onionbagblog

And so I write a hashed considered blog post all about the perceived threat of crime in SW8, and then an hour later, I receive a letter through the door:

Residents of XXXX House, XXXX Road SE8 [it's actually SW8]

Dear Residents

RE: The Bill

I am writing to inform you that The Bill will be filming in the location named above, on Wednesday 17th March 2010 between the hours of 08:30 and 19:30 approximately.

As a result you may notice a little more activity in the nearby area; I would like to offer assurance that the schedule has been planned to ensure you are caused minimal inconvenience and disturbance.

Yours faithfully

David Downing: Unit Manger
For and on behalf of Talkback Thames Television.

Who sanctions such filming? How much do they get paid? Where does the money go?

For an area that is suffering an increase in local crime of late, I find it in extremely poor taste that the mean streets of Sunny Stockwell are going to become the back drop for some TV friendly violence.

Our neighbourhood is still coming to terms with the death of a teenager following a stabbing incident here just over a year ago. For a TV production company to return to this patch and record a crime drama, all in the name of viewing figures, seems slightly incredulous to me.

Have these people no shame or morals? I live in a community, not a TV production set. We have enough of our own problems around here right now, without having to deal with a TV production crew trampling around with their clipboards all day.

It is beyond comical. The Police Dispersal Zone that was introduced into this area to deal with ASB is now going to provide the backdrop for this very same kind of activity.

It’s like crime has been sanctioned in SW8 for one day only. Roll your cameras, do the crime tourism thing and then bugger off back to media land. Not a second thought for the crime that remains around here, once you have the money shot.

Here’s hoping that the failure so far of the PDZ to control Mad Rupert of SW8 continues when the boys from The Bill are walking around my little patch of South London.

Yer man Mad Rupert will introduce them to the demands of front line policing. Welcome to Sunny Stockwell.

Crime is an issue that concerns many around my little patch of South London. Not wanting to sound like Nick Ross, but it’s usually a fear of crime, rather than crime per se, that is often the real threat.

Our friends over at Stand Up For Stockwell have published their response today – a video which looks at the Conservative party’s national policy on crime, rather than addressing the real issues on the ground here in Stockwell.

At least this move is in line with @LambethLabour’s election policy of uploading videos to youtube that criticise others, rather than offering any genuine local solutions.

I’ve managed to have a look at a presentation delivered by the Safer Lambeth Partnership, an organisation that includes the council, police force, probation service, health agencies and other organisations who work together to deliver the Community Safety Strategy.

The data presented was used to assist the Police Tasking and Coordination meeting in the allocation of resources to help reduce crime in Lambeth over a two-week period in February.

It must be emphasised that all data relates to only reported crime. This is often distorted, with bizarre policies such as having to report the disappearance of a wheelie bin as theft.

But hopefully by looking at some of the micro level crime taking place around here right now, it will offer a more positive response to crime in Stockwell than simply posting up a fear of crime video.

The Burglary Performance is steady around my area. The Oval and Larkhall wards both report a rise of one. Stockwell shows a decrease of two, showing that the figures are more or less stable over the previous period. Ferndale and Tulse Hill have been highlighted as priority locations.

The recommendations are for Lambeth Living to identify vulnerable homes. This is an issue that the @LambethLabour #labourdoorstep team have been electioneering with over on the Bolney Meadow estate area of late. I’m still not sure why a party in power has to organise a petition to get security grills placed on council owned stock. I’m not alone, either.

Speaking of door knockers… My personal policy is to never answer the door unless I am expecting someone at my home. This may mean that I don’t get to engage with the good local door knocking politicians; it also means that I am unlikely to be taken in by the many chancers that come door knocking with their tales of endless woe.

As the presentation identifies, door knocking is also used as a tactic to assess if a property is empty or not. I usually get around this concern by playing rather loud music.

It’s incredibly depressing that I can’t feel safe to open my door to strangers. The constant tales of needing bus fare to visit a sick relative, or a girlfriend about to give birth, sadly means that community around here has been reduced to living behind a bolted door.

I feel very uneasy about the deployment of mobile CCTV as a safeguard. I feel equally uneasy about the current fear of crime. It’s a tough balancing act, and one that is hard to equate. Possibly the timely call for a higher policing presence on the streets is a solution?

On a micro local level and it seems that CCTV is being employed to tackle “night time economy issues.” This is a euphemism for binge drinking and drug dealing around Clapham High Street.

The presentation includes details of the new Antisocial Behaviour Reporting Line. This is a brilliant move, especially so around the Police Dispersal Zone in SW8. I hope the phone line has more success in curtailing ASB than my recent efforts in approaching three officers to deal with Mad Rupert of SW8.

Sticking with ASB and I was rather shocked to see that Larkhall suffers from the highest level of substance abuse in the borough. Twenty calls relating to substance misuse were made in the Larkhall ward during the two-week period.

This is a figure higher than areas such as Brixton Hill (17) and Coldharbour (7) where blatant drug dealing is seen as the norm. I wonder why the figure is so high for Larkhall? My only thought is that Larkhall Park becomes something of drug dealing hotspot once the evening falls.

The presentation concludes by stating that the Partnership Action Team will be deployed at the weekend around Clapham. This is once again related to the nighttime economy.

There is nothing new in the presentation to suggest that crime around my little patch of South London is running at a level that I wasn’t previously aware of. It’s not a positive news story, but at least it is being addressed.

It would be useful if our friends @labourstockwell addressed the local issues, rather than point towards the national picture.

Two weeks following the re-opening of The Canton Arms along South Lambeth Road, @AnnaJCowen and I decided to dine out at what is now our local boozer.

The old Canton was a decent drinking place, but it became a cropper with the decline of the traditional pub business: cheap booze in supermarkets, over-priced pints and shunting smokers out into the cold South London night, treating them like social lepers – which they are, of course.

Something had to give.

That something has re-surfaced in SW8 with the new look Canton positioning itself as part pub, part restaurant. Don’t even begin to mention the ghastly gastro word.

The space at the Canton suits itself perfectly to this new arrangement. There is ample bar room at the front of the building for all the bustle of the local boozers. Likewise the area behind the main bar allows diners to enjoy their food away from the buzz (and glare) of the bar room thinkers.

It’s a tough act to balance booze and nosh – even tougher to try and do it by keeping both constituents happy. The Canton pulls this off perfectly by not pigeon holing customers upon arrival.

We walked up to the bar, and an eager chap hovered, one hand on a pint glass, one hand on a food menu. We asked if it a table was available, and were led towards the back space and some seating in the corner.

There’s a whole new team in place along the South Lambeth Road, fronted up by legendary chef Trish Hilferty. Foodies out east will be familiar with Trish’s fine talents from her days spent in the kitchen at The Fox over in Shoreditch.

The rest of the Canton team is more or less made up of the fine people behind the Anchor & Hope on Great Queen Street. A local touch has been added with all bread provided by the lovely @bakermanisbakin from Di Lieto along South Island Place.

This was our first food for the evening. A generous helping of incredibly fresh bread, the best this side of the river. A bottle of water was served, as we selected from the wine menu. A bottle of Bergerie de la Bastide was brought along, providing a warm taste to match our surroundings.

Some fine conversation followed with a couple of members of staff. We asked about the business, and the prospects for the local economy. Although only two weeks into trading, the future is looking healthy.

We rightfully celebrate the uniqueness of Little Porto, a short distance down the South Lambeth Road; but to find a boozer restaurant that has some variety away from the staple of fish and olive based dishes in SW8, should equally be held in high esteem.

Chicken saltimbocca received my endorsement. @AnnaJCowen went with potato gnocchi and chestnut mushrooms. I was slightly disappointied to find that the side dish of greens and potatos were charged extra for my course. But for the slight sum of £2.50, I experienced a side serving of boiled cabbage that was actually a joy, rather than a chore, to eat.

With life still left in the Bergerie, we went with the desert menu. My Little Chocolate Pot was indeed little, although incredibly filling. I was unable to help out @AnnaJCowen with her generous serving of pear and almond tart.

It’s not just the evening menu that is starting to attract attention at the new Canton either. Toasties are fast attracting a reputation as the finest food around these parts for your lunchtime snack.

This seems to fit in with the carefully thought out business model in place. Locals are being courted with a new dining experience on their doorstep, in parallel with a ploy to attract diners from outside of the SW8 area.

The new Canton pub sign reflects this, incorporating the traditional crest with the addition of cutlery. I like to think of it as a win win situation. I haven’t just gained a new boozer, but also a new restaurant. This probably gives me good reason to return soon for a beer session.

We settled the bill, with some loose pocket change coming out of a fifty-pound note. The front bar was buzzing, proving that both food and fine ale can live side by side. Or even both together.

Chin chin.

There’s been a great deal of debate about crime around my little patch of South London over the past week. Sadly first hand accounts of attempted muggings and burglaries have been on the increase. Sign up with the excellent Streets Ahead email network if you want to help to share information within the community.

I witnessed some extreme anti-social behaviour early on Thursday evening around Dorset Road. Local residents will be familiar with Mad Rupert. Six foot six, continual ranting and roars, and a very real, physical threat to the local community.

The poor chap is clearly unwell. He disappears for periods of a couple of months (hospital?) and then returns to spread fear within the community. His weapon of choice is a walking stick, which he isn’t afraid to lash out at random passers by.

Mad Rupert was in full flow as I walked down Dorset Road, en route to Nine Elms. A young mum came out of Bolney Meadow with her daughter, and walked straight into the path of Mad Rupert.

A racial insult, and then a swing of his walking stick at her legs – Welcome to Lambeth.

I walked with the mother and child back towards their flat and waited for the silence. Mad Rupert has a calling card that means he can be heard a couple of hundred yards away.

I spoke briefly with the mum about her concerns. Her poor girl look petrified. I’ve had similar conversations with Goran, my SW8 man with a Licence to Drill. Goran is also six foot six, and equally petrified of Mad Rupert.

And then by chance, I passed three coppers as I walked past the South Lambeth Library. Bingo. I relayed the story, and told them that Mad Rupert’s behaviour / illness was escalating.

Dorset Road remains a Police Dispersal Zone. Although this paints a picture more in line with gangland LA, local residents widely support the move. It gives the police the powers to move on anyone who is acting in an anti-social manner. I suspect the PDZ was brought in purely for Mad Rupert.

The coppers thanked me for the information, radioed for back up and then headed off towards Dorset Road. At least that’s what I think happened. It was hard to tell as half an hour later as I returned, Mad Rupert was bashing an old bloke around the ankles with his stick.

This man is ill. He shouldn’t be allowed to roam the streets of SW8, causing genuine terror amongst the residents. I wish I had noted the badge numbers of the police I spoke with. I would genuinely like to know what action, if any, they took.

Meanwhile, Mad Rupert is somewhere within a couple of hundred yards as I type. I can hear his calling card. His bark may be worse than his bite, but it’s a risk that my local community shouldn’t have to be prepared to take.

Plus: Fill in the @lambethcpcg questionnaire if you want to register any particular concerns involving policing around this patch.

Saturday morning, and a further example of how the proposed John Lewis style of local government is just pure pre-election fantasy, rather than a serious approach to address the problems that we are facing in Lambeth.

Local Labour Councillors @cllr_robbins and @cllrstevereed, leader of Lambeth Labour, have been out doing the #labourdoorstep thing around my little patch of South London.

Good work – it’s rare that we get the knock knock treatment from *any* politicians around here. The presence of the good Councillors on the mean streets of SW8 has to be applauded and encouraged.

In particular, the door knockers were keen to support a petition by local residents to put pressure on Presentation, the company that manages the Bolney Meadow housing stock on behalf of @lambeth_council:

Ten of us out in Stockwell collecting a petition for security doors. #labourdoorstep

With Bolney Meadow recently becoming part of the Police Dispersal Zone, tenants are campaigning for Presentation to fit security doors on their property.

When asked about where the John Lewis model fits into all of this, the good @cllr_robbins reported:

@Jason_Cobb did get positive feedback from a couple of residents, but more support for campaign to get security doors fitted.

Hang on – so here we have a situation where having voted to transfer their stock out of local authority management, the tenants are now being encouraged by electioneering politicians to petition Presentation to make improvements to council owned stock.

Failing that, then there’s always the DIY approach of the proposed John Lewis style of the management of council owned facilities – take control of the property (and repair bills) yourself, all in the name of a cooperative.

So who is ultimately responsible for the state of disrepair that council owned property has been allowed to fall into? The housing association? The tenants who have been encouraged to set up a cooperative?

It certainly doesn’t sound like the electioneering politicians and their petitions want to be accountable for the fitting of security doors around the council stock of the Bolney Meadow estate.

Nu Labour talk about opening up the market and empowering residents, but it seems that the only empowering being done is for the democratically elected officials losing all accountability. Let the housing association manage your property, or manage it yourself under a re-branding exercise – anyone but us.

Actually, that sounds like more of an anarchist bookshop model, rather than a fancy John Lewis department store system of local government. It may just appeal to me.

Ah, the power of the blog. It even gets the local Labour lot around these parts to put the virtual pen to paper.

Blimey.

Well, not quite. In the continuing, tiresome saga of the corner of the Clap’ham Road and Crewdson Road property without planning permission, the opening of the inbox early on Monday evening delivered not one, but two emails from the Labour party candidates who will be hopeful for my vote come the merry month of May.

Careful what you wish for, ‘n all that.

Anyway – you may remember how I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of intervention from the award winning @lambeth_council planning department to actually implement a policy ruling that it passed some six months ago.

I ended up having to email my local LibDem Councillors, to see of they could kick some liberal ass.

Cripes.

True to past from, and @cllrrobbanks delivered. Good man.

Meanwhile, I thought it only fair that I gave the Labour party around my micro local patch of South London the opportunity to also respond with a potential solution.

Although not (yet) democratically accountable, I thought it would be good to find out what type of policy Labour would have in place to deal with the laissez faire landlord and his complete disregard for planning permission and the local community.

Two weeks of waiting, and the big white blob in m’blog was the diddly squat reply from the Labour party around these parts. Meanwhile, the Love Me I’m a Liberal Lot (who yep, are democratically accountable) had already pressed the matter with the award winning planning department @lambeth_council, with pledges of actual action.

And so a casual tweet on Saturday, and neighbouring local Labour Councillor @cllr_robbins intervened with talk of “having a word.”

Very decent of the good Councillor, ‘n all that. But he really shouldn’t have to spend his valuable civic time chasing up matters in a ward that he hasn’t been elected to serve.

And whaddya know – looky looky here – it’s only a mail from the Labour lot, hoping to get elected around here in a couple of months time. Coincidence? Or maybe just a bit of a behind the scenes intervention from the good @cllr_robbins?

Hi,

I’ve seen your blog. I’m sorry you felt we didn’t get back to you quickly enough. I only live round the corner and have been trying to get clarity on the issue myself!

It seems like you got an answer from elsewhere already which is obviously good news. I will be keeping tabs on it and am happy to be of any help in future if there’s no actual progress on site. As I said, I live in the next road down to you so I’m in the area all the time if you want anything looked into – please do get in touch.

Regards

Karim

Which is all rather good. I like the “live around the corner” friendly garden fence style of our Labour friend. We’ll be having tea and biscuits on the mean streets of SW8 before polling day comes along, singing songs of international Socialism as May Day approaches.

The safety in numbers approach of the local Labour party came with an email timed exactly four minutes since the first arrived. Conspiracy? Coincidence? Or probably who really cares?

Hi Jason,

Supplementary to Karim’s response, just to say the issue of flouting planning permission is something I feel strongly about.

If elected I would work to support the work of planning enforcement and lobby for legal action where appropriate.

Again – sorry if you felt there was a delay as Karim looked onto your query.

Regards

Jane

We got there, eventually. Many thanks to (deep breath) @cllrrobbanks, @cllr_robbins, Karim, Jane and the award winning planning department @lambeth_council.

The top floor on the corner of the Clap’ham Road / Crewdson Road is still standing. ‘Mukesh Andani‘ has been overtaken by ‘Lambeth Labour leisure fail‘ as the top search on m’blog for the past seven days.

Ah, the power of the blog…

Back to micro, micro #hyperlocal events around my patch – which can only mean one issue: Mr Mukesh Andani and his planning permission-less eyesore on the corner of Crewdson Road and the Clap’ham Road.

The top floor remains, along with the scaffolding, as well as ‘Mukesh Andani‘ appearing in m’blog stats as the highest search over the past two weeks. Watching you, watching me, watching you, etc.

In the absence of any desire from our friends at the award winning @lambeth_council planning department to actually implement the judgement for Mr Andani to demolish the top floor, as passed some six months ago, I thought I would see what my local councillors could do about the matter:

4th February 2010

Hi there

Not at all a criticism of you guys, but do you think the planning department has forgotten about Mr Mukesh Andani?

It really is disgraceful that he can continue to flout the law in such a public manner.

Many thanks

Jason Cobb

Face to face contact with my local councillors is lovely, and indeed it does happen at the most unlikely opportunities. But the Liberal lot here at The Oval are also rather good at responding, and acting, upon email communication.

The opening up of the Inbox on Friday morning, and the following mail dropped:

Hi Jason – latest on the Clapham Road planning problem. It gives the full saga of appeals, enforcement notices and further legal action likely:

Dear Councillor Banks

The building you refer to in your enquiry below is 61 Clapham Road. An enforcement notice was served with respect to the property requiring the removal of the additional storey and the uPVC windows erected on the front elevation at basement level. The owner of the premises submitted a retrospective planning application for the retention of the works but this was refused so an appeal was lodged. The appeal was subsequently dismissed and consequently the owner was required to comply with the notice. Further to failed attempts to get the owner to comply with the notice, prosecution proceedings were instigated last year and the owner was convicted on 10 August 2009 in Inner London Crown Court where he was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay the council £2,571 in costs.

Further to this prosecution, the enforcement team has been in contact with the owner in an attempt to secure compliance with the enforcement notice. Some progress has been made – scaffolding has been re-erected on the property [um, yeah - window dressing, in every sense] and I also understand that the top floor flat has been vacated in anticipation of undertaking the remedial works. I recently informed the owner of my concerns about the progress of remedial works and notified him that a second prosecution will be forthcoming if progress is not satisfactory. I understand that they intend to commence demolition within the next [edied at the request of @cllrrobbankss - rest assured, the date is in my diary] however I am mindful of previous failures to abide by their undertakings and consequently I am preparing a second prosecution file in the event that the works are not commenced.

I hope the above information is useful.

xxxx
Senior Planning Enforcement Officer
Planning Division
Housing, Regeneration & Environment
London Borough of Lambeth

So progress, if not necessarily on the property itself, but hopefully behind the scenes. As if the un-licensed top floor wasn’t enough of an eyesore, the tatty scaffolding really is a blot on the SW8 landscape.

Mindful of some major event happening in the Rotten Borough come May time, I thought in the interest of fairness, it would only be polite to ask our friends from the Labour party in The Oval ward, what they would do if elected (Tories around here are AWOL):

4th February 2010

Hi there

If elected, what would you do as Councillors to resolve the continuing flouting of planning permission that is taking place on the Clapham Road / Crewdson Road corner?

It seems that local residents are suffering with the eyesore, whereas the landlord has been let off.

Many thanks

Jason Cobb

Here’s the response:

Yep, no reply from the candidates who are campaigning for my vote in a couple of months time. I think my ballot box decision has just been made a whole lot easier.

To be fair, Lambeth Labour in The Oval ward is not democratically accountable. The good @cllrrobbanks has responsibilities, which he has rightfully acted upon. But in the absence of any offline door knocking from the Labour lot, an online reply would have been nice.

I wonder if they do the door knocking thing on the corner of Crewdson Road / Clap’ham Road?