News and events from Stonecot Hill, Sutton, Surrey
Residents in Hill Top have terrible trouble with fly tippers, but as their access road is private property the council aren’t that keen to help. Two recent suspicious fires in the area don’t seem to have made much difference.
Sometimes it’s better to show rather than to tell.
Stonecot Hill can look forward to a brighter and more colourful summer after volunteers from Sutton Living Streets gave the street planters a seasonal makeover.
Bright purple lavender plants and pink geraniums now shine alongside the more muted trees and shrubs, which themselves have had a timely trim.
The planting is part of Sutton Council’s Take Part Take Pride week, which encourages residents to organise events in their neighbourhoods to bring people together socially and to improve the places where they live.
Campaigner and keen gardener Charlotte Gilhooly said,
The planters have been dull for a long time and we wanted to do something about it now that summer’s here. We were really pleased when we heard about Take Part Take Pride and asked if we could use the opportunity to brighten up our neighbourhood. We’re delighted with the results and looking forward to keeping the planters in shape.
Sutton Living Streets is the local branch of a national charity that campaigns to promote walking, better streets and stronger communities.
Police and community support officers from Stonecot Safer Neighbourhoods Team are stepping up foot patrols after two suspicious fires broke out in the area last week.
The first fire left the Nisa Thai restaurant with a big clean-up job after the blaze destroyed the roof and part of the walls of its rear extension.
Three days later, a second fire caused damage to a garage at the rear of one of Hill Top’s houses, just 50 metres from the restaurant.
Prompt action from the fire brigade prevented the fires from spreading and kept damage to a minimum. No-one was hurt in either incident.
Stonecot Hill is now one of the many places to feature on Open Street Map. The site aims to let people work together to draw a street map of the whole world. Anyone can use the map, whether they just want to find out where they’re going or incorporate it in their own projects.
Like Wikipedia, anyone can edit Open Street Map. So as the local coverage was quite sparse I took the opportunity to add in the names of many of the roads, place the Woodstock pub and St Cecilia’s and Emmanuel churches and draw in some roads which weren’t already there.
You can see the full map by clicking on the image above. Anyone can contribute, so if you’ve got the time and the inclination and want to add in your road or place anything on the map from post boxes to cash machines, you can get started editing here.
A shop window has been smashed after being hit by an air rifle fired by a man in a passing van. No-one was hurt in the incident which happened while the shop was open but the window will need to be replaced. Sutton Police are investigating.
Did you see this incident or have you seen anything similar elsewhere? Do you know who might be responsible? Call Sutton Police on 020 8643 1212 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A bogus charity clothes recycling bank has been removed by Sutton Council. Operators Green World Recycling had not sought planning permission before leaving it on the pavement outside Favorite Chicken on Stonecot Hill.
According to the operators, proceeds from the sale of the donated goods would be given towards “essential environmental projects” run by the Gaia Movement Trust — after operating costs had been deducted. But an investigation by the Independent in 2000 found that no money from the proceeds of recycling had been donated to charity during the first three years of operation.
Neither Green World Recycling nor the Gaia Movement Trust are registered as charities in England. Its predecessor organisation, Humana UK, which ran similar clothes recycling schemes, was closed down by the Charity Commission in 1999.
Transport for London has bought 21 new vehicle removal trucks and opened nine new car pounds to crack down on illegally-parked vehicles causing congestion and hazards on London’s Red Routes. That’s one truck for every 17 miles of Red Route.
Launching the scheme on 27 February, head of enforcement at TfL Patrick Troy said, “Our new [towaway] vehicles will help keep London’s busiest roads clear and the traffic moving.”
But the story on the ground has been very different. In the two weeks since the London Wide Removals Service started, TfL have tried to remove six vehicles from Stonecot Hill, none of which were obstructing traffic flow or causing a safety hazard. While all were technically breaking the law, they were safely away from the traffic on the main road in marked loading bays.
Now concern is growing over obstructions and hazards caused by TfL’s own removal vehicles.
Continue reading ‘Zero tolerance: TfL declares war on illegal Red Route parking’
Transport for London’s consultation with local residents and businesses about parking on the A24 Red Route has been delayed until after the London mayoral and GLA elections on 1st May. The authority has a policy of not conducting politically-sensitive consultations close to an election so as to not influence or to be seen to be influencing the vote.
Over 2000 residents, traders and visitors to Stonecot Hill signed a petition in August 2007 asking for a review of local parking arrangements which were felt not to reflect the needs of local people.
A young girl has been injured while crossing Stonecot Hill with her mother. Police and paramedics attended the scene at around midday today after the girl was hit by a Merton council waste vehicle while using the crossing island just south of Ash Road. An air ambulance also attended the scene.
According to a witnesses, the girl who is said to be around four years old and her mother were in the central island of the crossing when she was struck by the vehicle.
As of 3.30pm, Stonecot Hill remains closed to traffic between the Woodstock and Burleigh Road while police examine the scene and the vehicle involved. Buses are being diverted via Sutton Common Road.
Our thoughts are with the girl and her family. We wish her a full and speedy recovery.
UPDATED 6.00pm: Stonecot Hill has reopened to traffic in both directions.
Police examining the vehicle
Air ambulance
See also: Sutton Guardian, Girl Hit By Lorry in North Cheam
Paul Burstow visited Stonecot Hill on Friday (19 October) to talk with local traders and residents about parking facilities and improving the area.
Sutton and Cheam’s Liberal Democrat MP walked the length of Stonecot Hill’s shopping parade to assess the difficulties caused by current parking regulations and the state of the street scene generally.
Mr Burstow will be writing to Transport for London to clarify the parking consultation process which will start in November, following a petition from 2000 local people. He will also encourage progress on various street maintenance issues.
Suttonboro News