Christmas tree recycling weekend

Residents are being reminded that they can dispose of their ‘real’ Christmas tree at one of the temporary garden waste sites open for one weekend only.

On the second weekend in January, Christmas trees and other garden waste can be taken to one of five sites around the borough with some sites open on either Saturday or Sunday.  

John Bosley added, “If you do subscribe to our pre-paid garden waste collection service, we will remove your tree as part of this although you might need to cut the tree to make sure that it fits inside your wheelie bin.”  

The five temporary sites are open on either Saturday 9 or Sunday 10 January at the following times and locations:  

Saturday 9 January 2015, 11am to 4pm

• Bromley - Norman Park, Hook Farm Road, off Bromley Common
• Green St Green - Salt Depot, Shire Lane Spur, off Sevenoaks Road
• St Paul’s Cray - Cotmandene Crescent car park, off Chipperfield Road  

Sunday 10 January 2015, 8am to 12 noon

• Biggin Hill - Charles Darwin School, Jail Lane
• Beckenham - Unicorn Primary School car park, off Creswell Drive

All decorations must be removed from your tree before depositing it at one of the sites or leaving it for collection. 

Trees and other garden waste must not be left at the sites outside of operating hours as this will be treated as flytipping.  Christmas trees and other waste should not either be left at recycling banks either. The sites are closely monitored and fly-tippers risk prosecution.  

Residents can also dispose of their Christmas trees at either of the Borough’s Reuse and Recycling sites, at Waldo Road or Churchfields Road.  Last year, over 20 tonnes of Christmas trees were composted at the sites across the Borough, including at the Waldo Road and Churchfields Road Reuse and Recycling centres.

St Andrew's Pre-school open day

Rogue trader gets well deserved prison sentence

A Faversham man has been jailed for three years after conning an 80 year old Beckenham resident out of £21,700.

Phillip Webb, aged 58, from Faversham, Kent had earlier pleaded guilty to fraud by misrepresentation after persuading the resident he needed essential repairs to the guttering on his house, which the resident agreed to have done. Further work was carried out without his permission and he was charged a total of £21,700 for work which was later valued by a Trading Standards appointed expert at £500. Webb was issued with a 5 year Criminal Behaviour Order which bans him from cold calling anywhere in England and Wales.  

Trading Standards were alerted by a concerned neighbour who called the team after seeing the rapid response number advertised locally. Officers visited the victim and while they were there Webb unexpectedly turned up but ran off when he saw them. He was later arrested by police on a different matter and presented to Trading Standards for questioning.  

Webb is well known to Bromley Trading Standards who have previously prosecuted him for similar offences, the most recent in 2012 when he was jailed for 8 weeks and given a 2 year ASBO banning him from trading in the borough. In 2011 he was imprisoned for 8 weeks suspended for a year for charging vulnerable residents for bogus repairs.  

On sentencing the Judge said the offences “were serious and preying on elderly people rightly draws public disgust and outrage. The impact on the victim was substantial”.  

A victim impact statement was read out in court by the consumer who said: “I used to take people at their face value and trusted them in what they said. I am now less confident and don’t trust people. On the last day he was here he was aggressive, and looking back I think I was a bit afraid of him”.  

The Trading Standards Rapid Response Team can be contacted on 07903 852090.

If you are approached by cold callers do not engage with them. If you do then check with trading standards at the above number before letting them do any work or paying them any money. You can also contact Action Fraud at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or phone them on 0300 123 2040

If you have an elderly or vulnerable neighbour who may be being scammed you should report it as happened in this case.

RE-DEVELOPMENT OF 87-93 OAK TREE GARDENS

Links Estate Residents’ Association

For your urgent attention – before the New Year if you can

Dear Resident

RE-DEVELOPMENT OF 87-93 OAK TREE GARDENS – NEW PLANNING APPLICATION

You should be aware that following the refusal by the Planning Inspector of the planning application to re-develop the site occupied by Nos 87, 89, 91 and 93 Oak Tree Gardens, the developers have now submitted a new application to Bromley Council as follows:

REFERENCE NO: DC/15/05324/FULL1 Demolition of 89 and 91 Oak Tree Gardens and erection of 7 two storey four bedroom dwellings with accommodation in roof space on land to the rear comprising of 3 terraced dwellings and 2 pairs of semi-detached dwellings, single garage for No. 87, associated access, parking, landscaping, cycle and refuse.

You can view the planning application and related plans and documents on the Council’s website – www.bromley.gov.uk.  Click on the Planning Applications button and search on Oak Tree Gardens.  The application documents can be found by clicking on the 1st entry on the list.

If you wish to object to the planning application, you must do this by TUESDAY 5^th JANUARY 2016 if possible, or otherwise before TUESDAY 9^th FEBRUARY when the Council is expected to make a decision on the application. 

You may register your objection in the Comments section on the planning website – click on the 2^nd tab – or by writing to Planning Support Team, Town Planning, London Borough of Bromley, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH, quoting the reference number above and giving your name and address.

On behalf of its members, LERA will be opposing the application on grounds that take account of the reasons for the refusal of the previous application.

Further information will be posted on LERA’s website – http://leralink.blogspot.com – and on our Facebook page – search on Links Estate Residents Association Community Group.

If you would like to discuss this with a LERA representative, please contact:

Stephen Hodges Tel: 020 8851 5950 or Michelle Pike – Tel: 020 8857 0067

Burnt Ash Library Christmas Opening times

Will the library still be there for Christmas 2016? Why not visit and borrow a few books to encourage the Council to keep it open.

Parking arrangements for Christmas and New Year

If you are looking for a place to park over the festive period, please be aware that normal restrictions apply on all dates except 25 December, 28 December and 1 January. The parking arrangements for these dates are as below.

Parking information for Christmas and New Year 2015/16 

Date	Parking restrictions	On street paid for parking bays	All council operated car parks
Christmas DayFriday 25 December 2015	Please park considerately	Free	Free
Bank Holiday (substitute day for Boxing Day)Monday 28 December 2015	Normal restrictions apply	Free	Charges apply
New Year's Day1 January 2016	Normal restrictions apply	Free	Charges apply

Council-operated car parks will be open throughout Christmas and the New Year as normal.  Parking will be free in all council operated car parks on Christmas Day. 

Please remember: Even on Bank Holidays, residential permit bays are designated only for the use of permit or visitors' voucher holders during the times indicated by the signs.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas and New Year waste and recycling collections

Here are your waste and recycling collection arrangements for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

My usual collection day	My holiday collection day
Thursday 24 December 2015	Collection day as normal
Friday 25 December 2015	Monday 28 December 2015
Monday 28 December 2015	Tuesday 29 December 2015
Tuesday 29 December 2015	Wednesday 30 December 2015
Wednesday 30 December 2015	Thursday 31 December 2015
Thursday 31 December 2015	Saturday 2 January 2016
Friday 1 January 2016	Monday 4 January 2016
Monday 4 January 2016	Tuesday 5 January 2016
Tuesday 5 January 2016	Wednesday 6 January 2016
Wednesday 6 January 2016	Thursday 7 January 2016
Thursday 7 January 2016	Friday 8 January 2016
Friday 8 January 2016	Saturday 9 January 2016