This Saturday I paid a visit to Queensbury for a walkabout.
Over the past few weeks I have been working with the police, TFL and the planning and enforcement officers from Brent Council to resolve a number of concerns that I know are shared by many residents and local businesses.
Anti-social behaviour, street drinking and illegal parking are all having a damaging effect on the quality of life in the area.
So I hope you may find it helpful to receive this update on the work I am doing as your MP, along with Sandra, Kana and Ramesh as your local councillors, to resolve these matters and ensure that the proper enforcement action takes place.
I conducted a walkabout in Queensbury and Kingsbury on 15th February. Along with local residents we identified problem hotspots and met with a number of retailers and businesses to discuss their concerns.
It is simply not acceptable that any resident should feel uneasy walking around Queensbury circle because of the large groups of men drinking outside the shops and often blocking the footpath.
The first thing I did was to meet with the Acting Borough Commander of Brent Police to point out the areas that require specific additional patrol and enforcement.
I then conducted a further walkabout at the beginning of March with six enforcement officers from the relevant Brent Council departments in addition to the Neighbourhood Manager for the area.
During this walkabout I challenged them over the various issues that I had already written to bring to the council’s attention, but that still had not received the necessary action. These included cleansing, anti-social behavior issues, planning issues, TFL land management and health and safety issues relating to a business in the area.
Following this the council have advised me that the following specific action that has now been taken:
Westmoreland Road Parking
On Westmoreland Road, the Council have put out a consultation on extending the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) controls to 8.30am to 6.30pm which currently operate between 10am to 3pm. Following consultation and presuming that the strong support that was previously identified for this is confirmed, the Council state they will progress the Traffic Management Order and implement changes as quickly as possible.
Contact has been made with the developer at this location and they will install concrete blocks on the railway side of Westmoreland Road from the development near the roundabout all the way down to the junction near A1 Autos.
The Council also advised that the barriers will be painted in a way that they stand out, have reflective material applied to them so they can be seen at night and will be placed at 7m intervals to deter trucks and vans with trailers but allow for car parking.
Both TFL and the Electricity Supplier have been contacted in regard to clearing and making good the areas identified around the bridge and the substation. In the interim both areas have been litter picked and jet washed by council contractors.
Queensbury Parade is now swept morning and evening to deal with the build-up of litter that is occurring.
Doric bollards have now been installed along Capitol Way to reduce the opportunity for foreign HGVs to park along Capitol Way. However this is only an interim measure whilst the Council design a sustainable long term solution.
Following my intervention about Anti-social Behaviour I am advised that 106 warnings and Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have been issued to offenders in the Queensbury Ward in relation to anti-social behavior.
Whilst I am pleased that enforcement action is taking place and the police advise that the incidence of anti social behaviour and breaches of the Public Space Protection Order have reduced, I have emphasised that we need continued strong enforcement to get the message across.
I will ensure that the Council continue to use the powers available to them to tackle these issues and discourage this behavior that is causing so much distress to residents.
On Saturday 23rd I again visited the area with three officers from Brent Council. Within 25 minutes we stopped 4 people from street drinking and issued them with warning notices explaining that they would face a £100 penalty if caught again.
In Westmoreland Road I challenged the drivers of three illegally parked HGVs and got them to move on.
The police joined us for this enforcement action and immediately afterwards issued 9 further warnings to street drinkers in Essoldo Way.
I will be seeking further clarification on progress being made to implement the appropriate enforcement action and to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to address the pertinent issues affecting the community.
I do hope that you found this information useful. If you have any further concerns you would like to raise with me regarding this matter, or any other, please do not hesitate to contact me at barry.gardiner.mp@parliament.uk
