Kenilworth Avenue dustcart issues

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve issues with dustcarts being unable to access the tenfoot between Kenilworth Avenue and Fairfax Avenue owing to overhanging garden foliage.

For reasons of health and safety, members of staff unfortunately declared it impracticable to collect wheelie-bins from the tenfoot. As an interim measure, therefore, residents have been asked to take their bins out front pending steps being taken to require the trimming of the offending foliage and to offer assistance in this connection to those local residents who are too frail or elderly to undertake such tasks themselves. It should be stressed that this is purely an interim measure and that collection of wheelie-bins from the rear of properties will be resumed as soon as possible.

CCTV cameras on the way

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for CCTV cameras to protect the environs of Appleton Primary School in the event of further incursions by travellers.

As of this moment, the travellers have left East Hull and their whereabouts are not known. In the light of their misconduct last time, we have worked with the officers to ensure that CCTV cameras come as a coercive deterrent. Because the pathway to the footbridge cannot be blocked off as other sites nearby have been, or all residents will be inconvenienced, cameras should assist the Police in enforcing the law should the travellers come again. CCTV footage can be copied to DVD and has already been helpful when John had a hand in ordering the closure of disorderly pubs.

Bricknell Avenue electricity works

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working to minimise public disruption caused by the electricity maintenance works on Bricknell Avenue.

We understand local residents’ concerns in this concern and if the work has been causing damage or nuisance at this stage residents should call the principal contractors, Northern Powergrid, on 0800 781 8848 at any time, 24 hours a day.  Balfour Beatty may have been doing the work on their behalf but this is one time when we would advise calling Northern Powergrid are in overall charge of local electricity distribution circuits.    However, in the unlikely event that residents get the run-around from either Northern Powergrid or Balfour Beatty, we do stand ready to advise and if necessary assist with such matters. We have already been assisting local residents for some time with complaints about the state of the road and we will continue to do so.

Kelvin Hall school bus problems

John Fareham and John Abbott are working with local public transport providers to ensure local residents are not inconvenienced by buses arriving at, and departing from, Kelvin Hall School on contract services.

During our June mobile surgery we were contacted by local residents who were concerned by the speed of school buses leaving the premises at the end of the school day, especially when turning round near Tesco Express.  We therefore contacted the company concerned who have since got back to us to say that they have issued a staff notice to their drivers to ask them to be more considerate of local residents’ interests.  It goes without saying that we will of course pass on any further comments we receive from local residents in this connection.

Ancaster Avenue bin collection

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a possible alternative to Ancaster Avenue wheelie-bins being collected from the front is under consideration, with cost being the remaining issue.

After prolonged pressure on our part officers of the Council visited Ancaster Avenue and took a good look at the size of the tenfoot.  They concluded that it would be easy enough for residents to put their bins out as usual at the back and for the binmen to drag them to the end of the tenfoot where the dustcart would be waiting. Even from the mid-point of the tenfoot, this would mean pulling the bins for 50 yards at most. This is of course at present only a proposal but we think it is a better way round than front bin collection, and from what many local residents have told us, it may be a preferable option for them too.

Planning inspector visits YPI site

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Planning Inspectorate have visited the site of the proposed flats on the YPI car park.

It just so happened that we were in attendance there in connection with one of our pioneering and trailblazing mobile surgeries at the very same time the planning inspector was in attendance. We noted that the site was being assessed in terms of size and that, in accordance with the rules, representatives of both sides were in attendance. We of course were not allowed to go and bend the inspector’s ear – I’m on Planning Committee and John has been trained to stand in for me – but one thing that did very much concern us was that national rules mean no channel appeared to exist for local residents to say whether they felt this open space should be saved for all.  At all events, the officers tell us that the result of the appeal will be known in two to three weeks and when we know what it is, we will let you know what the Planning Inspectorate decided and on what grounds.

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Planning Inspectorate have visited the site of the proposed flats on the YPI car park.

It just so happened that we were in attendance there in connection with one of our pioneering and trailblazing mobile surgeries at the very same time the planning inspector was in attendance. We noted that the site was being assessed in terms of size and that, in accordance with the rules, representatives of both sides were in attendance. We of course were not allowed to go and bend the inspector’s ear – I’m on Planning Committee and John has been trained to stand in for me – but one thing that did very much concern us was that national rules mean no channel appeared to exist for local residents to say whether they felt this open space should be saved for all.  At all events, the officers tell us that the result of the appeal will be known in two to three weeks and when we know what it is, we will let you know what the Planning Inspectorate decided and on what grounds.

Commonwealth Homes grass cutting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings that the grassed area inside Commonwealth Homes will be trimmed.

During the course of one of our pioneering and trailblazing mobile surgeries we noticed that the grass on the other side of the road, in front of the Appleton Road flats, had been mown but that the grass inside Commonwealth Homes had been left for long enough for daisies and dandelions to begin to predominate.  We therefore both contacted the relevant officer of the Council who came out in short order and, having seen the obvious, undertook to find out why your grassed area had not been maintained to the same standard as the surrounding area and to devote resources to bringing it back up to the right standard.

Newland Park street sweeping

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working in close co-operation with the Newland Park Residents’ Association to secure improved sweeping and gutter cleaning in Newland Park.

We thank the Residents’ Association for their considerable support and influence to supplement our prolonged pressure for effective action in this connection. What has been agreed is that once a fortnight – usually, if at all possible, on the same day – the pavements will be swept and, in recognition of the large number of trees in the Park and the consequent heavy leaf fall, gutters will be cleared twice annually instead of once as is usual elsewhere. During our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile surgeries we have of course witnessed the problem at first hand as Newland Park is one of our regular stops. Both of us do of course stand ready to assist should there be any technical hitches with the new arrangement.

Rail bridge remodelling

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a decision record has been signed to award a contract for the work to remodel the bridge over the Hull to Scarborough rail line.

John Fareham says, “As we reported in CONTACT! 1384, a decision record was then in the pipeline to authorise this work.  A senior officer of the Council has now signed this, we have obtained a copy of the decision record, and this means that the contractors can go ahead and start work knowing that they will be paid, how much they will be paid and what for – the contract is for a total of just over £66,000 and will come from the money already allocated for the rebuilding of Kelvin Hall School. We understand that the work began on Monday June 24th and is expected to take about eight weeks.”