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Covid-19 – need assistance or can you offer help?

One of our members wrote to the Secretary the other day kindly offering to help with shopping for anyone who requires such assistance when isolated at home for whatever reason.

The member concerned wrote :  ‘Generally I imagine most ‘elderly’ residents have family/’younger’ friends to assist with shopping, maintaining contact etc. but maybe not everyone – and of course if these support people contract the virus they will be unavailable too. I’d be happy to include myself on a list -through WURA to provide a shopping service if required (and if people want, a telephone calling-in-to-see-how-you-are-doing activity). Until such time as the quarantine signs hang off my gate too! ‘ 

If you can also help in anyway please let the Secretary know and he will create a list of volunteers on the WURA email system.

Helpers will be asked if they are willing and able to do the job before we give their contact details to the person needing help.

People needing help should tell any Committee member what the problem is.

Another WURA member has noted that the Croydon Voluntary Action are trying to co-ordinate the voluntary effort in the Borough.  They are working with the Council and other statutory bodies to ensure that volunteers are properly checked out under safeguarding rules and that as much care as possible is taken in helping and providing support to members of the community.

For more information from the CVA, including a telephone helpline and a volunteering portal, please visit their website.

If you have not yet provided your email address to WURA Secretary , please do so, so that you can be kept up-to-date or request assistance if you need it.

For other problems please be guided by the advice from Government particularly about avoiding contact with people with flu like symptoms.

Keep well everyone and thank you the lady who raised the topic.

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Kenley Community Plan – Feedback requested

The Kenley Community Plan work last year was carried out by Croydon Council in response to concerns raised by the local community about the impact of the increase in housing in Kenley.  The Council secured funding from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Good Growth Fund (GGF) to appoint consultants to engage with the community to create a Community Plan for the area.

The last update presentation of the Plan was held at the Kenley Memorial Hall in September, and included the following key areas of interest:

  • youth and community
  • transport and streetscape
  • greening and local green space
  • health, sport and wellbeing
  • community safety and waste services
  • jobs and training

The Council is now seeking your feedback on the draft Plan prior to publishing the final version.  If you wish to provide feedback please follow this link which will take you to the draft Plan and a structured feedback questionnaire.

The questionnaire and draft Plan will be live from 1pm on Friday 21 February 2020 and feedback will close at midnight on Sunday 22 March 2020.  The final Plan will be published in late spring.

You can keep up-to-date with what is happening in Kenley here: www.croydon.gov.uk/kenleycommunity

If you would like to be added to Croydon Council’s Kenley mailing list to ensure you are included in any further engagement and to be kept up-to-date please send your details to: kenleycommunity@croydon.gov.uk

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HGV movements – update

Croydon Council have over-ridden one aspect of our suggestion and have required the HGVs to go up the length of Welcomes Road to Hayes Lane, despite major safety concerns about large vehicles turning at the poorly sighted junction. Their ruling is to keep the one-way approach, but in reverse to our original proposal. The solution imposed on us is as follows:

1. All HGV traffic to enter the WURA zone at the Railway Station/Kenley Lane end of Welcomes Road.

2. All HGV traffic to exit at the Hayes Lane end .

3. No HGV traffic to use Zig Zag Road in any circumstances including for turning round.

This approach at least still ensures that HGVs do not meet on Welcomes Road and should not try to turn round on the road or at junctions with any of the side roads.

All developers have been informed of this policy and should be adhering to it under the Construction & Logistics Plan for each site. Please notify a Committee member if you see any HGVs breaking these rules, making sure you take a note of the date and time, the company named on the HGV and ideally the site for which it was working.

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HGV movements

Following a Committee meeting on January 20th it was decided that for safety reasons and to reduce the stress on the people living and walking in Welcomes Road developers/builders have been asked that site traffic (HGVs) be directed to travel in one direction only as follows:-

1. All HGV traffic to enter the WURA zone via the Abbotts Lane/Uplands Road junction turning left at the junction with Welcomes Road.

2. All HGV traffic to exit at the Railway Station/Kenley Lane end of Welcomes Road.

3. HGVs must not  enter Welcomes Road at the Hayes Lane end under any circumstances.

4. No HGV traffic to use Zig Zag Road in any circumstances including for turning round.

HGV traffic to sites in the Focused Intensification Zone (Limit of zone Nos 9 and 12 Welcomes Road) may use the Station end of Welcomes Road to enter and exit.

We appreciate that this measure will increase HGV traffic in Uplands Road and we apologise for this. However there have been  cases of HGVs meeting in Welcomes Road and being unable to pass in the road, resulting in them having to reverse long distances, a very hazardous manoeuvre for other road users and effectively blocking the road. The one-way approach should also mean that HGVs do not try to turn round on the road or at junctions with any of the side roads.

All developers have been informed of this policy and should be adhering to it under the Construction & Logistics Plan for each site. Please notify a Committee member if you see any HGVs breaking these rules, making sure you take a note of the date and time, the company named on the HGV and ideally the site for which it was working.

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Betts Mead

WURA members may not be aware that there has been a Commons Land Application made on the land around the Betts Mead recreation area, bordering Hayes Lane at the top of Welcomes Road and also at the back along Old Lodge Lane (ref 19/05499/CLA, viewable on the Croydon Planning Register)

KENDRA have put together the information below and we encourage anyone who has used the land for dog walking and recreation to submit a response, especially those who have used the land for 20 years or more. Critical to the response is the fact that the wider land has been used, not just the paths for direct access through it. This includes access directly off the road when jumping out of the way of passing vehicles on Hayes Lane!

What does this Notice mean?

Local residents have used, unhindered, the blue, pink and green land to stroll, walk dogs, throw snowballs and other miscellaneous pastimes for many years. This Notice would, in essence, bring to an end the period of ‘use by right’ of this land by local residents. The Notice effectively ‘stops the clock’ on residents reaching the ’20-year use rule’ which enables communities to register such land as a Village or Town Green and/or establish new official footpaths. The Notice does not prevent future Rights being established by way of the ‘20-year use rule’ – but it ‘resets the clock’, and the ability to accrue time restarts from 2020 and accrues until such time as a further Notice/Deposit is made. If land has already been subject to ‘use by right’ for over 20 years before the date of the Notice then residents have the opportunity to make representations to the Council to that affect and may, if successful, retain the option to make an application to have footpaths officially recorded and/or land registered as a Town or Village Green.

What action can individuals take?

If you are concerned about this issue and the potential loss of paths/amenity, then please comment on the Notice to Croydon Council (Deadline 17th Feb).

Options are:

1) Preferred by KENDRA – Write your comments in an email or letter attached to an email. Ensure that you clearly refer to application 19/05499/CLA. Email to development.management@croydon.gov.uk

2) Write a letter (again clearly refer to Ref 19/05499/CLA) and post it to Development Management, Place Department, 6th Floor, Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon CR0 1EA.

3) Go online to publicaccess3.croydon.gov.uk. Enter 19/05499/CLA into the search box and press enter Select the “Comments” tab and make your comments

You should explain how you have used the land and for what period of time – possible uses could be hiking, dog walking, den building, sledging, snowballing, collecting timber, maintaining fallen trees/paths, blackberrying, litter picking, enjoying/photographing wildlife, walking to School/station/buses, BMXing, mountain biking etc.

You do not have to have personally used the land for 20 years, it is the chain of community use that is important, but if you have used it for more than 20 years or you grew up in Kenley and played there as a child in the 70’s/80’s/90’s please make that clear. As a community we undoubtedly know more about the historic use of this land than the current owners and this is our opportunity to make our enjoyment of this land known to the Local Authority.

For full information please read the full Information Note produced by KENDRA.

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Chairman’s Christmas message

As 2019 draws to a close on what has been a difficult time planning application-wise we can only hope that the present nightmare will eventually subside, especially for you residents affected at the lower end of Welcomes Road, although realistically the current situation will have to be endured for some while.

Sections of Welcomes Road were surface dressed during the year where the road had become very smooth. If the new dressing performs well over the winter we will consider surface dressing the entire length of Welcomes Road with the same materials.

The patient and continuing financial support of members living in Uplands Road and its offshoots, while we deal with Welcomes Road problems, is much appreciated.  

I must thank my fellow committee members and the many residents who have given us feedback, for their advice, support and input during the year.  Without diminishing the work of others I feel I must also mention the Herculean efforts of the Secretary who has tirelessly badgered the Council to reduce the pace flat building in Welcomes Road and to his ever patient wife… thank you.

Thank you one and all for supporting the Committee during the year.

I hope that your Christmas is peaceful and enjoyable and that 2020 brings everything you wish for. 

Chairman

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Building works

Please note that demolition of the bungalow at 32 Welcomes Road is scheduled for late this week or the week commencing 9th December 2019.

Under current arrangements, HGV traffic is to enter Welcomes Road at the Station end and exit the same way having reversed up Welcomes Road to reach the site. This approach is currently being reviewed to try to remove the need for reversing and also to ensure that trucks do not need to turn round. An update will be posted once agreement with the developers has been reached.

The code of practice requires that site traffic must not use the road at peak times (i.e after 10.00 hrs and before 15.00hrs) and hard copies of the site management arrangements will be provided to the immediate neighbours so they know what to expect from the builders, Goldstone Homes (contact details provided in email to members). The positioning of HGVs when at the site should be such that traffic can get past.

I hope all goes well for the builders and the neighbours. Unfortunately some disruption is inevitable with these jobs so please be patient.

Over the winter our contractors Allfreys may also be installing some kerbing in the same area.

It is possible that work will also be commencing soon on 42 Welcomes Road but the builders/developers have yet to contact the Association to complete formalities.

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CHAIRMAN’S AUTUMN MESSAGE

I have lived in Welcomes Road for over 30 years and was drawn here by its serenity and sylvan appearance with its detached houses of varying sized plots, all still en situ today although as with everywhere a few things have changed. Sometime after moving in, I was asked to join the road committee whose remit is the upkeep of the road surfaces in Welcomes and Uplands (these are unadopted roads subject to the Highways act thus useable by all) collecting a levy from each residency according to the applied Council Tax rate plus dealing with associated matters.

WURA is not a Residents’ association as we are under the umbrella of KENDRA a very capable organisation the ‘mouthpiece’ for all in the Kenley area. Geoff James at KENDRA keeps a watchful eye on Planning matters and is always available for advice. His work has increased in recent years with multiple applications to demolish family homes and build two storey ‘flats’ of maximum 9 units of varying sizes all currently concentrated in the lower end of Welcomes, all are within walking distance of Kenley railway station and bus routes. Hopefully when all developments are completed the new properties (most look like large family houses) will blend in with the local landscape although lack of parking bays may be an issue.

To those of you seeking to buy a property in our area you will appreciate the ease of access to wooded open spaces especially for families with children and dogs and the many amenities (M25/Gatwick/mainline trains etc.) all within easy reach. Hopefully I have painted an appealing picture of our unique area and if you do decide to buy into our area I look forward to welcoming you.

CB 10th October 2019

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Roadworks update – work completed

Allfreys began work on schedule on Tuesday 24th and progressed well, with the road re-opened for Saturday.

  • 27 Sept 2019
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They have found two old cast iron pipes near the surface which are broken, so although their purpose is unclear these could be the source of the unexplained water.

There is no evidence of a spring but the general pressure from ground water has tended to force water to the surface through fault lines in the road surface. These will be sealed in by the contractors.

  • 25 Sept 2019
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  • 26 Sept 2019
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Kenley Community Plan update – Event 4

The Kenley Community Plan team presented an update session at the Kenley Memorial Hall on September 11th followed by another at the Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church on the 12th.

The main part of the presentation consisted of a set of boards showing a summary of their findings during the consultation throughout the Spring and Summer. This comprised an analysis of the answers to questions such as ‘what do you like about living in Kenley?’ and ‘how could Kenley be improved?’. Key areas of interest were identified, as follows:

  • youth and community
  • transport and streetscape
  • greening and local green space
  • health, sport and wellbeing
  • community safety and waste services
  • jobs and training

The issues and areas of improvement for each are presented in the full slide pack, which can be viewed here (11MB PDF file).

These key areas have been used to identify potential projects for further investment. The data collated by the Community Plan consultation will be used to support applications for funds from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. Such applications will be in a pool from councils all across London, so they are by no means a definite, but Croydon are hopeful that the involvement of the local community during the consultation period will put those applications in a good position. Potential projects identified so far are:

  • community accessible transport
  • improving green links
  • improvements for the Kenley Memorial Hall
  • initiatives for the Godstone Road shopping parade
  • improvements for the public space in front of the Godstone Road shopping parade
  • expansion of activities at the Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church
  • improvements for the public space at the Old Lodge Lane shopping parade
  • restructuring to give access to the New Valley Primary School playing fields outside of school hours

Each of these can be viewed in more detail in the GGF slide pack, viewable here (15Mb PDF file).

The team will be completing a final detailed analysis of all the feedback to be included in the draft Kenley Community Plan.  This draft will be published for public comment later in October and a final Plan will be published in early 2020.  The Kenley Community Plan page on Croydon Council’s website will be updated regularly so you can keep in touch with progress.

You still have the opportunity to get back to the team by contacting them on their email address kenleycommunity@croydoncouncil.gov.uk to provide feedback on areas which have not been considered or even if you spot factual errors on the current material.