Housing, Markets and, Of Course, Traffic
Chiswick Homefields councillor Jack Emsley reports back
Hearing about proposals for the future of markets in Chiswick at the George IV
My turn again to report back on my week as your local councillor for Chiswick Homefields! The past seven days have been packed with public meetings, catching up with local residents and my Chiswick Library surgery – unfortunately, it’s almost certain that next week won’t be as active, not because I’m taking any time off, but because I managed to sprain my ankle a few hours before sitting down to write this blog (that will teach me for running for the train…).
On Saturday it was my turn to take our weekly Chiswick Councillors surgery – unlike other areas of the borough where surgeries take place monthly, your Conservative councillors are committed to a weekly surgery to ensure we maximise our availability to residents. This means I get a chance to speak to residents from all three wards in Chiswick and, whilst each area has its own character, the issues raised by the community across Chiswick are often very similar.
Fighting for a Better Deal on Housing
One of the pieces of casework we pick up most often relates to housing, whether its council tenants frustrated with a lack of maintenance or those looking to switch council properties due to a change in circumstances. I’ve been dealing with a number of housing issues this week and, whilst I believe council officers are trying their best, the current system simply isn’t up to scratch. My colleague in Chiswick Homefields, Cllr John Todd, made the point in the last council meeting that there are currently 536 empty council houses in our borough, 64 of which have been empty for over two years. With such a long waiting list for council houses, this is totally unacceptable and I‘ll be using my position on the council’s Housing Panel (which meets for the first time on Monday) to fight for a better deal for residents.
Community Proposals for a Better High Road
On Monday I joined Cllrs Ron Mushiso and Gerald McGregor at a public meeting on the future of Chiswick High Road and our local markets at the George IV pub. Organised by the brilliant team behind the Chiswick Flower Market, we heard about proposals to transform the current car park outside the old police station and the area around the William Hogarth Statue into a rain garden. The proposals, created by an independent landscape architect in consultation with the Flower Market team, would retain 44 parking spaces, mitigate flooding on the high Road during heavy rainfall, and provide extra space for restaurants, cafes and pubs for outdoor dining.
I think it’s great that community groups are coming up with innovative ways to make our High Road better, and that seemed to be the general consensus at the meeting, too. As with any proposals for our area, it’s now important that the wider community in Chiswick is consulted and offered an opportunity to join the conversation about our town centre, something which we as councillor are here to help facilitate. It’s exciting to be able to support fantastic and committed community groups who are making Chiswick even better – you can check out the full proposal here.
Traffic (What Else…)
There was also a focus this week on traffic and transport issues in Chiswick Homefields (I’m not sure there’s been a week where this hasn’t been one of my focuses as a councillor) – a resident flagged that the speed camera on Devonshire Road has not been working for several weeks, meaning neighbours were missing a key deterrent against speeding drivers. Issue reported, and hopefully swiftly resolved!
Talking of resolving traffic issues, I was happy to hear that the junction between Hartington Road and Chiswick Bridge has finally been given a set of pedestrian crossing lights (albeit currently temporary). I’ve been working with our London Assembly member Nick Rogers to put much needed pedestrian lights at this junction for a couple of weeks after local residents highlighted how dangerous the crossing is for those on foot and on bike. I’m glad that we’ve been able to secure a temporary solution, and am currently seeking more information on when we might be able to expect permanent pedestrian lights to be installed.
Finally on Friday I attended a meeting alongside Riverside councillors with local resident associations to discuss traffic issues and schemes in South Chiswick. I was late to the meeting due to the ankle sprain I mentioned at the beginning, but managed to soldier on and get home to join the call shortly after kick-off. We agreed that there needs to be a much higher standard of communication from the council, and we’ll be pushing the traffic team for answers to the many outstanding questions about the South Chiswick traffic scheme and the ongoing impact of the A4 roadworks.
That’s it for another blog, looking forward to reporting back in a few weeks’ time!
Cllr Jack Emsley
SURGERIES IN CHISWICK AND GUNNERSBURY
We are back to our usual routine of holding face-to-face surgeries in Chiswick and in Gunnersbury.
Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the eight Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn).
We are awaiting guidance about the surgery in Chiswick on Saturday 17 th September. Please see note in dates for your diary below:
Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery).
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
18 October 7:00 pm Cabinet
3 November 7:00 pm Planning Committee
8 November 7:00 pm Overview and Scrutiny Committee
15 November 7 :00 pm Cabinet
22 November 7:00 pm Chiswick Area Forum
29 November 7:30 pm Borough Council
CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS
Chiswick Gunnersbury (was Turnham Green) ward
Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446
Cllr Ranjit Gill ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702956
Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887
Chiswick Homefields ward
Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017
Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821
Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651
Chiswick Riverside ward
Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810
Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823
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October 15, 2022