatures is March 18th

Don Tanswell ● 2761d2 Comments ● 2759d

Dr Rupa Huq Plays the Race Card

Dr Huq reference to the casual racism of the 70s made me laugh as I loved Jim Davidson. What is not funny is that the anti-Catholic atheistic Marxists like Dr Huq and Jon Trickett who was obviously around in the 1970s are holding a Labour Party organised anti-Brexit rally they have deliberately mislabelled an Anti-Racism Rally. On Wednesday 27th February from 7:30pm till 9:30pm in St Mary’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Road, South Ealing. Eve Turner from the Ealing Trades Union Council will introduce Julian Bell then Steve Hadley of the militant Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers then Nahella Ashraf, another Labour Party member in the Stand Up To Racism organisation. In apparently a Christian church hall this group of sad Remoaners are really creating another strand of @Project Fear by creating racial tension.Dr Huq has tried repeatedly tried to get on any media to fill her own pockets by accusing White people of being racists. It is the well tried tool of her mates like Diane Abbott who earns £200,000 a year from TV appearances. I do hope is Balwinder Rana, spokesperson for West London Stand Up To Racism will be available to answer questions. First I want to know about how much taxpayer’s money is being used to pay these anti-Catholic atheistic Marxists and rent the hall. Second since Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Hemsworth  has confessed that racism is in his DNA does he think all White people should be excluded from the Labour Party or just Yorkshiremen?Rupa Huq would not be allowed in the Independent Group or in any group that prevents racism as it is clear her only plan like her other pal Sadiq Khan is to get re-elected by calling all White people racists, imho

Martin Cain ● 2764d20 Comments ● 2759d

Woolworth's Facade

On 20th February Ealing Planning Cttee voted overwhelmingly to approve A2Dominion's development plans for total demolition of the old Woolworth's building in West Ealing. The recent article on Ealing Today incorrectly implies that the preservation of our local heritage, including the 1930's Art Deco Woolworth's facade in the Broadway, was removed from the Neighbourhood Plan for West Ealing Centre.The West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Plan was drawn up after extensive community consultation over a period of almost 5 years and was formally adopted as an important element of Ealing's Local Statutory Development Plan on 3rd May 2018. The plan accurately reflects the hopes and wishes of local people, was approved at a public meeting of the membership and includes an important policy on preservation and conservation of our heritage.  Demolition of the much loved landmark Woolworth's facade is contrary to the Paragraph 5 of Heritage Policy 14 as well as Paragraphs 6.4 & 6.5. Indeed Paragraph 6 of the agreed plan makes specific provision for the use of Section 106 & CIL funding for the conservation & preservation of the Woolworth's facade. A copy of the adopted Neighbourhood Plan can be found on the council website. It appears that some members of the Ealing's Planning committee were unaware of the recommendations contained within the Neighbourhood Plan or maybe just didn't feel that the views of hundreds, if not thousands, of local people were relevant. How sad that central government is spending large amounts of public money and time encouraging local people to work together as a community only to have their views ignored by our planning system. Preservation of the Woolworth's facade is also supported by a petition of almost 1200 and the planning application for the site itself was vehemently opposed by around 300 people during the consultation stage. Local people believe that the structure could and should be preserved by incorporating it into the design of a new residential block.Is it now time to ask whether our planning system is representative and still fit for purpose?

David Randles ● 2763d9 Comments ● 2759d

The Honourable Dr Rupa Huq M.P. COULD have won the high ground instead of launchinga peer-level spat

The Honourable Dr Rupa Huq M.P. I.M.O. COULD have won the high ground instead of launching a peer-level spat with the Honourable Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge while contributing towards the education of the U.K. population (if not the World) by educating rather than attacking. One of those wonderful, subtle, letters written on House of Commons headed paper sent to the "Honourable Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge" (and released to the press) informing her of her error in the use of the Ebglish language (of course pointing out that the Honourable M.P. for Penistone and Stockbridge could not be presumed to have been intentionally racist)  and explaining how the English language should be used when discussing ethnicity, race and origin). A minimum of a  dozen page guide including a dictionary, lexicon and taxonomy of the appropriate use of the English language (which I as an old git with a traditional education in English usage would find useful, e.g. a formal definition of "B.A.M.E." and its appropriate usage) would serve as a much more effective put down of the Honourable Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge than an undignified frontal attach over an error of English usage. I am confident that the Honourable Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge did not INTEND to be racist, and in British law there is the idea that for a crime to be committed there has to be the act as well as the MENS REA or guilty mind which is the intention to commit the crime!The Honourable Dr Rupa Huq, M.P. is an able analyst and meta-analyst of culture, race and ethnicity (as her books and publications show), and if ANYONE can put together a guide to inclusive and appropriate English it would be her absolutely.The idea of Parliament was that the M.P.s would debate and discuss rather than physically fight each other, hence the two opposing being two sword lengths and a hands-breadth apart so that even the sword tips could not engage. However, to allow such discussion we need an appropriate language to debate in where the meaning of issues are discussed rather than the undignified duelling other language errorsOver to you Doctor Huq M.P. educate and discuss or go to war? As long as we are talking we are not fighting!

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2759d0 Comments ● 2759d

Well done the council

Praise where praise is due. They have been very efficient in cleaning up fly tipping whenever I have reported it. Not so good though in sweeping the autumn leaves.

Graham Weeks ● 2765d6 Comments ● 2760d

Pest control

Hello allAny recommendations for council vs private firms to get rid of mice?We’ve tried traps, poison, plug in things etcAny tips gratefully received!

Jo Cheung ● 2762d2 Comments ● 2760d

RUPA HUQ'S UNAPPROPRIATE PRIORITIES

MP, Rupa Huq, has called for an investigation into an “appalling racist comment” made on 18.2.19.It was the use by a former member of her own party, Angela Smith, of the phrase “funny ting---”.  (The word was never completed).  Ms Smith apologised.  In my opinion, Huq’s intervention was a shameless attempt to deflect attention from the anti-semitic racism in her own party, which was the real news of that day. It is a matter of priorities.   Huq’s priority was indicative to me of a tactical, wilfully self-induced blind-spot. The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, in contrast, remarked that anti-semitism is a “light-sleeper”.  It is. This was a wake-up call for the Party, he said.   Ms Huq needs to wake up and smell the smoke from Auschwitz which has drifted down the decades and now clouds Corbin’s Labour Party, If racism is her concern, instead of indulging in her diversionary tactic, why has she not resigned from Corbyn’s Labour party, tainted as it is in the public eye and by the admission of its sorrowful Deputy with anti-semitism?   Huq, I recall, was one of the MPs to nominate Corbin for Party Leader.  Is she hoping for preferment?

Andrew Farmer ● 2765d5 Comments ● 2760d