Help change crime and anti-social behaviour in Mile End

Help change crime and anti-social behaviour in Mile End

Safer Neighbourhood Public Meeting

Thursday 7th June 2012 at 7:00 pm

Bow Road Methodist Church, 1 Merchant Street, Bow, E3 4LY

On Monday night there was a violent incident in Eric Street with two rival gangs fighting on the street. The gangs were armed with knives, machetes and a pick axe. Police were called to break up the fighting and rid the area of those intent on violence.

The scene in Eric Street on Monday night

The following is from the MERA website where we posted the first report of this incident Violence erupts on Eric Street

The incident started when a group of young men arrived on the estate in a dark car and chased some local men off Eric Street, cornering them by the entrance to Windermere House. They were attacked with knives but managed to to make their get away. Blood was found in the area but the extent of their injuries is unknown. The assailants returned to their car and sped off.

A further attack was witnessed near the grass area on Eric Street. The weapon used was said to have been a pick axe. At least one person was seen with blood coming from what appeared to be a head injury.

Shocked residents looked on as police arrived in force at around 10.00pm to separate the two groups. The young men involved quickly discarded weapons in gardens and open spaces which were then sealed off by police.

What you should do if you see violence in the Mile End Area

• Phone 101 immediately and report the incident to the Police.  Don't rely on other people. The more reports the Police receive the more they will take notice of an incident.
• In an EMERGENCY call 999
• Do NOT get involved
• If you want observe what's happening make sure you only do so from a safe place
• Keep children indoors and away from the violence
• Speak to the Mile End East Neighbourhood Policing Team if you have concerns about incidents in your area
• Email:MileEndEast.snt@met.police.uk
• Telephone:  020 8721 2848
• Come to Safer Neighbourhood Meetings and tell the Police of your concerns.

Next week there is a Safer Neighbourhood Public Meeting 

at the Bow Road Methodist Church 

on Thursday 7th June starting at 7:00pm

For your information this is the Metropolitan Police Crime Map for Mile End

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Why fly tipping on Eric & Treby is unhealthy and hazardous

MERA is very hot on reporting fly tipping in the Mile End area and in particular on the Eric and Treby Estate (which includes Bow Trinity) where it gets very bad at times.  

We report dumped rubbish by using the website FixMyStreet.  We've found that this tends to produce the fastest and most effective response by the waste collection contractors employed by Tower Hamlets Council.  That could be because the response is monitored on a website which is accessible to all and where the complaint gets updated as to whether or not it's been fixed - for all to see!

Primary problems relating to fly tipping on or near the Eric and Treby Estate are:

• FIRE - dumped and flammable rubbish becomes a magnet for those "little boys" who like to play with matches.  It can potentially cause a very real hazard to people's homes
• RATS - rats and other animals congregate around rubbish which includes dumped food left out in bags

Yesterday we had an example outside Windermere House of why fly tipping is so dangerous if not reported and addressed very promptly.

Large amount of rubbish dumped at the entrance of Windermere House on an EastendHomes Estate in E3.
Yesterday evening Friday) firemen were called to extinguish fire here.

FixMyStreet - Reported in the Refuse collection category by Mile End Residents at 12:07, Saturday 8 October 2011

Prior to this last week we saw some very poor practice in relation to commercial premises at the top end of Eric Street which had every prospect of attracting rats to an area which is adjacent to residential properties and an old people's residential care home.

Pile of dumped rubbish rotting in the sun at 568a Eric Street - between the BT exchange and the betting shop.

Fix My Street - Reported in the Dumped rubbish category by Mile End Residents at 16:58, Monday 3 October 2011

This was fixed by Tuesday morning.

More reports about dumped rubbish and overflowing bins

Other reports on Fix My Street relating to rubbish and reported by MERA include the following.  Note that they have all been fixed!

• Fly tipping Eric Street - Mile End 12:07, 8 Oct 2011
• Refuse at Burdett Rd/Hamlets Way 10:01, 3 Oct 2011
• Yet more rubbish problems in E3 21:55, 29 Aug 2011
• Rubbish problem Treby/Eric Street E3 21:52, 29 Aug 2011
• Moer overflowing bins on Eric & Treby E3 21:48, 29 Aug 2011
• Rubbish Ennerdale House E3 15:48, 29 Aug 2011

If you'd like to try using FixMyStreet for yourself and would like some guidance get in touch with mERA (see side panel) and we'll show you how you can report dumped rubbish on the street online.  You need your own access to the Internet to do this.

It's a Bow Trinity problem too!

We invite Telford Homes and those trying to sell the new private accommodation in Bow Trinity to also help local residents address this problem - because otherwise Bow Trinity will become associated with rampant waste management problems in the area!  It all looks a bit different to their website!

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Return of dangerous vehicle manoeuvres by Telford Homes

Today we will be writing, yet again, to the Enforcement section of Tower Hamlets Planning Department - because, yet again, we are seeing very poor driving behaviour by the drivers of construction vehicles on the roads of the Eric & Treby Estate.

In the past we have had cause to highlight numerous offences by the drivers employed by the Telford Homes contractors.  There is a Traffic Access Plan and a Construction Management Plan which govern what should happen on in terms of how vehicles move around the Estate.  When this is ignored by drivers we will report offences.

U turn by a yellow construction vehicle in Hamlets Way

A member of our residents association yesterday rang us to report having seen a very large and very yellow construction vehicle (which has been working on the various constructions sites) doing a speedy U turn at the junction of Hamlets Way and Eric Street just before 4pm when the children are coming home from school.  There was no banksman in sight.

This is NOT permitted as part of the Traffic Access Plan.  It's a risky manoeuvre for an ordinary car at that time of day never mind a vehicle which is three times the size of a car.

It's time to get the cameras out again.  Next time we will be reporting the vehicle and its registration plate to the Police for dangerous driving.

If you see a construction vehicle doing something dangerous, get the registration plate details, take a photo and telephone us on 07932 626340 with details of what you saw.  We will then report it to the Planning Department, the Police and the Considerate Contractor Scheme as appropriate

Let's keep the roads safe for the children

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Eric Street Residents host Royal Wedding Party

Tania and the ladies from Eric Street are hosting a "Bring and Share" food party to celebrate the Royal Wedding on Friday 29th April.

All neighbours living on the Eric & Treby Estate are welcome to attend.

The party starts at 1.00pm and will continue until 6.00pm.  The venue is the Recipe Tree Garden in Eric Street.

The residents of Eric Street have been holding street parties for local residents in Eric Street for many years.

There are flyers around the Estate with details of the event and Tania's phone number if you need more details.  Basically the idea behind a "bring and share" party is that people attending the party need to bring some food to share with other party goers.

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Access to Eric Street flats improves but NOT resolved

Telford Homes have tried to "resolve" the problems with emergency access which MERA identified in relation to access to the flats on Eric Street whose front doors are at the rear.

 See Telford Homes ignore Emergency Access requirements.

They removed part of the railings!

BEFORE the limited access prevents the use of an ambulance trolley
It also creates a pinch point for residents trying to exit quickly in the event of an emergency

AFTER the railing has been removed.

However The access on the left is still less than the width of one paving slab

The width of the access to the flat is still less than the width of a paving slab.  
So what was the problem with moving the hoarding to the left?

Now - for some more questions:

• If there's a fire and the flammable painted hoarding catches fire - how does that work in terms of the health and safety of the residents trying to leave their flats for their own safekeeping?
• Does the width left for access comply with the amount of space required to facilitate disabled access for residents and their friends and family - or is Telford Homes ignoring disabled people?

Residents can be assured that they at least have access to a verifiable public record of the extent to which Telford Homes have demonstrated the level of their concern about protecting residents' health and safety and the access of disabled people.

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Telford Homes ignore Emergency Access requirements

We inspected progress being made in constructing hoarding around Open Space 5 (behind Eric Street) last Saturday.  Below you can see the view of the hoarding being erected beyond the tunnel.

Does anybody managing this project actually understand that:

• all exits and entrances from buildings MUST meet requirements for emergency exits in the event of fire or other emergency
• residents need to be able to get out quickly in the event of a fire - and their exit should surely not involve inflammable or combustible material - like wood hoardings!
• an ambulance needs to be able to get a trolley for somebody in need of an ambulance around this corner.........

Saturday 20th November 2011:  Stakes indicate where hoarding is going to go

The hoarding has now been erected - see below.  

Monday 22nd November 20100: this is supposed to qualify as an emergency exit?

On the right you can see how much room is allowed for an ambulance trolley or residents exiting from a fire.

Interestingly the hoarding for Open Space 5 cannot be found anywhere on the Hoardings Plans.

MERA will now be reporting this hoarding to:

• the Health and Safety Executive (construction sites)
• Tower Hamlets Planning (Development Control and the Enforcement Team)
• Tower Hamlets Environmental Health 
• The Emergency Services

In the meantime we shall be asking (1) our local Councillors who are Board Members of EastendHomes and (2) Telford Homes about the health and safety qualifications of their respective project managers.

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Site 14: Site contamination and remediation - our comments

The process for investigating the extent of site contamination on the Eric & Treby Estate and making proposals for how it should be dealt with continues.

Tower Hamlets Planning have recently agreed that:

• (Stage 1 Desk Research) the report commissioned by Telford Homes from Herts and Essex Site Investigations has satisfied the Stage 1 requirements of Planning Condition 3 relating to the investigation of site contamination on the land included in proposals for the Eric & Treby development
• Stages 2 (Site Investigation) and Stage 3 (Site Remediation):  Approval is now required for all proposals for site investigation; the results of investigation must be produced and the plan of remediation approved IN ADVANCE OF DEVELOPMENT on:
• EACH individual numbered area of site development and
• EACH numbered area of landscaping strategy

It's important to note that NO CONSTRUCTION WORK CAN COMMENCE ON SITE UNTIL PROPOSALS RELATING TO THIS PLANNING CONDITION FOR THAT SITE HAVE BEEN APPROVED

To date Telford Homes have submitted an application for approval of details to satisfy Planning Condition 3 for ONE site only.

The site in question is Site 14 on the corner of Eric Street and Ropery Street.

This is the site which was closed down after the investigation by Planning Enforcement found that Telford Homes had proceeded to commence construction and thus had breached both the planning permission and the terms of the Planning Condition 3 relating to site remediation works

On Friday MERA submitted its comments on PA/10/01560 - Application for Approval of Details re Site 14 ONLY.

Here's a summary of the points made:

Overview
We remain very seriously concerned about Telford Homes' approach and attitude to health and safety regulations and requirements and general duty of care owed to others - which have been repeatedly disregarded to date. 

Site Investigation:

BREACH OF PLANNING PERMISSION AND PLANNING CONDITION 3

• We noted that the site was only properly investigated AFTER the foundations had been dug and pipes laidie in breach of planning permission / planning condition 3

SITE CONTAMINATION

• We are pleased to see that it is now being fully recognised that the identified contaminants are prevalent across the site including those sites not properly tested previously - such as Site 14.

Site Remediation

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

• We have not seen any evidence that workmen were using appropriate protective clothing in relation to the contamination while working on Site 14  (as opposed to general protective clothing used on all construction sites)

Site 14: No protective clothing re soil contamination

REMOVAL OF SOIL / SOIL CERTIFICATION

• We don't understand why we are now seeing different depths proposed for the removal of soil compared to the original report from the same firm. We expect to see 0.5 metre of soil removed from ALL communal landscaped areas - as per the original report on this topic and 0.9 metres of soil in areas of private gardens
• We suspect the developer is in some difficulty in connection with certifying the soils which have already been removed from the site and we doubt very much whether these can now be identified.  We suspect they have already been mixed with other soils or already removed from the site altogether - as has happened with soil removed from Open Space 2.

Site 14 - Where's all the soil gone?
Was it certified before it left the site?
What do you think?

WASHING/CLEANING PRIOR TO LEAVING SITE: 

• The Decontamination proposals relating to Site 14 are completely inadequate.  The workforce need to be decontaminated BEFORE they leave site 14 NOT before they leave the Eric & Treby Estate.

Do we have to make the point yet again that this is a residential estate with a high proportion of families with small children - many of whom play on the streets?  


It is ESSENTIAL that no contaminating material finds its way on to the streets or pavements. 

• How exactly do the workforce get from Site 14 to the washing and cleaning facilities at the site office?
• How exactly does Telford Home prevent contaminants from the site transferring via boots and clothing to the streets and pavements? 
• Are workers going to be taken back to the Site Office in a vehicle?  This needs to be made clear.

We expect the scheme to be compatible with the standards listed in INFO-PM2    Key Information Sources : Project Management – Health and Safety and Quality Management on page 188 of Model Procedures for the Management of Contaminated Land  

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND CONTROLS

• We visited the site on a number of occasions and there has been no evidence to date of damping down of dust generation caused by the excavation or regard for people living near the site.  

Eric & Treby - Site 14 (Eric Street):  the latest play structures
very large unattended vehicles for children to play on
plus contaminated soil which is not covered

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN

• A Traffic Management Plan exists for this site but is not included with this application.  As stated the traffic management plan is inadequate as it fails to be sufficiently specific as to streets and flows and specific places where lorries will be queued. 
• A key concern in relation to this site has been the construction vehicles parked unattended on the street where they are accessible to children - we have witnessed workmen on the site completely oblivious to anything happening to the vehicles in the street

If any resident has any concerns relating to the Site Investigation and/or proposals for Site Remediation please get in touch with MERA.  Details of how to contact us are included in the right hand column.

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The root problem remains

What's left of the big tree on Eric Street
(27th August 2010) 

This time we literally mean roots!

The tree in Eric Street which had grown far too big for its location has been removed - letting a lot more light into a lot of local residents' maisonettes.

However one of the major problems with this tree was its very extensive root system which has created an uneven surface to both the grass and lifted paving slabs along the path on the right of the photograph.  Local residents have highlighted to MERA that this isn't safe for people with limited mobility who need a flat surface to be able to access their homes easily.  They also pointed out that it's impossible to walk on the grass due to the root system.

We hope to see the stump grinder will be along soon and the excavations to remove all the roots will follow soon after so that this pathway can become safe and accessible for ALL local residents ASAP.

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Broke Club: New Licensing Laws and July Update

Two important events this week which both relate to the Broke Club at  562 Mile End Road, London E3 4PH

• MERA and representatives of people living north of Mile End Road (including the Quiet Night Group and Councillor Joshua Peck) attended a residents' review meeting with Benn Wilson, the Manager of the Broke Club, on Tuesday night following a weekend which generated significant concerns about its operation.
• On Wednesday, The Home Scretary announced the Government's proposals for major changes to the Licensing Laws to reduce the amount of anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol.

Below you can find an account of both.  First the good news.

[Note:  This post has been updated since first published to include a detailed report from a resident of Clinto Road, London E3]

A new crackdown on licensed premises causing problems to local communities

The Government announced on Wednesday that it intends to overhaul the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to REMOVE licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems

Read the consultation paper (click this link): Rebalancing the Licensing Act – a consultation on empowering individuals, families and local communities to shape and determine local licensing.

The consultation asks for your views on a range of options, including:

• allowing local authorities to consider the opinions of the wider community, not just those living close to premises
• doubling the fine (to £20,000) for those found persistently selling alcohol to children
• charging a fee for late-night licences to pay for the cost of extra policing
• fully considering police and health concerns in assessing licence applications
• increasing licence fees so that local councils can cover costs linked to enforcement
• introducing a ban the sale of below cost alcohol and consulting on how this can be achieved

Two of the measures proposed - both of which are relevant to the Broke Club - are:

Increase the opportunities for local residents or their representative groups to be involved in licensing decisions, without regard to their immediate proximity to premises.

and 

Substantial overhaul of the system of Temporary Event Notices to give the police more time to object, enable all responsible authorities to object, increase the notification period and reduce the number that can be applied for by personal licence holders.

You can have your say about the new proposals online. Click this link and You can contribute online to the alcohol licensing consultation.

Residents Review Meeting with Benn Wilson, Broke Club

10 local residents from both sides of Mile End Road, Cllr Joshua Peck and the Acting Principal Licensing Officer for Tower Hamlets Council attended the meeting with Benn Wilson on Tuesday 27th July.

At the June meeting the view was positive about the attention being given to addressing problems.  However the situation and residents' views have now changed and a number of issues were discussed at the meeting.

Concerns about parking:  It was noted that very few cars are using the valet parking facility (only six cars of which 3 were valet parked).  However, local residents have observed cars being parked in Aberavon Road, Eric Street and Hamlets Way which are very clearly associated with the people visiting the Broke Club.  Since the meeting, the QuietNight people have heard about very significant disturbances in Clinton Road - see below

I live on Clinton Road and every Saturday night we have disturbances from people that leave the club and then congregate in the park which surrounds our street. Women screaming, swearing and arguing as they're so drunk, men running up and down the street racing each other. The peeople living on our street are very patient and hardly ever complain but the noise is a nuisance, especially I have a (young child) and he wakes up scared because he can hear a lot of screaming.

We lived in peace and and quiteness for a a few years, up until the club had started again. As a working person and a mother, I just want to be able to sleep peacfully at night and not hear noise, fighting and breaking of glass. If you take a walk down Clinton Road, you will see alot of broken glass on the road near the park and this is not safe for young children to play around.

Residents have followed people from parking their cars to the club.  They were not stopped by any marshall.  They were not stopped from entering the club.

It's clear that the door marshalls are not asking the right questions in the right order to determine whether or not people have parked their cars in local streets and to deter them from doing so.

Licensing Condition 28. If tickets are sold prior to an event at the premises, the ticket will be clearly marked that if the guest is travelling by car, the guest will need to produce both their ticket and valet parking tag in order to gain entry to the premises.

There are additional concerns about illegally parked cars - which may or may not be associated with the club - that blocked the access of emergency vehicles to Wentworth Mews.  In the past a person died in a fire in the block of flats in Wentworth Mews because a fire engine was unable to gain access due to illegally parked cars.  MERA will be contacting Highways to indicate that there needs to be much improved observation of parking infringements  around Wentworth Mews and Eric Street.

Website:  The website advertises the valet parking but FAILS to provide a clear message that parking in residential streets near the Club MUST be avoided.  Third party advertising also completely FAILS to make any reference to respecting the residential nature of the neighbourhood and the location of free parking.  

(Note: MERA made screen dump records of all websites advertising the event on Saturday - including the version translated from Lithuanian.

This exercise will be repeated for all internet adverts for events at the Broke Club.  Note the above Broken Disco advert for the event on Friday 30th July makes absolutely NO REFERENCE TO PARKING!)

Signage:  Mr Wilson also needs to give more attention to the location and wording of the temporary parking signs.  The signs need to be a lot clearer about which streets Broke Clients must NOT park in.  (Why would people use the valet parking if they can spot a slot in a nearby street?)

Whether or not there is a disturbance, the very clear message Mr Wilson got from residents' representatives was that  

• The expectation given by his presentation on valet parking was that there would be no cars parked in local residents streets at all - and this is very clearly not happening. 
• Management of parking in local streets need to be significantly improved.

Residents experiencing disturbances in Streets at unsocial hours.    Residents from both sides of the Mile End Road have been experiencing disturbances.  One example was quoted in detail.  Residents of Aberavon Road observed a loud argument after 3am on Sunday 25th July between a group of men and women next to a car parked in the road.  This involved shouting and swearing in an Eastern European lanaguage  which lasted for 9 minutes.  The event at the Club on the night of 24/25th July was for a Lithuanian club. The incident was reported by the Quiet Life Group organiser at 3.27pm.  There were also disturbances on the Friday night.

Disturbances due to loud music:  The noise levels for residents in Wentworth Mews directly behind the club have been both intrusive and sufficient to disturb sleep.  It's now clear that initial noise assessments were done during months when everybody had their windows closed.

Mr Wilson explained that:

• he patrols around the club every 20 minutes and if he can hear music outside he instructs DJs to turn the music down. 
• the sound system is too powerful for the size of the club.  It is being replaced this week by one which is not so powerful.

However, My Wilson advised that some DJs turn the music back up after being told to turn it down. 

Much better  control of DJs needs to be exercised by management. Residents were of the view that there has been inadequate management of the DJs whose behaviour determines whether some residents can sleep.   Residents suggested one option might be to make their fee "performance related" to their ability to observe the rules.

Involvement of third parties:  It's very clear that a number of mistakes were made about the Private Event for the Lithuanian Club on the Saturday night.

• Two third party organisations had a much bigger influence on the marketing than should have been allowed by the Licensee
• Third party facebook adverts for the event did not get the information across about free valet parking and the need at all times to respect the residential nature of the location.
• Due to the involvement of third parties, the event on the Saturday night appeared to have generated some inter-club rivalry and behaviour of the sort which simply put is totally out of place in a residential area which is not in Soho. 
• The nature of the activities "suggested" by the Flyers and websites associated with the event last Saturday appeared to be inconsistent with the licensed activities (ie nudity and semi-nudity not allowed).

The key question for both the residents and the licensing authorities is whether or not the licensee is demonstrating adequate management and control of the club.

Flyposting:  Problems associated with the previous licensee were seen to be associated with flyposting with the aim of attracting as many people as possible to the club.

Posters advertising Broke Club were clearly seen in various places between the Club and Victoria Park in connection with the extended licence for the Lovebox weekend. Clearly these are not targeted at the type of customer for the club described by Mr Wilson when applying for his licence.

Broke Club and Broken Disco Flyers 
found in Gunmakers Lane on 28.7.10.

demonstrating the Council's new tactic of 

using a cancelled sticker on all illegal flyposting

Calendar of Events: It was noted that the Private Event on Saturday had not been noted on the Calendar of Events.  Residents expect to know when events are happening even if the details are not advertised on the website.  Residents asked that the calendar be updated to include a "Private Event" notice.

Previous Licensee: The previous licensee has been observed entering the club which gave residents cause for concern.

CONCLUSION:  One resident neatly summed up the overall view.

In the space of eight weeks, the Club is already generating the type of incidents (noise disturbances from music which is too loud and people parking in wrong place and being rowdy during unsocial hours before driving away) which caused far too much grief for far too many residents for far too long under previous licensees.  This needs to stop.

Residents made it very clear that they expect to see a significant improvement in business practices and a major reduction in the negative impact of the Club on neighbouring streets in the next month.

Another meeting will be held at the end of August.

What to do if there is a disturbance

For Information:  These are the Broke Club - Terms of the Licence.  Below is advice on what to do if you experience a disturbance to your quiet enjoyment of the amenity of this residential area.

1. Call the Council's Out of Hours Hotline for Noise Nuisance during unsocial hours 0207 364 7070.  This operates until 4am.  State where you live, where the noise is coming from and the nature of the noise which is causing a disturbance.  
2. Call the Council's Anti-social Behaviour Hotline: 0800 917 5918 - This is a 24 hour freephone number. To report any kind of anti-social behaviour anonymously; including verbal and physical abuse and threats, harassment, criminal activity, vandalism, graffiti and damage to property, noise nuisance or continuous environmental health issues. Your information will be passed on to the appropriate council team to report and action if necessary
3. Call the Police non emergency hotline 0300 123 1212 if people are being rowdy or displaying anti-social behaviour during unsocial hours
   
4. Call the Police on 999 if violence or intimidation has taken place as a resut of people going to or coming from club
5. Make a complaint in writing to Kathy Driver, Acting Principal Licensing Officer for Tower Hamlets Council.  The number of complaints received are influential in determining licensing of premises so it's important people write.  This can be via email to licensing@towerhamlets.gov.uk 
6. Benn Wilson is on call to deal with any queries arising from a disturbance associated with the club. Should you be affected by one and need his mobile number please email us at info@mile-end-residents.co.uk.  Please note we do not operate 24 hours so if you have experienced disturbance and want the number please call NOW! 

Anti-social and rowdy behaviour

which wakes local residents will NOT be tolerated in Mile End

Click the link here to send any information and comments info@mile-end-residents.co.uk

You might also like to read:

• Broke Club: Noise and more noise on opening weekend
• Anti-social behaviour: Two important meetings next week
• Broke Club - Terms of the Licence
• How to report anti-social behaviour
• Broke London Club - June Update 
• How to report anti-social behaviour

If you want to be kept updated why not subscribe to this blog.    
You can do this by clicking the link below  
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Anti-social behaviour: Two important meetings next week

There are two important meetings this next week - both of which relate to anti-social behaviour in Mile End.

Broke Club - 27th July 2010

The meeting for local residents is on Tuesday 27th July at 7.30pm at the Broke Club, 562 Mile End Road E3 4PH

MERA representatives, the Quietnight Group and individuals from surrounding streets will be meeting the licence holder, Benn Wilson and a representative from the Tower Hamlets Licensing Department.

The purpose of the meeting is to monitor how matters are progressing in terms of the impact of the club's activities on local residents and compliance with the terms of the licence.

At the last meeting, issues on car parking and sound levels of the music were discussed but no major problems were brought up by any near-by residents.

However earlier this week we had reports from a large number of local residents that there is now regular parking of vehicles in Eric Street by people visiting Broke Club.  MERA representatives have now visited the area at night and seen this happening on a number of nights.  This includes cars parked in such a way around the Wentworth Mews area that they would have impeded the access of emergency vehicles in the event of a fire.

We understand that the same thing is happening in Aberavon Road.  Both these streets were the ones which suffered from a great deal of disturbance with the previous club and the type of clientele it attracted.

Broke Club are supposed to be monitoring the area surrounding the club but have either not picked up on the parking problem or have failed to address it effectively to date.

This weekend, there has also been an event which has caused some concern and disturbance.

All residents are welcome to attend the meeting.

Contact MERA if you need the hotline number to to report problems to the owner of the club and/or we can report problems on your behalf. See column on right for our contact details

Previous MERA Blog posts:

• Broke Club: Noise and more noise on opening weekend 02 June 2010
• Broke Club - Terms of the Licence 05 June 2010
• Planning permission for parking 100 cars? 15 June 2010
• Broke London Club - June Update 02 July 2010

Mile End East Safe Neighbourhood Team - 29th July 2010

The Mile End East Safe Neighbourhood Team are holding a Public Meeting on Thursday 29th July at the Community Centre in Merchant Street on the British Street Estate.  The meeting starts at 7pm.

At their public meetings the SNT ask you to tell them about the issues of crime and anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood that matter to you.  Find out more on the Mile End East SNT website

They will tell you what they are doing to make your neighbourhood safer and how you can help to decide our local priorities.

Currently the Locally Agreed Priorities are as follows

• Anti Social Behaviour - Drugs
• Anti Social Behaviour by groups of youths
• Anti Social Behaviour by youths causing noise and nuisance

This is the update on actions taken to date

We have established a Dispersal Zone in Eric Street. This has given Police the power to disperse groups of youths engaged in anti- social behaviour.

MERA encourages local residents to attend to voice their unhappiness with the lack of support and the situation which has developed in the Kerrygold Garden (ie lack of dispersal of groups engaged in anti-social behaviour - see Top 10 Problems with the Kerrygold Garden) and other matters causing concern.

Previous MERA Blog posts:

• Mile End Dispersal Zone aims to reduce anti-social behaviour 07 June 2010
• Bow Road: Police fail to protect local residents' safety at crime scene 25 June 2010
• Top 10 Problems with the Kerrygold Garden 22 July 2010
  
• How to report anti-social behaviour 23 July 2010

If you want to be kept updated why not subscribe to this blog.    
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Top 10 Problems with the Kerrygold Garden

Open Space 3, which contains the Kerrygold Garden, has a large number of problems which are summarised below.

MERA started out at the beginning of this week talking with local residents who were very annoyed that the garden had been "closed" making it necessary for them to move The Big Lunch from the Recipe Street Garden to the strip of grass at the edge of Eric Street (see The Big Sunday Lunch moved).  Towards the end of the week, we're now very clear that there are a significant number of problems with this development.

We've listed them below.

1. Unlawful Development:  Before any of the development can start, the architects and developers acting on behalf of EastendHomes have to satisfy the planners about a number of different planning conditions.  This development went ahead despite the fact that these conditions had not been satisfied.  The site has therefore been closed because of its unlawful development in advance of the provision of information which is required to satisfy all the pre-commencement planning conditions.  

Breach of Condition 11 (Landscaping Strategy and Management Plan)
A site visit revealed that Open Space 3 has been completed, including landscaping, prior to this condition being formally discharged.
Planning Enforcement Letter

2. Not developed according to permitted design - Somebody somewhere missed the point.  You don't go to the trouble of seeking planning permission and get designs approved so that you can then go and do the development according to a completely different design.  Permission is for the design specified in the drawing submitted with the planning application and that's all.  If you want to do something different you have to submit a revised design and get formal approval - which also requires formal consultation with local residents.
3. No formal consultation on the revised design - There's no problem about revising a design so long as you give ALL the relevant people the opportunity to comment on it.  Consultation is NOT the Project Manager asking a few people whether they agree the development should go ahead.  Formal consultation is done by the Council's Planning Department who have to ensure that everybody who needs to know has been informed. This did not happen.  Read the repurcussions in the next post.
4. MAJOR loss of amenity - due to excessive noise at night.  This week MERA has had to write to Planning to advise them about a major complaint by local residents.  The open space is now being used all night long by young men who are congregating there in groups and making a significant noise.  Residents are now finding it very difficult to sleep at night.  Residents are also very disappointed that the Safe Neighbourhood Team have done absolutely nothing to address this issue despite the fact that a Dispersal Zone is in place which includes this garden.  Recently residents chose to spend money allocated to the area for improvement - on removing the brick walls which the men used to sit on.  These were replaced with fences so the young men have moved to the tables and chairs in the garden.  The Crime Prevention Officer is very clear there should be nowhere for young men to sit.  Residents will be making representations on this issue to the Safe Neighbourhood Team at its meeting next week.  The point is the design should be designing out activities with a negative impact on local amenity rather than increasing problems for residents!!!
5. Significant loss of green open space - A very significant amount of green open space for the children to play on has been lost because the car parking area is now a lot bigger than the permitted area.  Yet again we appear to have developers who make it up as they go along. If you compare area of parking on the plan to the area of parking in reality, you'll see very quickly that the space allocated to parking has grown very significantly.  It should be about 25% of the site and instead it's more like 40% of the site

"I've yet to see a builder with a plan in his hand"
Chair of MERA

Council Approved Design for Open Space 3 - between Eric Street and Windermere House

6. Unlawful materials used.  When Councillors were approving this application, one of the points they made to residents was that they were NOT going to allow open space to be reduced unless very high quality landscaping was used on the remaining areas of open space.  They gave permission for high quality materials.  The developers have substituted with cheaper materials.  MERA has complained and EastendHomes have been told that the specified materials need to be used.  The tarmac should be removed before the development is completed and MUST be removed before all homes can be occupied (see Planning Condition 11 - Landscaping Strategy & Management Plan)

7. Site drainage has been affected - By substituting tarmac for the approved pavoirs, the ratio of permeable (water can go through) to impermeable (water sits on top) materials has been changed.  Increasing impermeable materials increases the puddles and the risk of flash floods during heavy rain.One of the reasons why there is now more flooding around the country is because more and more people have paved their gardens and the water has nowhere to go   Consequently the Council seeks the use of permeable materials whereever possible eg car parking areas and permeable materials were what it had approved.

Breach of Condition 3: Site Contamination
After conducting a site visit it is apparent that Open Space 3 has been completed and foundations have been laid at Site 14, prior to Condition 3 having been formally discharged.  I have advised the developers that Open Space 3 and site 14 must be closed

Planning Enforcement Letter

 Extract from 1895 OS Map showing Rope and Twinery Works on Open Space 3 and 4

8. Site Contamination:  We have identified from maps that the majority of Open Space 3 (and 4) used to be part of a Ropery and Twine Works. This part of the site includes all the locations where the arsenic, lead and nickel were found in the previous tests as well as the carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons which are found throughout the Eric & Treby Estate. The results of tests done by Herts & Essex Site Investigations (summarised on Appendix 1 Site Plans and Conceptual Model/Sheet 7 March 2010) very clearly indicate that Open Space 3 is the most contaminated part of the whole site.  In other words
• no amount of additional testing is going to eliminate the EXPERT tests already done in March which identified the presence of Arsenice produced the recommendation that 0.5 metres of soil needed to be removed
• None of these tests can be ignored when making an assessment about this site and reviewing the recommendations of the experts as set out in the report which has already been submitted to the Council in relation to the approval of details relating to site contamination/site remediation.  
9. Poor Garden Maintenance:  Residents have commented to MERA that the plants are not being watered properly during the hot weather.  Expert opinion suggests that some of the plants have "bolted" because of the lack of water.
10. EastendHomes doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to open space and places for children to play - (see British Street: Children must not play on this site!).  See above.

It's very depressing making lists like this - because this is the first part of the (unlawful) development and just look at how many things they've got wrong!

Hopefully by highlighting the issues we can get this changed as development proceeds on Eric & Treby.

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Who's looking after your children's safety?

EastendHomes say they are concerned about the safety and welfare of residents however their response to the lack of approved plans for managing the construction site is to make children responsible for their own safety!!!

In the first edition of Regeneration News it states:

Please help us by asking your children to avoid the sites and the vehicles

We have news for EastendHomes 

• Children are NOT responsible for their own safety.  That's because they are children!!!
• Parents also cannot help to train children to stay away from sites if they don't know which sites are active and which way the site construction traffic is moving WITHIN the estate.  

 Unattended construction vehicles left on the street and accessible to children......

....because the construction workers are looking the other way

The lack of communication about the site traffic has been absolutely appalling - especially since it has been behaving in a dangerous fashion and contravening the proposed access and exit route.

There are also no agreed plans for how site traffic moves in relation to each numbered site - meaning parents have no information to give to children beyond the adviseability of growing eyes in the back of their heads. 

Traffic Access Management Plans - for each individual numbered site - would enable parents to understand what's going on where they live.  However

• no plans exist in an approved form and 
• no plans have been communicated to every parent on the site.

Who are the people responsible for the safety of your children?

The organisations responsible for this site must provide adequate help to parents.  They also must not assume that ALL  children on the estate have responsible parents who exercise adequate control.  While many are fortunate, some are not.

The organisations who are actually responsible for the safety of people on streets and pavements are:

• the Council - hence why it requires Plans for how people are to be kept safe (see BREACH of Condition 5 Construction Management Plan).  This is the reason why we invited the Head of Planning and Development Control at the Council to give formal consideration to whether or not the site should be closed down until such time as a good quality Construction Management Plan was in place. 
• the Developers - who are required to produce the plans for the Council and comply with various health and safety regulations for construction sites.  They are liable for injuries caused to individuals as a result of their activities or omissions
• the Client (EastendHomes) - who are liable to the public for ensuring that their land is safe and all activities on their land are also safe.

If a child is injured or killed on the streets this summer, the parents of that child may well end up taking one or more of the above to court for damages.

negligence noun 1 being negligent. 2 lack of proper attention or care; carelessness; neglect. 3 law a breach of a legal duty of care for others.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c.

An organisation is NEGLIGENT when it fails to act appropriately 

and as required by law in the presence of a known RISK.

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BREACH of Condition 5 Construction Management Plan

Last week, Planning Enforcement stressed to Telford Homes plc the utmost importance of getting a Construction Management Plan approved for the development on the Eric & Treby Estate as soon as possible.

Planning also closed two of the sites because of unlawful development in advance of the satisfaction of the Council's pre-commencement planning conditions for the Estate redevelopment

The Big Sunday Lunch moved

On Sunday 18th July, the Big Lunch came to Eric Street.  This is a popular national event and the lunch in Eric Street was happening at the same time as many community lunches all over the UK.

[Note:  This post has been rewritten following advice and information from the ladies who organised the event.  The author apologises for having misunderstood how it was actually organised]  

The Big Lunch in Eric Street was organised by 20 ladies living in Eric Street and Windermere House.  The original plan was that it would held in the Recipe Street Garden (Redevelopment: Open Space 3).  However, the Eric/Windermere ladies were extremely disappointed to learn on Friday that the Lunch had to be moved.

Tower Hamlets Planning had decided that the Garden Site needed to be officially closed because the developers had contravened both planning permission and planning conditions when developing it. (We'll explain more in a future post).

A new venue was found on the grass strip on the west side of Eric Street.  However, this could not accommodate the bouncy castle which had been ordered and already paid for and this had to be turned away.  Failure on the part of the developer to comply with the rules for development means that the good ladies of Eric/Windermere are now significantly out of pocket.

On the plus side, the weather was excellent, the food on offer certainly looked amazing and tasted very good and adults and children all seemed to have a really great time. The activities for children were also very welcome and the balloons and bunting made the street look very festive.

Well done to the ladies of Eric Street and Windermere House for overcoming a major challenge and managing to deliver an absolutely fantastic community event!

The gazebos and tables were supplied and delivered by EastendHomes.  Local councillor. EastendHomes Board Member and Mayor,  Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman also put in a brief appearance.

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A condemned tree

The above photograph also identifies Tree T38.  This is a cherry tree which has been identified on the Tree Protection Plan for removal as part of the redevelopment.

While it can look very attractive in Spring, failure to maintain this particular tree means it has now overgrown its site.  The roots have grown to such an extent that it makes walking on the slab pavement very difficult and the tree in full leaf obscures light to the rooms in adjacent properties.

The Arboricultural Assessment Report (page ) states the following

This over mature tree is in decline with typical structural faults for its age
Arboricultural Impact Assessment: Fell to facilitate construction of underground refuse store.

Multiple Power Cuts in Mile End still unexplained

Buildings in and around the Eric and Treby Street Estate have been suffering a number of power cuts for the last four weeks. 

We think there have been four in total.  They've started since Telford Homes plc have been on site and plugging in to the Estate electricity supply - although this may be coincidental. The last one was on the night of 14th-15th July.

Thursday morning 8:30m

EDF Energy plc's big hole on the corner of Eric Street and Hamlets Way

Night of 14-15th July

This is the sequence of events for the latest power cut - as recorded by Mark Taylor, the Chair of MERA, and other residents on the 17th floor of  Ennerdale House.

Date	Time	What happened
14th July	22.00	Power out to all flats (on 17th floor):  No Lifts No Drinking Water Pump.  No phones where electricity required for operation. Emergency Lights on landing and stairs: lights dimmer than usual but OK.
	22.30	MERA Secretary reports to EDF Emergency Line EDF say they could see a fault on the system - probably a fuse in a sub station on Southern Grove. Engineers called but could not give ETA of power supply.
15th July	01.41	EDF log: Job was reclassified from "fuse" to "underground network fault".  Engineers attempted work around (?) at LB6 (Link Box 6)
	02.00ish	17th floor:  power came back on temporarily
	03.09	EDF log:  Engineer reports verbal abuse from member of the public while attempting to use "sniffer"
	04.31	EDF log:  Power returned
	05.30	Chair of MERA called EDF emergency line to find out reason for power cut.  They could not say but suggested he call back later.
	05.40	Chair of MERA called LBTH emergency service and reported lift serving odd floors still not working and lack of water to pump not working.  (The pump needs to be restarted after every power cut and any air block cleared before water pumps to top floors.) Told this would be fixed by midday (ie 14 HOURS AFTER WATER LOST).
	06.50	Water back on to top floors of Ennerdale House.
	08.30	3 EDF engineers on Hamlets Way probing the pavement with device and taking notes on clip board.  They said they were still investigating fault and may have to cut power again - but not to Ennerdale.
	09:00	Power to Ennerdale House went off again!

EastendHomes posted this letter (see below) to residents of Coniston House, Ennerdale House, Beckley House, Windermere House and Derwent House

However it needs to be noted that the fault also affected the private houses in Eric Street as well.

Two important points:

• EastendHomes and/or its agent LBTH Emergency Service are responsible for supplying drinking water to ALL HOMES which are without drinking water supplies as a result of the pump not working.  

Thames Water are obligated to arrange for an alternative supply, such as by water tanker or standpipe, they cannot put your supply back on within 6 hours of the interruption.  The same standard should apply to EastendHomes if a pump is not fixed and water supply restored to all tenants and leaseholders within 6 hours.

• Since the fault (and associated power cuts) has only started happening since Telford Homes has been on site, EDF Energy, EastendHomes and Telford Homes plc need to make sure - as a matter of priority - that the fault is not caused by anything that Telford Homes have done when digging holes and plugging into the network supply.

Tip:  Until such time as there is an adequate explanation of what the fault is and confidence that it has been fixed we suggest that you keep a stock of drinking water at home which is adequate for 6 hours - especially if the weather is hot and you have small children.