July 2024 Update

Your committee met recently in the Raynham meeting room to cover transport, planning, licensing and crime matters.

A formal HPEA response to the Draft Edgware Road Placemaking will be finalised at our September 3rd committee meeting, so if you have views on what should be included, please get in touch via communications@hpea.org.uk.

An Albion Street member who has taken the time to attend stakeholder meetings on noise and impact of the BST concerts notes has an important reminder for us: if you are affected, please do put in a complaint to the Westminster council website. Details will be given before next year’s concerts start on 28 June. Only four were received in 2023, not because there was no impact but maybe because WCC was using a remote call centre with little grasp of Hyde Park’s geography. Our Deputy Chairman Sally Martin notes that the service has now been taken in-house and the promoters have historically been quite responsive. Following complaints, the Met are now using drones rather than helicopters for crowd monitoring.

A design competition has been launched for the proposed Fleming Centre for the study of anti-microbial resistance, part of a worldwide scientific initiative  and also a part of the Paddington Life Sciences vision proposed by Imperial College and St Mary’s Hospital: 
https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/news/search-begins-for-architect-to-design-new-fleming-centre

Meanwhile, the planned opening of the new Bakerloo Line ticket hall at Paddington has been delayed until September while noise and vibration issues are resolved.

We are delighted that local resident Stephen Mayer has responded to the call out to members interested in voluntary work for the community to join the Hyde Park Paddington Neighbourhood Forum. This is the body described in our recent talk at the Kendal Street Kitchen by our honorary President Dr Allen Zimbler. https://www.hydeparkpaddington.org/

Do take a look if you would like to play a part  in shaping planning policies and determining how funds contributed by developers are spent on the area’s needs. Applicants are encouraged to contact one of the existing members – listed on the website – to find out what is involved. We can help with contact details if required. And new volunteers for our own committee are always welcome – we are a friendly group of residents meeting four to five times a year.

As ever, anyone witnessing crime or anti-social behaviour that is not an emergency, is encouraged to report details to the Met’s 101 number or here https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Reporting is very quick and still worth doing the following morning if you hear a disturbance at night. Currently, reporting is very low, even though bike thefts and other nuisances seem, anecdotally, to be common at the moment. We need these crimes to be reported to help make the case for the CCTV cameras being offered by Westminster Council.

Also, remember that that security patrols paid for by the Church Commissioners via the service charges on their blocks continue to cover the Hyde Park Estate from 7 pm to 7 am. The team can be reached on 07880 680257 and are very helpful.