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Minutes:
The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments.
The Council has successfully prosecuted a Hackney Carriage driver for refusing to take a customer who only wanted to travel a short distance. The defendant, Hamidullah Samim, was found guilty at Redhill Magistrates Court on 19 April and fined £250 with a victim surcharge of £25 and costs of £846. The driver has since had his licence revoked.
Following traveller incursions at Laleham Park, the Council has been looking at ways to make the Park more secure. After exploring various options, a soil embankment has been created around the edges of the Park which will be seeded with grass and wild flowers. Access has been provided for pedestrians and grounds maintenance machinery.
The Council recently announced its decision to purchase The Harper Hotel in Ashford to provide temporary accommodation for homeless households. The property, which cost just over £2m, will provide accommodation for up to 20 households once planned refurbishment works are completed. The Council had previously been using the hotel to place homeless households, paying nightly rental rates.
The Mayors of Spelthorne and Runnymede celebrated the opening of the Sir William Perkins’s School boathouse at Laleham on 28 April. The boathouse was completed recently after years of planning, construction and fitting-out, producing a state-of-the-art facility for the school’s rowers. Future plans include working with the Council to offer rowing ‘taster’ activities to schools in the Spelthorne area.
595 runners took part in this year’s Staines 10K road race which is organised by Staines Strollers and Runnymede Runners, with support from Spelthorne Council. The winner was James Samson, finishing in a time of 33 minutes 30 seconds. The women’s race was won by Tish Jones who completed the course in a time of 34 minutes 43 seconds and finished 3rd overall.
The Council has welcomed Heathrow’s announcement that it intends to meet, and in many cases exceed, the conditions set out in the Airports Commission’s recommendation for Heathrow expansion. As part of the consultation led by the Davies Commission, the Council voiced its support for an expanded Heathrow on the proviso that certain environmental conditions be met. With many of the Borough’s residents employed at the airport or in related industries, Spelthorne has been a long-standing supporter of Heathrow.
Funding of £100k has been awarded by Surrey County Council to make improvements to shopping parades situated at Clare Road, Edinburgh Drive, Woodlands Parade and Groveley Road; this has been match funded by Spelthorne and the work is expected to be completed over the next 12 months.
The third Spelthorne Business Plan Competition took place at BP on 26 May. The winner of the competition, Victoria Beale, won £3,500 for her plan to create an online programme of holistic health advice for pre and postnatal women.
The Economic Assessment and Economic Development Strategy is currently being refreshed and a consultation with a number of local businesses took place at the Mercure Hotel in Staines-upon-Thames on 7 June. The new strategy is expected to be adopted in December.
Over the last 12 months there has been growing tensions in the Stanwell area brought about by large numbers of private hire drivers parking in front of residential houses and acting in an anti-social manner. Following discussions with a number of different agencies, Heathrow has now opened a new parking area which private hire vehicle drivers can use whilst waiting to collect passengers.
Funding has been secured from the PCC and the Spelthorne Community Safety Partnership to enable a drama group to visit Matthew Arnold School in September and deliver a play which highlights the issues surrounding cyber-bullying.
Around 60 charities, community groups, sports clubs and school delegates attended the Spelthorne Community Funding Fair on 3 June to find out about cash grants which are available across the Borough – from national lottery riches to small local trusts.
The volunteers who run Spelthorne Museum have been honoured with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. Spelthorne Museum was founded in Staines in 1980 and since then the volunteers have run the museum themselves, with financial support from Spelthorne Borough Council.
After discussions with Cllr Tony Harman, the Communications team has recommended not running a Residents’ Survey this year, resulting in a saving of £7000.
An event was held for local landlords at Shepperton Studios on 26 April. The attendees had the opportunity to network with other landlords and hear presentations on a range of subjects including recent legislative changes. The Council also launched a consultation for a new Rent Guarantee Scheme which will encourage landlords to rent their properties to tenants recommended by the Council.
The Planning Committee recently approved the details for the redevelopment of the former Majestic House site in Staines-upon-Thames (now known as Charter Square). This followed the in-principle approval which was granted on appeal in 2011. The proposal is for up to 39,750 sq. m of floor space to include homes, offices and shops and a new link road between Fairfield Avenue and Millmead.
An Ashford resident appeared at Redhill Magistrates Court for failing to comply with a Breach of Condition Notice served by Spelthorne planning enforcement. He was found guilty, fined £1000, and also ordered to pay costs of £800.
Spelthorne residents are now able to use plastic bags to line their food waste caddy. New machinery splits and removes the bags which are then taken to the energy from waste plant to be turned in to electricity.
Funding has been received for the refurbishment of Cedars Park in Sunbury. Work is expected to start in September.
Following last year’s trial, cattle have been returned to Sunbury Park as part of the strategy to improve the Park’s biodiversity. The small herd will be there for approximately 14 weeks.
Work starts on a new play area in Shepperton Road, Laleham at the end of June.
The Law Enforcement Team recently secured the following four convictions:-
· Ms H Nichol from Staines was prosecuted for fly tipping and ordered to pay a £994 fine including costs.
· Mr Ibrar Baig of Feltham Cars was prosecuted for littering and ordered to pay a £600 fine including costs.
· Mr L Smith from Stanwell was prosecuted for littering and ordered to pay a £730 fine including costs.
· Mr A Rough from Ashford was prosecuted for littering and ordered to pay a £400 fine including costs.