More road closures next week as work starts 12 Feb on new, safer St Leonard's Junction

TfL have informed us of how they plan to handle traffic disruption during the works to improve the safety of St Leonard's Junction, which are due to begin on Monday 12th Feb and continue until the end of March.

Bus passengers and drivers face nearly another two months of road closures and  diversions - following the unexpected road works caused by a burst sewer under Streatham High Road in January.

The works to improve the junction of Streatham High Road, Mitcham Lane and Tooting Bec Gardens are the result of long campaigns to make the road safer for all its users. It has been the scene of numerous nasty accidents over recent years, including two fatalities.

Cleaning up Stanthorpe Road and adding a few planters!

I've been meaning to post some pictures of what some residents did recently on Stanthorpe Road.

A few weeks ago, on a rather wet Saturday, residents from the Stanthorpe Triangle got together with a little help from the Council to build some planters and paint the area where Gleneldon Mews meet Stanthorpe Road.

This is the area to the side of The Hideaway and Streatham Business Centre.

There was a very good turnout from local residents with around a dozen people taking part.

The planters were made out of old decking and other bits of wood. Fortunately one of the residents was a joiner, which proved particularly useful.

The planters were then painted and soil was then put in...

Flowers were planted...

And the end result was pretty good!

We also used old paint which had been donated to paint a couple of the walls in the area.

It was great to see so many local people coming together to make the area better.

Changes to Gleneldon Mews

When we got the asbestos removed last year from Gleneldon Mews, local businesses along the Mews drew our attention to the state of the road surface and asked whether anything could be done to sort it out.

They had asked for repairs to made a few times. But this area has been neglected by local politicians for a while - possibly because so few people live along the Mews and so they don't consider there are many votes there.

The road is cobbled and riddled with potholes. So we did a street audit, and highlighted the problems that we found, and asked the council whether they could be fixed.

We are pleased to say that work has now begun on the Mews to fix the road surface.

Patches of cobbles are being replaced, which should also deal with the large amounts of surface water that collects there. We have also asked for the area at the top of the road where it meets Gleneldon Road to be leveled off, to provide full access to wheelchair users and those using mobility scooters. This will also help those travelling up the South side of Gleneldon Road.

Update on Asbestos dumped in Gleneldon Mews

The Streatham Guardian has now run a story on the asbestos which has been dumped in Gleneldon Mews, following our blog last week.

As a quick recap, Ali at Ali’s cars who works opposite the dumped pile of asbestos in Gleneldon Mews, got in touch with us about it last week. He told us that he reported it to the council 4 months ago. He also told St Leonard’s Ward councillors, one of whom came down to see it. I spoke to several other people in the mews who said they had also been trying to get it moved. Four months later however, the pile is still there.

We contacted the council immediately. The council says it has no record of the report, but said they would remove it by yesterday. It is still there this morning, so we are chasing again and will continue to do so.

According to the health and Safety Executive, when dumped asbestos is found, the area around it should be cordoned off, and people cleared away, before it is removed.

[Update: Friday 19th October - Ali has been in touch to say that the asbestos was moved this afternoon]

Asbestos left for months on Gleneldon Mews

Ali, from Ali's Cars got in touch with us today about a pile of asbestos dumped near his workplace in Gleneldon Mews.

I went down to talk to Ali and see for myself. He says it was reported to Lambeth Council and local councillors (St Leonard's Ward) back in June. Both Ali and others who work and live there also made several calls subsequently about it, but nothing seems to have been done four months later.

They are extremely worried as asbestos is a health hazard. It is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK (over 4,000 deaths each year in the UK). If it is left undisturbed the risks are small. It is when it is moved or broken that fibres are released which are the big danger.

This pile appears to have been knocked about a bit over the last few months possibly due to the cars parked all around it which are services and repaired in the garages there. The asbestos itself appears to be breaking up in some places and there is dust and gravel surrounding, although it isn't clear is this is asbestos dust and fragments as more rubbish has also gathered at the site.

I have contacted council officers again, and will keeping chasing until it is removed. As it is asbestos, it is a hazardous waste and can only be disposed of at a licensed waste disposal site. Lambeth use the City of London to do this although it is Lambeth Council's responsibility to make sure it happens. I will post an update when it is removed.

More information on asbestos can be found here.