The Hammersmith Society is delighted to be a Founding Partner of Hammersmith United Charities’ new project to mark the 400^th year since its founding – what an achievement!  Many people will be familiar with Sycamore House and John Betts House which provide housing for the elderly, as the most visible activity of HUC. UNITED is a new grant-giving charity and a joint venture of HUC and Dr Edwards and Bishop King’s Fulham Charity.  It was inaugurated with a happy and sunny garden party at St Pauls Church Hammersmith last July and is focused on helping people make change for the better, establishing better neighbourhood connections, and building stronger communities.

It aims to encourage local giving: it will support and give grants to charitable projects that are run and developed by local people and which benefit their neighbours and communities in all of Hammersmith and Fulham. It also encourages other forms of giving including volunteering, mentoring, professional pro bono advice and in-kind support.

This a small local scheme on the site of the current Nicholas Mee (Aston Martin and Lagonda) garage building but which has caused much heat in the locality.

We have written in support of the objections by the Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group and the Brackenbury Residents’ Association. They consider the application design to be unsuitable for the site and the street context, and their letter records their objection and comments on the proposals (see attached). The application details are 2017/02065/FUL Garage site at 12 Wellesley Avenue W6 0UP.

 Hammersmith Society’s letter of objection

This is the panel set up to advise the Council and Planning Officers on the design quality of major planning schemes.

We have been critical of the operation of the panel for a long time as we felt it was not transparent in its operation nor representative of local views. The current administration closed the panel down at the beginning of last year. The panel has now been reinvigorated and we are delighted that our comments and recommendations have been listened to, and the new panel will include non-architect members from the Hammersmith Society, the Fulham Society and the Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group. The West London Architectural Society and the local RIBA Branch will also be able to nominate local representatives.

Thames Water are about to announce revised plans for sites they wish to use in the construction of this project, and will be seeking further consultation. If you think your property may be affected, and you would like to comment or just find out more – visit www.thameswater.co.uk/counterscreek

Thames Water Holds New Drop-in Sessions over Storm Relief Sewer

Seeking further feedback on selection of five preferred sites

Thames Water is holding a new series of public drop-in sessions in January and February after selecting five preferred sites to construct a new storm relief sewer.

The sites are at:

• Cremorne Wharf Depot, Lots Road, Chelsea
• Land adjacent to Talgarth Road and Trevanion Road, Hammersmith
• Maclise Road car park and woodland adjacent to Kensington Olympia Station
• Holland Villas Road at its junction with Lower Addison Gardens
• The car park at Tesco Superstore, Shepherd’s Bush Road.

Thames Water says it is inviting residents in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to give their views on the updated plans to protect properties from the misery of sewer flooding.

Ravenscourt Park Arches

There are as far as we know no immediate threats to our Open Spaces in Hammersmith but we always have to be vigilant. For example, Wormwood Scrubs is within the OPDC area and there are anxieties as to what effects all the development may mean for this Metropolitan Open Land. Similarly Little Wormwood Scrubs (on the other side of Scrubs Lane) could be under threat from a re-arrangement of the West London Railway Line. There are of course always issues to do with Parks maintenance which have to fight for funds against other Council spending.

The Hammersmith Society is affiliated to the Open Spaces Society and they have concerns about open spaces in London generally. I would urge members to support their campaign as below:

Of course, this is only one of many campaigns and informatives issued by the London Forum of Civic and Amenity Societies. Therefore it is entirely appropriate that we can congratulate its Chairman, Peter Eversden for his MBE in the New Year’s Honours.

Derek Chandler, Secretary of the London Forum wrote : Peter says he is delighted to receive the recognition for his volunteering work over the past 35 years in the civic movement but considers the award is for the achievements of London Forum’s team and of its 150 community groups and individual members across London.

Peter is also chairman of the Bedford Park Society, a past trustee of the William Hogarth Trust and a member of the Mayor’s Outer London Commission since 2009. He joined London Forum as a trustee in 1996 and became its chairman in 2001. Peter has been involved in the development of the London Plan since the GLA was created and the London Forum’s 25th anniversary in 2013 was celebrated for all its members by Boris Johnson at City Hall in appreciation of the work done by community volunteers.

Hammersmith Town Centre as it could be with the flyunder

The first meeting of the group of local residents to review proposals for the Town Centre including the Flyunder took place on 3 December.

There are 25 on the panel and the Hammersmith Society Committee is represented by myself, Melanie Whitlock, Rosemary Pettit and Richard Winterton.

The first meeting involved a summary of the group’s terms of reference and what the Council hopes to achieve. The brief is wide ranging and ambitious. Meetings will be held once a month and the outcomes will influence the Local Plan and the Supplementary Planning Document proposed for the Town Centre due to be published in May/June. The next meeting on 21 January will include a briefing by Transport for London (TfL) on their various proposals for the Broadway site including a rumoured threat of 40 storey towers. We understand that the Council will issue progress reports on the Working Party from time to time.