Brent Council claim Cappagh failed to put up promised Advance Warning signage on Wembley High Road works

In correspondence with a local resident regarding the lack of advance notice road signs of regarding major work on the Wembley High Road following a sewer blockage, Brent Council today responded:

With regards to signage, Cappagh, who are undertaking these works on behalf of Thames Water informed Brent Council that they had placed Advanced Warning Signage on the highway. However, when officers attended the location today, they found that was not the case. We have not been given an explanation as to why this signage was not in place but have been given assurance that they will be in place by 4pm today.  

Officers will monitor the site on a daily basis to ensure works are progressing according to plan. We have asked that working hours be extended to reduce the period disruption period. We are fully aware that these works will cause disruption especially on Wembley Event Days and are doing all we can to mitigate the congestion caused.

We have placed information on our website and will update the information as required.

I can only apologise for the disruption these Emergency/Urgent works have caused.

Concrete sewer blockage not our fault say Henley Homes

Contrary to what an informant working at the Wembley High Road site told a Wembley resident LINK Henley Homes gave me the following statement today:

As you are aware Thames Water are currently investigating the source of the concrete in the sewer and will advise in due course.

We can confirm, following our investigations, that Henley are not responsible for the alleged blockage of the main drains near the previous Brent House office building on Wembley High Road.

Henley Homes are the developer of the former Brent House site.

Brent Council criticised for tardy response to Wembley High Road closure

A local resident has condemned Brent Council's slow response to the closure of Wembley High Road for major sewer works. The Council had emailed to say that advance notices of the works would be put in place on November 2nd, the day on which the works would start:

There is no just putting ‘advance notice signs’ in place for tomorrow when the work will be starting then???

I just found this on Wembley Matters website:  http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/concrete-blocking-wembley-high-roads.html   Seems that they knew about this problem on 25th October which would have given Brent Council ample time to get signs and notices placed in all prominent sites before now.

You have clearly not notified residents in the roads off Ealing Road do you seriously not think this will affect us at all – we need to get to work and get children to school too!!! 

  If people cannot get to Wembley Park station they will all be crowding into Wembley Central station – our trains are already hugely busy. 

The roads off Ealing Road are already hugely affected by the traffic grid lock which occurs in Ealing Road on a daily basis, morning and evening, due to traffic trying to get out of Ealing Road into Wembley High Road, this closure is going to have a huge further impact on roads like Chaplin Road and Lyon Park Avenue which are already used as rat runs when Ealing Road is blocked!!!

It will also have a huge impact on buses and therefore commuters trying to get to Wembley Park station to get to work – also 223 and 483 trying to get to Northwick Park Hospital – how many people will miss their hospital appointments?

What about when the football matches are being held at Wembley Stadium during this time – various Spurs matches and two England games.

There should be huge high profile posters at bus-stops and stations and at other prominent places in Wembley Central and Alperton as well as other locations where pedestrians can see them.

And it should be mandatory for bus drivers to warn people of the diversions throughout the journeys while these works are taking place – elderly people might not be aware of the diversions and would struggle to walk back to where they are meant to be going – what about late at night when you are trying to get home and suddenly find the bus is on diversion?

Please note not everyone is constantly monitoring the Brent Council website for news.

Once again Brent Council fail to engage with local residents properly.

The Council responded:

The provision of traffic management arrangements is the responsibility of the utility company. At the time of the blog referred to in your email, dates for the work had yet to be confirmed and so it would not have been possible for the utility contractor to manufacture and erect signing.  

 [You have been informed] of the steps taken to inform the public of the work and that all bus drivers have been informed of the diversion routes. It is inevitably that with works of this nature major disruption will be experienced. The work is essential and cannot be left to a later date to enable further planning and publicity. We will endeavour to encourage the utility contractor to work as quickly as possible to minimise the disruption and I thank you for your patience in this matter. 

The resident fired back:

Sorry but this doesn’t really address the issues raised in my e-mails.

You have the hugely busy bus routes 18, 83, 92, 182, 223, 224 and 483 plus all the other road traffic, including huge delivery lorries and construction lorries, on diversion in an already hugely congested area and yet you can only get road signs in place after the road has been closed when Wembley Matters website shows that the dates of the road closures were known about for sure as early as 28th October?: http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/avoid-wembley-during-november-deep.html

Why have Brent Council only contacted residents in a small area when this is likely to have a massive impact on all residents in Wembley?  

Are Brent Council going to take to ensure signage detailing full information re the bus diversions are put in place at all bus stops on all affected bus routes and at all trains stations on those routes too – who is going to ensure that all bus drivers actually announce information about the diversions on the buses – don’t just say it is down to TFL to do this, please insist that they do this.

To re-iterate Brent Council have a duty of care to make sure that council tax-paying residents are fully informed about road closures like this and they should be making sure that Transport for London keep fare paying passengers and drivers fully informed too.

Brent Council responded:

You will appreciate the sudden and emergency nature of these works has meant a more comprehensive communications programme along the lines you suggest is simply not practicable.

My colleagues accept and have acknowledged the disruption these necessary work will cause.

Our role now is to monitor the works and their impact and to push for a speedy completion.

This did not satisfy the resident who replied this morning:

Neither on the way home last night and nor this morning did I see a warning sign in place at the “Ealing Road junction with Chaplin Road” – can you advise when this will be put in place and confirm all the other signs have now been put in place too.

If these are “emergency” works there must be a way of getting signage in place quicker???  Even some temporary laminated signs attached to metal road signs would have helped – please consider how you can do this quicker in future.

Can you confirm that you will be ensuring that TFL add signs/posters detailing full information re the bus diversions at all bus stops on all affected bus routes and at all trains stations on those routes too – and also ensure that all bus drivers actually announce information about the diversions on the buses – as requested before don’t just say it is down to TFL to do this, please ensure that they do this.  

To re-iterate (again) Brent Council have a duty of care to make sure that council tax-paying residents are fully informed about road closures like this and they should be making sure that Transport for London keep fare paying passengers and drivers fully informed too.

If we have to close down, who will help the disabled in Brent?

From Brent Advocacy Concerns (for background see LINK)

Yesterday a 74 year old disabled lady visited our office for her third appointment.  Her main issue is that she lives in a council flat with no heating and is on the third floor in a block with no lifts.  She has to stay in bed all the time to keep warm.  We have had to pass her case onto Brent Start, as we do not know how much longer we can remain in our office.  Normally we would do the work ourselves but we could not be certain that we could complete her case before we had to leave our office.

Brent Clinical Commissioning Group informed us  exactly one month ago today, that they need our office for clinical use but they have not given us any further information and they do not reply to our emails.

This time last year (23rd Nov. 2016) the CCG and the council gave us assurances at 'The Well Being Scrutiny meeting' that they would support us to remain in Brent but they have not been in touch and the councillors do not reply to our emails either. 

The Dementia luncheon club adjacent to our office are still waiting to hear back from the CCG about their future.

Burnley Medical Practice have published on their website that they will start their new contract to deliver GP services from April, 2018.  But before they move in, they have reported that the construction of 8 new clinics will begin in January 2018 on the space currently used by the luncheon club.  A further 4/5 clinics will be based in the area which includes our office.

Burnley also report that they have held several meetings with the CCG and which have included the architects, the planners and others involved in the design of the practice relocation.

But to date, we have not been invited to any meetings concerning our future, nor have we been told anything about Burnley's relocation plans. Like you Martin, I can search and find out relevant information that affects us but it would be nice if the CCG would actually reply to us to officially tell us what is going on.

If we make it to next June (2018) we will have been providing services across Brent for 30 years, so we feel up for a fight, as there are still many disabled people needing our help and if we go who will take our place.

UPDATE Henley Homes deny they are responsible for concrete sewer blockage causing chaos in Wembley

Wembley High Road outside the former Brent House site today

UPDATE: HENLEY HOMES HAVE DENIED THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BLOCKAGE LINK

A local resident writes:

Well road closures commenced this morning. After some interrogation I found out that it is allegedly due to Henley Homes and Genesis  Housing, developers of old Brent House site.  Apparently when piling they drilled through a feeder sewer so when they filled with concrete it ran into the main sewer and that has what has caused the blockage.  The main sewer is 7.5 metres down and blocked solid.

On top are three water mains, electrics, gas, telecom, fibre optic.  At the moment they have no idea what they will find as they have just taken up the island created and paid for by Olympic money that had 5 little trees, which have sadly lost their lives.

The reliable source said he anticipated it would take at least sixweeks! (two more than quoted by council) but would not be able to give accurate dates as they have no idea what they will find and what infrastructure may cause them problems until they start digging.

Hey 7.5 metres is a long way down, and then they will have to tunnel through the concrete.  He did say it might whiff a bit when they get close. Urgh!

Huge problems on High Road traffic, as Ecclestone Place should only be accessible from Wembley Hill Road, and exit via High Road going West.  This was in order to stop it becoming a "rat run" early days but clearly there are a number of drivers who cannot read signs.

It is clear that TFL have not been so pro-active in closing bus stops and informing locals of the changes.  The main bus stop on high road outside KFC was showing diversions on LED display at the stop, but no signs saying 'bus stop closed' at 4pm today.

I would like to see the bill Henleys are going to get from Thames Water if they are responsible. Shop keepers, especially opposite Brent House are extremely upset by the disruption - no customers.  The local newsagent told me at 5pm today he had no customers to charge their Oysters or buy drinks/chocolate etc, no school children, and only made £100 by 5pm.  He wanted to know how he would be compensated.  I told him I had no idea whatsoever. Do any readers?

Wembley Matters has contacted Henley Homes asking them to confirm their responsibility for the sewer blockage.

Brent Green Party backs Cllr John Duffy on waste services

Fly-tip in King's Drive, Wembley

Brent Green Party has announced that it backs Cllr John Duffy’s call for a public consultation on improving Brent Council’s environmental services.


A spokesperson said:

‘Leaving aside Cllr Duffy’s difficulties with the Labour Group we believe it is in residents’ interests to review environmental services, particularly waste collection and fly-tipping, with a view to improving efficiency and value for money.

'We know from speaking to residents that their daily experience of Brent as a ‘dirty borough’ littered with discarded mattresses, clothing and much else, is demoralising and degrading.

‘Cllr Duffy has expertise in this area that the Council should utilise rather than ignore.’

Cllr Duffy's waste strategy is outlined here
 

Justice Now: Make it right for Palestine - March and Rally on Saturday

National March and Rally 

Saturday 4 November 2017 Justice Now: Make it right for Palestine

Assemble 12noon Grosvenor Square W1K 6LF London - March to Parliament Square

Members of Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Brent Stop the War and other local activists will be taking part in this march on Saturday marking the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration on November 2nd which built the path for the dispossession of Palestinian rights.

Speakers at the rally will include"

Dr Mustafa Barghouti / Ken Loach / Andy Slaughter MP / Mick Whelan
General Secretary ASLEF / Gail Cartmail TUC /  Matt Wrack
General Secretary FBU /  Margaret McKee  President Unison /
 John Pilger  / Senator Paul Gavan Sinn Fein / Leanne Mohamad / Hugh
Lanning PSC / Asad Rehman, War on Want / Reem Kelani / Philipa Harvey NEU-NUT
Section / Daoud Abdalah BMI / Ajmal Masrour Imam & broadcaster / Prof
Manuel Hassassian / Tariq Ali / Salma Yacoub / Dave Randall /  Hawiyya
Dance Company / John Nicolson SNP – And many more to be announced.


Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB), Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA), Stop the War Coalition (STW), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).

Supported by Unite the Union, UNISON, National Education Union- NUT Section,GMB, ASLEF, RMT, FBU, UCU, PCS, CWU, Europal Forum, CND, Pax Christi, APCUK, Kairos UK, Friends of Sabeel UK, ICAHD UK, Amos Trust, APCUK.

The march is scheduled to set off at around 1:00pm from Grosvenor Square along the following route:

• North Audley Street
• Oxford Street 
• New Bond Street
• Clifford Street
• Cork Street
• Burlington Gardens
• Old Bond Street
• Piccadilly
• Regent Street 
• Pall Mall
• Cockspur Street
• Whitehall
• Ending on Parliament Square

Bus diversions on Wembley High Road starting tomorrow

Transport for London has kindly supplied me with the following information as a result of closure of Wembley High Road between Wembley Triangle and Park Lane due to major works by Thames Water:

The bus diversion for the closure starting tomorrow are:

Routes 18, N18 towards Euston or Trafalgar Square From High Road (Park Lane), left Park Lane, right Wembley Hill Road, left Harrow Road, line of route.

Routes 83, 92, 182, 223 or N83 towards Golders Green, St Raphael's, Brent Cross or Harrow From High Road (Park Lane), left Park Lane, right Wembley Hill Road, left Empire Way, line of route.

Route 224 to Wembley Stadium From High Road (Park Lane), left Park Lane, right Wembley Hill Road, line of route for stand. (Alight Passengers on Stand)

Route 483 towards Harrow From High Road (Park Lane), left Park Lane, left Wembley Hill Road, line of route.