Agenda for a Ward Community Forum

Dear Masood,

Thank you for appealing to your colleagues to respond to my original email. Have you heard anything?
 
In the meantime the Council has released the "Mini Holland" document containing proposals which have won £30 million to be spent on improving the cycling environment in the borough.
 
The proposals in this document if implemented will impact significantly on Waltham Forest Lea Bridge Ward residents. The proposals for "Capworth Village", the street closures, the intentions for the Markhouse Corner junction, the changes to bus lanes - all need a lot of airing with people who live in the area. The proposals for the Lea Bridge Road cycle super-highway need to be considered in the light of what the LVRPA is planning for that same area as a 'destination'.
 
Since the borough has created the Ward Forums for discussion could I suggest that ours is convened as soon as possible, particularly to discuss the Mini Holland proposals. It would be good to invite Cllr Clyde Loakes, whose name is on the document, and also our Waltham Forest Councillor on the LVRPA.
 
What do you think?
 
Many thanks,
 
Claire Weiss

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Subject: Re: Lea Bridge Ward (WF) Community Forum - major matters for discussion

On 27 Feb 2014, at 19:52, "Claire Weiss" <claireweiss@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear Councillors,

• The Lea Valley Regional Park Authority this week is making fundamental decisions about how much of their operations, including those in our Ward, will be managed. There will be a separate Trust. Furthermore, the possibility of complete privatisation in future years is left open. It appears that the LVRPA will seek to create and develop anything that is income-generating, in order to balance its books. This puts the preservation of our Metropolitan Open Land at risk, because there is no money to be made from open green space. Yet the Lee Valley Regional Park was created in order to be a 'green lung' for north and east London. Has the Waltham Forest Council been consulted about any of this?

 

• The existing encroachment of development is all too easy to see from Lea Bridge Road - the huge blocks of flats now erected at Essex Wharf on the river's edge dominate the surroundings and almost dwarf the ice rink - which itself is now going to be developed by the LVRPA. The proposals that arose (pre-Olympic catastrophe on Leyton Marsh) for a hotel on Lea Bridge Road are now re-surfacing. What proposals have been put to the Council?

 

• The promised re-opening of Lea Bridge railway station - the date we were given was a start in February - does not appear to be happening. Has Network Rail given any reasons for this failure?

 

• The new crossroads layout at Bakers Arms causes immeasurable delays to buses, ambulances and pedestrians, let alone cars. The construction work is going on interminably. Everyone that I speak to is appalled at what has been done. We need to speak to you Councillors about this.

There is much to discuss at the Ward Forum, but alas there is no date planned.

We are informed on the Council website that the next Ward Forum meeting will be in December 2013. How ridiculous is this. This represents an appalling lapse in the ability of residents to challenge their representatives, and I believe it is an inexplicably cynical gesture on the part of you Councillors when really you should be keeping the channels of communication open at a time of such change.
Were you hoping we would all keep quiet until after the elections?

Please let everyone know urgently when the next meeting will be held so that we can discuss these major matters.
Regards and thanks,

Claire Weiss
E10 7AR