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PCA Newsletter 23 - September 2007 |
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Café
Wars
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The recent opening of Cinnamon and Angel Café poses
an interesting question: how many cafes and
restaurants (as opposed to shops) should there be in
Pitshanger Lane? Ealing Council has a policy of
preserving retail capacity in local shopping
centres, and on that basis has refused the
application for “change of use” at the Angel Café.
The PCA committee is right behind the preservation
of retail capacity, but if it comes down to a choice
between a thriving café and a boarded up shop, we’ll
go for the café. |
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We’re keen to know what members think
about this: should more café/restaurants be allowed
or do we have enough already? Comments may be
sent to the PCA Secretary, 12 Sovereign Close, W5
1DE, or to
pca@pitshanger.org.uk, or you can join the
debate started by PCA member Nigel Hicks-Bennett on
the Pitshanger Voice section of the PCA website
here. |
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Hanger
Hill Dispersal Order
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Persistent anti-social behaviour has led to a
dispersal order being imposed on the area around the Hanger Lane
gyratory. The police can move on groups of two or more and keep
non-residents away from the area for up to 24 hours. Under 16s
are excluded between 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. unless with a
‘responsible adult’. The move is aimed primarily,
however, not at young offenders but at ‘squeegee’ gangs who
plague the approach roads to the gyratory. Paul Harrison, Ealing
Council’s Head of Community Safety, said: “We have introduced
this dispersal order because of a number of complaints from
motorists who felt harassed and intimidated by these offenders.
We hope the order will ensure drivers feel safer while waiting
at junctions in and around Hanger Lane”. |
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Light Up
The Lane Celebrates Ten Years
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Poo In
The Park
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This year’s event will be on Saturday
1st December, from 5.30 p.m. until 8.30. As it’s 10
years since the first Light Up The Lane we’re
planning something a bit special to celebrate. As
always help on the night is essential, so please get
in touch with Doug Winter on 8998 7758 or at
doug@pitshanger.org.uk.
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Several members have complained about
an apparent increase in dog deposits, particularly
around the play area: a shame after such a great
improvement in recent years. Dog-owning PCA members
always clear up their pets’ mess, and no doubt will
gently encourage others to do the same.
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Ground
Force For A Day
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Recycling Project
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PCA member Rosanna Henderson is
calling for volunteers from companies in the Park
Royal area for this year’s Park Royal Partnership
Action Day – you can choose either the 18th or 19th
October. Small teams of volunteers swoop in –
Ground Force style – to help local organisations
and schools improve their facilities and
surroundings. Last year, for example, one group
created a sensory garden for North Hanwell Baptist
Church, and there are plenty of projects in Ealing
this year. The benefits are not just one way; it’s a
team-building and leadership exercise as well, and
participating companies improve their local profile
and reputation. For more information call Rosanna on
07961 134033.
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The joint recycling effort with the
Rotary Club has achieved some good early results. So
far we have collected 14 mobile phones, 135 pairs of
spectacles, 33 toner cartridges and lots of stamps,
all of which will be used for the benefit of people
in Africa. You can find donation boxes in Brentham
Furnishers, The Pitshanger Bookshop, Brendons Estate
Agents and the Brentham Club. A test mailshot is
going out to the non-PCA members in Kent Avenue,
Meadvale Road and Selby Road with the aim of
heightening awareness of recycling and the fact that
the PCA and Rotary are working together.
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Music
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St Barnabas church now has a Bosendorfer concert
grand piano and will be holding regular Friday
lunchtime concerts at 1 p.m. They will be short (45
minutes) and some very good musicians are coming to
play. Concerts are free, with a retiring collection.
Also at St Barnabas, Ealing Recorded Music Society
holds its fortnightly meetings in the Church Hall.
For more information contact Mary Agnew on 8997
7577.
Somewhere else on the musical spectrum, our resident
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rock’n’roller Bron Buick (singer with
PCA event stalwarts the Buick Hill Band) has
recorded a solo CD featuring his own brand of
American southern ‘swamp’ music. Already getting
plays on local U.S. radio stations, you can hear
Bron’s work at
www.myspace.com/bronbuicksolo. |
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Robert Jones Moves On
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PCA committee member Robert Jones has moved to
Bath and left the committee. Robert, Glaxo Wellcome’s former
chief economist, was instrumental in giving your committee the
ability to play a greater role in matters affecting the
Pitshanger area. The leadership that the PCA is now
demonstrating in the Streets For People planning process is
testament to his and John Bird’s hard work over the years. He
also staged the biggest coup in the PCA’s history by organizing
the Question Time meeting two years ago, pulling in the local
chiefs of our major public services for a grilling. A gentleman
in the fullest sense, Robert’s good humour and thoughtful
analysis in committee meetings will be much missed. We wish him
and his wife Sue a very happy retirement. |
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Bright
Ideas
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The PCA’s lighting director Andrew Dixon has found a
couple of great gadgets. The first is a solar
powered house number that lights up in the dark and
is available on the web from www.cpc.co.uk at about
£20 each. Andrew can provide more details if you
call him on 8998 9514 or email
adixon@iee.org.
The second is a cunning way of reducing water usage
in lavatory cisterns. In order to get a half flush
system installed, previously it has been necessary
to change the whole loo - cistern and bowl. Andrew
has found and successfully installed an ‘Interflush’
adapter inside a standard low flush toilet cistern.
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Now the loo flushes when you push down
the lever and stops when you release it so you can
use just as much water as you need and no more. The
device is obtainable from
www.interflush.co.uk (where there is even a
little film showing how one is fitted) or by phoning
0845 045 0276. Again, the cost is about £20. |
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Streets for People Latest
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Help Plan Ealing's Future
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July’s Newsletter announced the
release of the PCA consultation report into Ealing
Council’s “Streets for People” proposals for
Pitshanger Lane. Since then the Council has set its
traffic consultants to work on revising the outline
proposals prior to full public consultation. Few
details have emerged so far, but it already looks as
though we won’t be getting a 20mph zone, even though
this was one of the most popular options in the PCA
report. However Council Officers have hinted that
the 20mph zone may be added later as a separate
project. The PCA Streets for People
Consultation Report is still available for download
here.
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Ealing Planning and Policy Department
have prepared a ‘Local Development Framework’ to
breathe real life into their Unitary Development
Plan for Ealing. Public consultation is underway and
comments are invited until 19th October either
on-line at
www.ealing.gov.uk/planpol, by e-mail to
planpol@ealing.gov.uk, or by telephone on 8825
7317. Full details are available in the library.
Have your say in shaping Ealing for the next
generation.
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Knock On
Wood
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After the item in the last issue about Temple
Pharmacy’s planning application to replace the old ‘Knock on
Wood’ shop front, owner Danny Patel asks us to point out that he
really had no choice. Despite it being one of the few remaining
bits of the ‘old’ Lane, it had rotted, and the door wasn’t wide
enough for wheelchair access, essential for the ‘super-pharmacy’
that Danny is developing there. Importantly, it didn’t provide
the necessary level of security that a pharmacy needs, with its
appealing range of marketable drugs. |
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Page 3
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Just as the Newsletter was planning its August
special edition (“Great White Shark spotted on
Pitshanger Lane”) The Sun got there first
with several days of rubbish about sharks off the
Cornish coast. Fortunately our foreign correspondent
John Bird (also the PCA’s website and email guru)
found himself on the beach at St Ives as the Sun’s
‘battle bus’ rolled into town, complete with
giveaway blow-up sharks and tee-shirts, a
helicopter, three photographers and a bevy of page 3
stunnas. Confused, John somehow found himself in the
company of Sam and Peta (that’s John in the middle)
and blames the rest on St Austell’s Cornish Ales.
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Yet Another Local Scam
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Full Stops
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How do they think them up? In this
one, the victim received a knock on the door from
the conman (dressed in realistic-looking football
kit), who told her he was a reserve team player with
Arsenal Football Club seeking sponsorship for a
charity event taking penalty kicks against the first
team goalkeepers (should be easy enough – Ed).
Arsenal FC said that the individual was well known
to them and had previously been active in north
London. If you have been approached by this
individual, please call our Met Police Safer
Neighbourhood Team on 8246 9406 or e-mail
Cleveland.snt@met.police.uk.
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Ealing Area Committee has proposed the
creation of stop/pick-up bays near the station to
cope with the pick-up and drop rush at both ends of
the day. Two will be provided on Ealing Broadway and
two more on Haven Green. It might make some
improvement to the chaos down there, but if local
experience is anything to go by they’ll be occupied
by delivery trucks and ‘in and out’ shoppers.
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