Minicab nuisance reduced
Your Lancaster Gate Councillors have taken action which has significantly reduced the nuisance from minicab drivers using Porchester Terrace as a rest area between jobs, leaving engines idling and dropping rubbish and some times urinating in the street.
Action by Westminster’s Parking Marshalls and City Inspectors has reduced the problem. Porchester Terrace resident’s have said that the situation has improved significantly. Enforcement teams have moving in on drivers stopping illegal parking and warning those dropping litter or leaving engines running.
Westminster Council tackles disruptive fast food app deliveries
Lancaster Gate Ward councillors campaign for residents repeatedly disturbed by large groups of moped drivers waiting for deliveries at Nando’s in Westbourne Grove led to planning enforcement action by the council.
The Council has now announced the City Plan will introduce a policy to prevent similar problems in areas like Westbourne Grove of restaurant deliveries through companies like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Restaurants will need to apply for planning permission.
Councillor Andrew Smith, who led the local campaign, emphasised “takeaway food apps provide a fantastic, popular home delivery service but we can’t allow delivery drivers to swarm the city, causing noise and disturbance to residents at all hours.”
Councillor Susie Burbridge, who brought it to the main Licensing committee to review commented “restaurants where deliveries through delivery apps has become a major part of their business will have to apply for planning permission for the change of use and demonstrate that they minimise disruption in local neighbourhoods.”
Councillor Robert Davis, the Council’s Deputy Leader added “such establishments will face formal enforcement action if they flout the new rules.”
Task force to catch out landlords who break short term letting rules
A new team of investigative council officers is hitting the streets of Lancaster Gate and Bayswater to tackle irresponsible and unlawful nightly letting. The council will use their evidence to prosecute landlords breaking the clear 90-night limit on short-term letting.
Cllr Andrew Smith said: “There are many who legitimately and responsibly let their homes for under 90 nights a year for extra money. However, some people treat very short term lets as an entirely commercial enterprise, letting for most of the year with little or no thought to the consequences to the wider community or the loss of permanent homes.”
Supporting small businesses
The Council already provides over 145,000 square feet of affordable enterprise space with the support environment for start-ups. An additional 32,000 square feet is near completion, including a new hub in Paddington near North Wharf Road and a new creative hub in Soho.
Councillor Robert Davis, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Business adds that “the Council provides support for all businesses, small, large, new or old through the Westminster Business Unit [[email protected]] which engaged with over 700 businesses in 2017.”
Getting residents into work is high on Councillor Davis’s agenda, through the support of the Westminster Employment Service and Recruit London, 1,500 unemployed Westminster residents, 40% of whom had been out of work over a year, were helped into work in the past 2 years. For more information please visit www.westminster.gov.uk/employment.
To support young people to be entrepreneurs, Cllr Davis also hosted events for over 1,350 young Westminster residents during Westminster Enterprise Week, including a Dragons Den style challenge to youngsters who had prepared business initiatives.
Ward budget
Our recent commitments using the Lancaster Gate Ward Budget which provides funds for local priorities in Lancaster Gate have included:
- Funding for St James and St John Primary School, Craven Terrace for projects from helping to provide breakfast and after school clubs, to helping with the science project
- Funding for Hallfield School to help provide a library in the school.
- Replanting and making good the Bishops Bridge Road planter
- Improving waste land on Inverness Terrace between the pavement and Hallfield School
- Contributing to plans to help to improve the passage area on Queensborough Terrace to discourage dumping and antisocial behaviour
- Last but not least a heated trolley to help the lunch club we support on the Hallfield estate for older residents
Always here to help
Your Lancaster Gate Councillors team want to hear from the local people we represent.
We are contactable via email, or phone and hold regular surgery sessions, usually on the last Saturday of the month (except bank holiday weekends) from 10am to 11am in the Residents’ Hall in Pickering House on the Hallfield Estate. The next surgeries will be on Saturday 27th January and Saturday 24th February.
