Neighbourhood planning provides an excellent opportunity for us, the local community, to shape the future of Sudbury. It can help us influence what changes and improvements we think are necessary to make Sudbury a better place to live, work and play.

Over the last year residents and businesses came together at a series of events to discuss ideas for the neighbourhood plan. These ideas are presented in a master document *“Options Report”.

We are now asking for your thoughts on these ideas before we draft a series of policies that will eventually be used to shape and determine the future planning proposals and applications for the area.

The neighbourhood plan is being led by Sudbury Town Residents’ Association (STRA), who is the first Neighbourhood Forum to have been designated in the London Borough of Brent.  Sudbury is one of only a handful of areas in London where the neighbourhood plan is being prepared.  STRA Neighbourhood Forum is recognised by Brent Council as an appropriate body to develop a new plan, being representative of the community. This is a major step for the area and for Brent Council.

The focus of the neighbourhood plan is on the high street; essentially the area between Barham Park and Butlers Green. The plan also includes Vale Farm and Sudbury Town Piccadilly Line tube station and Sudbury & Harrow Road Chiltern Railways station. We encourage everyone who lives, shops or works in the area to view what is being proposed. The proposals are on pages 10 and 11 of the Options Report. To view the Options Report see article below.

This is the most exciting opportunity for the Sudbury community to collectively make positive changes for the future. Please complete the Questionnaire.

* You will find the Options Report and Questionnaire in the articles below or at the Library Civic Centre London Borough of Brent - website www.brent.gov.uk or at Through the Looking Glass 8 Watford Road Wembley HA0 3EW.

Please complete the on-line Questionnaire by following the link below or complete on the STRA website..

For further information and membership details please contact or email STRA info@stra.org.uk or call Renu Kaul on 07840 491 142 or write to STRA, c/o SMC, 809 Harrow Road, Sudbury, Middlesex HA0 2LP

The researchers will be on hand at Vale Farm Sports Centre on Saturday 30 November 2013 from 11am to 3 pm with their qestionnaires to find out what YOUR vision is of the next stage of positive changes in Sudbury.

If you did not see us on the 30th we will be outside Hampton's on 7 December 2013 and on Butler's Green on 14 December 2013.

You can also pick up the questionnaire from Christine Harvey at Through the Looking Glass, 8 Watford Road, Watford Rd, Sudbury, Middlesex HA0 3EW

If you have any questions please call Renu Kaul, Deputy Chair on 078 404 911 42.

The survey cam be found on-line at: 

www.surveymonkey.com/s/P6JKZ33 or complete it below.

The full Options Report can be seen at the Civic Centre or at TTLG. You can also download the report by clicking below.

Fallen Trees on the public highway are being removed as swiftly as possible by the Safer Streets Trees section and their specialist trees contractor. 

Gary Rimmer can be contacted with any reports of fallen trees on 0208 937 5285 or Gary.Rimmer@brent.gov.uk

The list of fallen trees that Brent are currently aware of can be found here: http://www.brent.gov.uk/council-news/october-2013/fallen-trees/

Safer Streets Trees section are only interested in trees on the highway not on grassy areas.  

Monday’s storm has caused substantial damage to Brent’s street trees. It will be several days before we know the final number of trees lost or severely damaged, but early indications are in the range of 150 trees lost. Fortunately, we have heard of no injuries to local people.

To give you an idea of impact, this seems to be the biggest loss of street trees since 1987 and we lost more trees lost in three hours this morning than we have lost over the last five years. Each year we replant around 200 trees, so another way of looking at it is the loss of almost one years entire planting programme.

Brent have had two teams out all day, with their priority being clearing major roads, clearing minor roads which are completely blocked or ensuring access to buildings used or occupied by vulnerable people. The crews will continue to work today until they are too tired to work safely. They will resume again first thing tomorrow.
This will take a many days and possibly weeks to clean up, so Brent's immediate priority in the next day or so is moving trees to allow travel and normal life to continue

Update

Brent crews were out yesterday from early morning until well after midnight last night. They are out again early this morning and are working hard to deal with trees in order of priority. The volumes of fallen trees are such that fallen trees that would ordinarily be our greatest priority are currently down the pecking order and will not get done today. We are still prioritising clearing trees blocking roads and properties, giving access to blocked buildings and vulnerable people.

 Please do let us know if there are other trees of which we should be aware that are not on our list. Report to 020 8937 5050 or streetcare@brent.gov.uk. The public list is as above and that list will be updated throughout the day.



On Sunday 8th September STRA member Gini Moore took part in a bike ride challenge cycling from London to Windsor in support of Asthma UK.

This charity is close to her heart because like many of us she has family members who suffer with this condition.  Gini wants to raise money for further research and also raise awareness of asthma.





Please consider sponsoring her as every donation will be gratefully received and will make a real difference!

http://www.justgiving.com/Gini-Moore

Here is Gini's write up of the experience.

On Sunday 8^th September last I took part in a bike ride from Richmond Green to Windsor to help raise funds for Asthma UK. There was a choice of three routes – 55 and 37 mile and a shorter 29 mile route which included towpaths. I opted for the 29 mile route because this was my first cycling event.  While doing the ride there were times when I felt that I had missed a turning and somehow gotten onto one of the longer routes! In all, I enjoyed taking part in the challenge.  The weather started fine and sunny; ideal cycling weather for late summer.   Half way through the ride this all changed and the wind and rain on the on-road route provided something of a challenge. My waterproof poncho wasn’t much use.

Cycling through the great expanse of Windsor Great Park was a most enjoyable experience en route to the finish.

Taking part in the ride was an amazing experience for me. I now have more confidence cycling on-road and I fully intend to continue cycling on the road as well as the towpath.   My old new
Scott bike never failed me once during the ride.

I didn’t have a set target in mind when I took on the challenge. I just wanted to raise as much as I could for a very worthwhile cause. My total to date is £325 plus £72.50 gift aid.  I’m very pleased with this figure.

 In which case, a free new cycle guide packed with useful information would be for you.

The booklet, produced on behalf of the council by transport and consultants SKM, has details of free training, rides, maintenance sessions and much more.

To order one, phone or email Sharleen Hannon on 020 7939 6221 or Shannon@globalskm.com

 

The film was well received.  About 30 people attended. All who attended thought it was well worth stepping out to attend the film viewing in spite of the weather.  At the end we all sat in silence for a couple of minutes.  The comments were

• Thought provoking

• Interesting

• A must see

• Please arrange a second viewing

• Informative

• Could we arrange for a viewing at the schools in the
  neighbourhood?

STRA will try and arrange a second viewing in the new year.

Vacancies for allotments in Brent

Seven allotment sites in Brent now have vacancies for anyone who wants to try their hand at food growing

The vacancies are at allotments in Cecil Avenue, Wembley, Kinch Grove, Kenton, Lyon Park Avenue, Alperton, Sudbury Court Road, Sudbury, Vale Farm, Wembley, Woodfield Avenue, Wembley, and Dors Close allotment, Kingsbury.

Allotment gardening is a great way to grow healthy food, keep active and works out a cost of just 22p a day for a standard size-five pole plot - that's about half the size of a tennis court and is big enough to grow enough fruit and veg for a small family.

Call Brent Council on 020 8937 5619 to apply for an allotment or you can apply online at www.brent.gov.uk or email parks.service@brent.gov.uk

Brent's parking shops have now all closed and Sudbury residents will have to use the new online and phone system for parking services. You will need to set up a parking account. Scratch cards are valid until 31 October 2013.

Details at www.brent.gov.uk/parking

STOP PRESS Residents will now be able to use scratchcards until August 31 next year. See here for more information.

One of our councillors has asked the Council for proper maintenance of the recently improved site in Maybank Avenue (on the corner with The rise).

Sudbury Councillors used their ward working money to get the area cleared up and replanted a while back and were assured that it would be properly maintained in the future. When Councillor Lorber took this photograph the weeds we once again waste high.

Paul has now asked the Council to clear the site of weeds and any rubbish and to maintain it properly in the future.

If you're interested in our work and would like to support us, read about us and  the projects we've contributed to in the past.

Browse through these pages to learn more about us and our projects.

Our main project at the moment is the development plan for Sudbury. More details of this can be found above. In particular you can find out about our status as a neighbourhood forum and a meeting held on the 16 March to take the neighbourhood plan forward.