LERA NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2015

The Annual General Meeting of the Links Estate Residents Association will be held on Tuesday 19th May starting at 7.30 pm.

This time we will be holding it in (what will be) the newly completed St Andrew’s Church Community Hall. The building work on the new Hall is well on the way to completion and it is expected to be used as a polling station on 7th May.

You are very welcome to attend even if you are not currently a member of LERA.  Our AGM provides a good opportunity to talk about local issues, so come along and tell us what you like about living on the Links Estate and what you think could be done to make things better.

Consultation about Biggin Hill Airport operating hours

All homes in the Links Estate should have received a hand-delivered letter from the leader of Bromley council encouraging residents to respond to the consultation. A freepost form was included. If you feel strongly about the changes you will need to return the form before 23rd March.

The proposed changes were printed in the letter and are are shown below:-

An extended consultation period has commenced about the extension of operating hours at Biggin Hill airport.

The 8 week consultation follows the submission of a proposal by Biggin Hill Airport Limited (BHAL) to extend operating hours at the airport, which also includes an increase in current operating hours, a commitment to reduce noise, a plan to increase jobs and a willingness to cap overall flight movements. The council’s consultation follows a pre-proposal consultation by BHAL which saw 15,000 local people respond, with 79% of responses in overall support of the proposals. Interested residents are invited to complete the online survey by no later than Friday 13 March when the consultation period closes. 

Councillor Stephen Carr, Leader of Bromley Council said, “The council has owned the freehold of the airport for many years, generating a rental income for council taxpayers. The primary reason it was purchased was to ensure its long term success, whilst at the same time protecting residents’ interests from across the borough and those living under the flightpath.”

Councillor Carr added, “The airport’s willingness to consult local people about their plans is welcome. The council is conducting its own consultation which is in line with previous commitments as this is an important issue which affects all residents. We will look at this proposal very carefully in due course and I would strongly encourage all residents to make their views known to us.” 

Residents and other interested parties can respond to the consultation by completing the short survey online at www.bromley.gov.uk/BigginHillairport. Detailed information about the proposals, including the noise action plan proposal and the outcome of the BHAL consultation is also available on the council’s website. The consultation period closes on Friday 13 March 2015.

The airport is currently open from 06.30 to 22.00 hours, Monday to Friday and 09.00 to 20.00 on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. The current operating hours prohibit landings before 07.30 hours and departures after 21.00 hours Monday to Friday except for aircraft based at the airport which can depart between 06.30 and 07.30 and land between 21.00 and 22.00 which is sometimes referred to as the ‘shoulder’ period.  

The new operating hours proposed by BHAL are 06.30 to 23.00 hours, Monday to Saturday and 08.00 to 23.00 hours on Sundays and public holidays. The proposal also restricts movements (flights in or out) in the first half hour of the day, Monday to Saturday, to 8 movements. Movements are also restricted to 8 in the last hour of the day Monday to Sunday.

• The original consultation, including all the proposals and results can be found at BHAL’s website: www.bigginhillfuture.co.uk

Gutter cleaning scam warning

Bromley Trading Standards are warning residents to be alert to a rogue trader following an attempt to trick an 80-year-old resident into parting with £600.

The Orpington resident returned home early one evening in the first week of January to find a man on his property who said he was cleaning gutters in the area and could do his for £10. The resident agreed and the man said he would do the work the following day.

The next day the resident  was out and received a call mid-morning from the trader to say he had removed the guttering and fascia from the property because it was rotten and it would cost £1,500 to replace. The consumer refused and the price was reduced to £600. The victim reluctantly agreed as he thought the guttering would need to be put back up. He was told the work would be completed immediately and a courier would collect the cash later that evening.

However, when he returned home an hour later he found there had been no evidence of the guttering having been removed at all. Later that evening he did get a call at the door but on the advice of his family this was ignored.

The trader used the name ABD Contractors, based in Station Road, Orpington.

Cllr Tim Stevens, Executive Member for Public Protection and Safety said: “This was an outright attempt to trick someone into paying for work which was neither needed or indeed carried out at all. We suspect the rogue was expecting the householder  to return home after dark and therefore not have an opportunity to check the work had been carried out. The resident did the right thing by refusing to answer the door. 

If you or anyone you know is approached by ABD Contractors from Orpington please call Bromley Trading Standards’ rapid response number straight away on 07903 852 090.

A very Merry Christmas to all our members

The Great British Library Betrayal

The great British library betrayal: Closures have brought national network to brink of ‘absolute disaster’, reveals official inquiry

Library services are on the brink of disaster and can only be saved if they become more like coffee shops with wi-fi, sofas and hot drinks, a report will recommend on Thursday.

A combination of funding cuts and declining attendance threatens the viability of the library network unless urgent action is taken, according to the Independent Library Report for England, which was commissioned by the Government.

“We’re at a critical moment for the libraries and if we’re not careful we could lose so many,” William Sieghart, who wrote the report, told The Independent. “I and a lot of people think it would be an absolute disaster.”


His report – which has been hailed as the last chance to halt a decline in which 324 libraries have closed since 2011 – recommends a complete “reinvigoration of the library network” for the 21st century, with every library in the country fitted with wi-fi to attract people who would otherwise spend time in cafés. A drive to make libraries truly digital could also lead to the creation of single national library card and catalogue, allowing readers to withdraw books across the country.

The complete article on the report can be viewed on the Independent website at:-
http://www.independent.co.uk/the-great-british-library-betrayal

Bromley  Council are consulting about options for the future of the Bromley Library Service which includes:

the development of community managed libraries
market testing the core library service
improving current library buildings

Surveys can be completed online or in your local library.

William Sieghart (born 1960) is a British philanthropist, entrepreneur, publisher and the founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry. To find out more about him on Wikipedia click on :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sieghart

You could become a Dementia Friend

Over 4000 people in Bromley live with dementia and improving the care and experience of those with the condition is a key priority for our Council.

We are supporting a national campaign running from 1- 21 December by the Alzheimer’s Society and Public Health England to encourage people to become Dementia Friends and find out how it affects people and the little things we can all do to help those living with the disease.  

Said Bromley Councillor Fortune, Chairman of the Health and Well-being Board:

“We are delighted to support this national campaign. As a Council we fund and work closely with those in the field and improving the care and experience of those living with dementia is a key priority. Dementia Friends is about learning a little bit more about the condition and turning that understanding  into action.”

If you are interested in becoming a Dementia Friend go to the Dementia Friends website, www.dementiafriends.org.uk.  You can watch a short video and register for a free pack of information.

PROPOSED RE-DEVELOPMENT OF 87-91 OAK TREE GARDENS

The following planning application has been made to Bromley Council to re-develop the site occupied by Nos 87, 89, 91 and 93 Oak Tree Gardens at the corner with Portland Road:

Redevelopment of land at rear of Nos. 87-93 Oak Tree Gardens to include demolition of No. 91 and retention of No. 89 with minor alterations to roof and Erection of eight 2 1/2 storey, 4 bedroom houses comprising of two terraces of 3 houses, one pair of semi-detached houses and one detached single garage; associated access, parking, landscaping, cycle storage, refuse and recycling provision.

LERA is opposing the application on the following grounds:

·       The additional pressures on the drainage and sewerage systems which are already struggling to cope with the existing houses on the Estate, and the increased risks of flooding; and

·       The increased traffic movements on an already busy and potentially dangerous corner.

You can view the planning application documents on the Council’s website – www.bromley.gov.uk. 

If you wish to object to the planning application, you must do this by TUESDAY 30 DECEMBER 2014.  You may register your objection in the Comments section on the website or by writing to Alison Prentice, Planning Department, London Borough of Bromley Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH.  The planning application reference is: 14/04443/FULL1.

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

Margaret Hearn  or Michelle Pike. Contact numbers are in the LERA Christmas Newsletter.