20mph speed limits trial on the streets around our schools
Looking towards the autumn also means looking towards the start of the school year. Some residents have told us that they would like to see 20 mph zones in parts of the neighbourhood to increase road safety. Therefore Westminster City Council is trialling primarily on Lupus Street a 20mph zone by our local schools Pimlico Academy and Westminster Cathedral Primary School.
Please let us know what you think by emailing us.
Action on Pimlico Gardens
We all love the Pimlico Gardens which is our very own if tiny riverside park. It is where the boating base is (see story above for the recent family activity festival) and also the site-favoured-by-Wandsworth for the proposed Nine Elms Bridge against which we have been fighting since 2012.
Although most people use the gardens to take the air and to see the river and to jog and walk through along the river side path, most people would not have noticed that in recent weeks in the evenings some drug dealing has gone on by the heavy shrubbery closest to the river and the riverside path. Councillor Angela Harvey asked the parks department to cut back the shrubbery (without destroying the shrubs altogether) and as you can see from the before and after photographs it has made a huge difference. The parks department increased their presence, and they also cleared much of the mulching (mulching is generally a good thing in our park) but where some of the drug paraphernalia might be hidden. Cllr Harvey also persuaded the police to do additional uniform and plain clothes patrols.
Might it be the time to review how we want Pimlico Gardens to look to give the best to local residents, for example should we look at removing some or all of the shrubbery permanently and increase the grassed area? If you are interested in contributing to the discussion please contact us using the details above.
Your Safer Neighbourhood Panel, comprising, residents, the Councillors, police and council problem solvers, meets regularly and if you have any questions or issues you want to raise please do let us know.
Left below: Pimlico Gardens before the shrubbery was cut
Right below: Councillor Angela Harvey in Pimlico Garens after the shrubbery was cut
Still NO to the Nine Elms Bridge
You will have read that the proposed Garden Bridge is not going ahead. Let us reassure you that we are still fighting to stop the unwanted Nine Elms Bridge. The proposers held two exhibitions in Pimlico recently. It was great see so many of you there so a very big THANK YOU to all the residents who attended to tell them that what we want is No Bridge! And a further reassurance is that the Leader of the Council, Cllr Nickie Aiken, got a renewed promise from the Mayor of London’s Office that if Westminster does not want it, the bridge will not happen.
Ward surgeries
You can always contact your councillors at any time: you don’t have to wait for a ward surgery. However, we do know that some of our resident and businesses do prefer to come to some of our regular surgeries which are held on the first Monday of the month between 6-7pm at Lillington and Longmoore Community Hall under Morgan House, and the third Thursday of the month between 6 -7 pm at Dolphin Square. Come to reception off Chichester street.
People we have helped recently include:
- Sorting out a long standing insurance claim with City West Homes for a resident who finally got the £1,400 he lost
- Ensured a long standing Pimlico resident was rehoused
- Helped to reinstate housing benefit for two elderly residents on Tachbrook Estate
- Got housing repairs moving for a number of residents on Lillington and Longmoore Estate
- Fighting on for other mostly water related repairs which are proving more difficult