SPRING 2007 EDITION

SPRING EDITION

After a brief setback in mid-March, when Mother Nature reminded us we can still experience wintery conditions, the weather now looks fair going forward (as the Americans would say!) into the longer days and warmer months. Much activity can be anticipated in the garden together with the constant purring sound of motor lawn mowers as we move towards the advent of Summer.

This edition contains a membership slip for completion and delivery to your Road Warden whose address is highlighted at the back of this Newsletter. I am pleased to report that yet again the annual subscription remains unchanged at a £1 coin for each adult member of your household and this is, of course, to pay for the running costs of the Association. We do like to try and complete the subscription process during April and if you are unable to deliver your subscription and membership slip direct to your Road Warden then expect a call around the end of the month! This edition goes to every house in our area whether or not you are currently a member; if you are NOT a member then we do hope this newsletter will encourage you to join along with the vast majority of residents in the locality. Membership currently stands at around 80% of houses which is quite impressive but we do like to try and raise that figure every year. So this edition of Knoll News gives every one the opportunity to join or rejoin and pay our modest membership subscription for the coming year. It also gives a brief account of our Annual General Meeting and reports on a number of current issues and items of general interest.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Around 100 members attended the meeting in late November which was a splendid turnout. This is very reassuring to your Committee as it reflects a healthy interest in the work of the Association. Once the 2 formal business of the meeting was completed we heard from a number of speakers. Mrs Cheryl Curr, our new Town Centre Manager, updated us on various matters concerning the High Street, Sergeant John Kemp gave a presentation on the work of the Safer Neighbourhood Police team and Mr Gareth Davies from Bromley Council outlined the interim parking arrangements in our locality during the demolition and reconstruction of the Station Road Car Park. There was a wide ranging discussion on these matters and our local Councillors dealt with a range of questions from the floor. Following this Open Forum we adjourned to sample some tasty snacks and tolerable wine and converse with friends, neighbours and fellow residents. Following the meeting the new Committee met and welcomed Ms Alyson McCartney who had volunteered to fill the vacancy caused by the departure of Andrew Wallace so I am pleased to report that the Committee now has a full complement of members. Bill Daniell tendered his resignation as Treasurer after holding the post for a number of years. We are deeply indebted to Bill for his sterling work in keeping the accounts in good order as Treasurer and he has kindly agreed to continue as a Committee member. Ian Black has offered to take over the role of Treasurer and his appointment was fully endorsed by the Committee. Although he has a difficult act to follow I am confident that Ian will prove to be as through and prudent as his predecessor.

TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENTS

Cheryl Curr, our Town Centre Manager, has informed us that following the closing of the Station Road Car Park on 31 January 2007 there are plans to refurbish the Walnuts Car Park with enhanced lighting and signage. As you may know it has also changed to a "pay on foot" system. An official from the Council's Enforcement Department has visited and/or written to all the landlords, householders and businesses around the passage way from Clinton Cards to Berwick Way/Vincent Close explaining to them their responsibilities on waste storage and removal in this area which has for some considerable time been an eyesore. If there is non-compliance then the Council will institute action against the offenders. Graffiti packs have also been delivered to businesses in the locality who have agreed to clear graffiti in their immediate vicinity. Cheryl is also a member of a partnership with the Parks Department and the Curator of Bromley Museums which hopes to be able to put on an event in Priory Gardens this summer. Subject to the funding being obtained they hope to host the Sealed Knot Society for such an event. Finally, Bromley Council has commissioned work on a Development Plan for the future of Orpington Town Centre. Consultants will be appointed in April and will begin evidence gathering almost immediately and hold stakeholder consultations. The plan is that this stage of the work should be completed by the end of August. There will then be a period for public consultation before the master plan is finalized early next year with a view to adoption by the middle of the year. The KRA intends to be closely involved in this process and future newsletters will keep you informed of progress.

PLANNING

We receive details from Bromley Council of all planning applications in our locality including the High Street. Carol Gray, our Planning Secretary, keeps a close eye on these and submits a written report on all of them to each Committee meeting. In addition, residents do from time to time seek her advice about planning applications which they consider may have an adverse impact on their property or neighbourhood and where appropriate we make representations to the Planning Committee of Bromley Council. Whilst we rarely comment on individual house extensions we have made representations about concerns raised with us about plans to demolish properties and "infill" with a larger number of new properties. We have been successful recently with regard to a proposal to demolish practically the whole of Orchard Grove (numbers 1-23) and replace with 2 four storey blocks comprising 5 one bedroom/59 two bedroom/ 12 three bedroom flats and 16 three storey three bedroom houses together with 86 car parking spaces. The Planning Committee agreed with us that this would be out of keeping with the neighbourhood, constitute over-development with loss of privacy and could cause adverse traffic conditions and so they rejected the planning application. An earlier proposal from the same developer to demolish four properties and replace them with flats which was also rejected is now the subject of an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate to whom we have made similar representations. Similarly, we objected to a planning application to build at 17 The Drive a detached two storey office building incorporating basement office store and garage with access from The Avenue as inappropriate in a residential area and this proposal was rejected by the Planning Committee. This is also now subject to an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate and we have reported our concerns to them. Another planning application that we have opposed is for the erection of a terrace block comprising of 3 three bedroom houses at land at the rear of 55 and 57 Vinson Close. This application for infilling has yet to be considered by the Planning Committee. At the time of writing there is no news on the further planning application from Tesco's to substantially increase the size of their store from that granted in the original planning application. The Planning Committee have yet to reach a decision on this.

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM

Sergeant John Kemp the leader of the Petts Wood and Knoll Team has provided the following:­ 

"Your local Police Team came into being on 3 April 2006. On 20 April 2006 there was a Police Community Consultative Meeting at The Daylight Inn. Some of you may have attended that meeting and heard, as I did, the strength of feeling voiced by many about the long term lack of policing in Petts Wood and Knoll. That was nearly a year ago. Since then I know we have gone some way to improving things. Recently I have been reviewing our activities to find clear evidence of that improvement. So what have we achieved? Well there is this article for a start and earlier ones which hopefully informs you of local policing issues. We also have in place a fully functioning Ward Panel that is made up of local people who meet once every six weeks to hold me to account for what your PoliceTeam have been doing. They discuss all the local issues and prioritise the team's activities for the next six weeks. One of the Team regularly attends all local residents and other group meetings; we hold surgeries and localized Street Briefings to pick up concerns and to feedback actions. We have, with the help of Panel Members, undertaken Leaflet Drops and other Crime Prevention measures. All of this is mainly out of sight, so what are we visibly doing? Well the most obvious is daily patrolling of the shopping areas and residential roads that make up Petts Wood & Knoll. All our patrols are done with a purpose, based on the priorities set by the Ward Panel. We intend to prevent crime and disorder by providing a visible Police presence as well as interacting with people over a variety of issues. During last summer we vigorously enforced the Dispersal Order to tackle the large groups of youths who travel into the Ward from outside. We have initiated home visits or letters to parents and imposed an ASBO on our most prolific youth offender. We have investigated a wide variety of local crimes leading to arrests and prosecutions. We have organized "Clean Ups" by offenders as part of their community service punishments in the areas worse affected by litter and graffiti. What proof is there that things are getting better? Well since June 2006 the total number of reported crimes in Petts Wood & knoll Ward have consistently fallen every month. In January we achieved one of our best reductions ever. In January 2006 a total of 110 crimes were reported to the police in this Ward. In January 2007 only 54 crimes were reported, that is a reduction of 56, which is 56 less people who were the victims of crime that month compared to the previous year. It's not Rocket Science. It's local Police with local support, in partnership, solving local problems. Lastly, by the time you read this, following a couple of false starts, we will be resident in our new base off Petts Wood Road. However, our contact numbers and e-mail address remain the same should you need to speak to us. All letters should still be addressed to us via Orpington Police Station. As we do not have a front counter at our new base I intend to hold a number of Police Surgeries across the Ward. I have arranged the following dates and locations when we look forward to meeting you, even if it's just for a chat:

Thank you - Sergeant John Kemp"

Perhaps, I could add a couple of matters. First, we have, along with Petts Woods Residents Association agreed to sponsor the cost of a bicycle each for the team and the Petts Wood Business Association have bought two more so the team have four bikes to enable them to get round the Ward quickly and be more visible. Secondly, our Panel Members are John Mangold and Ray Vaughan who are on our Committee and whose details are at the end of the Newsletter should you wish to contact them about any local policing matter.

Finally, Sergeant John Kemp's Team contact details are

GRAFFITI

There is a new Graffiti Co-ordinator appointed by Bromley Council, Jackie Baxter who has been in touch with us. Not only will the Council remove graffiti that is visible from the highway they are now part of a partnership with the Metropolitan Police and the Probation Service called Community Payback. Under this scheme long alleyways or pathways will be cleaned of graffiti and litter by supervised teams of young offenders as part of their Community Service Punishment, We have provided Ms Baxter with a list of various pathways in our locality that would benefit from this scheme. Another initiative is the Adopt a Box scheme whereby you can help maintain one of the 2900 green NTL junction boxes throughout the borough with paint and brushes supplied free of charge. To adopt a box, even if it is currently free of graffiti just provided Jackie Baxter with its location, white identification number and your contact details. Her contact details are

STATION MATTERS

The Station Manager, Daren Wallis, has moved on to another area and the current Duty Station Manager is Michael Quinn. We contacted him recently to ask if he could provide plastic see through litter bins on the station similarly to those now in place on the bus station and also at intermediate railway stations. He replied promptly advising that all railways stations are allocated levels of security, 1 being modest and 4 being the highest. Orpington is a level 4 station and as a consequence under the train security instructions no litter receptacles are permitted except for baby changing facilities and sanitary receptacles. He did point out that his staff try to maintain a decent level of cleanliness at the station, which we do accept, but he will raise the matter with his Head of Security. Those of you who use the access road from Hillview Road to the station may have noticed that at last we have persuaded Network Rail to replace the pedestrian crossing on the bus entry road which was lost when it was re-surfaced over 2 years ago. It has taken all this time but as a result of various letters from us tenacity has at last paid off! Finally, Councillor Owen has spotted in the South Eastern Regional Planning Assessment a proposal to use the peak paths released by withdrawal of Eurostar and fast Dover/Margate services from our lines to run additional services from Orpington to Victoria - this is welcome news for those using that line.

ROAD WARDENS

Mr Sharp of Pepys Rise is moving away from the area so has had to relinquish his position as Road Warden. We are grateful to him for being our Road Warden for a number of years. So we need a volunteer to replace him, preferably from Pepys Rise. We also need a Road Warden for Vinson Close as Richard Burton who was the Road Warden has since joining the Committee taken on the task of one of our 4 Road Warden Secretaries. Being a Road Warden entails delivering the Newsletter 3 times a year and collecting/receiving the annual subscription. The role is vital to the work of the Association so I look forward to recruiting a replacement for Mr Sharp and Mr Burton. Please contact me or any member of the Committee whose details follow at the end of this newsletter.

ALL SAINTS CHOIR

This local Festival Choir and Orchestra normally hold three concerts a year in the Spring, Summer and Autumn in the Parish Church but they are not religious services. They usually get an audience of around 120 for each performance with any profits going to a nominated charity and/or towards refurbishment of the Parish Church. The choir consists of some 70 singers from all over Kent as well as Orpington and they support professional vocal soloists who are hired for each performance. Their costs are rising and there is a need to increase the size of the audience. They have just held their Spring concert and you may have seen their distinctive posters outside some houses and on notice boards. Please lookout for these for the Summer concert and I can recommend that if you attend you will have a pleasurable and uplifting Saturday evening. Details can be obtained from John Platt via our Contact Page

KNOLL LAWN TENNIS CLUB

Tennis for all in the local Community Robert Andrew, the Chairman of Knoll Lawn Tennis Club invites you to come along and play tennis at their next Open Day on 28 April 2007. The details are - Juniors from 11am to 1pm and Adults from 2pm to 5pm. If you would like more information on the club and its programme just contact Robert Andrew via the Contact Page.

 OPEN GARDENS - DEMELZA HOUSE CHILDREN'S HOSPICE

A group of seven Knoll families will be opening their gardens to the public to help raise funds for Demelza House. They will be open on Sunday June 24 from 12noon to 5pm. The cost of entry is only £3 and this admits you to all seven gardens. There will be plants on sale, as well as craft stalls, a raffle and refreshments will also be available. Demelza House operates an eight-bedded children's hospice in Sittingbourne, as well as Demelza James a team which provides in-home care for children with a life-limiting illness. They have recently been granted planning permission for a new four-bed hospice in Eltham but need to raise £6,500,000 to build and run it for the first year. This new facility will provide much needed hospice care for children throughout south London. The gardens that will open are 19 Oakhill Road (also open on July 1st), 4 Lucerne Road, 2 and 6 Keswick Road and 5, 9 and 16 Oatfield Road. The refreshments and raffle draw will be at 9 Oatfield Road. We hope that Knoll residents will support this worthwhile venture. Further information about Demelza can be found on their web site www.demelza.org or telephone 01795 845282.

THE COMPLETE DRIVING COURSE

There is a new driving course for all drivers being run by Bromley Council. It is part of the Council's aim of reducing casualties and making the roads safer for all . The Road Safety Unit conducts these courses designed to improve skills, help with understanding basic vehicle maintenance and generally build up the confidence level of drivers within the Borough. This seems like a worthwhile initiative. For more details contact the Road Safety Unit on 0208 313 4546 or visit the web site at www.bromley.gov.uk/roadsafety.

MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING

You can now recycle mobile phones and accessories at all local libraries, at the Council's main reception or by posting (free of charge) to FREEPOST Bromley Fonebak Recycling. As well as recycling your old mobile phones, you can recycle your accessories (hand-free kits, chargers, batteries, data cables etc). The mobile phones and accessories are sent by the Council for reuse and recycling. Handsets that can be reused are refurbished. The plastic from accompanying accessories are recycled into items like traffic cones and household goods. All money raised from the scheme will be donated to Bromley Mayor's Charity Appeal.

SECURITY SCAM

A resident has sent details of a security problem regarding credit card fraud. Apparently, a caller telephones to say they are from your credit card company, using appropriate name and badge reference and claims to be investigating an unusual or irregular transaction. When they quote a purchase which you have not made and deny, they say they will be issuing a credit to your account and will give you a number to ring with any queries. BUT, before they ring off they will ask you to verify that you still have the card and ask for the last three digits on the rear of the card. Do not give it, as they can then quote the number and the security number for all sorts of phone and line transactions. Anything of this nature should be reported at once to the police and your card company with as many details as you can recall.

WHAT'S ON AT ST JOHN'S

On 3 February, an unusually mild and sunny day, crowds descended on St John's Church to attend the Church Spring auction. This was to help raise funds towards refurbishment of one of the church halls which is used not only for church purposes but by a variety of clubs in the local community such as scouts, a friendship club, pre-school and toddlers morning. A lot of fun was had by all even though it was hard work for the organizers. In the end a grand total of £2,500 was raised with help from Barclays Bank who did £ to £ matching to a maximum of £750 as part of their commitment to local community ­based projects. Weekday activities at the include

On Saturday 12 May there is a Quiz Night - the evening will include a ploughmans supper - cost adults £7.50, children £3.50. So quite a lot of activity at this community-based facility for you to avail yourself of.

Any of these people can be contacted using our Contact Page

HARRIS HOSPICECARE

On Sunday 6 May they will be hosting their popular Bluebell Walk through the stunning Cudham countryside. This really great event is an opportunity to spend time with family, friends and colleagues, as well as get fit, have fun and raise much needed funds for you local hospice. This year they are hoping to beat the £33,000 raised last year but this can only be achieved with your help. Harris HospiceCare is an independent charity which provides care, free of charge, for people living with life threatening illness in the London Borough of Bromley. Their services are completely free to patients but with annual running costs of over £2 million they rely on donations and sponsorship to help them continue to deliver these services. So why not sign up for this worthwhile event - please call 01689 825755 for an entry pack and sponsor forms or enter online at www.harrishospicecare.org.uk

AND FINALLY

As mentioned earlier in the Newsletter, subscriptions are now due and the payment slip is on the next page. This one edition goes to every household in the locality so if you are a NEW reader and therefore currently not a member I do hope you will consider joining our Association for the modest annual charge of £1 per adult in each household. Would all existing and new members please deliver the sum direct, if you can, to your Road Warden together with the payment slip. Many thanks.

This page was last updated on 10 Feb 2010 . Unless otherwise indicated, all information on this site is the copyright of the Knoll Residents Association.