Formosa Board apologises for hitch in pollarding plans

Sharp-eyed users of the Garden will have noticed that the bi-annual pollarding scheduled for early March was suspended after only a day or so following questions over the felling of three plane trees, two along Sutherland Avenue & one at the rear of Warrington Crescent. According to the original Garden Masterplan these did not appear to be due to be cut down for several more years.

The Formosa Board has now issued the following statement: “An administrative glitch between our tree agency & Westminster Council has meant that the pollarding process has had to be temporarily suspended.

“We understand that as soon as the permissions have been granted and our tree company has the resources necessary to complete the works, the pollarding will be completed as usual. Some residents have written to us to raise concerns regarding the sequencing of trees for felling and the process by which this was communicated. “The Garden Committee would like to confirm that a thorough investigation has now taken place & lessons have been learned, particularly in respect of timely communication with residents. The Garden Committee wanted to apologise to any residents who have been concerned enough to write in and wanted to thank them for their passion for the garden.

“We plan to discuss the matter again at our annual AGM so please do come along!”

Is this Little Venice's unloveliest corner?

Well Westminster City Council certainly seem to think so -- they've identified the area around Warwick Avenue tube station as ripe for improvement under phase one of their recently published Paddington Public Realm Strategy. They point out that the area should be a natural centre for the neighbourhood & a green gateway down to the canal that gives Little Venice its name -- instead it's marred by poor lay-out & a clutter of bike stands & recycling bins.

At a meeting with Westminster's "place-shaping" teams in early March local residents made clear they shared the Council's concerns. Among their biggest bugbears: the cafe for taxi-drivers which often appears unwelcoming towards regular punters; the ugly brick vent up from the tube below;the shabby state of St Saviour's Church which often acts as a magnet for homeless people & the down-at-heel appearance front & back of the -- four-star! -- Colonnade Hotel. They suggested any new proposals could take inspiration from a Parisian square with benches & maybe a little cafe or regular market -- & even a gravel surface to allow for the playing of boules! A statue of eminent local residents the code-breaker Alan Turing or the poet Robert Browning were also discussed.

Public consultation on the initial design phase of the project is expected to take place in June but meanwhile you can have your say by visiting the Citizen Engagemeent Platform Commonplace.

Be sure to stay on the alert

Sad to say there has been something of an upsurge in criminal & anti-social activity in the area recently so residents need to be on their guard, with people using their phones as they walk along proving particularly vulnerable. I was standing at the bus stop outside Tesco's on Clifton Road the other day when a girl became vey distressed after her phone was snatched by a guy on an electric bike who made off at speed with no chance of being caught..

There have also been reports of a man loitering along Castellain Road checking doorways & peering down into basements, presumably on the look-out for parcels which unfortunately all too often seem to be abandoned outside buildings when no-one is at home.

Last but not least a key box was smashed outside a flat in Castellain Road recently & the man who gained entry made off with an iPhone & iPad. Elsewhere a key safe was removed in its entirety which meant that the front door lock to the building had to be changed.

So -- eternal vigilance seems to be the watchword unfortunately!