Agenda and minutes

To note the appointment of Councillor Marie-Louise Nolan as the Chair of the Wealdstone Regeneration Advisory Panel for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year, as agreed at Cabinet on 19 May 2005.

RESOLVED: To note the appointment, at the Cabinet meeting on 19 May 2005, of Councillor Marie-Louise Nolan as Chair of the Wealdstone Regeneration Advisory Panel for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             after notifying the Chair at the start of the meeting.

RESOLVED: To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To appoint a Vice-Chair of the Panel for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED: To appoint Councillor Marilyn Ashton as Vice-Chair of the Panel for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests (if any) from Members of the Committee, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting.

RESOLVED: To note the following Declaration of Interest made by a Member present relating to business to be transacted at this meeting:

(i)         Councillor Marilyn Ashton declared an interest arising from the fact that she was Vice-Chair of the Development Control Committee.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED: That (1) in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following item/information be admitted to the agenda by reason of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency stated:

and

(2) all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 April 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 April 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED: To note that no public questions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED: To note that no deputations were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 13 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED: To note that no petitions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 13 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive any references from Council and/or other Committees or Panels.

RESOLVED: To note that there were no references from Council or other Committees or Panels to be received at this meeting.

Report of the Director of Legal Services.

The Panel received a report of the Director of Legal Services which advised that all advisers to the Panel had been contacted and asked to confirm whether they wished to continue as advisers for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year.

The report stated that seven of the advisers had confirmed that they wished to continue and it was reported verbally that, since the despatch of the agenda, confirmation from a further adviser had also been received.  The report advised that Mr Rudi Page, representing North West London Chamber of Commerce, had confirmed that he would be replaced by Mr Eric Diamond.  It was reported verbally that Mr Mark Rughani, representing Wealdstone Traders’ Association, would be replacing Dr Omar Omele.

A formal response had not yet been received from the remaining representative, Mr Garratt, who represented Kodak.

RESOLVED: That (1) the following be appointed as non-voting advisers to the Panel for the 2005/2006 Municipal Year:

Mr Stephen Addy – Harrow Association of Disabled People

Mr Tony Arens - Heriot Catering

Mr Eric Diamond – North West London Chamber of Commerce

Ms Susan Hall – Chair – Wealdstone Traders’ Association

Mrs Brenda Harvey – Wealdstone Active Community

Sgt Andrew Jackson – Metropolitan Police

Mr Mark Rughani – Wealdstone Traders’ Association

Mrs June Skidmore - Wealdstone Active Community

Sgt Colin Walker – Metropolitan Police

Mr Anthony Wood  - Harrow Public Transport Users’ Association  

(2) a reminder be sent to Mr Garratt of Kodak seeking confirmation of whether he wished to continue as an adviser to the Panel.

At its meeting on 24 January 2005, the Panel agreed to invite the Council’s Crime Reduction Manager to hear the Panel’s concerns in relation to policing in the area.

The Panel welcomed the Council’s Crime Reduction Officer, who had been invited to attend the meeting to hear the Panel’s concerns in relation to policing in Wealdstone.

The Crime Reduction Officer reported that the Council was working with the Police and the community to coordinate crime prevention and to ensure that issues relating to crime were dealt with in the appropriate forum.  The recently introduced dispersal order was an example of the Council and Police working together to engage with issues relating to crime in Wealdstone.

The Adviser representing the Metropolitan Police advised the Panel that he was aware that concerns had been expressed regarding Police shortages across the Borough.  He wished to emphasise that the Safer Neighbourhoods Team and the Police Community Support Officers provided support in addition to the usual police force.  The Crime Reduction Officer acknowledged that the roll-outs of the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and the New Harrow Project had not been synchronised, which had resulted in variation in the service provided across wards.  In response to a question from a Member of the Panel, the Adviser representing the Metropolitan Police stated that, in his opinion, use of the dispersal order would not result in some wards being disadvantaged because of displacement of offenders, because those wards most in need of an increased Police presence would be prioritised.

In response to a question from the Chair, the Adviser representing the Metropolitan Police reported that there had been an increase in anti-social behaviour in the Weald Lane/High Road area.  The CCTV van had been in operation and a focus group had met including residents and businesses, which had produced feedback from the local community.

The Crime Reduction Officer reported that detailed mapping work had been undertaken to provide an evidence base for diversionary activities for youths in the Borough.  Young people had contributed to the development of the plan, which had been led by the Council’s Youth Crime Reduction Officer.  The Panel agreed that it would be helpful to hear more about the project at a future meeting.

RESOLVED: (1) To note the comments above;

(2) to invite the Council’s Youth Crime Reduction Manager to a future meeting of the Panel to discuss work relating to youth diversionary activity in Wealdstone.

Report of the Development Manager (Urban Living).

Officers presented an update report on Key Worker Housing in Wealdstone.

An Adviser to the Panel suggested that advertising to recruit teachers and police to work in Harrow should promote the availability of affordable housing in the Borough.

A Member of the Panel expressed the view that applications to convert family houses into flats were usually approved by the Council’s Development Control Committee, but this often produced small units with reduced amenity space and parking that was insufficient for multiple residences.  Small units resulted in a transient population and did not encourage families to settle in the area, and this had a knock-on effect for other services such as schools and doctors’ surgeries.

The Panel agreed that Wealdstone suffered from limited parking and that the creation of more smaller units requiring additional parking would be detrimental to the area.  A Member noted that many properties in Wealdstone did not have large gardens to convert to parking, which exacerbated the problem.  Possible strategies to limit the number of conversions were discussed by the Panel, such as the benefit of introducing a policy which stated a maximum percentage of houses in a street that could be converted from family homes to smaller units.  A Member noted that currently the Unitary Development Plan did not contain a policy restricting the number of conversions permitted.

The officer noted that family homes were being built in Wealdstone, but these had not been included in the report.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the position on housing developments in Wealdstone be noted and regular updates submitted to the Panel;

(2) officers be requested to provide for the next meeting statistics on numbers of conversions approved by the Council during the past year (or thereabouts);

(3) the Strategic Planning Advisory Panel be requested to consider the Panel’s concerns regarding the number of family homes being converted into smaller units in the Wealdstone area, the associated parking problems that arose from such conversions, and to consider whether the Local Development Scheme could prioritise the review of the Council’s policy on conversions, with a view to limiting the percentage of conversions permitted.

Report of the Director of Strategy (Urban Living).

The Panel received a report of the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) which provided an update on the current position in relation to the Byron Park site.

The Panel agreed that it would be useful for the Council’s Crime Reduction Design Officers to be involved in the design of the site.

The Chair emphasised the need for an holistic approach to be taken to the design of the site, so that an overview could be maintained of the impact of the scheme on services such as schools and doctors’ surgeries, and infrastructure issues such as vehicular access and assessment of Controlled Parking Zones.

RESOLVED: That (1) the update report be noted;

(2) the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) be requested to involve the Crime Reduction Design Officers in proposals for the site.

Report of the Director of Strategy (Urban Living).

The Panel received a report of the Director of Strategy (Urban Living), which provided an update on the current position in relation to the Wealdstone Town Centre Regeneration Project.

The Chair noted that it would be useful for Panel Members and Advisers to receive confirmation of the appointment of the consultants before the next meeting.  The Panel agreed that it was important for these consultants to work with the proposed transport consultant for the Byron Park Regeneration Project so that non-conflicting recommendations were produced.

RESOLVED: That (1) the update report be noted;

(2) the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) be requested to keep Members of, and Advisers to, the Panel updated on the appointment of consultants.

Oral Update from the WAC advisers to the Panel on the activities of WAC.

A representative of Wealdstone Active Community (WAC) updated the Panel on recent activities as follows:-

• ‘Blooming Wealdstone’, including plant sales and Indian dancing, would be taking place on 9 July.  The Safer Neighbourhoods Team would be holding a mobile surgery on the same day.

• Some members of WAC had expressed concerns about the Red Brick Café.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the update be noted;

(2) the Chair meet with the manager of the Red Brick Café to pass on the informal feedback given by members of WAC, and report back to a future meeting.

New Swimming Pool in Wealdstone

An Adviser to the Panel reported that it was her understanding that investigations had  been undertaken to ascertain whether it would be possible to site a new Olympic-sized swimming pool next to the Leisure Centre’s existing pool.  This was the same site which the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) had advised the Panel at its last meeting was being considered as a site for a new housing development.

A Member of the Panel reported that it was his understanding that investigations had revealed that the site was not appropriate for the proposed new pool.

Members of the Panel expressed the view that a new Olympic-sized swimming pool would make Wealdstone a more attractive place, and could become a venue for international swimming events.  The Panel noted that Harrow and Wealdstone had an excellent swimming club.

RESOLVED: To invite appropriate officers to attend the next meeting of the Panel to clarify the situation regarding the proposed redevelopment of the swimming pool site.

To agree the date of the next meeting of the Panel.

RESOLVED:  That the next meeting of the Panel be held at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 20 September 2005.