May UPDATE

Dear Member,

Our treasurer, Julian Johnston, is in the process of winding up our affairs with the Charity Commission, and the Friends of Brook Green have elected five of our committee members to join their board, which will now be composed as follows.

Robert Jennings, David Whitehouse, and Gillon Campbell will be co-chairmen. Julian will be Treasurer, and I shall go on writing to you and taking minutes. Evangeline Karn and Jane Earle will also be on the board. Other board members will continue to be Jason Eker, Harriet Hewitson, Susannah Frieze, Melanie Honnor, and Simon Bullivant. Michael Burrowes will head the working party which keeps an eye on planning issues, with David, me and perhaps someone from the FBG. Claus Egge will keep the website going for a while and the simplified membership list will be integrated with that of the FBG. Iain Jack will help EK with trees, and has volunteered to work towards Brook Green Day on 15th September.
By the time we get to the summer break, the merger will be complete. It feels a bit like ’The king is dead, long live the king’; a change of name but the machinery should go on working much the same, or even better!

Planning applications for the demolition of the hut/W.C.s on the Green have been submitted, and it is hoped that work will start in July when the new playground at Shepherds Bush is ready. Designs for the new pavilion to take the place of the hut are under consideration now, and we hope to be able to display them on site soon. Other planning issues; an extra floor on the top of the Access building; an extra room in the grounds of Larmenier School; the Haymarket development plans are soon to be submitted; and the plans for the Nomis studio site have been slightly modified. Construction work will start soon on the Palais site. Although not strictly within our area, there is an application to turn the High Master’s house of the old St Paul’s school into a boutique hotel. This is almost derelict now, a listed building by Alfred Waterhouse, and if a good use for it can be found, hooray.

Policing: The Police have set up a new free community messaging service. The advantage is that it is not restricted to particular wards, but to your own area, and will give information about crime issues of all kinds. Log on to neighbourhoodlink.
Just a reminder; for emergencies or a crime happening now, ring 999; for other purposes, ring the police on 101; if you suspect terrorist activity, ring 0800 789 321. The Parks Police are to be run in conjunction with RBK&C, i.e. are to become bi-borough.

The Hammersmith Flyover is due to reopen at the end of the month.

Library: the consultation exercise is finished but not yet analysed. Library services and archives are to be run by 3 councils jointly, the triborough of H&F, RBK&C and Westminster. From June Archive services will be available weekly rather than twice a month.

Enjoy the Diamond Jubilee. There are street parties planned for Aynhoe Road (contact The Jameson for details) among others, and the shops are all smothered in red white and blue.

Gilia Slocock (7602 3792)email Gilia