Year: 2019

West House Lodge Appeal Dismissed.

Good news.

The appeal against the refusal of planning consent to build a block of five flats on the site of West House Lodge (the private house surrounded by Pinner Memorial Park) has been dismissed by the Planning Inspector.

The Planning Inspector in his report gave his reasons for dismissing the appeal, which include:

The proposal would not respond to local character, and moreover, because of its prominent location and design characteristics, the appeal proposal would be intrusive and detract from the qualities of the area.

The site forms part of the Open Space designation of the Memorial Park as a whole but given the presence of the existing dwelling located within the specific appeal site, the site can also be designated as garden land – therefore the policies and guidance in the Local Plan to restrict development on Open Space and garden land apply to this site.

The trees in the immediate locality have some amenity value that contributes to the character and appearance of the park. No tree survey has been provided to demonstrate that trees would not be affected by the development and as a result, I find I am not convinced that significant harm would not be caused.

The application and this subsequent appeal have been the subject of considerable representation from local residents and organisations. I have taken these into consideration, and dealt with the appeal on its own merits.

HS2 Roadworks through the Pinner South Area

Thank you to the Eastcote Residents’ Association who have alerted The Pinner Association about substantial and potentially disruptive roadworks, which we understand may take up to a year to complete from Rayners Lane to West Ruislip.   The roadworks will be for the laying of two high power electrical cables from an electricity sub-station off Imperial Drive, between Rayners Lane and North Harrow, to West Ruislip. The new cables will be required to carry the large amount of electricity needed to power the tunnel boring machine for the HS2 tunnel which is to emerge at just beyond West Ruislip.

As HS2 is a statutory transport body and therefore can undertake utility works without requiring any consent from the local authority. We have been informed that there are technical reasons why the new cables cannot be laid along the existing railway lines from Rayners Lane to Ruislip and that the power supply at West Ruislip Station depot is insufficient for the purpose.   The HS2 management liaised with Harrow Council on the route for the cables, which has been designed to minimise the disruption to bus routes. When more information is available Harrow Council has undertaken to communicate with the public in the areas affected telling them what to expect.

The works will involve digging a trench in which to bury the cables along Farm Avenue, down Rayners Lane, up Whittington Way, along St Michael’s Crescent, down Cannons Lane, along Cannonbury Avenue up to the junction with Rushdene Road from where the route continues through Hillingdon borough:

These links are to the maps of the route through Harrow borough:

https://ruislipagainsths2.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/hs2westruisliptbmpowermap1-farmave2craynerslane.pdf

https://ruislipagainsths2.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/hs2westruisliptbmpowermap2-raynerslane2cwhittingtonway.pdf

https://ruislipagainsths2.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/hs2westruisliptbmpowermap3-stmichael27scres2ccannonburyave.pdf

https://ruislipagainsths2.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/hs2westruisliptbmpowermap4-rushdenerd2cdeanecroftrd.pdf

The HS2 management are holding a series of “drop-in” meetings in the north of Hillingdon borough and you may wish to go along to one of these to obtain further information. As yet, we have not been informed of any “Drop-in” sessions being held in Harrow borough.

From the “HS2 in Hillingdon” website: https://hs2inhillingdon.commonplace.is/

Drop-ins:

If you would like to find out more about the HS2 project or have questions about it, your local HS2 Community Engagement Manager along with engagement staff from the contractors will be available for you to drop-in and speak to. The drop-ins will be held at Harefield library, Park Lane, Harefield, UB9 6BJ; Ickenham library, Long Lane, Ickenham UB10 8RE; and Ruislip Manor library, Linden Avenue, Ruislip Manor HA4 8TW.

You are welcome to drop-in at a location or time suitable for you. No appointment necessary.

February
Friday 15, Harefield library, 2pm to 5pm
Monday 25, Ruislip Manor library, 4pm to 7pm

March
Monday 4, Ickenham library, 2pm to 5pm
Friday 15, Harefield library, 2pm to 5pm
Tuesday 26, Ruislip Manor, 2pm to 5pm

April
Thursday 4, Ickenham library, 4pm to 7pm
Friday 12, Harefield library, 2pm to 5pm
Tuesday 23, Ruislip Manor library, 2pm to 5pm
Monday 29, Ickenham library, 2pm to 5pm

Further information will be posted on the Pinner Association website and Facebook site when this is available.

Filming High Street, Pinner: Friday 8th February 2019 8 am – 1 pm

A Message from Harrow Film Office.

On February 8 filming will take place on the High Street, Pinner between 8 am and 1 pm.  A film crew will be filming an actor walking down the High Street towards Bridge Street with extras in the background gesturing towards him in the promotion of a well-known restaurant brand.

In the interests of safety and to facilitate the filming, the Council have approved the use of Traffic Diversions during the filming period to prevent cars from travelling along the High Street.  Diversionary route signage will be in place to divert traffic around the High Street for the holding duration time periods.

Stop / Go points will be positioned at the following locations; at the junction of Bridge Street and the High Street and further up on the High Street just before Grange Gardens.  The film crew have been authorised to hold traffic for a maximum of 2 minutes only between 8 am – 1 pm to allow the filming sequences to take place. Compliance with the 2 minute holds will be closely monitored by a member of Harrow Council’s Highways department.

Under Traffic Order, all bays along the High Street have been suspended between the hours of 00:01 and 13:00 on the 8 February.  As an alternative the public are advised to use the pay and display car park at Chapel Lane.  To reduce the inconvenience the film company have agreed to support any disabled car user wishing to use the disabled bays along the High Street and filming marshals will be available in the morning to support this.  Any planned deliveries to businesses along the High Street are being coordinated by the Location Manager in order to avoid disruption to business.

In the afternoon the film crew will be filming within the confines of a barber shop along Bridge Street and four bays will be suspended in the afternoon directly outside the property.  There will be no disruption to traffic during this sequence.  Finally, the Council have agreed use of Waxwell Lane car park as a filming vehicle compound all day on Friday 8 February and so the majority of the car park will not be available for public use.  However, a row of 12 bays will be available for permit holders and disabled car users.

We do apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Kind regards
Harrow Film Office

 

Home Security Advice

A message from PCSO Lee O’Brien.

“Unfortunately, since the start of 2019 the Pinner area has suffered from a spate of burglaries. It is therefore important to be vigilant and assess your home’s security vulnerabilities.

Some of the main security measures we recommend are:

1. An intruder alarm system installed by an NSI or SSAIB affiliated company is an excellent deterrent. Most burglaries occur at the rear, so have an additional active alarm bell box fitted at the rear, as well as the front, to deter intruders approaching from neighbouring gardens or alleyways.

2. Most UPVC and aluminium doors have multi-locking handles. If you have one of these doors, it is vital that you lift the handle and lock it with a key. If you don’t have a multi-locking handle, surface mounted key operated locks can be fitted to the top and bottom. Wooden doors should have British Standard 5-lever mortice locks. A front door should also have an automatic deadlocking rim latch and a back door should have two mortice rack bolts, fitted to the top and bottom.

3. Side and rear boundaries should be a minimum of 1.8 metres in height. An additional diamond-style trellis topping is difficult to climb and provides a framework for spiky, defensive planting, such as climbing roses. Side gates should be level with the front building line, secure and the same height as the side and rear boundaries. 

4. Low front boundaries should not exceed 1 metre in height, to allow natural surveillance and increase the chances of a burglar being seen.

5. A safe, fixed to a solid floor and/or wall will prevent valuables and sentimental items being stolen. Property marking and photographing valuables assists police to return stolen property. Timers or smart technology linked to lights and a radio will give the impression that somebody is at home.

6. Burglars often knock or ring at the door to see if a property is unoccupied before gaining entry to it, so if you think you hear someone at your door, please respond to it.

7. Consider purchasing a smart audio and visual doorbell such as ring.com, which provides CCTV coverage of your driveway / street and allows you to answer your door remotely.”

Attempted Car Theft – Pinner Area

We have received an email from the Safer Neighbourhood Team.

“Over the weekend of the 19th / 20th January we received reports of two failed attempts to steal a Land Rover / Range Rover from driveways in the Pinner area.

These and other high-value vehicles are often targeted by organised criminals who ship the vehicles abroad, never to be seen again.

It is therefore of the utmost importance to take the below proactive security measures to prevent the theft of your vehicle.

  • Thieves are using sophisticated methods to steal vehicles with electronic keys – a scanner is used to locate the signal from the key. To prevent this, always keep the electronic key in a security pouch when not in use.
  • Keys and ignition fobs should kept safe and out of sight and reach – the most common ways to steal a car or van is to take the keys or ignition fob, either when left in the vehicle or from your home through burglary. Try not to keep your keys in an obvious place such as the hallway or kitchen.
  • Set the steering wheel lock if your vehicle is fitted with one. If not, use a bar type steering lock each time you leave your vehicle.
  • Also consider using a gear stick lock.

No matter how many wheels your mode of transport has, you can get further vehicle theft prevention advice via this link: https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-of-a-vehicle/.”