Chairman's Blog - December 2023
GARRY AND WENDY HUNT
Garry and Wendy Hunt, are both very long serving members of our Residents’ Association.
For many years they held the offices between them of Secretary, Editor, Chair and President. There is a bench on Cannon Hill Common, on the path up from Southway, dedicated in appreciation of their work for the community from 1972 to 2002
Garry and Wendy continue regularly to walk over the Common and to send us excellent photos of the birds, butterflies and other wildlife there.
We are therefore pleased to report that Garry was awarded last month with his OBE, presented to him by Princess Anne. It was awarded to him for his services to science.
We congratulate them warmly on their achievements.
COMPLAINT TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONER
Our strong view is that there was maladministration in the handling by Merton Council of the third application by Bellway Homes to build flats and houses on the former LESSA sports ground, off Grand Drive. This was granted permission in September 2022, despite an almost identical scheme being refused by the same committee that June. In June 2022, the Planning Applications Committee had previously decided that no development at all was possible.
Our complaint is that almost immediately following the June meeting, a planning officer had a meeting with the developers which was not minuted, and the existence of which was not disclosed to the September Planning Meeting. It was only disclosed following a Freedom of Information request.
Further the lead spokesman for the sporting consortium, who had applied to speak at the September meeting, was wrongly refused permission to do so. We were not able to make a formal complaint to Merton until June this year, after the Secretary of State had declined to call in the planning decision. We then submitted a detailed complaint which was not answered, despite reminders, until this October. The issues we raised were not dealt with at all. Merton simply stated that the Secretary of State had reviewed all the information and found no reason to call it in and that: “as the complaints function cannot challenge planning decisions it was felt continuing with this complaint would not produce the outcome you were seeking”.
We had already pointed out that the issue was a complaint about the planning process, and not the outcome. We are therefore now complaining to the Local Government Commissioner (the Ombudsman) to compel Merton to answer properly the very serious issues we have raised. These have materially affected the wellbeing of the many residents who opposed the development.
PARKING METER SCAM
The large car park behind Morrisons in Wimbledon has two meters that take both cards and cash. I witnessed two elderly women falling subject to a scam by two men working together at the same time. The women were at separate meters and were each falsely told that the meter was not accepting coins and that they had to use cards. They were then “assisted” to use the cards and encouraged to put in their pin numbers, and then the meter mysteriously “swallowed” the cards. The men had, of course, pocketed them. Sadly, there was no police presence around, and the men disappeared. I told the two ladies to contact their card companies at once before they could be used. I understand this to be a common scam, so beware.
SEASONS GREETINGS
We wish of all of you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy New Year.
Our members are drawn from diverse communities – we enjoyed the Diwali lights in November, and Hannukah begins on 8th December – we wish enjoyable festivities to everyone!
John Elvidge
