Welcome to your Winter e-Newsletter from your East Putney Councillors |
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Your Councillors are also on Facebook, which you can access here. Please feel free to forward this e-Newsletter to any East Putney residents who may be interested. To join our circulation list, please email heretohelp@wandsworthconservatives.co.uk.
To contact your Councillors:
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With the rest of the country, Wandsworth enters lockdown
Earlier in the month the Government announced that England would be entering a new national lockdown. This lockdown involves staying at home unless you are going out for essential reasons such as to collect food, supplies, or to go to work in key areas.
Councillor Ravi Govindia said: "The Council has worked with its partners in the community to set up a robust system to provide residents, community groups and businesses with help and support to come through this crisis. If anybody is having trouble collecting food or medicine, please do contact our community hub, which did some magnificent work during the last lockdown."
"Although this period may feel like one of never-ending pain, unlike last time, some light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. Two vaccines have been approved and are being given out to millions and counting, including in Wandsworth, and this should give us hope for brighter days ahead."
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New Shop Openings Continue In And Around The Ward
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Despite the tough economic times that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to the area, new shops continue to open, including Lidl and Sports Direct. As well as this, it was wonderful to see that Pets at Home opened a new Putney branch next to Sainsbury’s by the Methodist church on Upper Richmond Road. This was great news not only for the jobs created for residents but also for the convenience this provides to the ward’s many pet owners, especially our many dog walkers.
East Putney Councillor Sarah Binder said: “This retail unit was previously home to Wandsworth Oasis, a wonderful chain of charity shops raising money for those living with HIV. It is such a large unit, and it is great to see that it was only vacant for a short space of time, as Pets at Home opened their doors in early December.
I would encourage all pet owners to support local businesses by paying a visit when the store reopens. This is just another example of the trend that Putney seems to be prevailing against, at a time when many areas are facing more shop closures than openings.”
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Putney High Street Awarded New Funding
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In late December, the government announced that the council will receive £1,058,706 as part of the Future High Streets Fund Competition, money aimed at getting town centres and high streets bustling and thriving again.
This funding will be added to that for the existing Putney Hugh street improvement project, which has already seen the upgrading of lights at St Mary’s church and illumination of Putney Bridge. Future elements include the upgrading of street lighting, installation of planters and planting of new street trees.
Councillor Ravi Govindia said: “We know the impact that Covid-19 has had on our town centres and we continue to work closely with our local businesses, residents and community groups to ensure the continued vitality of our town centres and high streets, to support the local economy and protect jobs.
This funding announcement is going to hugely support our commitment to make Putney High Street safer and more attractive and is very welcome news for the whole area.”
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More Car Charging Points for East Putney
East Putney Councillors were delighted late last year when new electric vehicle charging points were secured for the ward. This will see four new electric vehicle parking bays made available at three locations within the ward. These locations are outside of 63 St Johns Avenue, 2-3 Carlton Drive and 11 Keswick Road. This reflects where demand was greatest and where coordination was most practical. The new units will be standalone charge points, as opposed to the lamp post style facilities seen elsewhere in
the ward.
East Putney Councillor Ravi Govindia said: “With sales of new petrol and diesel cars ending by the year 2030, it is important that we start preparing for a time where most of the cars on our roads will be electric.
Increasing numbers of East Putney residents are moving towards this and we are delighted to have secured this expansion of charging facilities. This is part of a programme of expansion across the borough and within the ward that we will seek to continue over the coming years.”
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Heathrow Ruling Changes Nothing, Vow Councillors |
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In December, the UK Supreme Court voted in favour of Heathrow Airport in overturning the block on the commencement of its planned third runway. The original ruling was hard fought, and the outcome widely celebrated by residents. To see it overturned was hugely disappointing. However, Councillors have vowed that this is by no means a defeat for the Council and the overwhelming number of East Putney residents still are opposed to a third runway.
East Putney Councillor Ravi Govindia said: “The ruling does not give Heathrow a green light for a third runway. It says nothing about how expansion could be delivered in the face of legally binding emissions targets. The world has changed since Chris Grayling’s decision in 2018. Heathrow will never be able to build a third runway. It’s time for the airport to admit defeat and put all its energy into working with the aviation industry to achieve the net zero emissions target.”
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Councillors Win Fight To Reject Telephone Mast Installation
Earlier this year there was a proposal to install telephone masts on the roof of Walpole Lodge overlooking the only leisure space - the roof terrace. Virtually everyone living in Walpole Lodge wrote to object to this proposal. Many residents were concerned that the applicant had not engaged properly with them and had not shared the case for the proposal openly and transparently. But the most critical issue for residents was that the masts would dominate and ruin the only leisure space available to them.
East Putney Councillor Sarah Binder said: “East Putney Councillors argued passionately to the planning applications committee that it would be grossly unjust for the committee to approve developments with roof terraces as the only amenity, and then fail to protect the value and quality of these spaces. We are pleased to say that our argument won the day, and the Committee rejected the application. This is another example of the power of resident voices, and I speak on behalf of my fellow Councillors to say that we will never fail to take these into account.”
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Putney Heath Lane Traffic Management
Consultation Closes
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In early December, a letter was distributed to residents around surrounding Putney Heath Lane regarding the Council's new consultation for a traffic management scheme in the area. It sought views on a new initiative to ban left hand turns onto Putney Heath Lane from Putney Hill from 7-10am from Monday to Friday, and to ban left hand turns from Putney Heath Lane onto Rusholme Road during the same period. The consultation showed widespread support for the plans and the council will soon be in touch with residents in the area.
Councillor George Crivelli said: “East Putney Councillors have rightly dedicated a significant amount of time to this issue to try and find a satisfying solution to the problem of vehicles using Putney Heath Lane and Rusholme Road as a cut through during peak hours. Having held resident meetings and conducted traffic studies and reviews, we have reviewed the consultation contributions and will look to move forward with these quickly. The Councillors understand that this issue is a delicate balance to strike but our sincerest hope is that all residents feel that they have had a say and that they have been listened to.”
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Wimbledon And Putney Commons To Hold Conservators Election |
On 10th March 2021, Wimbledon and Putney Commons will be holding an election for its conservators. This is a group of elected executives who help manage and make decisions about the Commons. All residents who live within three quarters of a mile of the Commons will receive a ballot paper to their address, this is a total of 66,000 people. The election will be widely publicised over the coming weeks so please do look out for any communications that give you further information. You can also find more information here
Councillor Sarah Binder said: “Turnout for the last Conservators election was just 21%. The commons are rightfully keen to see this number increase. The entire electorate pays a levy on top of their council tax for the maintenance of the commons so this will allow them to have more of a say over how their money gets spent.
Many East Putney residents use the commons daily, and it is right that they should have their say. I urge residents to look into the election, watch out for upcoming literature and of course, to vote.”
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Boundary Commission Reveals Final East Putney
Boundary Change
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In November, the Local Government Boundary Commission published its final recommendations for the new wards upon which the 2022 Wandsworth Borough Council elections and beyond will be fought. Initially a plan was proposed to drastically reduce East Putney in size and to reduce its Councillors from three to two. We are now delighted to say that the final recommendations took on board the concerns and input of residents. We will now keep three Councillors and much of the ward as it currently stands, plus some new areas. You can see East Putney’s new boundaries on the new Wandsworth wards map here.
Councillor George Crivelli said: “We are extremely satisfied that East Putney will continue to be represented by three Councillors, just like most other wards in the borough. These boundaries see the ward continue to be centered around the tube station, reflecting what most people view to be East Putney. Once again, this development shows the impact that people power can have. The strong views of residents on this matter were submitted and considered and we have achieved a great result for the ward.”
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