Friday 16 February 2018

Neighbourhood Forum Update - Your likes/dislikes about our neighbourhood

The MEOTRA portion of the Bow Neighbourhood forum map annotated with areas of joy or concern

The recent MEOTRA/RomanRoadBow neighbourhood forum meeting in the Art Pavilion was fairly well attended considering the short notice (that was my fault!). We started off with a leisurely walk around our streets which helped to prompt the grey matter to think of what we like and dislike about the area, as well as "could do better" items. I've entered this feedback onto the Roman Road Bow Placecheck map as shown above. Below is a table summarising the key points.

If you weren't able to come to the meeting but would still like to add your comments then please pop over to our dedicated placecheck website and register (it takes less than a minute and only needs your name/email and for you to choose a password). If you click on existing marker flags then you can give points a thumbs up or down. Alternatively, email me and I'll enter it for you.

The placecheck map covers the whole of the neighbourhood area (ie Bow), but below I have focused on the Meotra area to keep things manageable.

Key
Bad Things
Good Things
Things to work on




General Points
Lack of good-quality sheltered housing There is a lack of good quality sheltered housing so that older people can move and release family housing.
Splitting of houses / Short term-lets In the pursuit of profit, there is a growth in short-term lets, multiple occupancy and dividing of family homes into smaller flats. This leads to a rapid turnover of residents and consequently a reduction in community cohesion and neighbourliness.
Vehicles parking up and leaving engines running TfL workers and Gateway Housing vehicles habitually park up in Rhonnda and Aberavon Roads. They often leave their engines running. TfL workers come and go at all hours (as they work nights on engineering works). Can't they use the tube?
Rat Running When traffic on the A11 backs up cars use residential streets such as Aberavon, Morgan, Lichfield to avoid hold ups.
Prevalence of low-rise buildings here is a defining feature One aspect of the MEOTRA area that makes it so special is the predominance of low-rise housing. This must be preserved.
Bookshop or cinema would be a welcome addition A bookshop or cinema would be nice in the area

Clinton Road
Proposed Speed Humps - need more here The number of speed humps proposed here is not enough. One or two more are needed.
ASB from youths on hippy crack and speeding in cars

Coborn Road
Road surface poor quality - especially for cyclists Neglected
Graffitti on the wall under bridge Perhaps some street artists could create a mural here rather than the low quality 'tags' that are on the walls?
Underpass - a bit grim, could be vastly improved through lighting, being painted in bright colours, etc Boring, Unwelcoming, Neglected, Uninspiring, Low Quality
Pub Welcoming, Enlivening The Coburn Pub
Pub Welcoming, Enlivening The Morgan Arms

Grove Road
Bus turn-around full and in need of TLC Since the 25 bus route was revised this turn around is now full of buses that don't even work this street. This reaches the point that buses such as the 323, D6, D7, 277, 339 don't have room to pull in. Brick paving needs relaying in places.
Constant piles of Litter and Shop Refuse The piles of rubbish from the shops here are excessive and near constant. Surely a better solution can be found. Underground bins? Compactor bins?
Airport Buses Since the CS2U upgrade National Express, Terravision, Easybus and others use Grove Road/Roman Road instead of going along Whitechapel Road. This causes extra traffic, pollution and noise.
Grove Road road surface is appalling This is well overdue for a resurface. Burdett Road was redone a couple of years ago and the difference is remarkable. A quiet, semi-porous tarmac nouveau should be used.
Number 25 buses parked up - blocking stops The number 25 bus parks up in Grove Road regularly. It isn't even on the route. They frequently park up at bus stops in 2s and 3s and it means those waiting at the stops are often not seen by approaching drives
Not enough Trees in Grove Road Grove Road is remarkable for having so few trees, which is ironic given its name. More trees would help fight pollution, provide shade, reduce traffic noise and add to the general well-being of the local population
Planning application for TEXACO GARAGE To be replaced by flats- TOO HIGH
Parade of shops has improved over last few years The Pizza Room, Coffee Room and Greedy Cow are welcome additions to this small parade of shops. The kebab shop is well used by policemen and cabbies which is a seal of approval.
Vegetable Garden - Is it ever used? This patch of land has potential. It is set up as a space for older folk to get together and grow veg, but is it ever actually used?

Lichfield Road
Tree roots lifting pavements Lichfield road has a large number of trees and narrow pavements. As the trees grow the paving is lifting and causing significant trip hazards.
Enlivening Pub Lord Tredegar

Mile End Junction
Mile End Junction What a mess this is. The no right turns cause a major issue and lead to traffic crossing the junction twice to effect a right turn. This leads to extra traffic, noise and pollution and does not increase the safety of cyclists for whom the LEFT turns are the concern.

Mile End Park
Art Pavilion Lake - needs some TLC This pond is in need of some TLC. It has leaked for several years and the yellow hose topping it up with tap water is almost a permanent fixture. The aquatic plants need thinning out as they contribute to the problems of maintaining water levels.
Arts Pavilion Neglected Great potential
Mile End Park This green space is one of the main positives of living in the area
The Art Pavilion This is a great space and has great potential as an Art s venue. Whilst there are a number of good exhibitions on each year, the place could be better utilised as a community space.

Mile End Road
Cycle Route - hardly ever swept The CS2 route is hardly ever swept and is awash with litter and dust most of the time
Subway Take Away - Litter This shop causes an enormous amount of litter in the neighbouring streets, The owners should follow the McDonalds model and litter pick the area around their shop
Rusty Bike - Great addition This place is ideally located next to the station and does excellent Thai food.
Bike crossings Well maintained, High Quality, Welcoming Great improvements to cycle safety. Keep them coming!
Worry of over-development There is much local concern that buildings such as Onyx House, the Territorial Army building and the Gateway Housing site will be redeveloped as some high-rise, high-profit developments. Keep it low-rise.
Onyx House: Underutilised inspiring building in a prime location. This building was designed by the renowned architectural firm CZWG and is a landmark building that has been allowed to remain empty for a number of years.

Mile End Station
Mile End Tube - Step-free Access This station really needs step-free access. It should be fairly simple to do as the site is not highly developed and the platforms are shallow.
More greenery Uninspiring, Neglected, Low Quality Know this is technically out of the RR boundary, but would be great if there was more greenery around Mile End Station. The Rusty Bicycle cafe, for example, could add hedges or plants to their exterior garden

Morgan Street
Tutelage Court - cut off from Community This redevelopment, being gated, is cut off from the rest of the community. Consequently, this does not help community cohesion.
Holy Trinity Church - Cemetery needs "greening" The graveyard area surrounding the former Holy Trinity Church could be a wonderful wildlife zone which would enliven the day of those walking past along either Lichfield Road or Morgan St. It is an under-utilised space.

(If you got this far you deserve a medal)

Tuesday 13 February 2018

MEOTRA and Air Pollution

A map showing traffic speeds within MEOTRA.
Let's swap the red for green

The last MEOTRA committee meeting discussed the subject of traffic and pollution in our area and how to try and tackle it at a local level. We agreed MEOTRA should take an active role in trying to reduce pollution. In particular, the extra traffic generated by changes to Grove Rd and a proposed new cycle lane which could cause more problems. 

Similar concerns were raised by residents at the recent MEOTRA Neighbourhood Forum get together (report to follow) including:
  • Pollution from parked vehicles leaving engines running
  • Extra traffic resulting from the number 25 bus now terminating at Mile End
  • Number 25 buses parking in Grove Road
  • The infamous no right turns at Mile End Junction
  • The growing numbers of airport buses such as National Express
  • Speeding traffic
  • Lack of trees on Grove Road (which would reduce noise and pollution)
  • Vehicles using Aberavon/Morgan/Lichfield/Coborn and other roads as rat runs
  • Residents from other B Zones using Meotra streets as a "Park and Ride"
  • TfL pushing initiatives through that negatively impact on local residents' lives.

If you have any ideas or thoughts on tackling pollution in our area then email info@meotra.org.uk


Flyer for the Zero Emission Network

Whilst it is clear a lot of the issues arise from passing traffic, we too can play our part by joining the Zero Emissions Network (ZEN).  ZEN members are offered an exclusive deal to receive 50% off a yearly Santander cycle hire membership. And luckily for us, we have dozens of Santander (aka Boris) bikes in our area. So rather than drive to your early morning swim, or to the Roman, why not jump on a Boris?

You can cycle up to 10 times a day and as long as you keep within the 30 minute time frame, your trip will always be completely free. It is worth it. 

To find out more and apply for your promotional code, please email zen@hackney.gov.uk

Photo of a SAntander/Boris bike


Sunday 11 February 2018

Planning Application - 16-18 Coborn Road (PA/18/00116/NC)

A photo of the existing exterior of 16-18 Coborn Road

Gateway Housing Association has submitted an application to replace all the [timber] windows (front and back) of its properties at 16-18 Coborn Road, E3 2DA with white U-PVC double-glazed windows. The properties lie within the Tredegar Square Conservation Area.

16 and 18 Coborn Road are the left two of the matching three properties in the above photo. Houses 20 (the red door above) to 28 are statutory listed buildings. Whilst numbers 14-18 are not themselves listed, the installation of plastic windows to two of the three properties will destroy the unity of this wonderful trio of properties and have a detrimental effect on neighbouring properties and the conservation area in general.

As is stated in the council's Management Guidelines for the Tredegar Square Conservation Area:
"One of the most significant qualities of the area is the unity of the residential terraces. Conserving this unity and cohesion is critical when planning any maintenance or repair works to buildings in this area. Where possible, historic features such as front gardens, railings or cornices should be re-introduced as part of any works."
Indeed, many properties in our conservation area have been required to replace UPVC windows with double-glazed wooden sash windows as part of the conditions of permitting development (e.g Mile End Villa in Grove Road).

Gateway Housing HQ lies within the conservation area itself, on the corner of Rhondda Grove and Mile End Road, and one would have thought they would appreciate the importance of carrying out restoration work sympathetically within their own Conservation Area.

The closing date for objections to the application is THIS TUESDAY 13th February. The easiest way to object is via the Tower Hamlets online planning portal. Alternatively, objections can be emailed to planningandbuilding@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Gateway has submitted a similar application for 108 Coborn Road which lies north of the railway bridge.