Residents may remember that last Summer Sutherland Avenue resident John Gregson launched a petition calling for the short stretch of Formosa Street between Warrington Crescent & Castellain road to be closed to traffic. The idea was to make it a safe space for people to shop, eat, socialise & generally support our vital local businesses as suggested in the artist's impression above. Anyway the petition garnered enough signatures for it to be considered by Westminster City Council, & now they've come back with two options of their own.
Option 1 would be to adopt John's plan for a full 24/7 closure to traffic; Option 2 envisages a partial closure during some hours of the day. The Council has now opened a consultation to solicit residents' views -- full details, including plans & FAQs, can be found at https://formosastreetpublicrealm.commonplace.is/. The consultation runs until January 16th which given the intervention of Christmas & New Year isn't terribly long, so do go online to register your vote.
John Gregson is clearly urging a verdict in favour of Option 1, pointing out that under Option 2 there is likely to be confusion over when the road is open to traffic & when it isn't, meaning that vehicles may end up being on the street even at times when they are prohibited with an attendant risk to pedestrians' safety.
Anyway whatever your view change will be happening & now is your chance to shape the form it will take!
A warm welcome to two AMSBM Property Managers who will be overseeing Formosa Garden and serve as the primary point of contact for residents.
Savannah Cox (Senior Property Manager) joins the Formosa team with extensive experience from her many years with AMSBM. She will be supported by Georgia Smith (Assistant Property Manager) with day to day administration. Both Savannah and Georgia are excited to get to know the garden and its vibrant community.
These changes follow Sarah Hope’s decision to accept an attractive opportunity with another organisation, and Elise Robyn-Williams’ well-deserved internal promotion. While warmly welcoming Savannah and Georgia to their new roles, the Board would also like to extend sincere thanks to Sarah and Elise for their contributions during the transition from our previous Managing Agent. We wish them every success in their future endeavours.
Updated: Nov 23
Residents are invited to make the most of the local festivities in our neighbourhood as we welcome the Christmas season. A list of upcoming events is provided below—if you know of any others, please let us know by emailing support@formosagarden.co.uk so we can add them to the list.
Upcoming Festive Events:
Lighting of the Christmas Tree, Warwick Avenue Tube Station – Scheduled for 1st December at 5.30pm. The lights will be switched on by Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Patricia McAllister and carols will be provided by 3 of the local primary schools. Mince pies and hot drinks will be available at Clifton Nurseries afterwards. Notice of this event was provided by Westminster Council.- check their website for any updates.
Abbey Road Studios Christmas Concert, Studio 2 – Launching on 6th December, with performances available on selected dates until 21st December. Their Christmas Quartet will offer a selection of carols and Christmas Film Classics.
Paddington Waterways & Maida Vale Society Christmas Carol Concert – Taking place at St Mary’s Church, Paddington Green on 10th December. Doors open at 18.00 and the service begins at 18.30.
Residents are encouraged to check the links provided for the latest information about these events and to join in the festive celebrations. With thanks to Pat Graham of Warrington Crescent and the Formosa Book Group (A-L) for information about these events.
