Success!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mayor Pipe <Mayor.Pipe@hackney.gov.uk>
Date: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: Security Fence and Gates on Lockner Estate
To: lisa@gmail.com


Dear Ms Linpower

Re: Security Fence and Gates on Lockner Estate

Further to our previous correspondence on this matter in September, I
wanted to let you know that I have now been advised by Hackney Homes
that they have withdrawn their planning application. I understand that
this decision was taken in light of the concerns expressed by the TRA
and by residents such as yourself.

Hackney Homes have advised me that they will be discussing any current
security issues with residents via the TRA, and will work to find an
appropriate way to deal with any such concerns. They have also assured
me that it remains the case that, as mentioned in my previous response,
any future proposals for security measures will be subject to
consultation with residents.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact Martin Weaver, Head of Planned Maintenance at Hackney Homes, on
020 8356 1658 or at martin.weaver@hackneyhomes.org.uk.

Yours sincerely

Jules Pipe
Mayor of Hackney

Success

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin Weaver <Martin.Weaver@hackneyhomes.org.uk>
Date: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 1:50 PM
Subject: RE: Lockner Estate
To: Lisa Linpower <lisal@gmail.com>
Cc: Charlotte Graves <Charlotte.Graves@hackneyhomes.org.uk>, "Gulay Icoz (Cllr)" <Gulay.Icoz@hackney.gov.uk>, Cllr Rob Chapman <cllr.robert.chapman@gmail.com>, "Tom Ebbutt (Cllr)" <Tom.Ebbutt@hackney.gov.uk>, Francine Rump <fran@googlemail.com>, Carole Merrick <carole.merrick@hackneyhomes.org.uk>, James Roche <James.Roche@hackneyhomes.org.uk>, Richard Wiles <Richard.Wiles@hackneyhomes.org.uk>

Lisa

Just to clarify that we have asked for the application to be withdrawn. We have given you clear assurances that nothing will be imposed on residents so, whilst recognising we won't be able to please all the people all the time, there should be no issue of 'fighting battles'.

In order to take us forward we will need to convene a meeting with yourselves and this will need to include Housing Management representatives, Sean and ourselves at least. I don't personally know Ian but I am sure we can make contact. The issues you have raised with them are the issues we need to discuss, I believe, and the solutions may or may not involve some form of physical barrier[s], so the discussion has to be much wider than just with my team.  

I am on leave all next week so perhaps we can discuss a suitable date and venue when I am back.

 

Regards

 

 

Martin Weaver
BSc CEng MIMechE MCIBSE MAPM
Head of Planned Maintenance
Property Services
Hackney Homes
Tel: 020 8356 1658
Mob: 07903 970 650

Reply to Martin Weaver

Sent today, by post and email:

 

28^th October 2010

Dear Mr Weaver,

Many thanks for your letter dated 26^th October 2010.

We are very pleased to hear that you are taking residents views and opinions seriously and have halted the planning application to install security gates and fences on Lockner estate.

Please may we request confirmation that the scheme has been withdrawn, and not simply been put on hold. Residents and committee members are anxious that we should not have to fight this same battle again sometime in the near future.

Residents are still keen to discuss security issues, and we would like to work towards reaching a realistic proposal to tackle security issues on the estate. Please see my email, dated 8^th October to Ian Heward and Sean Whealan explaining our concerns and requesting some help in reaching a solution. We have not yet had a reply from them. It would be wonderful if you would be able to assist us in organising a meeting with them to discuss the issues below.

Again, many thanks for listening to our views. We also look forward to working constructively with you in the future.

Kind Regards,

Lisa Linpower

(Chair Lockner TRA)

200. Charlotte Graves
     Meg Hillier
     Robert Chapman
     Gulay Icoz
     Tom Ebbutt

---------------------------------

From: Lockner & Kingsgate TRA <locknerkingsgate@googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 8, 2010 at 1:54 PM
Subject: Lockner Estate, N1
To: ian.heward@hackney.gov.uk, sean.whelan@hackneyhomes.org.uk
Cc: Jeff.R.Ellis@met.police.uk, ian.gallagher@met.police.uk, paul.tregent@met.police.uk, mohammed.gani@met.police.uk, DeBeauvoir.SNT@met.police.uk, Francine Rump <talktofran@googlemail.com>


Dear Sirs,
I am the chair of Lockner Residents Association.
We recently held our AGM, and security on the estate was discussed at length at the meeting.  I am writing as requested by residents at the meeting, to request your help with addressing, and hopefully solving these issues for our residents.

The following issues were raised:

• Non residents loitering on the stairwells and upper levels smoking, eating and making noise. This was highlighted as a particular issue on Blandford Court, where residents have witnessed people urinating and defecating on the landings.
• Motorcycles and mopeds racing through the estate late at night (inside the estate parallel to St Peters Way).
  

Solutions suggested by residents included:

• Opening up the stairwells so people loitering are visible and residents can see ahead around the corners when going up the stairs.
• Improved lighting.
• Taking away the ceiling of the stairwells, so people can not use them to shelter in.
• Speed bumps or posts at either end of the estate to stop motorcycles and mopeds (ensuring disabled access is unaffected).
  

I am writing to ask if you would be able to discuss and assist us with these ideas. Residents at the AGM were very keen to arrange a meeting and a walkabout around the estate with you to discuss and highlight problems. Residents are opposed to the gates scheme which is currently being proposed for Lockner, however these issues are important to us and are affecting daily lives of some residents. We are keen to address these issues in collaboration with you, and see if an alternative solution is available and viable.

We would very much value and appreciate your expert opinions and input.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Lisa Linpower

Eureka!

The Broadway Office. 2 Trederwen Road, Hackney, London, E8 4NB

26^th October 2010

Dear Lisa & Francine

I refer to Lisa’s letter and Francine’s email of 13^th October regarding the proposals for Security Fence and Gates on Lockner Estate.

Lisa’s letter was addressed to Charlotte Graves and I am replying on behalf of myself and Charlotte who has discussed this situation with me personally and who has also visited the estate to ensure that she is aware of the potential impact on residents.

Can I assure you that we genuinely want to listen to residents views and only carry out works of this nature to the estate if it is with the support of the residents.

Therefore in view of your correspondence and also taking into account the responses to the planning application we have halted the planning application in view of the feelings expressed by residents and the feedback from your TRA meeting.

I would like to be clear that the scheme was not in our programme for this year and the planning application was a precursory to any further activity on this project.

We completely agree that the appropriate approach is what Francine has proposed in her email; to discuss current security issues with residents and work to come together with realistic proposals.  If there is a solution which residents would like us to consider further we would then need to identify funding from other projects.

I hope that this communicates to residents that we have no intention of imposing a scheme which is not wanted and that we look forward to working constructively with you in the future.

If you would like to meet me with one of my colleagues from Hackney Homes, please contact me on 0208 356 1658.

Yours sincerely

Martin Weaver

Head of Planned Maintenance

Hackney Homes

martin.weaver@hackneyhomes.org,uk

Reply to Martin Weaver

On 13 October 2010 11:34, Francine Bennett <fran@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Martin,

Thanks for your letter, and apologies for my slow reply. Sam Lewis supplied a copy of the letter to residents at the TRA meeting, and it was discussed at the meeting. My reply here is on behalf of the TRA.

The issue which residents continue to have with this proposed scheme is that we do not feel it's the right scheme for our estate, and so we are frustrated that we are being presented with only one option. The initial consultation letter was poorly worded and unclear, and appeared to be written only in order to elicit a 'yes' answer; our local discussions indicate that most residents are in fact against this specific scheme, although many feel that there is scope for security and anti-ASB improvements. What we'd prefer is that Hackney Homes takes some time to discuss current security issues with residents, and that we work together to come up with several realistic alternative proposals, rather than going down a single predetermined route with the only other option being nothing at all.

I understand that the planning meeting for this proposal is on 3rd November; once that's complete, can we meet to discuss next steps? The ideal solution from residents' point of view, regardless of the planning outcome, would be to engage with someone with security and architectural expertise, as well as with PCSOs and residents who can speak to what ASB problems might need addressing, to come up with realistic proposals which are within Hackney Homes' budget and which would also be suitable for those of us who live on the estate.

Regards,

Francine Bennett (Lockner TRA secretary)

What next...

Two residents have been elected by Lockner Residents Association to talk at the sub planning committee meeting.

At the Lockner AGM on Wednesday evening residents discussed security on the estate. Residents raised the following issues:

• Non residents loitering on the stairwells and upper levels smoking, eating and making noise. This was highlighted as a particular issue on Blandford Court, where residents have witnessed people urinating and defecating on the landings. 
• Motorcycles and mopeds racing through the estate late at night (inside the estate parallel to St Peters Way).

Residents who attended the meeting were all strongly opposed to the gates scheme, believing the gates will not solve these issues. We discussed alternative solutions to these problems. Solutions suggested include:

• Opening up the stairwells so people loitering are visible and residents can see ahead around the corners when going up the stairs.
• Taking away the ceiling of the stairwells, so people can not use them to shelter in.
• Speed bumps or posts at either end of the estate to stop motorcycles and mopeds (ensuring disabled access is unaffected).

Lockner Residents Association will request a walkabout with residents and a security representative from Hackney Homes to discuss and highlight these issues. These are important issues, affecting residents, and we would like to offer an alternative solution to the gates proposal.

Statement from Martin Weaver - Head of Planned Maintenance

From: Martin Weaver
Sent: 06 October 2010 16:47
To: Sam Lewis (TP); Ian Clark; 'Francine Bennett '
Cc: Clive Taber; Richard Wiles; James Roche; Denise Hill
Subject: Lockner Estate Controlled Access

Dear all

I understand that there is an AGM of the RTA tonight and that there was a request for us to attend regarding the concerns regarding the above.

Unfortunately I was only aware of this request yesterday and I am already committed to attend another meeting. Having discussed with colleagues I thought that it may be helpful if I provided a statement which will hopefully confirm the situation ahead of tonight's meeting.

I can confirm that there is no hidden agenda or driver other than ensuring that we fulfil our responsibilities with regard to security on the estate.

We are looking at the possibility of providing Controlled Access schemes for all Hackney Homes blocks that don't currently have this facility. However, schemes will only be progressed where a majority of residents are in favour.

Some time ago initial consultation took place on Lockner and this indicated that there was a majority in favour of pursuing a perimeter scheme. At that stage the scheme was dropped from the provisional programme because it was clear that consultation and planning issues would delay it and also that it could be an expensive scheme which would not be affordable that year.

I confirm that the scheme is not in our current programme. 

We are intending to consult further with residents once we know the results of the Planning Application. There would be no point in consulting on a scheme that was unacceptable to the planners, so the timing for further consultation is once the results of the Planning Application are known. This will be the appropriate time for us to meet with the TRA.

So if Planning Approval is granted we will consult all residents, and if the majority are against the scheme the proposal will be dropped and not pursued further. This has already occurred on a number of blocks.

If the majority of residents are in favour we will identify when the scheme could be included in future year's programmes. The earliest this could possibly occur would be in 2011/12 programme.

I realise that there is some scepticism around this but as the Head of Planned Maintenance I can assure you that this is the current position.

We will be contacting the TRA once we have the Planning outcome to discuss the next stages of the process or to confirm that it cannot go ahead in any case due to non approval by Planners. Finally can I re-emphasise that a scheme will only progressed if the majority of residents are in favour and that there are no other considerations that will impact that decision.

I hope this is helpful for your meeting.

Regards

Martin Weaver
BSc CEng MIMechE MCIBSE MAPM
Head of Planned Maintenance
Property Services
Hackney Homes
Tel: 020 8356 1658
Mob: 07903 970 650

Reply for Meg Hillier

(click on it to make it larger)

Still no reply from Charlotte Graves.