Tag Archives: Tony Louki

by | July 26, 2017 · 09:20

I B A F on Tour

At Hounslow Council’s Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2017, I had the honour of being appointed to the Chair of the Isleworth and Brentford Area Forum for 2017/2018.

Until now, the location of the IBAF meetings have been pretty static, held in Brentford but this year we are taking this bi monthly democratic event on the road and trying as best to give advance notice of items planned for discussion and decision.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be held in Syon Ward at the St Johns Community Centre, 80 St Johns Road, Isleworth then on 28 September 2017 we shall be at the splendid Spring Grove House, West Thames College.  Current proposals for locations and items for future meetings through to March 2018 can be found here.

A special meeting of the IBAF, to mark Local Democracy Week 2017, is being planned for early October 2017 where the focus will be on the current IBAF Action Plan and a Young People’s Open Forum; details will follow when firm.

All are welcome to attend and to contribute via the regular Open Forum agenda item and by submitting written questions prior, particularly relating to matters from the IBAF’s four constituent Wards, Osterley & Spring Grove; Isleworth; Isleworth; Brentford but also other Hounslow Council matters.

TL  26.7.2017

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Filed under Brentford, Council Business, Events, Middlesex, Neighbourhoods, Northumberland Estate, Osterley, Spring Grove, Wyke Green

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by | July 21, 2017 · 14:32

Friends of Thornbury Park

Will meet on Wednesday 26 July 2017 at 7.00 pm by the Outdoor Gym, Thornbury Park, London Road, Isleworth

Grapes and berries in Thornbury Park

Since the reforming of the Friends of Thornbury Park, visitors there will have noticed some better attention paid to this important but occasionally neglected local recreation space.

When we first met in November 2015, there were many ideas discussed and proposed to improve Thornbury Park.  At the time, there was no council resource to help make any of them a reality apart from holding the parks maintenance contractor to their schedules and encouraging the police to up their patrols to address varied anti social behaviour.

I was, however, as a councillor, able to submit bids to the unspent S106 planning gain fund insomuch as historic developer contributions could be applied to a) schemes local to Spring Grove developments and b) for parks type projects.  In 2016 I was teased with an award of £4,200, which, in the scheme of things, was almost not worth getting off the swings for.  Persistence paid off in January 2017 with a second allocation of £75,977 making a total of £80,177 to start to realise some of the November 2015 ideas.

Hounslow Council’s Parks Team and the parks contractor Carillion have now produced proposals and costs for improvements at Thornbury Park over and above the maintenance contract.  Details can be found on the spends spreadsheet here and trees and shrub reduction and new pathways suggestion here.

Readers will note that so far, a proposed spend of only £25,839 has been identified and these are listed on the spreadsheet, leaving decisions to be made for the remaining £54,338 and that is why it would be good to see as many Friends and users of Thornbury Park next Wednesday.

Should anyone be unable to make it to the meeting, please email me with any comments to tony.louki@hounslow.gov.uk

You may also wish to follow Friends of Thornbury Park on Twitter and Facebook.

As always, am happy to discuss.

TL 21.7.2017

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Filed under Events, Leisure, London Road, Neighbourhoods, Parks, Reports, Spring Grove, Thornbury Park

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by | February 12, 2017 · 10:14

Thornbury Road no left turn: no liked

A lively meeting kindly hosted by Indian Gymkhana, Thornbury Avenue on 7 February 2017 and attended by around 50 of Osterley & Spring Grove’s finest, helped define and add to the result of a recent consultation.

Hounslow Council traffic team's David Wilson and Liam Judge presenting the consultation results

Hounslow Council traffic team’s David Wilson and Liam Judge presenting the consultation results

Hounslow Council had put forward a proposal to ban left turns in to Thornbury Road from the westbound A4 Great West Road and offering a green human pedestrian crossing facility. Traffic officers shared the results of the consultation supported by this presentation.

Whilst rejecting the no left turn idea, many of those attending did, quite rightly, comment more on speed and safety issues on Osterley Road and Church Road, particularly at their junction by St Mary’s Church.

Notes of the meeting can be found here and councillors have asked that alternative proposals be worked on, based on the discussion that took place.

On the subject of roads, traffic and transport, a reminder that Osterley & Wyke Green Residents Association’s next public meeting on 28 February 2017 at Isleworth & Syon School will be dedicated to these issues and details are included in OWGRA’s latest newsletter

Any other comments would as always, be welcomed.

TL 11.2.2017

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Filed under Council Business, Events, Great West Road, H28 bus, Middlesex, Neighbourhoods, Osterley, Roads, Spring Grove, TfL, Thornbury Road, Traffic

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by | July 19, 2016 · 12:00

Useful fact finding visit to Transport for London

It was a pleasure as ever to hang with Councillors Guy Lambert (Labour, Brentford) and Sam Christie (Labour, Bedfont) the one who brokered a positive meeting at Transport for London in Southwark yesterday morning. On the way I was unaware I nearly squashed a Pokemon, Pidgey, near the Young Vic on The Cut, SE1, hadn’t a clue, sorry.

Councillors Guy Lambert, Tony Louki and Sam Christie on the 10.44 Hounslow Loop from Chiswick to London Waterloo for our TfL meet

Councillors Guy Lambert, Tony Louki and Sam Christie on the 10.44 Hounslow Loop from Chiswick to London Waterloo for our TfL meet

Of mutual interest for the three of us was the continuing saga of house building conglomerate Barratt unable to facilitate uninterrupted service for the 235 at its western terminus, Great West Quarter; crowding on some routes; ability to access West Middlesex University Hospital from all parts of the borough and overall bus reliability in Hounslow.

Positive news is that brand new and latest lowest emission buses will be introduced by when the 235’s bus operations transfer from Abellio to Metroline in January 2017.

Those recalling last year’s consultations on local services may know that TfL still considers the routeing of the H28 and E8 as unfinished business. There was and remains concern that the removal of route H28 from Wood Lane, Isleworth will make access to the West Mid very difficult from as far away as Cranford and Heston. Replacing it with a double decked E8 down Amhurst Gardens would mean the removal of the last of that road’s mature trees. Expect more consultations in early 2017.

Not enough time to cover all the Transport for London issues affecting Osterley & Spring Grove Ward but a number of items were left with our host to consider and respond to, including:

A4 Great West Road junctions

  • improving phase turnings at Wood Lane
  • improving surface crossings at Gillette Corner
  • pedestrian subway safety at Gillette Corner
  • preventing eastbound driving on the southside between Jersey and Gresham Roads
  • future proposals for this TfL owned stretch.

New Ridgeway Road controlled crossing

  • reinstatement of the grass verge
  • marking the cycle lane following completion of the recent works
  • remedying the northside cycle lane pinch point by pedestrian crossing
  • reinstatement of bus stop U Great West Road/Ridgeway Road.

Great West Road at Osterley Library

  • establishing short term parking in the layby east from Thornbury Road.

Great West Road environment

  • protection and maintenance of verges, shrub beds and maximising pavement widths
  • clarifying TfL bollard policy
  • managing curtilage hedge encroachments on footways
  • cycle lane maintenance and safety
  • managing tree growth that impedes cyclists
  • TfL’s tree maintenance and planting programme
  • maintenance schedules.

Councillor Sam Christie’s notes of the meeting can be found here.

Pokemon Pidgey almost a Size 8 gonner on the way to TfL

Pokemon Pidgey almost a cropper from my size 8s on the way to TfL

Always happy to hear from residents about local public transport and the Great West Road.

TL 19.7.2016

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Filed under Brentford, Great West Road, H28 bus, Neighbourhoods, Osterley, Public transport, Roads, TfL, Traffic, West Middlesex Hospital

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by | April 7, 2016 · 11:39

More on Moore’s: planning application now made

Following the exhibition of development proposals for the Moore’s Cycles and next door site last month and reported here: https://osterleyspringgrove.org/2016/03/05/moores-no-more/ , an application to build 34 flats over six floors has now been submitted to Hounslow Council by Network Housing Group.

Architect's impression of a development at 1a - 5 St Johns Road Isleworth

Architect’s impression of the proposed development at 1a – 5 St Johns Road Isleworth

Should it be functioning, there is a good range of documents to be found on the council’s planning website via http://www.hounslow.gov.uk under case number 00981/AI/P1. A few of these can also be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Letters seeking comment have so far been sent to 505 neighbouring addresses and comments are sought by 20 April 2016.

The St Johns Residents Association has advised that this features on the agenda for its meeting on Monday 11 April 2016  at St Johns Centre, 80 St Johns Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 6RU from 8.00 pm.

As a member of Hounslow Council’s planning committee, I am happy to receive residents’ responses but do not usually comment on these matters prior to a formal decision being made should they, at some point, appear on a future meeting agenda.

TL 7.4.2016

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Filed under Council Business, Events, Housing, London Road, Middlesex, Neighbourhoods, Planning, RAs, Reports, Spring Grove

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