In The News

Edgware Road: Proposals for new pedestrian crossings, improved junctions and introducing a 20mph speed limit.

TfL is asking for your feedback on our proposals to make changes to Edgware Road between Marylebone Flyover and Marble Arch, which will improve safety for pedestrians and other road users by improving five key junctions:

· The Chapel Street/Praed Street Junction

· Sussex Gardens/Old Marylebone Junction

· Kendal Street/George Street Junction

· Connaught Street/Upper Berkeley Street Junction

· Seymour Street Junction

TfL's proposals include:

· Creating new pedestrian crossings, with green and red man signals

· Adding countdown timers to new and existing crossings

· Creating more space for pedestrians on the pavement

· Providing new Advanced Stop Lines (cycle boxes) for cyclists

TfL also proposes to reduce the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph to reduce the number of collisions on Edgware Road and their severity.

Visit: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/edgware-road/ to view TfL's plans and provide your feedback.

The initial programme is as follows.

31st October 2018 – Car park closes to the public

1st to 30th November 2018 – Disconnections of power & water utilities on site, and removal of street furniture

1st December 2018 – Commencement of Enabling Works: Installation of site cabins and temporary perimeter hoarding (heras fence), removal of car park tarmac, barriers and pavement vaults

To find out more visit http://www.moxonstreetcarpark.com

Following the withdrawal by Westminster Council from the Mayors unpopular plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, Westminster have now formally  announced a radical new plan to put £150 million into improvements over the whole Oxford Street district. These improvements, as the name of the strategy implies, intend to treat the West End area around Oxford Street holistically; investing in, but protecting the neighbourhoods that surround Oxford Street and improving Oxford Street itself whilst still maintaining its important function as an east west axis for a reduced amount of buses and taxis. Safety issues stemming from the projected increase in pedestrian numbers from Crossrail, when it finally opens, will be also dealt with by various measures, including the widening of the existing pavements where necessary. 

The top ten proposals in the strategy include:

1. Prioritise pedestrians by massively increasing walking space throughout the whole district whilst retaining two-way vehicle movement along the length of Oxford Street. It’s proposed to create the equivalent of two Trafalgar Squares of additional pedestrian space amidst beautiful new public spaces.

1. Major improvements are proposed at key locations, including a new public piazza style space at Oxford Circus and a reinvigorated gateway to the West End at Marble Arch.

1. Work towards a future where all commercial vehicles that are not zero emission are banned and introduce a 20mph limit across the district

1. Retain buses on Oxford Street 24 hours a day and ensure they are zero emission.

1. Enable space on higher floors on Oxford Street to have different and diverse uses to bring new life and vibrancy to the district

1. Celebrate and revitalise the historic garden squares in the District by maximising pedestrian space and connections from Oxford Street

1. Deliver an ambitious greening programme for the whole district, including side streets, by providing many new street trees, pop up parks and oases for relaxation, rest or play

1. Encourage cycling by retaining access for cyclists to Oxford Street and develop proposals for new cycling routes across the district with two new east–west cycle routes, to the north and south of Oxford Street as well as providing a number of key north-south connections across the district and more cycle parking.

1. Improve shopfronts and exteriors, provide special lighting and promote world class architecture throughout the district, celebrating the eclectic mix of heritage and styles

1. Encourage a year round programme of amazing cultural events and activities, in collaboration with local, national institutions and retailers, including celebrating cultural events

Full details can be found here

A scheme not just for Oxford Street but the whole Oxford Street District.

Early October has seen a flurry of announcements concerning Oxford Street. Westminster City Council have continued to honour their election pledges and listen to the West End, residents and businesses. The Council Leader has personally confirmed again that they are no longer supporting the Mayor’s plan to pedestrianise and that they are going it alone with a bold scheme to put £150 million over three years, not just into Oxford Street, but into a scheme which is genuinely for the improvement of the whole Oxford Street District-  Leaders Update October 2018

In this they now have the support of all the West End amenity societies, who are already being actively consulted by Westminster as part of their engagement process. The Council now understands the importance of protecting the iconic neighbourhoods around Oxford Street: Fitzrovia, Marylebone, Mayfair and Soho. They are aiming to unveil their scheme at the end of the month, and go out to public consultation on it in November for 6 weeks.

At that stage Westminster Council will be seeking the views of those who live, work or have an interest in the area on the new Oxford Street strategy and to that end a new website has been launched at https://osd.london. This will provide details of proposals for the Oxford Street District as well as information about the forthcoming consultation and how the public can give their views. We would urge all those who have shown so much interest in the future of Oxford Street to visit that website and use this opportunity to help develop the scheme with their constructive views on the area.

Westminster have also launched an Oxford Street District newsletter to keep people updated which can be subscribed to from the Oxford Street District website.

All good news so far and we will keep you updated. The next key date is the meeting of the Westminster Council Cabinet on 25th October where the decision on the draft Place Strategy and Delivery Plan for Oxford Street will be formally set out and sanctioned.

Dear resident

Four months ago, the people of Westminster had their say in the hardest fought local election for many years. I am delighted and humbled that they overwhelmingly chose to put their trust once again in the local Conservatives to run their council.

I believe that as Leader of the Council I should report back to you on how we are succeeding on the pledges we made during the election. This is the first of a series of regular “Leader’s Updates” I will be sharing with you over the years ahead to keep you fully informed on how we are doing, our achievements to date and what we are continuing to strive to achieve. Please share this with family, friends and work colleagues.

We have the lowest Council Tax in the county. Over the next four years we promised to continue to provide outstanding services:

• protecting the vulnerable
• ensuring our young people have the best possible start in life
• building more affordable homes
• improving air quality
• becoming even more open and transparent
• establishing a partnership approach with the people we serve. 

Like you, I live in Westminster. Whether or not you support the Conservatives at election time, I want to explain what the Council is doing on your behalf and highlight some of the first major decisions we have made. 

Oxford Street – improving air quality & protecting our neighbourhoods

Our first major decision was to no longer support the Mayor of London’s plan to pedestrianise Oxford Street. The Council had initially been a partner working on the proposals as we thought it was important that Westminster’s residents and businesses had a voice at the table to influence the plans. However, the more we heard from local people regarding their genuine concerns about the proposals, the more convinced we became that there had to be a better solution to improve air quality, pedestrian safety and future-proof retail along this world-famous High Street. So we made the decision to pull out at the beginning of June. Our announcement had mixed reactions: local people and businesses in the main were delighted. Many from outside our City - and the Mayor of London himself - were furious.

Since then we have been working hard on our own Oxford Street District Improvement Scheme, which covers a much wider area and is taking a long term view of how the area might change. Westminster is working closely with local councillors, local people and businesses and we aim to unveil our scheme by the end of October to go out to formal consultation the following month. To ensure we have a world-class plan, which protects our iconic neighbourhoods such as Soho, Fitzrovia and Marylebone, we are investing £150million over the next three years into the scheme.  We hope that other partners, including the Mayor of London, will invest too.

Protecting our Streets and Neighbourhoods

Many of you will be aware of the fierce campaign we led to save Belgravia Police Station. Sadly we were unsuccessful but our offer to house local neighbourhood police teams at City Hall in Victoria Street is still on the table.

Worryingly we have seen a drastic increase in drug dealing, drug taking, and anti-social behaviour across Westminster. I have held meetings with senior police and council officers to understand why we are seeing such concerning criminal activity.

Many local people share my belief that we are not seeing enough police officers on patrol. I remain worried about the Met’s new Borough Command Unit, amalgamating Westminster alongside Hammersmith & Fulham and with Kensington & Chelsea. We are set to lose a further 200 police officers by February. This is unacceptable and I have written to Commissioner Cressida Dick expressing my deep concerns about the future of Neighbourhood Policing across the city.

Westminster Council has responded to the growing issue of open drug using, begging and anti-social behaviour by launching our Integrated Street Engagement Unit. It is already making a difference having worked with 100 people on the street to help support change their lives around and secures the help they urgently need.

Building More Homes For Westminster Families

Our largest house-building programme for a generation is on track. Work has started building the nearly 2,000 new council and genuinely affordable home we’ve promised across the city by 2023. We approved the next stage of the Church Street Master Plan, our ambitious programme to build 1,700 new homes in the Church Street area, near Marylebone, over the next 15-20 years. Thirty five per cent of all new homes will be affordable and existing council tenanted homes will be replaced and re-provided at social rent. In addition to the new homes, our plan also looks to create a greener environment, boost the economy and employment opportunities, and improve access throughout the Church Street area by balancing the relationship between pedestrians, cars and bicycles.

In Pimlico, we are also moving forward with our renewal plans for the Ebury Bridge Estate, building 750 new homes, 342 of which will be affordable and social rent homes. It’s vital that we create and preserve our mixed neighbourhoods. This is why we are committed to ensuring that many of the new affordable homes on this estate will be at intermediate rent available to those on moderate incomes including the key public sector workers who keep our City safe and running smoothly.

City West Homes – Time for Change

I know that over recent times Westminster’s housing arm’s length management organisation, City West Homes, has provided often woeful service to its clients. This is simply not acceptable. Having heard so many appalling reports from local people frustrated with City West Homes, it was clear action was required. 

At the start of this year I commissioned an independent report into the running of City West Homes, seeking recommendations on how it could be improved for benefit of everyone involved.

We then hit the election period and plans had to be put on hold as we went into purdah, when legally we are prevented from making such decisions in the run-up to polling day.

With the election over, my new Housing Cabinet Member, Cllr Andrew Smith and I were able to take action. We commissioned a second report into the governance of City West Homes and an independent cross-party Scrutiny Task Group was also set up to investigate. The clear conclusion from this work was that fundamental change was required. Having reviewed all the evidence we have decided that the best option is to bring the service back under direct council control. We are now working with residents and staff to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Schools Clean Air Fund Launched – Tackling Poor Air Quality

Tackling poor air quality remains a top priority. We were proud to launch our Green Manifesto during the election. I was therefore, delighted that one of our first initiatives once returned to City Hall was to launch our £1m Schools Clean Air Fund.

Aimed at primary schools, the fund is to help tackle poor air quality across the city. Schools will be able to apply to the Fund to create “no pollution zones”. These new zones will introduce a range of measures to help reduce harmful emissions in the air surrounding schools.

The new Fund is funded from the diesel surcharge Westminster introduced last year in Marylebone, which has seen an overall reduction of 14 per cent in the number of the most polluting vehicles entering the area.

In closing

Our priorities over the coming months include unveiling our plans to completely overhaul our Planning System, giving both local councillors and residents a greater say at an earlier stage and a stronger voice at Planning Committees. We will also be launching our new City Plan, which will outline for discussion our future key planning policies, which will shape our City for years ahead.

Too often, people say they only hear from politicians at election times. I hope you have found this brief taste of the work we have started since the elections in May of interest and given you confidence that we are determined to keep the promises we made. Your Conservative-run council is determined to continue to work with you to safeguard Westminster as a safe, pleasant and vibrant place to live, work and visit.

Yours

Nickie 

From Hell Island To Hay Fever

The biography Dr Bill Frankland, a remarkable local man and Marylebone Association member, is published on 16 October.  Available at Daunt Bookshop and Amazon.

On 28 November 1941, QSMV Dominion Monarch arrived at Singapore at the end of a two-month voyage from Liverpool. On board were 35 doctors from the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), a number of Army nurses and 1700 men of the Royal Artillery. The RAMC group included 29-year-old Captain A. W. ‘Bill’ Frankland. He had qualified from St Mary’s Hospital in 1938 and had joined the Army two days before the declaration of war, in September 1939. The plan for the RAMC contingent was to form a General Hospital at Johor Bahru. However, four days after landing this changed and their fate was unclear. Bill Frankland, along with another new arrival, Captain R. L. Parkinson RAMC, was summoned to a meeting with a senior officer. There were two positions to be filled: one at Tanglin Military Hospital, working primarily in VD and dermatology, and the other as an anaesthetist in the newly opened Alexandra Military Hospital, a facility which Bill later described as ‘like Buckingham Palace’. Bill’s preference was Tanglin, as was Captain Parkinson’s; neither relished the prospect of administering anaesthetics. The senior officer broke the stalemate in a time-honoured way. A coin was spun: ‘You call, Frankland’ was the instruction. ‘Heads, Sir’. It was. Bill was sent to Tanglin and Captain Parkinson to Alexandra Military Hospital.

Four days later Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbour, Singapore and Hong Kong. Over the ensuing months Tanglin came under heavy attack. During this time Bill treated many allied casualties and was also responsible for treating a small number of Japanese casualties taken prisoner. In addition he served as ‘prisoner’s friend’ to Captain Patrick Heenan, the ‘Traitor of Singapore’, who had been found guilty of treason.

On 11 February 1942, with Japanese troops no more than 500 metres away, Bill evacuated the hospital to the Victoria Theatre in Singapore City. Two days later, on Black Friday, he assisted British nurses, who had assembled at Singapore Cricket Club, to make their way to Keppel Harbour. He oversaw their passage onto small vessels which took them to the waiting SS Kuala. This was the last group of nurses to leave Singapore; many having worked at Alexandra Military Hospital. Reaching the gangway of Kuala they were greeted by Australian deserters armed with rifles, who allowed the nurses to board but told Bill that he could not. His reply was simple: ‘I do not intend to, I have plenty of work to be done back on land’.

Saturday 14 February stands out as one of the darkest days in the history of Singapore. On that day, Japanese troops surrounded Alexandra Military Hospital, and despite Red Cross flags being draped over the building, proceeded to attack. On seeing the situation unfolding Lieutenant W.F.J. Weston RAMC, walked out of the hospital towards the advancing troops, waving a large sheet as a white flag. He was immediately bayoneted and killed; he was 27 years old. His headstone poignantly reads ‘Greater love hath no man than this.’ Soon the Japanese entered the hospital creating unimaginable mayhem. Anaesthetised patients were bayoneted them as they lay on operating tables. Medical staff were also attacked. Captain T. B. Smiley, a surgeon with the RAMC, was bayoneted in the chest, but the blade was deflected by his cigarette case (a gift from his fiancée). Nearby, Captain Parkinson was anaesthetising Corporal Holden – both were killed.

Few patients survived the massacre and overall, more than 200 men lost their lives. Had it not been for the toss of coin in late 1941, Captain Bill Frankland would most certainly have been one of them. Now aged 106, the biography of Dr Bill Frankland is to be published on 16 October. Entitled ‘From Hell Island to Hay Fever’, it details the remarkable and long life of Britain’s oldest doctor. It describes several occasions when Bill Frankland has been next to death, both in war and peace. The book provides unique insight into the remarkable medical career of a man who survived incarceration by the Japanese, worked for Sir Alexander Fleming, developed the pollen count and treated Saddam Hussein – it will be of interest to many and is available to pre-order now from Amazon.

WLM are taking the first step into transforming Seymour Place into a community centre. You can find out the details and support this amazing project here: https://www.spacehive.com/wlm

WLM has been helping homeless people for over 40 years. Every day, around 100 homeless people come to their doors. Last year they helped 242 people into accommodation! Seymore Place is an amazing building but it is showing signs of ageing and is in real need of renovation.

WLM have a vision of using the building much more than they currently do. As well as continuing to support homeless people to come off the streets, they want to transform it into a thriving hub for the whole community. WLM have an opportunity here to address needs that have not yet been met, including supporting gambling addicts, facilitating women's groups and tackling long-term unemployment.

They will bring together local residents, schools, churches, businesses through our creative, dynamic hub, offering events with wide engagement. WLM will develop into a more effective platform for getting people off the streets with more training and employment avenues for rough sleepers through our pop cafe.

Seymour Place used to be home to Emma Cons, founder of the South London Dwellings Company and the Old Vic. Emma worked to help disadvantaged people in the Victorian Era. WLM will restore this unique mix of philanthropy, heritage and the arts to Marylebone once again!

The first stage is to conduct a feasibility study at a cost of £71,435. This research will assess the changes that can be made to the listed building, scope building costs, prepare architectural drawings and engage the community.

How you can help

WLM are calling on local residents and businesses to pledge their support via Crowdfund London. Launched by the Mayor of London, successful campaigns are backed by a donation of up to £50,000 from the Mayor. The success of a campaign is demonstrated by the amount of support received in the first few weeks following its launch. WLM have between now and 8 October to demonstrate to The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, the support they have for their idea, so they need a lot of backers.  If £71,435 has not been raised by 17 December, all funds will be returned to the donors so time is of the essence!

Here are the ways that you can support Seymour Place Community Hub:

Donate – Whatever you can spare! We all believe in this vision, let’s put our money where our mouths are and donate to this page. Ask you friends, family, hairdressers, personal trainers to donate too.

The High Court today ruled in favour of Westminster City Council, deciding that Transport for London (TfL) attempted to carry out the installation of Cycle Super Highway (CS11) at Swiss Cottage without complying with its legal obligations to affected local authorities.

In court, the Council argued that despite multiple requests, it had not received the necessary traffic modelling and mitigation measures it required from TfL to make an informed decision on the installation of CS11 in Westminster.

Many residents also opposed CS11 due to the potential implications on local traffic flow and air quality, a concern raised with TfL during its consultation between February and March 2016.

Cllr Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Environment and City Management, said “Westminster City Council supports improving cycling infrastructure, but as part of the planning process all traffic and air quality impacts must be properly assessed before a decision is made to construct.

“It’s clear from today’s outcome, TfL have not completed the due diligence that our residents deserve and the current CS11 proposals need to be assessed in more detail. TfL must consider the effects of the entire route before an informed decision can be made.

“As a result, we’re happy with the judge’s decision and call on TfL to work collaboratively with us and other stakeholders to ensure all impacts of CS11 and similar projects are fully assessed for the benefit of everyone, including residents, before they go ahead.”

Westminster City Council held regular meetings with TfL on CS11 since the consultation process in 2016, however as the council never received the modelling it requested, it was unable to make an informed decision on whether the scheme would be acceptable in Westminster.

In May 2018, TfL said construction would commence at Swiss Cottage on 30 July. This announcement left the Council with no further option but to take TfL to court.

The High Court ruled on 26 July that there was sufficient evidence for a Judicial Review of TfL’s decision to be held, and granted an injunction delaying commencement of CS11 works at Swiss Cottage until the case was heard in court.

The full hearing of the Judicial Review was held on Thursday 6 September 2018, and judgement in the Council’s favour was handed down at the High Court this morning.

Would you sleep out of your comfort zone?

WLM has been helping homeless people for 130 years and is calling for volunteers willing to sleep out for one night to raise awareness and funds for our work. On 26th October, we are looking for 50-60 people willing to brave the cold and Sleep Out so that others don’t have to.

WLM empowers people affected by homelessness, poverty and trauma to live more fulfilling lives. Their service at Seymour Place, helps those who are sleeping rough and offers them both immediate respite care and long-term housing solutions. They provide hot breakfasts, showers, laundry, clothing store, haircuts, luggage storage, health care and mail collection as well housing advice service. Last year they helped 249 people off the streets and into safe accommodation. They rely on donations to make sure our vital work can continue as we don’t receive any government funding.

Homelessness continues to be a growing problem. Since 2010, numbers of rough sleepers in London have increased by 170%. One of their clients, Nick, was sleeping rough since 2012 when he decided to leave his property due to domestic abuse by his wife and children and ended up on the streets. When he came to WLM Seymour Place, WLM project workers did their best to find accommodation and work for him – ‘WLM helped me to find a kitchen porter job and my project worker went with me to the interview. After my two weeks training they hired me. I currently live in the night shelter that WLM co-ordinates, where I have been able to save money for rented accommodation’.

WLM invite you to join our annual Sleep Out on Friday 26th October and help them support homeless people off the streets, into work, accommodation and onto a better chapter in their lives. WLM's Sleep Out is an opportunity for everyone to be sponsored by their friends, family and contacts, sleeping out for just one night in the secure gardens of St James's Church Piccadilly, so that others don't have to.

Can you help us transform more homeless people’s lives in London this year?

You can find more information about our Sleep Out 2018 on WLM’s website www.wlm.org.uk

Event enquiries: Grace Hunt – WLM Sleep Out coordinator

M: grace.hunt@wlm.org.uk

T: 020 7569 5915

West London Mission - Central office: 19 Thayer Street, London, W1U 2QJ. T: 020 7935 6179 - F: 020 7487 3965. Charity Number 1133739 | www.wlm.org.uk

Westminster in partnership with TfL is planning some Quietway cycling and pedestrian improvements in Marylebone. The earlier plans have been revised and now included contra-flow cycle lanes in Clipstone Street (40m) and on Devonshire Street (22m) along with improved pedestrian crossings. You can review all the plans in detail and make comments in writing by 10th September quoting reference 7221/PJ by emailing philip.jessop@wsp.com and copy us at traffic@marylebone.org .  Download the details of the plans