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What do Labour plan for Hammersmith Bridge?

Image above: Rachel Reeves on left, Lousie Haigh on right

With the arrival of Labour in power one potential obstacle to the repair of Hammersmith Bridge has been removed. Now at least, it's not a political football between a Conservative government a Labour London Mayor and a Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

On top of that, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has said in a recent radio interview that a Labour government will fix the bridge.

However, when she was asked whether Labour was committing any funding to the repair she said "I'm not going to create pots of money without being able to say where the money is going to come from...I haven't got a magic money tree." 

All of which makes it very unlikely that we'll get a clear picture of the bridge's fate over the next few months. 

The newly appointed Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, who entered parliament as Labour's youngest MP in 2015, has been Shadow Transport Secretary since 2021 but has never spoken about Hammersmith Bridge publicly. The former Unite shop steward is passionate about providing better public transport, and has been scathing about poor transport links in the north of England and in particular the effect this has had on her Sheffield constituency. Her main priority is thought to be the re-nationalisation of the railways, although recently in the run up to the election she started promoting more road building and repair schemes to counter the Conservative attack line that Labour was waging a war on drivers.

Hammersmith Bridge is just one of many examples of crumbling transport infrastructure that will come under her remit, but for now the Labour approach to dealing with a massive to-do list of repairs is unclear. “We are not committing to a specific infrastructure plan because we don’t yet know the state of the finances or the state of the delivery of much of the infrastructure that the Tories have promised.” said Haigh recently.

Local politicians set out their views on Mortlake Brewery Scheme at hustings

Hammersmith Bridge was not the only major local issue discussed at hustings before the election, the Mortlake Brewery Scheme was also a major focus, particularly at the Mortlake hustings held on June 25.

Local campaigners contend that the secondary school that is proposed for the site isn't needed and that if a smaller primary school was put in its place the developers would be able to fit in more affordable housing and reduce the height of the apartment blocks they are planning to build.

However, in bad news for the campaigners, the eventual winning candidate, Sarah Olney, firmly backed plans for the school saying that the Department for Education had been twice asked  to look at the issue of the need for a secondary school and twice concluded that it was necessary.

Given that the ultimate decision on the brewery's fate could be in the hands of the Labour Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, the Labour candidate Laura Coryton's view that there was no demand for the luxury apartments planned for the site could be indicative of how a Labour government might view the development.

The Bugle is indebted to Richard Barfield who attended the Mortlake hustings and took the notes that made this story possible.

Is it set fair for the Fair?

We know multi-day forecasts are never hugely reliable but nevertheless it's a relief to see that although next week looks likely to be as grey and cool as this week has been, at the time of writing, next Saturday's forecast comes complete with sun symbols. It's not going to be a scorcher mind, but Barnes Fair day is currently forecast to be sunnyish and 19 degrees.

All of which should make it a pleasure to wander through the 300-odd stalls that will dot the Green, and will be a balm to the soul to the sports clubs who are running activities in Events Arena (the area near the Methodist Church where the fairground sits). 

It's going to be a great fair for families, with all the usual fair rides and three traditional Punch and Judy shows, but it's also going to be a real treat for foodies too, with no fewer than 16 food and drink stands to choose from.

We're particularly looking forward to trying the offering from East Sheen's Le Swine, renowned as the makers of Britain's Best Bacon Butty. Other local pubs and restaurants taking part include The Crossing, Rick Stein, Ela & Dhani, The Brown Dog and Arte Pizza. Local brewers Jefferson's will be back with their craft beers and Fair stalwarts Nuay Thai will be serving their excellent Thai food too.

The Bugle will be definitely taking part in the BCA tombola, where to celebrate the BCA's 50th anniversary, prizes have been donated by fair exhibitors. 

And while events on the Green itself may be the main event, the spirit of Barnes Fair spreads further down Church Road. For lovers of traditional village festivities, head for St Mary's Church. There'll be refreshments in the garden, children's activities and live music between 10am and 4pm. You can even climb up the church tower for a birds-eye view of Barnes.

For less retro fun and a touch more cool you can saunter down to the Olympic Studios, where between 11.30am and 7pm barbecue hot-dogs and burgers will be served on the terrace and DJ Roger Miles will be manning the decks. The outdoor bar 'Shed Zeppelin' has been rebranded 'A Whole Lot of Rosé' for the day, and you can take part in Petanque competitions with prizes including bottles of rosé and cinema tickets. 

Opposition ramps up to changes at Barnes Bridge Station

Now that the central span of Hammersmith Bridge is closed to cyclists once more, crossing Hammersmith Bridge has become a hit and miss affair - literally. Will you be able to walk across without a cyclist or scooterist barrelling into you? Will you be able to walk across the bridge with your bike without other cyclists deliberately ramming into you; something we witnessed this week? Nine times out of ten your journey will be fine but sometimes it's easy to despair about some people's lack of consideration for their fellow commuters.

However, for cyclists who've been avoiding crossing the river via Hammersmith Bridge for that very reason there's more bad news - Network Rail has taken away the cycle ramps from the steps by Barnes Bridge Station cutting off access to Barnes Bridge for cyclists who are unable to carry their bikes up or down stairs.

Those who have complained about the situation have been told that the cycle channels that have been removed were not of a design that "we would be happy to have in place today"  and that the existing channels would increase the likelihood of an accident. Getting to the nub of the matter though is the explanation that the channels, "would not be compatible" with the new accessible handrails that have just been installed.

The result of the change is the strange situation of a bridge which has bike ramps on one side of the river, down one flight of stairs on the other, but suddenly missing on the stairs between the station entrance and the street. 

One complainant has pointed out that carrying bikes is fine for young cyclists with expensive carbon fibre or aluminium bikes but not for older cyclists with heavier and less snazzy models.

Town Centre Manager Emma Robinson says "We realise the aim of installing the new handrails is to make it safer for pedestrians with impairments to use the stairs to the station. However, if pedestrians with impairments are competing for space with cyclists gingerly carrying bikes, surely the risk of accident is even higher?" 

Network Rail hasn't ruled out installing new ramps but says the installation is "still being considered as part of upcoming plans but we cannot provide a date of when this may happen."

Emma Robinson says she and local councillors have been in touch with Network Rail but says that it would be useful for anyone who has concerns about the removal of the cycle ramps to also register their concerns directly to ensure that the rail company is  are aware of the strength of feeling about the changes locally. If you wish to add your voice to the campaign to reintroduce a bike ramp the address to write to is customerrelations@swrailway.com or you can express your views on social media addressing the handles @networkrail and @SW_Help.

Dozey parkers

You certainly couldn't carry a Lime bike over Barnes Bridge but why would you bother when you can leave your hire bike on one side and pick up a fresh one on the other? So far, so convenient, but what if the area outside your café has become an unofficial bike park, and your business is paying the price for someone else's convenience?

That's the position Marianna Hadjigeorgiou of Orange Pekoe on White Hart Lane has recently found herself in. Part of the charm of Orange Pekoe is the lovely outdoor seating area but the tables and chairs are taken in overnight leaving the area to become the perfect resting place for hire bikes.

Once one person parks, it attracts others, and before you know it, the result is a forest of bikes. For Marianna it's an issue that's just got worse and worse.

Every morning her staff have to pick up and move the bikes and the problem has been so bad that they've been spending up to half an hour moving the very heavy bikes in order to put out pavement tables.

Last weekend Marianna came to work to find 30 to 40 bikes outside and decided she'd had enough. She bombarded Lime with tweets and she says that by the end of the day the bikes had been removed. It's been something that's been bad for her business and, she says, she can't understand how companies like Lime can operate without dedicated parking sites. 

"You see bikes littered all over Barnes." she says "often blocking pavements".

Some councils are calling for tighter restrictions of the bikes and for greater penalties for those who park them inconsiderately. Others have been even more proactive, with Wandsworth Council seizing illegally parked bikes in occasional blitzes. City Hall also says councils are often powerless to deal with the problem and the GLA has called on government to introduce legislation that would allow for tougher penalties. New legislation failed to be introduced under the last government. Now councils need to start lobbying the new Labour government afresh.

Lime says it does encourage considerate parking by requiring users to take a picture of their hired bike when they park. There are fines for inconsiderate parking starting at £2 for a first offence and rising to £20 for repeat offenders. However, that doesn't seem to be deterring enough riders and, of course, the fines don't apply to bikes that have been 'hacked' by those who want a free ride and then don't register with Lime.

If you do come across a Lime bike that's parked in the middle of the pavement you can contact Lime to ask for it to be removed by either using the Lime app or filling out a form on the Lime website. You will need to take a picture of the bike and its QR code such that the firm can identify the location and the bike in question. Rival company Forest have a similar system which you can read about here.

Selling like hot plates

We had a great response to the story in last month's Bugle about Julian and Gilly Armstrong's SW13 number plate which they were putting up for sale, with lots of readers writing in about the article. We had an even better response to the classified ad which alerted us to the story - the number plate sold within days to a person living in the same street as James and Gilly.

We heard about other SW13 number plates including two owned by local dog lovers - SW13 LAB and SW13 PUP, and one that does what is says on the tin - SW13 CAR. 

Our favourite response, however, came from Andrew Morgan whose own number plate choice was inspired after seing Julian and Gilly's SW13 MAD.

He says that the number plate for the car he and his husband drive around Barnes makes everybody smile. It certainly brought a big smile to our face and you can see it in the image above.

Second Avenue, SW14                                          £1,850,000

It's a graveyard smash

I f you were scouting out locations for a new café, a graveyard on a main road on the Putney/Barnes border might not be your first choice, but oh how wrong you would be. The brand new Kaffee on the Lower Richmond Road is an intriguing discovery.

Marlene who runs Kaffee with her business partner Pieter used to live in the Victorian graveyard keeper's cottage next to the old enclosed Putney Lower Common Cemetery with her boyfriend. The cottage which had lain derelict was leased and renovated by her boyfriend's family a few years ago and proved a lovely place to live. So, when the time came to move on, the couple didn't go far. In fact they upped sticks to the old cemetery chapel 100 yards away which her boyfriend and his family also leased and transformed into a fantastic home.

This left the cottage free to fulfil Marlene's long-held ambition of opening a Viennese inspired coffee house. 

From the road all you see is the old cottage with a table and chairs outside but go inside and you'll find a charming courtyard opening out onto the cemetery and cosy Victorian rooms for when the weather doesn't permit communing with the very quiet occupants of the graveyard.  Marlene and her musician boyfriend are the proud owners of a much loved dog, Morrison, named after The Doors lead singer, a man whose own grave in Paris is a tourist attraction.  She therefore hoped that dog walkers who often use the cemetery would be her first customers. She's been proved right and Kaffee has become the perfect pit stop for dog lovers who want to pop in and enjoy some - very good - coffee.

As with any Viennese coffee house cakes and pastries are a hugely important part of the offering and Marlene has been scrupulous in offering properly authentic Viennoiserie and favourite cakes and desserts from her Austrian childhood, including the multi-layered Kaiserschmarrn. You'll also find savoury food with  definite Austrian flavour, including sandwiches on rye or pretzels with pickles and bacon and eggs with sauerkraut.

It's all very charming, not the least bit spooky and a lovely excuse to take a walk to the edge of Barnes.

Community cooperation thwarts crime in Barnes again

W hen you look at the causes of crimes, from shoplifting to burglary, you often find one common denominator - drugs. So if police can do something about drug dealing this can often result in reduction of other criminal activity.

On June 21 two residents who had been dealing drugs from a residential address in central Barnes were given a Full Closure Order by Wimbledon Magistrates Court and removed from the premises in question.

Neighbours in the street are now enjoying quiet nights without the noise caused by 'addicts wailing, doors slamming and a non stop stream of drug users and dealers' visiting the drug den, which was in a residential flat.

This is the second Full Closure Order to be made this year and it took a lot of work from local police, Richmond Council, and residents to make it happen. Local MP Sarah Olney also intervened after visiting the street and reached out to high ranking police officers about the matter.

Reports from residents were crucial to achieving this result, as the Magistrates need a strong portfolio of evidence to instigate a Closure Order. For anyone else experiencing anti social behaviour of  this type, residents in the street where the drug den was situated would strongly recommend using 999 or 101 to report every offence and establishing a good relationship with the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

The catalyst for much of this recent police success was a regular Police Liaison  Meeting held after the mugging of a schoolboy off Lonsdale Road. The meeting was crammed with concerned parents and crime of every sort across the neighbourhood was discussed, including drug dealing at three very specific locations. The police gained much needed intelligence and residents learned how to report and make a difference. It just goes to show what can happen when a community gets together.

Death of dog under investigation after at least three others became ill after walking in field near Rocks Lane

T his is a horrible story to write as it concerns the death of a dog who became ill after consuming an unknown substance, possibly on the banks of Beverley Brook.

The dog in question and several other dogs all became unwell, with some hospitalised, after being exercised in the rugby field off Rocks Lane (Barn Elms Southside). It is thought they may all have been in the Brook and/or eaten from mounds of grass clippings near the Brook or around the field.

It appears the problems were specific to that particular area and that other parts of Beverley Brook haven't been affected.

Richmond Council is currently investigating the cause but as we've reported before, fly-tipping of contaminated material near the Brook is not unknown. Two years ago the Brook suddenly sported an iridescent film after some unscrupulous person dumped used solvents into a drain near the source of the Brook in Morden. 

While the cause of the bacterial infection experienced by the sick dogs is still being established, dog walkers are being urged not to let their dogs scavenge in the area or run in the Brook and are also being advised to take their dog to the vet immediately if they vomit or show any signs of gastroenteritis.

Happier in Barnes

What do international pop superstars do when they've got a day off in London between gigs on their European tour? Indulge in a day of pampering? Hit the shops? Rest their vocal cords in a darkened room? Not if you are pop princess Olivia Rodrigo. It seems her ideal day off is spent in Barnes.

Rodrigo, the youngest ever artist to achieve one billion digital streams in the UK, was wandering around Barnes with her Wandsworth-born boyfriend, actor Louis Partridge, a couple of weeks ago and was by all accounts unrecognised and un-mobbed.

The couple popped into Olympic Records where the volunteers running the store apparently engaged Louis in conversation and left his girlfriend free to browse. They only cottoned on to the presence of a superstar in their midst when she searched in the R section and found her own album Guts on sale. The disc is still available, so super-fans can get hold of a copy touched by Olivia herself for just £40 if they hotfoot it down to Olympic Records.

The couple did get recognised in Arte Pizza though, when a younger member of staff alerted owner Ari to their presence. They happily posed in a selfie with a delighted Ari who can now count Rodrigo, Stanley Tucci, actor Tom Hardy and ex football manager Roy Hodgson as Arte Pizza fans. Check out his Instagram account for lots of selfies of Ari with the stars... 

What's the secret of Barnes' success?

Richmond frequently features in Happiest Places to Live in the UK lists and this year topped the charts in the annual happy places survey. The survey looks at resident satisfaction and also key ingredients of happiness such as a the prevalence of green spaces and community cohesion.

As we've said before in the Bugle, we think Barnes is an even happier place that the rest of Richmond. A controversial suggestion? Yes. And a contention that leaves us open to the occasional criticism of Barnes being smug. We know! Perish the thought.

With all of this in mind we've been contacted by a local sixth form student, Freya Fredriksson, who as part of her geography A level  is exploring how subjective wellbeing in Barnes is influenced by geographical context and social interactions. The title of her project is ’To what extent does the geographical context of Barnes contribute to perceptions of happiness and well-being among its residents?’.

Freya would love Bugle readers to participate in her survey which will only take a few minutes. So do please click on the link below to give her a helping hand.

ADVERTORIAL

Hedgehog heaven

When we're compiling the Bugle we often find the Barnes Common website an invaluable source of stories about local issues. However, we've seldom come upon a more charming article than the one on the website's blog this month from a Barnes resident who, by making some very simple changes, has managed to make their and their neighbours' gardens a haven for hedgehogs.

They say "Hedgehogs are now regularly seen across five of our linked gardens (we see around eight a night in our own garden). We’ve seen young ones too – often in pairs – and we’re sure there are several generations of  hogs now. We co-exist well: they’re wonderful entertainment as dusk falls and we quietly watch them emerge to feed, snuffling around each other and wandering around the beds; and we provide water and kitten food and garden around them in Spring and Summer."

The blog post also contains a very sweet video of hedgehogs happily exploring the writer's patio. Do have a look at the article. Who knows, you might be able to entice some hedgehogs to your garden too?

Is there a shed ahead?

The men's shed movement started in Australia in the 1980s but has now swept the world, and no wonder - it's a great idea.

Men's Sheds are community-based spaces that give people the opportunity to engage in practical projects, to socialise and to support each other in a safe place. Although they typically attract older men, they are equally open to men and women of all ages.

They are a great place to hang out for the practically minded and are brilliant for people who have down-sized and now no longer have a shed of their own. The best men's sheds are full of great tools that even the most dedicated DIYer might not have  - lathes for example - and are a honeypot for those who derive joy in making and mending.

They also benefit local communities, as often Shed users make useful items like flower planters or raised beds for community areas.

Their biggest benefit, however, is bringing together like minded people and generating social connections. 

The BCA is looking at developing the concept for Barnes and would love to get  a feel of how many people would be keen on using a Men's Shed. If you are interested in finding out more about a Men’s Shed in Barnes, please complete the following short questionnaire.

Bull's Head apostrophe restored - oh, and the pub's getting a makeover too...

Just like a rare species of bird, the true apostrophe is under threat; you seldom see one in the wild these days but its unthreatened cousin  - the grocer's apostrophe crops up all the time, as in 'Banana's £1 for 5'.

However, just once in a while a near extinct apostrophe revives and that's just what's happened at the Bull's Head.

Last time the pub had a revamp it was given a shiny new illuminated sign near the roof but sadly the sign omitted the apostrophe.

For pedants like us at the Bugle this development was a blow to the heart, so imagine the joy we felt when we were walking from the new accessible steps at Barnes Bridge station towards the village and we saw a sign. Yes, a sign from above. A brand new sign on the Bull's Head's wall. And...the apostrophe's back!

The welcome return of the apostrophe is all part of a major refurb of the beautiful old pub, which, on the outside at least, was starting to look a tad run down. The exterior is now clad in scaffolding and the weeds growing out of the first floor balconies are now a thing of the past, but it's not just the outside that's getting a wash and brush up. The restaurant and pub interior are also being redecorated and new tables and chairs for the inside are on their way. Even the upstairs rooms with glorious river views are being spruced up. The pub is still open as the exterior and upstairs work is being carried out although we understand there may be some short closures in the coming weeks when the bar area is being revamped.

There will be a grand unveiling in September and we can't wait to see the new look pub.

The pun's the thing

Who doesn't love the childish fun of a really bad Christmas cracker joke or the groan when an excruciating pun is revealed? Why should all that joy just be confined to Christmas or for readers of the Beano?

That seems to be the philosophy of Roger Miles and his trusty team of volunteers at Olympic Studio Records.

While some shopkeepers use A frame chalk boards to promote their wares, Olympic Records use theirs to spread happiness.

It's the same playfulness that's behind their themed window displays and, to begin with, the jokes, like the windows, were musically themed, as in "I broke two of my dad's Queen records, now I want to break three..."

However it seems the team have broken free from musical puns and the current batch of cheesy jokes (see picture above) have, appropriately enough, a cheese and wine party theme. Although, to be fair, the cheese jokes do have a musical origin as Roger nicked them from audience suggestions at a harp concert he went to in which the harpist asked the audience to tell their best cheese jokes to fill the time while she changed a few strings mid performance.

Look left, look right

The request for two new pedestrian crossings was high up the agenda of people who came along to the Barnes Ponder 2 meeting last autumn. The getting around Barnes Team have been taking these requests seriously and, together with local councillors, the team has been lobbying the Council, initially to get a proper crossing installed between the Green and Barnes High Street near the Essex House Surgery.

The good news is that it looks like the council is exploring the possibility of installing this new crossing, so now the team is campaigning for a second crossing - this time on the way to Barnes Station from the Green near Cedars Road.

Despite the fact that there is a 20mph speed limit along this stretch, speed checks carried out by volunteers have shown that drivers are routinely driving well over the limit. Logs taken in a sixty minute period during rush hour showed that more than sixty vehicles drove at between 26 and 44mph, and none of the other vehicles logged actually drove within the correct limit.

Given that this road is crossed by a considerable number of pedestrians heading for Barnes Station the danger of a lack of proper crossing is clear. 

There is already an initiative underway to make the journey to Barnes Station from central Barnes safer and this involves cutting back vegetation, installing better lighting and improving accessibility at the Station itself, the addition of a crossing on Mill Hill Road will only add to these improvements.

In order for the council to take a request for a new crossing seriously the Getting Around Barnes group needs to demonstrate that there is local support for its suggestion. If you would like to add your name to the group's petition just click the button below.

Barnes has got talent

Do you have an inner thespian yearning to perform? Are you a budding performance poet, or perhaps you're a dab hand with a ballad and an acoustic guitar? Whatever your skill, thanks to a new initiative by the OSO you now have the chance to get up on stage and strut your stuff at an OSO scratch night. The good news is that your performance won't be critiqued by Simon Cowell, on the other hand you will have to go through an audition process with the team. If you're interested you'll have to hurry as applications close tonight (July 7). See here for further details and to apply.

Reminder: No trains over Barnes Bridge for six days at the end of July

Network Rail will be carrying out maintenance work on Barnes Bridge for six days at the end of July (from July 28 to August 2) which will mean that no trains will be running over the bridge during that period. They will also be installing scaffolding on the bridge as part of the preparation works before the maintenance starts. The scaffolding installation will take place at night after trains stop running between 10pm and 5.30am on each night up to July 21.

Do you have a 'valuable tree' in your garden?

Because much of Barnes was built in Edwardian times on the site of old market gardens and orchards, many of us have some very old specimen trees in our gardens. Those of us who are lucky enough to live in even older Victorian and Georgian houses or flats can be the custodians of very long lived trees.

The team at Barnes Common are keen to make an inventory of special old trees and if you have a 'valuable' tree in your garden they would love to hear from you.

What they are especially interested in hearing about are trees that are known to be very old or have plenty of features such as woodpecker holds, dead branches and cavities.

Such trees are incredibly important habitats for saproxylic invertebrates like certain species of beetle that feed on decaying wood and these insects are incredibly important to our ecosystems. Mapping valuable trees can help the Barnes Common team develop a pathway of woody stepping stones to help preserve insect populations.

If you think you can help you can find out more here.

About the Bugle

The Barnes Village Bugle is an independent publication. People often think it's produced by the Barnes Community Association, but no, they have their own excellent email Prospect Plus. 

At the Bugle we endeavour to simply report what's going on in Barnes in as comprehensive and entertaining a way as possible. We have no agenda apart from spreading the word about the huge number of genuinely interesting things happening in and around Barnes and sharing information about local campaigns and news events.

If you have a story you would like to see featured in the Bugle do email us by clicking here.

We can't guarantee that we'll run it, but if we think it's going to be interesting to our readers then we'll publish your information.

If on the other hand you want to publicise a commercial venture then it's easy to advertise with us. Our mailing list has over 5,000 subscribers so you'll reach lots of people in Barnes very inexpensively.

The Bugle is a labour of love, not a profit-making venture. We pay to send it out and our mailing costs are covered by the fantastic support we get from Winkworth and our other advertisers. We'd love to get more advertising as that would at least go some way into covering the costs of our time, so if you advertise with us you'll not only be reaching a large audience you'll be keeping a local resource going.

At the Bugle we endeavour to check information for accuracy to the best of our abilities. However we are reliant on information provided to us by third parties. On occasion, dates and times of events may be subject to change and we would urge Bugle readers wishing to attend events, or use a service mentioned to verify information in advance. Where possible we provide links to websites to allow readers to double check the most recent information available, as details can be subject to change.

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