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Bridge stabilisation plans 'ramp' up

After a period where nothing much seems to have been happening Hammersmith Bridge is about to become a hive of activity. We understand that the long-awaited works to stabilise the pedestals of the bridge will begin in earnest in mid-March but from next week onwards there is likely to be more activity on the bridge as preparations for these major works begin.

As we have mentioned before in the Bugle, these works won’t make the bridge safe for traffic but they will prevent further deterioration and provide a solid foundation for the ultimate full repair of the bridge whenever that may happen.

Even though there will be a lot of construction work on the bridge – expect to see cranes – we believe pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to cross, although cyclists will have to dismount.

The pedestrian walkways on either side of the bridge will be blocked and we have heard that two 1.5 metre wide one-way ramps for pedestrian and cycle use will be installed. The ramps will be shared between pedestrians and cyclists hence the requirement for cyclists to dismount.

Residents on either side of the bridge will get full details of the plans in a letter in the next week or so.

Shuttle plans could be delayed

It is now possible that the long-awaited pedal shuttle will not be in service until after the bridge stabilisation works are complete as the new pedestrian/cycle ramps may not be able to accommodate the rickshaw style vehicle. However, it does seem that there might be some positive news about sponsorship/funding for the vehicle. 

New Mortlake Brewery plans revealed

Image: Stag Brewery website

Will it be third time lucky for the developers who own the old Mortlake Brewery site after they revealed the third iteration of their plans to build a massive housing and leisure development next to the river at Mortlake last week?

While the developers’ initial plans were approved by Richmond Council, the planning proposal was called in by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Anticipating that the Mayor would want more housing for lower income Londoners to be included in the scheme, new plans were presented to the Greater London Authority in which extra stories were added to apartment blocks allowing more ‘affordable’ dwellings to be added into the mix. To the delight of local campaign group The Mortlake Brewery Community Group these new plans were then turned down by the Mayor.

At the time the Mayor welcomed the increase in the level of affordable housing in the revised plans (going from 12% to 30% according to his calculations) but he didn’t feel that this benefit outweighed the harms of the increased height of some of the apartment buildings.

The developers went back to the drawing board while local campaigners continued to oppose Richmond Council’s insistence that the development should include a brand new 1200 place secondary school on the site.

The removal of the school, say campaigners, would both reduce the potential traffic impact of the scheme and allow the developers to build more affordable housing units while reducing the height of the proposed apartment buildings. It could also potentially prevent the loss of the current brewery football field.

However, the new plans still include the school proposal giving the developers very little wriggle room. What seems to have happened is a reduction in the number of dwellings ( from 1,250 to 1,144) and a reduction in height of some of the tallest buildings. Some parking spaces have been taken away and more electric vehicle charging points have also been added.

 

Some of the details of the new plans can be seen on the developers’ website.

What happens next?

•	It is anticipated that the full plans will be submitted to Richmond Council’s planning team in February, but the Bugle is not yet aware of when the planning hearing will take place.
•	Local campaigners have said they will call a face-to-face meeting with the local community in March.
•	Even if Richmond Council approves the plans the London Mayor could once again step in if the development doesn’t offer enough affordable housing (so far details of the percentage of affordable dwellings in the new plan is not clear).
•	Once the plans are approved the scheme’s architects have revealed that demolition of the existing non historic brewery buildings will take up to 18 months and the building of the new development could take 7 to 10 years to build, meaning that the new development is not likely to be complete until after 2030.

New IKEA opening date announced

It’s a good job that we’ll still be able to get across the bridge while the new engineering works are in progress as many of us might be crossing back to Barnes carrying distinctive IKEA bags.

IKEA has announced that its brand new store in Kings Mall will open on February 24. The new 4,600 square metre store will have 4,000 product lines on display and have 1,800 lines available to take away on the same day. It will also feature a Swedish deli serving the ‘iconic’ IKEA meatballs.

April to August towpath closure needed to protect Barnes from flooding.

Path will close between Barnes Bridge and Jubilee Gardens

Unless work is undertaken to repair water outlets into the river Thames near White Hart Lane, large areas of Barnes could be at a much-increased risk of flooding. The map above, which shows just some of the potential flood plain in blue, is pretty alarming but fortunately plans are in place to reduce this risk.

Because the risk of the Thames flooding is getting greater each year - estimates suggest that sea levels will rise by between 20cm and 90cm in the next century – a massive Thames-wide project is now underway to improve and repair our existing flood defences.

In Barnes and Mortlake this means repairing two outlets – one opposite the end of Elm Bank Gardens and the other almost opposite the end of White Hart Lane. It also means making repairs to the culverts that lead to the outlets.

It’s a big project and it will cause some disruption:

•	The towpath between Barnes Bridge and Jubilee Gardens will be closed between April 4 and the end of August this year.
•	A part of Jubilee gardens will be fenced off as an area to store the equipment used on the project.
•	There will be occasional traffic disruption on The Terrace as temporary lane closures will be implemented and temporary traffic lights installed when equipment or materials need to be moved on or off site. It is anticipated that these disruptions will be brief (around an hour each time) and will only happen up to three times per week during the project. Any disruptions will be in off peak times.

 

For those worried about being able to access the tow path tables outside the White Hart pub during summer there is a bit of good news, as the team behind the works say they are looking into allowing access to this small stretch of the towpath at weekends.

 

You can find more information about the project here and there’s a very useful video presentation on YouTube too.
 

Hedge Funding

Why a round of appaws is due to the Barnes Goldens

Images: Vicki Sharp Photography & Alasdair Arthur

Whatever your interest, there’s a probably a club you can join in Barnes to meet like-minded souls and that’s not just applicable to humans.

If you are a Golden Retriever you can join a very exclusive society indeed – The Barnes Goldens – and your owner can join too.

There are 82 members of the club and as well as being a very sociable group they are also a force for good. The Barnes Goldens Calendar is now an annual fixture raising funds for the Goldens’ pet causes, but that’s not all. This week a whole bunch of Retrievers and their owners turned up to help out the Friends of Barnes Common who have been raising funds to plant hedges along the perimeter of Barnes Common by Rocks Lane.

The Goldens didn’t just help to plant the hedges they also raised the funds to pay for the plants themselves. After a human member of the Goldens – Anne Mullins – got chatting to The Friends of Barnes Common she discovered that the FoBC was £600 short of its fundraising target for the hedging project. After a few WhatsApp messages and a whip-round 55 Barnes Goldens members had raised the full amount.

Anne says “We dog owners are out on the common most days. It’s wonderful to have it on our doorsteps and we’re only too happy to give back.”  

MP reveals bridge Task Force meetings are now less frequent

Image: Task Force Chair Baroness Vere visiting Hammersmith Bridge

Before Hammersmith Bridge re-opened to pedestrians the TaskForce chaired by Transport Minister Baroness Vere which brings together interested parties in the bridge* was meeting every three weeks. Since then, the frequency of meetings has dropped to once every 67 days.

 

Local MP Sarah Olney, who revealed this information after submitting a Freedom of Information request, says “Given the huge disruption the bridge’s closure has caused to my constituents, this is inexcusable.”

In her weekly update on issues related to the bridge she also revealed that Hammersmith & Fulham Council has recently submitted a business case to the DfT in the hope of getting the government to release one third of the funds needed for this stage of the bridge’s repair.

 

As we have mentioned above, the works are about to commence and have been commissioned by the council in the anticipation that funds will be forthcoming both from the DfT and Transport for London who under a tri-partite funding proposal from the government would contribute to the costs of the works.

 
Meanwhile TfL’s current funding crisis has been laid bare after Sadiq Khan revealed proposals which could mean anyone living and driving in London would have to pay a £2 clean air charge. This would, he hopes, raise enough funds to plug a £1.5 billion black hole in the TfL balance sheets.

As TfL is reliant on fares for funding, the Covid crisis has had a huge negative impact on its budgets and the proposed ‘clean air charge’ is still apparently needed after a massive programme of budget cuts has been implemented. Budget reductions  include a £473 million cut in funding of the ‘healthy streets’  programme which aims to encourage more cycling and walking. You can read more here.

 

*The Department for Transport, Hammersmith and Fulham & Richmond Councils, the London Deputy Mayor for Transport and TfL 

All change on the buses

MP Sarah Olney has also revealed that getting to Putney Bridge Station might soon get easier for some Barnes residents as TfL has said that the 378 that goes from Mortlake to Putney Bridge station could potentially be re-routed via Church Road and Rocks Lane.

Previously this route change was deemed too difficult because of the tight turn from Rocks Lane into Mill Hill Road but Ms Olney reveals that “They’ve confirmed that routing the bus through the junction at Rocks Lane/Mill Hill Road no longer requires the alteration of the signals or iBus technology. A bus route test indicated that the bus can make the turn without the need for signal or kerb changes and instead will involve minor works at the junction to alter the position of the centre line on the eastern arm of the junction.” 
 
She adds that “This scheme is funded by TfL’s Bus Priority programme, however it has recently been passed onto Richmond Council to undertake detailed design and build themselves. I’ve therefore written to them asking for an update on where we are. As soon as I’ve heard back from them I’ll provide an update.”

Council's blue sky document imagines a pedestrianised Barnes High Street

Richmond Council has unveiled its new draft local plan - a document which, when implemented, will set out future planning policy - and it contains some quite revealing blue sky thoughts about the council's vision for Barnes.

 

Among the future possibilities being considered are the pedestrianisation of Barnes High Street, an improvement to the shopping facilities in Castelnau, a desire to enhance the sense of arrival at Barnes Station, the hope to revive the area around Priest's Bridge and an exploration of the ways to make the Barnes riverfront more attractive to pedestrians with wider pavements and more café/restaurant seating. The document also supports the BCA's ambitions to turn the currently disused original Barnes Railway Bridge into a green walkway with no-step access from Barnes Station.

 

The public and local stakeholders have had the opportunity to respond to the plan's aspirations and the BCA has issued a document with its own broadly favourable response, although the BCA has said its ambition as regards the High Street is to be able to close it to traffic occasionally for key dates in the Barnes calendar with buses being temporarily re-routed through Nassau Road on these rare occasions.

 

The publication of this draft report is the first stage in a long path of consultations and refinements of the borough-wide plan which won't be adopted until Autumn 2024 so residents of Barnes have plenty of time to respond. You can see the consultation timeline here on the council's website.

 

Overall, the document says "The vision for Barnes is to maintain and enhance the character of Barnes as an attractive residential area and as a place that people want to live and visit.”

 

You can read the section on Barnes by clicking here.

High Street roadworks will start in mid March

We hear that Richmond Council will start work on pavement widening and parking place reallocation on Barnes High Street in mid March and that the work will take between three and four months. You can read all about the changes here in the November issue of the Bugle.

Coming together

By any measure Barnes is a very cohesive community but not everyone has access to the friendship and support that a close-knit community brings.
 
Because Barnes is a wealthy area with some pockets of deprivation people often perceive that the community is divided into haves and have-nots. That is certainly true, but the picture is more complicated than that. Whatever your bank balance, you can suffer illness, isolation and poor mental health, although, of course, these issues can be exacerbated by wealth inequalities.

 

In a once-in-a-generation report, The Barnes Fund* has shone a light on what brings Barnes together and also looked at how to improve the lives of people who need a helping hand.

 

The report was compiled through a mix of 60 data sources including interviews and focus groups. 110 Barnes residents were interviewed face-to-face. There was also input from local churches, schools and charities who work with those in the community who are most in need, from the elderly, to the disabled, to those with mental health issues or financial difficulties.

 

Because the Barnes Fund exists to support people in Barnes who are experiencing hardship, the main aim of the report is to help the Fund focus on the biggest areas of need and to plan how it can help over the years to come. The report is also there to serve as a tool for the wider community to help improve provision for those most in need. It makes fascinating reading for all of us and sheds light on how we all can help make Barnes a better place to live.

 

Some key findings:

•	Most people are very happy living in Barnes with over 90% of those interviewed saying that they felt they were part of a community.
•	While there is a strong Barnes resident voice there was concern that the people who were most vocal, or most often heard, are not representative of all Barnes residents.
•	The closure of Hammersmith Bridge has left many people feeling more isolated and has hit lower income residents of North Barnes hardest.
•	Compared to the national average, a very high proportion of elderly people in Barnes and Mortlake live on their own.
•	Many elderly people lack digital skills which can make them feel even more cut off from the community.
•	There is a shortage of ‘affordable’ shops in Barnes
•	Youth mental health is also an issue. Richmond upon Thames 15 year-olds- have the fourth worst scores for mental wellbeing in London and the third highest rate of hospital admissions for self-harm amongst 10 to 24 year olds in London.
•	The Barnes Council Ward has the second highest rate of child poverty in Richmond with over 25% of children living in poverty after deducting housing costs.

 

How the community can help

The Barnes Fund can help by funding charities and making grants to individuals, but we can all help by opening our eyes to need and volunteering to share skills. The report highlighted how many people in Barnes have special expertise and could for example train young people to help older people with digital skills. Additionally one simple thing that anyone who is involved in a community group can do is set up lines of communication with other groups. As the story above about how the Barnes Goldens group joined up with the Friends of Barnes Common shows, once we talk to each other unexpected things can happen!

You can read the full report here.

What is the Barnes Fund?

Once known as the Barnes Workhouse Fund, the Barnes Fund is a charity that exists to support the community of Barnes; especially those with the greatest needs. It works to bring different organisations in Barnes together and makes financial grants both directly to individuals and to organisations and charities which provide services to Barnes residents.

It also runs the Walsingham Lodge sheltered housing scheme situated between Berkeley and Ferry Roads.

Its resources come from investments made from the sale of land and properties formerly owned by the Barnes Workhouse in the 19th century.  You can read more about its fascinating history here.
 

83,000 jabs and counting

Barnes' valiant team of vaccination volunteers are standing down for the time being, as large scale vaccination days in the marquee at Essex House surgery are being replaced by smaller in-house clinics.

However, the scale of what the surgery staff at our three collaborating local surgeries* and the vaccine volunteers have achieved is extraordinary. Over 83,000 jabs have been administered so far and recently, after the government dropped the need for a 15 minute wait after the Pfizer injection, up to 2,800 people per day have been jabbed in the Essex House car park on vaccine days.

 

* Glebe Road, Essex House and Sheen Lane

Haven't had a vaccine yet?

Go to the special vaccine info day at the

Castelnau Community Centre

While the uptake of the vaccine in the over 40 age group locally has been incredibly high, Richmond Council has revealed that in the Barnes area around 40% of residents aged 16-39 have not yet been vaccinated.  So, to make it as easy as possible to access the vaccine, a new local walk-in clinic has been organised. 
 
Additionally, because some people may have been hesitant to have the vaccination because they have questions or concerns., the NHS will also have a private and confidential area for individuals to meet with a health expert to discuss their worries and get the facts. There will be no pressure to have the vaccine on that day, but the facility will be there if people want it. 
 
The information and vaccination event will be at the Castelnau Community Centre on Thursday 10 February between 1.30pm – 6.30pm. 
 
Anyone aged 12+ who is due their first, second or booster vaccination will be able to have their jab throughout the day. No appointments are required, and people can just walk in.

It's a dog's life...style

With green space abounding, Barnes is a haven for dog lovers so it is no surprise that an innovative dog-focused business has made a beeline for Church Road.

A dog grooming parlour and specialist dog lifestyle shop is the latest venture for the City Paws Club the brainchild of dog trainer Matt who left the corporate world to establish his own business when he acquired his pet dachshund, Flea in 2012.

 

Matt grew up in the countryside with dogs, in fact his mother entered her three Border Collies in agility trials. When Flea came into his life he soon realised that city dogs have special requirements and although doggie daycare was a fast growing industry in 2012 he felt he could do things better. What he did was open a 22 acre facility near Chessington where dogs could frolic to their heart's content. 

 

The daycare facility has been a huge hit and has been swiftly followed by a dog grooming salon in Putney. In Barnes the new premises combines a very swish dog-grooming facility run by Australian groomer Jordan who hails from Brisbane with a lifestyle shop offering designer dog leads and huge range of dog food (including vegan pet food) and treats. For owners there will be coffee on offer from Matt's friend's exclusive Wandsworth roastery and you will even be able to buy a caffeine-free puppycino to share the café experience with your beloved pet. 

 

Whatever your dog needs, the shop seems to offer it, including maybe things you didn't know your canine companion required. We at the Bugle did raise an eyebrow at the idea of dog face masks but apparently dogs who sniff around bushes on the common can often get irritated muzzles and a blueberry and banana facial might be the very thing they need to sooth their itchy faces.

 

Matt is very excited about meeting a whole plethora of Barnes dogs from Chihuahas to Great Danes and, as well as offering grooming and lifestyle products, he will also be available to book for dog training sessions in Barnes.

 

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