COUNCIL CRUSHES FLY-TIPPING VAN / ON-THE-SPOT FINES OF UP TO £80 FOR ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN LAMBETH / MULTI-MILLION POUND FLOOD ALLEVIATION SCHEME LAUNCHES IN DULWICH / COMMUNITY LIBRARY MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS INVITED BY BROMLEY
COUNCIL CRUSHES FLY-TIPPING VAN
A van used to illegally dump waste has been crushed and displayed across the borough as part of a council’s ongoing campaign against fly-tipping.
The van, which Croydon council seized and crushed after it was used to dump two tonnes of waste in Waddon, is being displayed at nine locations across the borough as a warning to other potential fly-tippers.
The council seized the white Ford Transit on 21 February after two men were spotted tipping floor materials, windows, wood and other building waste in Lysander Road before fleeing on foot.
The van has so far been taken to New Addington, Thornton Heath, Upper Norwood and Croydon town centre, and will be at the following locations this week:
• Tuesday 19 May – outside Sainsbury’s in Purley High Street
• Wednesday 20 May – outside Coulsdon library in Brighton Road
• Thursday 21 May – South End
• Friday 22 May – Lower Addiscombe Road outside Co-op
• Saturday 23/Sunday 24 May – North End outside Barclays Bank
Anyone with information on dumped waste should contact the council’s dedicated fly-tipping hotline on 020 8604 7000 or by emailing [email protected]
Photo shows: Pictured with the remains of the van, Croydon’s cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon Cllr Stuart Collins: said: “Anyone thinking about fly-tipping should think again once they’ve seen how we get rid of vehicles used for this kind of crime.”
ON-THE-SPOT FINES OF UP TO £80 FOR ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN LAMBETH
Lambeth council are warning people that antisocial behaviour on the borough’s streets will be met with on-the-spot fines of up to £80.
Under new powers introduced last year, officers can issue fines for anybody in Lambeth seen damaging the environment by spitting or urinating in the street, failing to clear up after their dog, fly tipping or littering.
Lambeth’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite said: “Our ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign encourages residents to act in a responsible way to help make Lambeth a clean, pleasant and safe place to live a work.
“While the majority of residents already do this, a small minority are damaging the borough, polluting the streets, causing offence and costing the council valuable resources. “We are now saying; ‘Not on our streets’.
“These on-the-spot fines will make offenders think twice about doing it again and protect our streets for our responsible residents.”
Posters are being put up around the borough warning people about possible fines and a new enforcement team will begin work later this summer, which will have the power to respond to incidents of anti-social behaviour at a local, neighbourhood level.
Last year council officers issued nearly a thousand Fixed Penalty Notices for antisocial behaviour, with almost half of those for littering.
In October, Lambeth issued its first FPN for spitting under current anti-littering legislation, resulting in a £120 fine after the case went to court.
A council spokesperson said: “There are already hundreds of people taking up Lambeth’s Do the Right Thing challenge; making the borough a better place to live and acting as role models for others to follow.”
MULTI-MILLION POUND FLOOD ALLEVIATION SCHEME LAUNCHES IN DULWICH
A £4.2 million flood alleviation scheme to protect over 200 homes and businesses in Dulwich and Herne Hill from sewer and surface flooding has been completed.
The scheme, based in Dulwich park, Belair park and the Dulwich sports grounds in Southwark, and funded by Southwark council, the Environment Agency and Thames Water, is the first of its kind in London to be delivered via a partnership approach and only recently received an award at this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers London Civil Engineering Awards.
The project sees the three organisations working together to deploy a number of innovative techniques across the area to create a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS).
“Both Dulwich and Herne Hill have experienced notable floods in 1984, 2004 and 2007 each resulting in loss of residential property and business premises as well as public infrastructure” said a Southwark council spokesperson.
“The new scheme works with the landscape of the parks to capture surface water run-off and reduce flood risk in a sustainable way.
“In a concerted effort to limit any disruption to the natural environment, engineers and landscape architects have worked to enhance the park through:
- Building earth bunds and walls to temporarily contain or redirect surface water into existing lakes
- Increasing storage capacity of existing lakes
- Constructing below-ground storage areas to provide further capacity to store flood water which is released gradually back into the sewer network reducing the risk of sewer flooding
Creation of 3750m2 wetland and 6400m2 wildflower meadows to attract wildlife, enhancing local habitats and biodiversity
Southwark’s cabinet member for environment Cllr Darren Merrill said: “The new flood alleviation scheme brings reassurance to the hundreds of residents and business owners in Dulwich and Herne Hill who were previously at risk of surface and sewer flooding.
“With limited local government budgets, it’s more crucial than ever, to be proactive and invest in infrastructure that has longstanding benefits to our residents. “I’m really pleased to have worked with both Thames Water and the Environment Agency on such an innovative and sustainable scheme that works well with the natural environment of our parks.”
Thames Water CEO, Martin Baggs said: “We know that avoiding sewer flooding is a top priority for our customers, but finding solutions often involves a number of agencies, which can make things complicated. “So we’re delighted to have worked so successfully with Southwark council and the Environment Agency on this innovative and sustainable scheme.
“It shows what can be achieved with good planning, goodwill and common sense, and we’ll be looking to use the results as an example for other areas facing similar problems.
“People who have faced the devastating effects of flooding don’t mind who provides a solution, they just want us all to work together to sort out the problem and I’m really pleased we’ve done that for people in Dulwich and Herne Hill.”
COMMUNITY LIBRARY MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS INVITED BY BROMLEY
Organisations interested in managing one of Bromley’s community libraries are being invited to register their interest.
Community groups and other organisations, including business and voluntary groups, are being invited to apply to manage one or more of six community libraries.
“The libraries, by their nature, are smaller and are run for the communities they are located in, with community management proposals potentially able to create a new style of community library management” says a Bromley council press release..
Bromley’s executive councillor for renewal and recreation Cllr Peter Morgan said: “Who would have thought a few years ago that a library would provide more services other than lending books? “As library use and management continues to evolve, this latest initiative could present an enticing and interesting opportunity for someone. Whilst change is challenging, this opportunity gives a blank canvas for us all to consider different ideas going forwards.”
Community libraries where community management proposals are being considered are Burnt Ash, Hayes, Mottingham, Shortlands, Southborough and St Paul’s Cray. Proposals are welcome to manage these community buildings that would provide benefits to existing and new library users and the local community.
The news follows a review of the library service across the borough and a decision in March which included plans for community management and market testing of the core library service.
The closing date for registrations of interest in 26 June 2015 and further information is available by visiting www.bromley.gov.uk/communitylibrary.
