News – Page 39 – Eastcote Residents' Association

Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

The UK Government has made £250 million available to councils like yours, telling them that they’re expected to make significant changes to their road layouts and give more space to cyclists and pedestrians, to help people move around safely as the lockdown is eased.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has also made £10 million available to local authorities for temporary cycling and walking infrastructure with the Welsh Government similarly making funds available and inviting councils to apply.

With money now available to local authorities from governments across Britain and governments beginning to discuss plans for easing the lockdown, there’s no excuse for delay.

That’s why I’m writing to ask for your help to get your council to ask for the cash and start installing pop-up cycle lanes, widening pavements and taking other measures to help people socially distance whilst walking and cycling as lockdown restrictions start to ease.

We’ve made this really easy by creating two editable letters. If you have the time, you can edit the letters and add your own suggestions about what’s needed in your area or google search for your local cycling campaign group and see if they’ve made any suggestions you want to include.

If you want space for people to walk and cycle, and space to socially distance, please ask your council to take action now.

Thanks, as always, for your incredible support.

Duncan Dollimore,

Head of Campaigns and Advocacy

Cycling UK

Town Centre Rain Gardens

The Eastcote Town Centre rain gardens have been shortlisted for a prestigious Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) award:

https://www.ice.org.uk/about-ice/near-you/uk/london/awards/london-civil-engineering-awards

The project has been entered in the ICE London Civil Engineering Awards 2020, People’s Choice Award, which celebrates civil engineering projects transforming lives.

There is a public vote which is now open and closes at 17.00 Monday 18 May 2020 – you can vote here:

https://www.ice.org.uk/about-ice/near-you/uk/london/awards/london-civil-engineering-awards/peoples-choice-voting-form

Invitation to participate in study on density

It is hard to find land in London to build on. One suggestion is to increase density – to allow more to be built on a piece of land.

To this end, my colleagues and I at the London School of Economics have put together a survey to better understand what Outer London residents think about this.

The survey can be accessed by clicking on this link and then, after having read the instructions, by clicking ‘Continue’. It consists of two parts. The first is a short questionnaire and the second contains a series of images for the participant to respond to. More detailed information, including a consent form, can be found on the survey’s introduction page. Participants are encouraged to complete the survey by May 31. If there are any technical questions or issues, please feel free to email me.

Link to the survey:

COVID-19 SMS/Text message Scams

Please see https://cfa.nhs.uk/resources/downloads/fraud-awareness/covid-19/COVID-19_SMS_and_Text_Message_Scams.pdf

for advice about SMS/Text message scams that criminals are using during this current crisis.

HS2 works for tunnel boring machines power supply

UKPN will be starting work on digging trenches and laying ducts that will hold the TBM power cable from the 18 May. During the Covid-19 pandemic they will prioritise road junctions due to vehicle numbers being significantly reduced, which will help to relieve causing congestion when traffic levels return to normal. This phase of the scheme should take place until July.

The affected road junctions will be Rayners Lane roundabout to Whittington Way, Whittington Way, Junction between Cannon Lane and Cannonbury Avenue, Deane Croft Road and Field End Road Junction, East Way Junction, Windmill Way Junction with Westholme Gardens, Windmill Way intersection with Manor Way, and The White Bear roundabout. Once these main junctions are complete UKPN will look to continue the work along the rest of the planned route.

Their working hours will be 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 1pm on Saturdays with any quiet work continuing until 4pm, and no work on Sundays, although traffic management will remain in place for the duration of the works.

This work will not affect the electricity supply in the area.

UKPN will be writing to residents along the planned power supply route next week.

High Street update – Covid19

The latest information regarding shops open on our High Street is available here and will be updated weekly.

if you have any updates then please Contact Us

ERA subscriptions

Eastcote Residents Association is adapting to the new world we find ourselves in. Some things haven’t changed – we continue to represent residents for example around flood action, HS2 works, Planning matters and much much more.

Some things are changing – most notably that our Road Stewards are maintaining social distancing and so we are having to adapt to make use of virtual meetings and more online based interactions.

If you are an ERA member then you can help your road steward by simply clicking the button to set up an annual Direct Debit for your £2 subscription: Direct Debit

You can also help by encouraging people you know to subscribe to our weekly emails, and, if they are not already a member, to join so that we can continue to represent and support Eastcote Residents.

These links can be copied and emailed.

Click here to subscribe to ERA weekly emails

Click here to Join ERA

The committee would like to thank you for your support

Wildlife in and around Eastcote.

It is a very busy time at the moment for our feathered friends. Watching house sparrows and starlings visit their nests under the eaves of my roof has become one of my favourite pastimes. Constantly flying in and out, to feed their chicks; do they ever rest?

The best part is when you spot a fluffy baby bird, just about to fledge. I consider myself very fortunate to have them here, since both birds are red-listed as a species of high conservation concern.

The UK house sparrow (the other species of sparrow in the UK is the tree sparrow), has declined by around 70% from 1977 to 2008.

It’s not all bad news though – more recent surveys suggest that numbers are once again on the increase in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In terms of identification, male house sparrows look a little smarter than the females, with their black bibs and white cheeks.

As for the starling, research shows a decrease in numbers by about 66% from the mid seventies. In the summer, their glossy black plumage shimmers with a purplish-green wash. They also have yellow beaks. In winter their plumage is spotted with beige.

Starlings are known for murmurations – when large numbers of starlings flock together – diving and swooping, forming immense patterns in the sky.

Today, the best places to see murmurations are in more rural areas such as Middleton Moor- Derbyshire, Brighton’s derelict west pier and Gretna Green in Scotland.

Have you got sparrows or starlings in your garden or street?

Indoors Activity

Why not join in with the RSPB bird watching challenge – https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-families/family-wild-challenge/activities/go-birdwatching/.

Outdoors Activity

Or, make a home for starlings – https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/createacosystarlinghome/

Diana Williams, local resident who helps with ‘Classroon in the Woods’