MINUTES
OF FIVE ROADS FORUM AGM
15TH JANUARY 2005 AT 10.00AM
CONSERVATIVE OFFICES BROUGHTON ROAD
Apologies: Mike Hallam (Treasurer); James Buchanan
(Hastings Road rep).
Minutes of last year's AGM: Taken as read.
Chairman's Report: Co-chair Lisa Hall. Successes
during the year include: planting the planter boxes; community safety
including links with Neighbourhood Watch; an anti-crime day; Safer
Streets - a Metropolitan Police initiative; contesting planning issues -
unfortunately the development at Daniels' was approved and building will
start next month.
Treasurer's Report: No report submitted but Lisa
said that the association was in a better position financially than this
time last year due to the success of the street party. Many thanks to
the people who organised it.
Street Reps' Reports: Harri Jenkins (Denmark Road rep) said that the Ealing Unitary
Development Plan had identified a number of potential development sites
that were on the borders of the Five Roads Forum area. There was a
feeling that we might end up surrounded by high rise developments. eg
the office block on the other side of St Leonards Road. The demands on
Ealing by the Mayor of London meant that 13-14,000 new housing units
would have to be built in the borough in next 10 years. Catherine Racadio (Broughton Road rep) pointed out that cars
were driving on to the pavement opposite the diagonal parking - not safe
to walk down here. With construction traffic from the Daniels' site, the
road will become more unsafe. Liz Drayton of Hastings Road offered to help get trees planted
which had been successful in Hastings Road. Kuldeep Gharatya (Arden Road rep) said there was still a
constant rat run of vehicles in both directions along the road. Cars
ignored the priority signs at the entrance to the Five Roads area.
Council didn't remove vehicles parked without parking permits. Cars
frequently drove onto the pavement. Lisa mentioned the possibility of a
portable speed camera and wondered whether a speed limit of 10 miles an
hour might improve matters. Kuldeep wondered whether a 'no right turn'
sign from St Leonards Road into Denmark Road would stop rat runners.
Lisa said she would like the pedestrian crossing moved from further down
the Uxbridge Road to St Leonards Road. Charmian Boyd of Denmark Road
wondered whether it was time for a campaign to help cars understand what
the Home Zone is. Lisa agreed and said we may need 'kill your speed'
signs put up. Kuldeep mentioned local businesses on the Uxbridge Road
would help with campaigns against planning applications. Isobel Peacock (Hartington Road rep) said it had been a good
year for the road since building work had stopped behind the shops on
the Uxbridge Road. But there were problems with the road surface in
parts of Hartington. Also builders had replaced the pavement asphalt
with the wrong stuff. Lisa offered to take a look.
Election of Officers: The Chairs (Lisa Hall and
Hugh Comerford), the Secretary (Caroline Evans) and the Treasurer (Mike
Hallam) stood down in accordance with the Constitution. · Lisa was
duly re-elected as sole Chair. Hugh wished to retire as Chair. ·
Mike and Caroline were re-elected as Treasurer and Secretary. · All
officers were proposed by Liz and seconded by Catherine.
Car Club: Liz said a lower monthly fee (with higher
hourly charge) has been negotiated for people who do not use car very
often. After a badly organised consultation with the residents of
Hastings Road, the council are looking to relocate the car from Hastings
to St Leonards Road. It is hoped that another consultation with all the
residents of the Five Roads area will be carried out in the spring.
There have been 18 different members using the West Ealing car in the
past two months. There will be more Car Club cars in Ealing in the next
few months.
Neighbourhood Safety: There's been a number of
burglaries lately. Kuldeep offered to be the Neighbourhood Watch rep.
Street Environment: Catherine offered to be the
street environment rep (planters / S-bend / Hastings Road barrier, etc)
Denise Colliver of Hastings Road said three or four people had
driven through the barrier. Said she had a key if the gate was left
unlocked. Lisa agreed that the present gate was inadequate and said she
was trying to get a better one put in its place.
Planning: Daniels have put in another application
for a warehouse on land behind the Coach and Horses pub.
Sinclair House - application for 108 flats, in two blocks, one of which
is 12-storeys and would be visible from Hastings Road. This was not a
designated development site and raises the issue of cumulative
development in the area. Tall buildings on Sinclair House and on the
Waitrose sites might mean that if the Majestic site (which is identified
as a development site) is developed, then the development is more likely
to be high rise. The council is also threatening to auction the Arden
Road car park for development. Also a designated development site is the
office block on the corner of St Leonards and Uxbridge Road.
Lisa said 5RF and Walpole Residents' Assoc were trying to get the
council to put forward guidance so that builders have to prove that a
development does not harm the local environment or that they put forward
money for local infrastructure eg doctors surgery. Hugh said that the
London Plan wanted housing developments in Ealing because of good
transport links. Also said that the council might consider the barrier
in Hastings Road a good divide between residential and commercial area.
Playground: Lisa said she was still trying to get
returned the whole of the planning application fee of £220. She
said Five Roads Forum had been encouraged by the council to put in an
application for a playground - but then the council realised the area
was on a long-term lease to the spiritualist church.
Website: Robin Hall said it was getting
lots of hits. He was making it into a portal for issues like Ealing and
Home Zones.
Any Other Business: Charmian thanked people in
Denmark Road who had helped raise money for the National Blind
Children's Society.
Goodbye was said to Hugh who was resigning as co-chair. He was given a
bottle of wine as thanks.
