Forum Topics

The New Morrisons.

I've just walked around the outside of the new Morrisons'store and there dosn't appear to be any provision for parking which will cause chaos on the High Street.JL.

Jim Linwood ● 3d11 Comments ● 3h

Road blocking neighbour

What word would you use to describe a neighbour who, prior to the CPZ, regularly bagged 'their' bit of the road i.e. that directly outside of their house by leaving various bits of detritus in the road? Now, quite a long time past the introduction of the CPZ, the same neighbour is at it again. There are more often than not (as today) spaces in the road but, apart from this being beside the point, heaven forbid that somebody should have to walk a few yards.  As far as I know, this behaviour is illegal.

Anne England ● 16d15 Comments ● 5h

Question for Guy about cycle helmet

Was on bus home past Waterman's after school this week when one of the students sitting near me spotted Guy L cycling to Waterman's. I was impressed when he told me 'miss, that one of our councillors' but couldn't answer when he said 'he's not wearing a helmet so why are we always being told to?' Didn't have an answer - is there a reason I can give him, Guy?

Sarah Boulding ● 3d13 Comments ● 8h

Temporary lights on Brentford Bridge.

How many more times?How many can an area take with all the other impediments in the area.

Elizabeth Price ● 10d3 Comments ● 2d

Loud music all day Sep 16 and Sep 17 morning till night

I'm on Netley Road, booming music playing all day on Sep 16 and 17, sounded like it might have been coming from the stadium but couldn't find any mention of any events there. Does anyone have a clue where this dreadful noise is coming from? Just hope it doesn't start up again tomorrow (Monday) morning.

Nathan Sumner ● 9d14 Comments ● 2d

A fundamental flaw in Hounslow's Parking Strategy

If you look at the two documents that the council is currently consulting in it is hard not to be taken aback by the difference between the rhetoric and the reality.While it is a perfectly laudable aim to discourage car use and encourage sustainable transport measures, this is hard to achieve if you have a huge vested interest in encouraging people to drive which Hounslow does because it operates the largest number of car parking spaces in the borough.These are concentrated in the Hounslow town area which is also very well provided with privately run car parks so there would be a limited impact if the council were to get out of the car park business and bring much needed funds to its coffers by selling the sites for development.However, the 'strategy' is to upgrade the existing car parks and provide more when they deem demand requires it.The kerbside strategy on the other hand is to squeeze space even further with more parklets, EV chargers, bike hangers and cycle lanes. All of these are laudable, and some may even be necessary, but the report acknowledges that there are already parts of the borough where demand for residential spaces already outweighs supply.This includes Chiswick which already has the lowest level of daily car usage and pays more that the rest of the borough put together in permit charges.Chiswick's main car park at Sainsbury's is under continued threat of development and even that provides a fraction of the space available if you want to park in Hounslow. Squeezing further the limited available space will achieve almost nothing in encouraging people to switch modes of transport but will further reduce footfall on the High Road.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 6d5 Comments ● 2d

Is Kew Bridge giving someone the blues?

Blue balloons attached to Kew Bridge lamp posts. Scores of them, along both sides of the bridge. Does anyone know why?

Sue Rowe ● 4d3 Comments ● 2d

Brentford Push Up

Did anyone watch the excellent programme on TOGETHERTV at 0215 this morning? It was about Griffin Park. While I am not a football fan I found in very informative.

Nicholas Beard ● 5d5 Comments ● 4d

20.6bn litres of raw sewage discharged into the Thames at Mogden between early 2019 and  May 2023

‘Mogden, close to the River Thames, also tracks the volume of raw sewage it discharges.Between early 2019 and May this year it spilled 20.6bn litres – the equivalent to roughly 8,000 Olympic pools, according to data released by Thames Water in response to an environmental information request.’ - The Guardian, Tuesday 12th September 2023https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2023/sep/12/unacceptable-how-raw-sewage-has-affected-rivers-in-england-and-wales-in-maps

Tracie Dudley Craig ● 14d5 Comments ● 4d

Lime Bikes How Hammersmith Deal With Them

Police have been called in after contractors working for e-bike firm Lime went into a London council’s pound to snatch back dozens of cycles seized for blocking roads and pavements.Hammersmith and Fulham council has confiscated hundreds of electric bikes following more than 1,500 complaints from residents.Take note Cllr Dunne & Lambert, Lime the people you are dealing withdon't give a monkeys for the trouble their bikes cause as long as they make money and we are all still waiting to see the Memorandum of understanding that Cllr Dunne said she had at the Brentford area forum,despite a FOI request

Robert Ayres ● 11d3 Comments ● 6d

Wales 20mph speed limit

When will the 20mph limit be rolled out UK wide. The UN  support the 20mph limit I understand.

Nicholas Beard ● 8d2 Comments ● 8d

Forthcoming Community Meetings - 13th and 18th September

Two forthcoming community meetings have been organised by Brentford Voice. The subjects of both meetings have an important bearing on the future of our area.The first will discuss the ongoing consultation by Hounslow Council on the Emerging Brentford Master Plan. It is taking place on Wednesday 13th September at 6.30 p.m. at Brentford Free Church. Boston Manor Road and is open to all.Council officers and their consultants will present the context and content of the Masterplan. There will be ample time to comment on the Masterplan and to ask questions.The following Monday 18th September at 6.30pm there will be a community meeting at the Holiday Inn on ideas for the future of Brentford’s disused railway embankment, which runs immediately to the west of Commerce Road. The meeting is open to all.At the same venue in January 2023 there was a similar event, at the same venue, which was very well-attended. Brentford Voice was seeking the community’s views on whether it should go ahead with the commissioning of a Feasibility Study on the future use of the embankment. The almost unanimous view was that it should proceed.With grant funding from Hounslow Council, Brentford Voice appointed consultants to prepare a Feasibility Study. Adams & Sutherland (A&S), architecture, landscape, and urban design consultants were selected to produce the report. At the meeting on 18 September A&S will present their first ideas. This will be followed by questions and answers and a general discussionAny questions or comments about both of the meetings can be emailed to info@brentfordvoice.co.ukMore information is available here -http://www.brentfordtw8.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conbrentfordvoice030.htm

Jim Storrar ● 16d11 Comments ● 10d

OVO Energy nightmare..

HAS ANYONE HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH OVO ENERGY?                                                                                         One of dozens of messages that I have sent to OVO since January 2023. This one was sent on 13-8-23."I have had an 8 month nightmare with OVO. The Ombudsman upheld my complaint against them in May and I still haven't had an apology, compensation or a final bill."The reply I received on 17-8-23 was: "I have requested for these to be sent out via post, please allow 5-10 working days to receive the documents.Thanks,Nikkita."22 days gone by and still no sign of the promised postal delivery. In the meantime OVO has authorised a debt collector to harass me for an alleged debt of £146 +£20 costs. I emailed the debt company with proof of the now 9 months of OVO incompetence and they put the matter on hold until they contacted OVO. Unbelievably I today had an email from the debt company who have been instructed by OVO: "Please continue to chase the debt."OVO is driving me crazy. Next Wednesday I am seeking legal advise with a view to taken legal action against OVO for the now 9 month nightmare and the stress caused by OVO's incompetence.

Neil Milkins ● 18d7 Comments ● 11d

GRIDLOCK  A4/Ealing Rd roundabout junction . Please rise up!

Great post from Alison below.Like her, in my 30 years of negotiating this junction I have never seen an accident.....and the traffic flowed!!The original sequencing of lights needs reinstating ASAP.We all need to email Guy, TFL and LBH.Guy.Lambert@hounslow.gov.uk,Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Operational Servicestraffic@hounslow.gov.ukstrategicmodelling@tfl.gov.uk

Nick Jenkins ● 92d80 Comments ● 11d

Lot's Ait, Brentford,

I regret having missed visiting the Island over the weekend ... when the access bridge and the island welcomed visitors to the Art and Craftdisplays.Someone has mentioned to me that the island (Lot's Ait) is privately ownedand not Hounslow Council property.Is that so?

Jim Lawes ● 22d5 Comments ● 14d

Rotten boroughs again - Mazhar Hayat Raja

The fairly regular sequence of appearances by Hounslow in Private Eye's Rotten Boroughs continues this edition with speculation that the Labour group are seeking to parachute in Mazhar Hayat Raja into a safe seat currently held by the consistently absent Balraj Sarai.Although there are undoubtedly some dubious political machinations in the borough, they seem very small beer compared to the going ons in other local authorities. The source quoted here is the Brentford TV Facebook page which is a brilliant source of gossip on Hounslow but it doesn't seem to me credible that Labour would appoint somebody who has served time as a tax cheat. This smells like a rumour spread by one of the rival factions in the party. It would be quite fun if they did though.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 19d5 Comments ● 14d

Perivale Park Golf Course

I hope the moderators will indulge me, given this course and club have been used by many Brentford folks, including me (Club Captain 2014) down the years. Last week Ealing Council made the shock announcement that it intends to close this well-loved course early in 2024, integrate it into 'Brent River Park' complex, allowing PPGC's nine holes to be 're-wilded'.PPGC, now almost a century old, is more than just a golf course: apart from being the home of a successful little club, its flat topography makes it a haven for hundreds of older players who depend on it for their physical and mental wellbeing. It is an affordable, working class course which attracts players from all walks of life. No course in the entire area more accurately represents the local community. What's more, the club itself raises substantial funds for Macmillan and local charities. Ealing's plan makes no sense. The fight to save Perivale Park Golf Course has started. Please help. Sign the petition here. Thank-you. https://www.change.org/p/save-perivale-park-golf-club

Mike Paterson ● 16d2 Comments ● 16d

Is it time to get rid of  CPZ s in Brentford

Since its introduction in 2013 in Enfield Road and surrounding roads the Council have systematically reduced the parking spaces at every opportunity while at the same time increasing the permit and parking charges. Enforcement is now being carried out on a 24 hour basis to maximise the take and screw the residents out of as much money as possible. The latest scam is to remove more parking spaces for LIME BIKES a private company and pay for their new bays with our community charge money. Their Shareholders and Directors must be dancing with delight, first you create the problem and then Hounslow pay to clean it up and at the same time you get to charge the hirer a fine for not putting the bike in the bay that Hounslow provided free of charge. So what's in it for Hounslow ? or are they simpletons I think not I thinkit gives them another chance to push there anti car agenda and at the same time screw the motorist. I will be raising a petition in my area to scrap the CPZ and I would encourage others to consider the same in their areas.

Robert Ayres ● 71d37 Comments ● 18d

St Paul’s C of E Brentford -150th Anniversary – Calling Ex-pupils and staff!

150th Anniversary – Calling Ex-pupils and staff!Need your help! They are looking to make contact with as many ex-pupils, ex-staff/governors and ex-families of the school.They would like to invite ex-pupils, staff and governors to help them mark this event by recording their most vivid memories of their time at St Paul’s. Ideally, they would like a voice recording but would also welcome written text and any photos of school days past. Perhaps it was a school trip, a particular teacher, a group of friends or a specific event or day in the history of the school that stays with you as a memory of the school. Please send contributions to the school via email at: 150years@stpauls.hounslow.sch.uk or by post to: St Paul’s CE Primary School, St Paul’s Road, Brentford, TW8 0PN. Please share who you are, when you were connected with the school and your memory!They shall use the memories to create an audio-visual archive of the school, which they shall share during the anniversary year.

Helen Dickinson ● 18d0 Comments ● 18d