Newsletter August 2016

This is an online copy of a newsletter I am delivering in the ward which also introduces this website. I set up on Facebook the ‘Canary Wharf & Isle of Dogs Residents’ group as a way of communicating local news and I also use the www.Streetlife.com website as well to communicate so please use those if you can.
 
Planning
 
When I was elected in May 2014 the population of Canary Wharf ward was about 12,500 people, if I make an estimate of all known developments in the planning process the population will go to around 35,000-40,000 people. Although Brexit will slow down some projects this area has already seen one major financial crisis starting in 2008 and that delayed but did not stop development so I expect development to continue but may now arrive more slowly. The reason why we have more development than any other part of London despite being an island & flood plain is because;
 

• Land is relatively easy to buy either office space or former industrial land
• Global appeal – people overseas will know where Canary Wharf is & will buy here
• Although new homes are very expensive, they are ‘cheaper’ then central London
• Tower Hamlets Council is very keen to deliver large quantities of new affordable housing and each new development delivers between 25% & 35% affordable housing, the % and the social rent price levels are the main subject of conversation when Councillors make these decisions.
• The first Mayor of London Ken Livingstone established the isle of Dogs as an Opportunity Area which had to deliver a minimum of 10,000 new homes, later Mayors have stuck with that target.

 
There are three things happening intended to address this; Tower Hamlets Council are writing a new Local Plan to guide development, next public consultation will be in November. The Mayor of London/GLA is working on the ‘Isle of Dogs Opportunity Area Planning Framework’, a masterplan for the area but it appears to be have been delayed, in theory it should deliver more infrastructure.
 
In 2014 I helped set up the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Planning Forum, a non-political, resident led group committed to delivering sustainable development in the area using new powers granted by Parliament in 2011 to develop and write our own Neighbourhood Plan. It is probably the most important tool we have as residents to influence what is happening www.isleofdogsforum.org.uk is the website
 
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), Policing & Security
 
I attend regular meetings with the local police team, the next public meeting is on the evening of the 6th October, location to be confirmed. Your local police Sergeant is Graeme Servantes and your local PC is John Elman, they are based at the Isle of Dogs police station on Manchester Road. You may have heard the news that Limehouse police station was going to close this year, those plans have now changed and it is possible that other Met police units may now move in. With the exception of anti-social behaviour we are a low or average crime area compared to other parts of Tower Hamlets. We have two types of ASB; vehicle based young men driving to the island to hang out typically close to the docks or river, the second source of ASB is young people hanging out in public areas. What they are doing can sometimes be obnoxious but it is not always criminal. The limited number of public CCTV cameras does not help.
 
If you see a crime or wish to report activity you must call 101 (or 999 in an emergency or if the crime is underway). 101/999 calls drive police response/planning/resources, no calls mean’s no police response, so please keep calling or attend the next police meeting or let me know so I can tell them
 
You can also contact your local police team by;
Phone:             020 8721 2850 – leave a message if they do not answer straight away
Email:               [email protected]
 
New bridges – across South Quay and to Rotherhithe
 
Since the year 2000 Tower Hamlets Council has planned to deliver a new 2nd pedestrian bridge across South Quay, there has been delays over the exact location and how ships can continue to dock but I expect a planning application later this year. Updates to follow on this. In addition, Transport for London are looking at building a new cycle and pedestrian bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf. Local residents have started a survey asking your opinion, you can find it here www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/26B3NK5 If you live close to the river you should complete.
 
20 mph blanket ban speed ban
 
One of the last decisions of Mayor Lutfur Rahman was to implement a blanket speed ban on all Council controlled roads in Tower Hamlets. It is an 18-month test due to end this October. The question is does a blanket ban actually make roads safer? Are drivers driving more safely? Should Westferry be 20 or 30mph? Should we be looking at other ideas like slower speeds outside schools at opening and closing time as is done in the US? To try and answer these questions I have set up an online survey with a series of questions which you can find here www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7DSMMZP. At the end of the survey is a summary of the results so far and I will share them with the Council before they make a decision.
 
Street Parking
 
There are approximately 13,500 people now living in Canary Wharf but if I drive around late at night there are usually only ten street level car parking spaces left normally on Tiller Road by the business centre. The problem is that the Council is deliberately trying to reduce the amount of car parking in new development. As there are only parking controls between 8.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday the main problems are at night and at weekends. The Council are looking at moving to 24-hour parking controls, I am trying to ensure that it is only Monday to Thursday so that you have more freedom at the weekend. If this were to happen it means people living in car free developments but who park here overnight during the week would no longer be able to do so. I am not sure what the long term solution is because some people do need access to cars for work or at different stages of their life i.e. young children, elderly parents. This is an issue I would like to explore in future surveys.
 

You can contact me at;
Email: [email protected]       Phone: 07710 486 873       Website: www.cllrandrewwood.com
Contact me to arrange a 1 to 1 meeting or come to our surgery every Saturday, from 1.00-2.00pm, at Cubitt Town Library, Strattondale Street, E14 3HG (in rotation with Cllr Chris Chapman and Cllr Peter Golds)