Agenda item

Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of the Council and Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited the lead petitioner to address Cabinet.

The lead petitioner addressed the meeting and made the following points:

• The Council had invested heavily in placemaking in other areas of the borough, but not Uxbridge Road.
• The Council had not adequately enforced planning and licensing rules in the area.
• The area suffered from crime and anti-social behaviour, partly as a result of the lack of enforcement.
• There was a proliferation of fast food / friend chicken shops, betting shops, and 2-in-1 shops. A survey carried out by the petitioner showed 79% of residents were dissatisfied with the shops, cafés, and businesses on Uxbridge Road.
• Cluttered street furniture, uneven surfaces, and litter made it difficult to navigate for people, particularly people in wheelchairs and those with vision or mobility issues.
• She asked that the Council invest in the area, enforce planning and licensing guidelines, support a greater diversity of shops, and build a clean and safe area for residents.

The Leader thanked the lead petitioner for her comments. He said Uxbridge Road was an important area for the Council, with a number of Councillors living on or around the road. He understood there were strong views about improvements and the Council was keen to listen and understand. He said the Council would be working with residents’ groups across the borough, including in Uxbridge Road, to improve local streets.

The Leader then asked to discuss each of the points the petitioner had raised in more detail.

The Leader discussed the removal of telephone boxes with the lead petitioner. Bram Kainth (Executive Director of Place) noted that the Council had to work with BT to make changes and BT had agreed to remove seven boxes. He said the Council was also in conversation with New World Payphones about removing a further eight boxes. He said the Council was negotiating to remove the boxes but would take legal action if necessary. The Leader asked officers to write to the lead petitioner about the process and timescales.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

The Leader then discussed the issue of betting shops. the lead petitioner felt there should not be any betting shops next to a primary school and two places of worship. She said the Council should revoke their licenses under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act.

The Leader said he agreed with the lead petitioner in principle, but the Council had sought legal advice and had been told that it did not have the power to close betting shops. Attempts to limit gambling establishments or revoke their licences had led to legal challenges. The Council had worked with other authorities and written to the Government to request additional powers to tackle this issue.

The lead petitioner said Joe Powell MP had successfully opposed two betting shops in Kensington and Bayswater. Officers said they would look into this and share any findings with residents.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

The Leader then discussed the issue of fast-food establishments on Uxbridge Road. The lead petitioner noted there were 13 fried chicken shops on Uxbridge Road, a number of them with low food standards ratings. She wanted the Council to take a more robust approach to enforcement and noted other authorities had found success in this area, including Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Bram Kaith said officers would explore the approaches taken by those Councils.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

A resident asked if the Council could restrict the opening times of fast-food shops. The Leader said the Council had aimed to restrict opening times but action taken in that area had been contested. He said it was difficult to challenge them legally.

The Leader and the lead petitioner then discussed crime and disorder. The lead petitioner said there was anti-social behaviour on the road, including problems with drug addicts, loitering, and men staring at women.

The Leader said the Council wanted robust police enforcement, but the police had endured significant budget cuts since 2010, and police in Hammersmith were often pulled into large police events in Westminster. In response, the Council had created the Law Enforcement Team, comprised of 72 officers, to put a presence on the streets and support the police. He noted that the borough also had the best CCTV coverage in the Country, and had a unique Gangs Unit with specialists to deal with drug dealing gangs. Councillor Rebecca Harvey (Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety) added that the Council had also introducing a public spaces protection order (PSPO) prohibiting street harassment across the borough.

A resident commented that street clutter forced people into close contact with men on the street. The lead petitioner commented that a significant contributing factor to the clutter was unlicenced A-boards. Bram Kainth explained that shops were entitled to put A-boards and other items on their own forecourt, but where they encroached on to the pavement, enforcement action would be taken. The Leader asked for a survey of A-boards on Uxbridge Road and whether they were on public or private property.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

The lead petitioner said the issue was broader than the technicalities of what was allowed under the current rules. She said street clutter meant people could not walk down the road comfortably. She said the pavements were narrow and clutter such as trolleys, rubbish, A-boards, and stalls made it difficult to navigate – especially for those with disabilities and mobility issues. She felt the Council should widen the pavements or find another solution where that was not possible.

The Leader said the Council would take enforcement actions where possible but had to follow the law. He said the Council wanted more active travel and wider pavements fit with the Council’s 2030 strategy. He said the Council wanted to work with residents and have them lead the public consultation to see if there was consensus. However, there were limits on the Council’s budget and it may be necessary to raise money from other sources.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

A resident addressed the meeting and said she faced issues crossing the road with her disabled child in a wheelchair. She noted there was clutter on the pavement and not all shops had level access. She asked for more dropped curbs to enable safe crossings. She also said anti-social behaviour in bus stops and clutter in the road meant busses could not always stop in the right place to put ramps out for wheelchair users. She also raised the issue of illegal parking in the area. The Leader said he would get her details and look into the case. Councillor Rowan Ree (Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform) said this issue had been raised and discussed at a recent public meeting and the Council had agreed to make curb modifications and change parking restrictions. He offered to discuss this in more detail with the resident after the meeting.

Councillor Ree agreed that a declutter of the road would help, alongside general improvements to the public realm. He recognised that anti-social behaviour was an important issue for residents and said while it was primarily a police matter, the Council could support with additional Law Enforcement Team patrols.

The lead petitioner moved on to the issue of shopfronts, which she felt needed significant improvements. She noted other areas had spent money to improve shopfronts and objected to the Council paying for painted murals on illegal shutters. Bram Kainth said the Council had commissioned architects to look at what was possible. Officers had also commissioned a feasibility study for a local Business Improvement District that could raise money for improvements. He said the shutters were not unlawful, but the Council advised against them.

The Leader said he would work with officers to look into the issue of shutter enforcement.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

The lead petitioner questioned why repainting the railway bridge had been taking so long despite a public commitment earlier in the year. Bram Kainth said the bridge was the responsibility of Transport for London so any works had to be done with their agreement.

The lead petitioner discussed issues with the temporary bike lane, including bollards being removed for illegal parking. Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier said the Council’s long-term plan was for a permanent separated cycle lane that was safer and would make enforcement clearer, though he was mindful of the impact on businesses so there would also be loading bays and temporary shopper bays nearby. Residents asked about the timescales for the permanent cycle lane. The Leader said the Cabinet Member and Ward Councillors would be happy to work with residents on that.

A resident asked if the Council could share the architect’s visions for Uxbridge Road. Bram Kainth highlighted the importance of a clear vision for the road, developed in co-production with residents and businesses. He said officers were working on an options report which could be shared with residents.

ACTION: Bram Kainth

The Leader asked the lead petitioner if she would be willing to join a residents’ working group, to which she agreed.

The Leader brought the item to a close and thanked the lead petitioner, the Uxbridge Road residents, and Ward Councillors for attending and for their contributions.

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet noted the petition included at Appendix A of the report.

2. That Cabinet noted the actions summarised in the report.