Chinbrook Meadows Bike Event 16th May

Apple blossom and the Links Estate

The view of our garden in Ridgeway Drive. The picture shows the apple blossom on our apple tree. Through the other trees in the background along the railway line we can still see the houses of the Links Estate. In a few weeks the leaves will cover all the trees and the Estate will vanish like Brigadoon. We can pretend we are living in the countryside until next Autumn.
Clive R

Click on the picture to enlarge it

NOTICE OF LERA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

To be held on Tuesday 19 May 2015 in St Andrew’s Community Hall (Main Hall), Burnt Ash Lane, starting at 7 30 pm

We are delighted that we will be holding our AGM this year in the new Community Hall. We do hope that you will able to attend the meeting and experience this important new local amenity. Even if you are not currently a member of LERA, you are very welcome to join us.

The AGM provides an excellent opportunity for our members to get together to talk about local issues and hear from speakers representing community services. This year we will be electing a new Chair for a 3 year term as Iliya Ingram, who was elected last year, had to resign as she moved away from the Estate. We are pleased that Stephen Hodges of Leamington Close has agreed to stand for this post. Also, Diane Bex and I will be standing for re-election to our respective posts as Treasurer and Secretary.

During the past year we have continued to work on behalf of our members to ensure that LERA has a voice in community affairs and to promote improvements to the safety and cleanliness of our Estate. We have maintained our engagement with our local Councillors and Bromley Council on a variety of issues, and contributed to public consultations on such topics as the Council’s budget planning and maintenance of the Borough’s trees.

Crime and safety

We have represented LERA’s interests on the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) which co-ordinates with the police and local community groups to discuss crime and safety issues and other local matters of concern, as well as on the Borough’s Neighbourhood Watch Association.

We have continued to develop a strong working relationship with our local police team and Dedicated Ward Officers in alerting them to problems needing to be addressed and improving communications, and to enable the members of our Committee and our Street Representatives to be kept up-dated via email on policing issues. We are pleased to report that the strategies introduced following the Metropolitan Police’s re-organisation in 2013 have resulted in the Estate having a low crime rate which is being maintained.

Street cleaning

We have had regular on-site meetings with the Council’s contractors which have led to improvements in the services provided to the Estate. These have included the introduction of regular manual litter picking to deal with the litter that accumulates around the railway bridge in New Street Hill.

We have also arranged for fly-tipped rubbish to be removed and co-ordinated the distribution to our residents of net covers for re-cycling boxes and plastic sacks for collecting leaves cleared from the public roadways.

Communicating with our members

To enable our members to be kept informed of news and other information of interest and encourage your feedback and comments, we have developed our channels of communication through the regular Newsletter and our website (www.leralink.blogspot.co.uk), and have introduced our own Facebook page (Links Estate Residents Association Facebook Group).

Development on the Estate

We have co-ordinated awareness of the proposed property development at the corner of Oak Tree Gardens and Portland Road among our members. As a result of the response from residents affected, we submitted an objection to the planning application for which a decision is still awaited.

It is very important that we maintain a strong Residents’ Association to co-ordinate and represent the Links Estate’s interests in matters affecting our community and we really do need your support. If you would like to become more involved with our work, please let me or your Street Representative know.

We look forward to welcoming you to our AGM. Copies of the Agenda and the Accounts will be available at the meeting.

Light refreshments will be available after the meeting when you will have the opportunity to mingle with other members.

Pat Pattenden

Secretary on behalf of the Committee

Reduction in paper and cardboard collections

Reduction in paper and cardboard collections. Bromley Council is proposing to reduce the kerbside paper collections from weekly to fortnightly. The following recommendation was made at the meeting of the Environment Portfolio committee meeting of 18th Feb

Report ES14081 proposed that the frequency of the kerbside paper collection service be revised from weekly to every other week.

http://cds.bromley.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?id=30418&LLL=0

Householders who regularly fill their black boxes every week can request a second box by filling in the form at:- 

https://www.bromley.gov.uk/site/xfp/scripts/xforms_form.aspx?formID=15&language=en&hc_location=ufi although you may have to register for a "My Bromley" account.

Proposed litter picking at the green on New Street Hill

Proposed litter picking at the green on New Street Hill, between Oaktree Gardens & Railway Bridge.

We are thinking of organizing a litter picking session, perhaps during a weekend, for the green on New Street Hill before the vegetation grows again during the summer season and makes it difficult to pick the litter up.

A few residents noticed that the green could do with some improvement. I have a number of blue bags LBB gave me which I can bring along and I can subsequently organize LBB Street Cleaning to pick up filled bags for us.

We would need about 3-4 volunteers to do it relativity quickly, but the more of us there are the better.
Could you please let me know if you would like to join us? You can contact us on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/lerabromley

Sandro Gor
Street Cleaning Issues Coordinator