The installation of new pavement on Stonhouse Street has transformed the area next to Clapham Manor Primary School.

Previously a scruffy scene of broken and dangerously uneven slabs, the new pavement uses smaller bricks that are less prone to breaking. The work has been warmly welcomed by local people, including parents and children at the School.

Councillor Haselden, Chair of Governors at Clapham Manor, pictured above, helped campaign for these desparately needed improvements. Now delivered, the pavements have dramatically improved the area.

As part of our continued efforts to make it easier for people living in Clapham Town to meet and talk to their local councillors on Saturday 25th October the three councillors for Clapham Town held four surgeries over seven hours.

Councillor O’Malley started with the regular surgery at Clapham Leisure Centre. Councillors Haselden and Wellbelove then held the first ever surgery at the Clapham Community Project in Venn Street where we were visited by several local people with a wide variety of issues for us to help with.

Councillors then moved onto the Virgin Active gym in North Street, another first, where residents from Bobbin Close came to discuss concerns about dumped rubbish and graffiti which have now been reported and will be followed up on by councillors to ensure they are resolved.

Finally Councillor Wellbelove visited Heather Close sheltered housing where he met several residents, many who had concerns over increasing bills and ensuring that their payments were up to date.

This evening Councillor O’Malley and I attended a meeting at Lambeth Town Hall with Debbie Hunter, head of Lambeth’s regeneration team and with Councillor Haselden, joining us via a telephone conference call.

Debbie was giving us an update on progress with the plans for the new leisure centre in Clapham Manor Street. It was clear that a huge amount of work has been done firming up the project and putting into place temporary leisure provision whilst Clapham Leisure Centre is rebuilt.

More news will be coming to you soon and I shall see if I can get a copy placed here. The latest update includes details of facilities that we are making available during the project, to make sure that as many people as possible can continue to use our leisure service.

The developer will soon be seeking planning permission for the new buildings. In the meantime the team continue to discuss any concerns held by local people, including residents on Voltaire and Edgeley Roads who will be most affected by the development.

Importantly, local groups such as the Clapham Society remain engaged and changes have been made following their input. We are still campaigning for the whole of the existing library building to be made available to the local community, rather than the original plan, which included selling part of the building to pay for improvements. We are very hopeful that our concerns have been listened to.

As Lambeth’s Design Champion, Cllr Haselden has been able to contribute to the scheme since its early days. The champion role helps us to continually emphasise the value that we put on good design, to channel the ideas and expectations of local people into the project – particularly in the sessions with schools and the drop-in workshops – and to contribute to the shortlisting of design teams and the ‘competitive dialogue’ part of Future Clapham, where the final three design teams worked up their proposals in more detail, before Cathedral was chosen as our preferred developer.

Please visit the Future Clapham Newsletter (June 2008)

Please visit the Clapham Leisure Centre survey on the Lambeth website.

Contact the Future Clapham team

Freephone 0800 052 6336 

Email futurelambeth@lambeth.gov.uk

www.lambeth.gov.uk/futureclapham

Councillor Wellbelove with residents at the Heath Road surgery

Clapham Town Labour councillors have for many years held sugeries, where people can come and talk to their councillors, for many years. The surgeries are held at Clapham Leisure Centre every Saturday from 11:00 – midday (except Bank Holidays) and being in the same place every week are useful for people to know where to find their councillors on a regular basis.

However there are some people who find getting to the leisure centre difficult and to help ensure that we reach as many people as possible Clapham Town councillors have embarked on a series of localised surgeries.

This weekend we embarked on our biggest ever series of surgeries covering Heath Road, Westbury, Willard and William Bonney estates together with Heather Close Sheltered Housing.

The day was a huge success, Councillor Helen O’Malley started the day with the regular surgery at Clapham Manor Lesiure Centre and then joined Cllr Haselden and I at Westbury Estate.

Our busiest surgery of the day was at Heath Road where many residents came to discuss issues such as cleaning on the estate, repairs and parking enforcement.

We moved on to William Bonney estate where we spoke to residents about noise and anti-social behaviour issues caused by a local venue together with more discussion around parking enforcement on the estate.

All three of us are now taking the various issues back to officers at Lambeth Living. I have written directly to the housing manager regarding concerns over standards of cleaning.

Along with continuing the regular surgery at Clapham Leisure Centre we are now organising a repeat of the event for next month and looking for new venues throughout the local community.

I was joined by Councillor Haselden tonight at a meeting of the Willard Estate residents association. One of the key topics discussed were plans by police in Wandsworth to introduce an Anti Social Behaviour Order which would ban large groups gathering. This follows problems caused by youths in nearby Queenstown Road and an estate on the Wandsworth side of the road. Residents were clearly concerned that the problems would be simply moved to Willard Estate.

Safer neighbourhood teams are on the case though, and are looking to introduce a similar ban. They are also looking at options such as out-reach workers to try and point the youths towards more positive activities.

I heard of how local businesses were being terrorised by the youths, with a local stores security guard recently assulted. Residents spoke of the noise that they caused and whilst we were at the meeting we heard the noise for ourselves which was extremely loud and must be very frightening for both the elderly residents living in the sheltered housing and other people who have to pass them when they are coming home.

Following the meeting Coucillor Haselden and I spent some time on the estate and in the local area witnesing some of the issues first hand for ourselves. Cllr Haselden took note of this broken window which is evidence of some of the vandalism that is taking place in the area.

I took note of a problem with a local business leaving rubbish in a narrow alley which runs between the Willard Estate and Queenstown Road.  Rats have been reported in the area and it adds to the feeling of the area being run down and uncared for. Together Councillor Haselden and I will be looking into how these issues can be addressed.

A new gallery and creative agency has opened in Stonhouse Street, Clapham. Filling a site that has been empty for over five years ‘Heard Gallery‘ is a welcome addition to the area and adds to an already amazing mix of creative vibrancy that helps make Clapham such an exciting place to live.

The opening party was full of local people curious about this new addition to the area, and I met with one local resident who had just made her first purchase.

The owners are proving to be keen to engage with the local community and have already began discussion with Councillor Haselden regarding engage with Clapham Manor School and are eager to also work with other local schools including the Lambeth Academy.

I look forward to a bright future for Heard and hope the combination of a gallery and creative studio will secure a long future for them here. Please do pay them a visit, they are extremely friendly and I am sure will make you feel welcome.