Have Your Say - London Fire Brigade Public Meeting

The London Fire Brigade is holding a public meeting this Thursday to discuss the cuts to the service in H&F. It is to be held at Hammersmith Town Hall, in the Assembly Hall, 7pm to 9pm, 31 March.

Londons Fire Authority is proposing to close 12 stations, axe 18 fire engines and make 520 fire officers redundant. 
This meeting is part of the Fire Brigades consultation, on the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan, where H&F residents can have their views heard. 
The Brigades prompt response to last year's fire at The Grange saved lives at risk and the building from far greater damage, so any changes to the service will be a serious concern.

Last years fire at The Grange

• Andy Slaughter
• Chronicle story
• London Fire Brigade on facebook
• FAQ about the Cuts
• Draft Fifth London Safety Plan

Upcoming Events for the Save Our Hospitals Campaign

Other chances to get involved:-

• the Lewisham campaign is to lobby the Houses of Parliament (St Stephen's Gate),Tuesday 26th March, 12 Noon; about section 75, which if unrepealed could lead to the wholesale privatisation of NHS
• Saturday stall on King St. - 12 to 2pm
• Stall at Furnival Gardens, 31 March, 2pm on Boat Race Day
• Save Our Hospitals website
• Join the campaign

Support our Hospitals Tomorrow!

Please Come to the Meeting of the Full Council tomorrow at Hammersmith Town Hall

MEET
6pm Tuesday 19th March

for an
ORDERLY and CIVILISED PROTEST

then at 7pm
move into council chamber for the meeting 

• Full Save Our Hospitals newsletter
• Letter sent to Councillors for the Extraordinary Meeting

Open Meeting 21st March 7.30pm

• All residents - to Register for the day trip please Email: lyttonhall@gmail.com 
• or mail the trips organiser Dawn at lyttontrip@gmail.com 

          with contact details (email & Tel. number)

Proposed Bike Stations near the Lytton Estate

The proposed TfL Bike Stations

Transport for London have updated LETRA about the proposed Bike Stations to be installed near the Lytton Estate. As reported in  the last post, the station on the estate itself has been shelved, but 3 remain, although they state, "this is not inclusive of all planning applications but is indicative of what TfL expects the network to be." 

The site at the top end of Olympia Way is the most likely, with another on Genwdr Road and the third beside the lay-by on the West Cromwell Road, behind the Three Kings pub.

Lytton's Boris Bike Station - the Work Starts or does it !

In a surprise development this morning, contractors started work outside Samuel Richardson House, on a TfL Bike Station for the Lytton Estate. Workmen lifted the paving slabs in front of the block, dug down to the electrical cables and installed a power point box for the station. After stating earlier this year, that they could not go ahead with a docking station in this location, "as it's unregistered land", the work was unexpected, especially as there has not been a consultation meeting with residents on the estate. 

As of now, LETRA  has been unable to reach the TfL Project Officer organising the scheme and on contacting H&F today, was informed that they had not been anticipating the start of works or had an agreement for the Lytton bike station been signed off.

H&F have promised to get back to LETRA with more information as soon as possible. We have also invited TfL to attend our Open Meeting next week, to discuss the project. 

Update: Monday, 18th :

After contacting TfL, LETRA has been informed that due to the 'unregistered land' issue, the Bike Station on the Lytton Estate is unlikely to go ahead anytime soon, although the location is still under consideration. We have requested for the work in front of Samuel Richardson House to be finished and the pavement returned to its previous state, after this unnecessary job; there is still a large fenced off hole obstructing the pathway, that residents have to walk in the road to avoid. 

LETRA has also asked for full update from TfL, of other Bike Stations in the near vicinity of our Estate, we will let you know when/if they reply.

• Bike Station home page
• Cycle hire map (pdf)

Workshop in Marcus Garvey Park

Yesterday in Marcus Garvey Park, the Hammersmith Community Gardens Association, together with local resident, Sean Adamson, ran an info stall about their community and environmental garden works across the borough. At the day, they also had open workshops, on using bike power to mix fruit smoothies and the making of bird boxes, where all could try out their carpentry skills.

The new project they hoping to launch in the park, with the help of local volunteers, will lead  to the planting of flower beds, a herb garden and the improvement of the parks wildlife habitat. 
Local councillor, Joe Carlebach, was there to lend support for the scheme; which should be starting shortly, giving locals the chance to work on creating a community garden in the park.

• Hammersmith Community Gardens Association

Your Paintings - The Nations Oil Paintings Online

Edward Burne-Jones, 'Love Among the Ruins' - one of his 83 works to view

The Your Paintings project is a comprehensive catalogue of the national collection of oil paintings, viewable online, some for the first time. Presented with an easy to use and searchable interface, you can view the paintings from museums and public institutions across the UK. There are over 200,000 works (many hidden away) and 37,000+ artists to chose from, so there is much to enjoy, plus the site also gives further information about the pictures and where to see them for real.

• Your Paintings home page
• Burne-Jones - oil paintings slideshow

Rerun of the BBC4 Series- The Pre-Raphaelites

Apologies for the late heads-up, but the excellent three-part series, 
The Pre-Raphaelites, began a repeat run on BBC4 last night. 
BBC quote-  "Series examining the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who brought notoriety to British art in the 19th century, bursting into the spotlight in 1848 and shocking their peers with a new kind of radical art. The opening programme explores the origins of the Brotherhood and their initial achievements, and looks at some of their key early works, the hostile criticism they faced and the centuries of academic dogma their paintings overturned."
It moves around on the BBC4 schedule over the next couple of weeks, but all three episodes can still be viewed on Freeview, or you can watch the last episode next Thursday and then on the BBC iPlayer or unofficially on YouTube.

• Episode 3 on BBC iPlayer 
• Episode 3 on BBC4, 8pm Thursday 28th March
• Wikipedia - Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
• Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource
• Unofficial YouTube hosting of the series in 9 parts

New Video for the 'Save Our Hospitals' campaign

Great online video/slide show for the 'Save our Hospitals' campaign - 

Top music as well

HAFFTRA Meeting

Guest speaker Anthony Wood and Chair Paul McInulty

Last night LETRA attended a meeting of the tenant and TRA support body HAFFTRA (Hammersmith and Fulham Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations). Despite having it's official link with H&F severed by the council, they are continuing their work for residents in the borough, by assisting TRA's with a number of services and holding regular meetings.
The evening's guest speaker was Anthony Wood, a Resident Involvement Panel member, who gave a well received talk on why H&F should set up a new Communications Panel, run by residents with council officer support, to improve the way information is conveyed by the authority.
Other issues discussed, were the recent unconsidered changing of the locks at community halls, so residents can't access their buildings, the ongoing issue of parking charges on estates and the surprising appointment of "Big Four" accountancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (at what cost?), to audit and help with the finances of TRA's. 
The next HAFFTRA meeting for TRA members will be their AGM, on April 3rd with Andy Slaughter MP, as guest the speaker.

• HAFFTRA or Tel: 020 8740 1282
• Resident Involvement Panel