by FitzWest admin | Feb 1, 2021 | Consultations, Environment, Greening, Our Neighbourhood
We want your ideas
The problem of on-street rubbish dumping and the need for more greenery are frequently mentioned by our members as important issues for all of us living and working in Fitzrovia.
The FitzWest Forum has supported various schemes to improve waste collection and deal with fly tipping. There is still a lot of progress to be made in this area and discussions are on going with Westminster Council on ways to deal with this.
One way to combat dumping is by improving the street scape – and a relatively quick way to do this is by planting and greening. The hope is that this will both deter dumping and also bring some much needed greenery into the area. We are planning to apply for funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is a levy that local authorities can choose to charge on new developments in their area. The money is used to support development by funding infrastructure that the council, local community and neighbourhoods want.
We are very keen to for our members to suggest where potential planting could take place. With the help of the wider membership last year, we had previously identified various ‘dumping hot spots’ which you can see on the map. We have two questions for you.
- Which of these do you think would be best suited for adding planters and greening?
- Are there any other places you would suggest? Several sites have been identified in the central area of FitzWest – but what about the North and South?
Please comment on this page or email your ideas to us at info@fitzwest.org. We will collect all the suggestions together and select the most popular locations for our application.
by Julia Haythorn | Feb 2, 2020 | Environment
Reporting Fly Tipping and Anti-Social Behaviour
Did you know that Westminster City Council has introduced a new and improved “Report It” service? The mobile friendly tool, powered by FixMyStreet, uses location-based technology or a postcode to show an interactive map of that area with all current reported issues. Residents can then report their own issue, such as dumped rubbish or faulty street lighting. The report is then sent to the relevant Council team to investigate and respond. You can find out more using the following link:
https://report.westminster.gov.uk/
You can continue to report missed refuse or recycling collections, as well as things like anti-social behaviour, here:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
Have your say on the plans to close the Soho Square NHS Walk-In Centre
There is a consultation taking place about the future of this popular service. See below to give your views in a survey and there are also public meetings that you can attend.
https://www.centrallondonccg.nhs.uk/news-publications/news/2020/01/have-your-say-the-future-of-soho-walk-in-centre.aspx
Have your say on Air Quality
This is a topic that is often raised by local residents and continues to be an important concern for residents and businesses. Westminster City Council want your opinion on their new Air Quality Action Plan.
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/air-pollution
Have your say on Busking and Street Music
Concerns have been raised by residents and businesses about the location (impeding pedestrians near Oxford Street tube station) and the use of loud amplified music.
There is a consultation running until 24th February 2020. Have your say here:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/busking
by Julia Haythorn | Jan 5, 2020 | Environment
Representatives of the FitzWest Forum met with Francis Keegan from Westminster Council before Christmas to discuss the ever problematic issue of refuse collection and dumping in Fitzrovia. He is the person now dealing with refuse collection and streetscape in the FitzWest area. We shared our observations and those of FitzWest Forum members who have been in touch, as to what works and what doesn’t, and to continue to press for improvements.
We made the following points:
- There are some constant street dumping hotspots and we sent a map of ones we have identified. Please let us know if you think we have missed any. Map of dumping hotspots.
- There continue to be issues with Veolia not collecting recycling with this often being left for whole days and entire weekends.
- The Ward Councillors have been very supportive in pressing the refuse agenda and street collection arrangements have as a result improved.
- We continue to encourage both businesses and residents to use the Council’s online service to report missed collections and street dumping. Click below to do this:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
- Compared to neighbouring boroughs, Westminster has many more collections with some streets daily and some twice a day. However the transient nature of the community and the lack of rubbish storage areas within some blocks of flats means that there are still problems with on-street dumping.
by Julia Haythorn | Jan 23, 2019 | Consultations, Environment, Public Space
New West End Company (NWEC) presented their ideas at the last Forum meeting for a much needed green space in the neighbourhood around Market Place.
We agreed to be involved with the consultation and planning and welcomed this proposal.
You can see NWEC’s presentation in detail here:
Market Place Greening Project Powerpoint Presentation
by Julia Haythorn | Aug 24, 2017 | Consultations, Environment, Our Neighbourhood
Everyone in Fitzrovia has noticed the rubbish and dumping that unfortunately seems to have become a daily blight on our streets.
One of the significant problems identified by residents is that there is a general confusion on collection times and days and signage is inconsistent with what happens in reality. As a result of this confusion many residents have a become accustomed to putting our rubbish out at any time which has led to the rubbish-strewn streets. Also there has been a more general call for the number of recycling collections to be increased.
The Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum, in consultation with local residents, has worked with Westminster City Council over the last two years to agree simplifications and improvements to recycling and rubbish collection times. These are now being trialled in a limited area of Fitzrovia as part of the pilot. A map of the pilot area is below.
The pilot improves and simplifies the collection arrangements, including an increase in recycling for all streets and an increase in rubbish collection in some streets. Our area is fortunate, unlike our neighbours Camden and other London Boroughs where refuse and recycling is often only once a week (with reviews in hand to move this back to fortnightly) we will see an increase in general and recycling collection.
It is acknowledged that restaurants and businesses contribute to the rubbish problem and they also have been informed of new collection times in order to reduce the amount of time rubbish sacks are on the streets.
People have complained about dumping, especially by builders and house clearers. Westminster hopes to place more officers on the street during the pilot period, to enforce this and other contraventions.
As a part of the Neighbourhood Forum, we as residents and local businesses can all work together for the greater good of our environment. We do want to make sure that all residents understand the pilot arrangements and the new and improved collection times and days. The Council is contacting all households to explain the new arrangements first and providing letters to identify collection times in the particular streets in the pilot area.
We are all looking forward to seeing cleaner streets as the pilot progresses.
We would very much like to hear residents’ feedback to the pilot and the improvements to the service.
Please comment below or contact us by email at info@fitzwest.org. Feedback can also be provided to Tom Walsh at Westminster City Council His email address is:
twalsh@westminster.gov.uk
Details of the pilot
From Monday 4th September 2017 please put out your recycling and rubbish for collection at the following times:
Please leave your tied recycling and rubbish directly outside your property for collection. Apart from pedestrianised streets such as Middleton Place rubbish and recycling is not to be piled up at the ends of streets.
Please do not leave recycling and rubbish out on the street outside of these times or overnight. This is considered to be fly tipping and you could be fined by Westminster Council. It also encourages seagulls, pigeons, rats, mice and other vermin.
How to put out your recycling and rubbish:
For recycled waste please use the clear recycling bags provided by Westminster City Council. You can order recycling bags online via: westminster.gov.uk/recycling-bags
Please put your normal rubbish out in appropriately tied bags, such as black bin bags.
Look for the new signs on your street for exact timings.
Bulky waste collections
For items such as fridges, mattresses and tables, etc., please arrange online via:westminster.gov.uk/residential-bulky-waste Please be aware that leaving bulky waste items on street is illegal and can lead to substantial fines. Feedback from our consultation reveals that many residents consider this to be a major anti-social issue. The Council will be inspecting streets to enforce against illegal street dumping.
For further information about Westminster City Council’s waste services, please visit: www.westminster.gov.uk/recycling.
Comments
Please do let your neighbours know about these important changes and please look at your local street notices. The pilot is being arrnaged by WCC and they are responsible for the details.
Working together we can improve our streets; stop fly-tipping and street dumping and reduce the amount of rubbish left on the streets. The increase in recycling provision will also help the environment.
Please comment below or contact us by email at info@fitzwest.org. Feedback can also be provided to Tom Walsh at Westminster City Council His email address is: twalsh@westminster.gov.uk Because of holidays please bear with us if you do not see your feedback here for a few days. Rest assured we will be monitoring daily after 5th September.
by Julia Haythorn | May 10, 2017 | Environment
New consultation has emerged from Transport for London regarding central London Ultra Low Emissions Zone:
They would like to hear your views on proposals to:
- Introduce ULEZ (and the residents’ sunset period) 17 months earlier in central London
- Strengthen the emissions standard to also cover Particulate Matter (PM) emissions from diesel vehicles
Please take some time to fill in the online survey and provide your views:
The online survey, https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-2/?intcmp=47032,
It should only take 10 to 15 minutes. Please complete the survey before midnight on 25 June 2017.
Here is FitzWest Response
To Alex Williams
Director of City Planning
Transport for London
Dear Mr Williams,
Thank you for inviting the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum to provide views on the proposed changes to the Ultra Low Emissions Zone in central London (ULEZ)
We support the zone because we wish to rid ourselves of the polluted air we have to breathe every day in central London. We, who live and/or work here, know the niggling discomfort of ‘The London Cough’ which seems to effect all of us, which is never documented in pollution statistics. We are also aware of the needless deaths that occur from air pollution and that this level of air pollution is illegal under European Legislation. We trust that even though we may sever some ties with our European neighbours that will not mean that we relax our standards on air pollution.
Residents and businesses who own diesel vehicles:
The new proposals will have a financial impact to local residents with older diesel cars. We would be particularly concerned if central government proposals to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme do not come forward. If that were to be the case then we feel that TFL should introduce its own scrappage system for residents and small businesses within the ULEZ zone. We would support such a scheme even if it were means tested. There ought to be some low cost means of supporting residents and businesses of modest means to purchase a better vehicle for their personal use. We have a lot of elderly and disabled residents living in this area for whom a car is still important. Our small businesses are the life blood of the area.
Increasing need for private transport in central London:
In the light of bus service reductions in central London, (which we don’t support) the we must assume that resident car use will increase.
Need for Low Emissions Public Transport:
We trust that buses and taxis will also be subject to these stringent rules in central London and that TFL will lead by example, introducing zero emissions buses before long.
Emissions are not the full story:
While we support the reduction of exhaust emissions that does not contribute to any reduction in particulate matter, which we understand is caused by tire wear on uneven roads. What is being done about this? In addition we expect to see similar London wide planning legislation to reduce the use of carbon fuels like gas as a means of heating and air conditioning. The urban heat island effect is well documented as an added factor in central London, yet the ULEZ policies will do nothing to alleviate these problems. We understand that emissions from gas boilers constitutes about 35% of the NO2 in central London.
Pedestrians first:
The healthiest and lowest emission form of movement around central London is on foot, yet funding to improve pedestrian ways is very limited. Another way to improve air quality in central London is to encourage walking and cycling. We trust that wider TFL/GLA schemes are considering such improvements to complement planned reduction in polluting traffic.
Wendy Shillam
Chair FitzWest Neighbourhood Forum Executive
