Local Authority

SIX new classrooms may be built at Roxbourne First and Middle Schools in Torbay Road, South Harrow.

The extension would replace a pre-fabricated block of four classrooms that was knocked down in March 2008 and two portable classrooms.

The school has lodged its application for planning permission with Harrow Council.

PLANS to built 21 new properties on the Rayners Lane Estate have been lodged with Harrow Council.
The scheme is the latest phase of the multi-million pound regeneration project being carried out by Eastcote-based housing association Home and concerns a vacant plot of fenced-off land in Coles Crescent previously occupied by 24 homes.
Home are proposing to construct a four-storey block comprising two two-bed wheelchair-accessible flats and six two-bed flats, with a row of staggered terracing to the south-west containing four two-bed houses, five three-bed houses and four four-bed houses.
Twenty-three parking spaces and eight bicycle spaces are included.
Documents submitted to the council reveal that when Home's architects approached the authority's planning officers for pre-application advice, they were told the "flats needed a complete redesign".

Parking measures will be imposed on the streets of Harrow's County Roads estate, Harrow Council has controversially decided.

Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative), portfolio holder for environment and community safety, provisionally signed off the plan on Thursday, March 12 despite residents earlier handing in several petitions against the idea.

The original postal consultation, held in September last year, showed that in the County Roads area 50 residents supported the idea of a controlled parking zone (CPZ) - but 89 did not, with 11 having no opinion.

The CPZ will be introduced to the whole of Devonshire Road, Dorset Road and Oxford Road, the eastern sections of Pinner Road and Sussex Road, the southern sections of Rutland Road, Bedford Road and Pinner View and part of Neptune Road.

It will mean that drivers must display a permit to be able to park their vehicle within the CPZ between 11am and 12 noon on weekdays or risk attracting a parking ticket.

Extra short-term pay-and-display parking bays will be created at the southern ends of Devonshire Road, Oxford Road, Rutland Road, Bedford Road and Pinner Road.

In addition, certain junction throughout Headstone South ward will be painted with double-yellow lines as part of the scheme.

Ms Hall was recommended to approve the plan by the council's Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel which met to consider the issue on November 26.

Traffic officers at Harrow Council will now publish the legal notices required to confirm the introduction of the CPZ and, if there are no legal objections, the measures will come into force.

Six months after implementation, further consultation will be held to see if residents support an extension of the area covered by the residents-only parking.

A decision on whether an Afghan community centre can be opened in a South Harrow street has been postponed for a site visit.

The Imam Hussein Foundation has applied to Harrow Council to change the use of empty Veneto House in Park Drive into a place where visitors can enjoy educational, cultural and religious activities.

On February 25 members of the authority's development management committee opted to postpone taking a decision on the scheme in order to make a site visit.

The charitable foundation behind the plan has submitted a petition of 925 names in support while residents have raised their own petition because they feel the proposed location is entirely unsuitable.

Veneto House neighbour Vyan Gresty, 58, said parking and traffic problems, and more disturbance, were people's main concerns.

He said: "It's the total unsuitability of the building itself. We've against even limited use.
"We've got four schools around us within 200 yards and we get lorries delivering to the tile shop - from 8am we get that.

"Realistically, I cannot see how the council could possibly have taken a decision without seeing the site."

Documents submitted to the council by the foundation state it intends to teach languages, particularly English, in groups of up to 15 students, and to hold religious services mainly comprising poetry and prayers.

Women's groups and youth groups, and lectures and seminars on educational topics, would also be arranged, and the foundation has the community centre capacity would be 100 and that its community use would be restricted.

Mr Gresty said when the warehouse was operational "it never had more than six people working there."

He added: "I haven't seen a proposal like this in all the time I've lived here."

The site visit is scheduled for later this month prior to the development management committee's next meeting.

Young people across Harrow are to benefit from impressive new sports facilities now that the borough has secured a £4.2million grant.

A multi-use sports hall, gym, IT suite, art room, recording studio, cafe and outdoor pitch will be constucted on the Cedars Estate in Harrow Weald thanks to the project, entitled The Pitch, A Place to Go.

It was announced on Tuesday that Watford FC's Community Sports and Education Trust would work with Harrow Council to develop the idea, after the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) gave the multi-million pound grant the go-ahead.

If planning applications are approved it is hoped yougsters between 11 and 19, as well as disabled people up to the age of 24, will steer clear of antisocial behaviour and use the club to socialise and hone their sporting skills.

But far from just being a centre for children to enjoy football, council chiefs say the site will offer a diverse range of activities, including karate, basketball, art, music and cookery.

It is anticipated that the council and Watford FC will also look to use the facilites to help improve young people's health, diet, fitness and social skills, as well as provide important information on issues ranging from education, training, sex and mental health.

Speaking after the announcement Paul Clark, the council's corporate director of children's services, expressed his delight at securing the money.

He said: "This grant is fantastic news. Young people helped us choose the design and shape of this application so we will be delivering facilities they have actively been asking for.

"Over the next few weeks we will be working with residents, voluntary and private groups, and young people to ensure we put the right planning application forward and secure approval for what I am sure will prove to be a great legacy for Harrow."

Chris Norton, Chairman of Watford's CSE Trust, said: "We are delighted to receive this grant, which will now allow us, working closely with Harrow Council, an opportunity to make a real difference through sport and learning outside of the Watford area.

"We are honoured to be able to help deliver a project of this scale, demonstrating the expertise within, and the development of our community trust."

A record number of youngsters flocked to polling stations this year, wanting to ensure their favourite candidate was elected to the UK Youth Parliament.

More than 7,000 young people voted at more than 20 polling stations across Harrow in the week leading up to the announcement - almost 2,000 more than in last year's election.

Harrow's two places in the UK Youth Parliament were won by Aakash Bharania, and Rhiya Pau, both 15, while Amar Chandarana and Mahek Metha claimed deputy spots.

The budding Gordon Browns and Boris Johnsons, who had all been nominated for the posts by their peers, were given the results at the Civic Centre last week and will now join members drawn from all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) was set up nine years ago as a way to improve youth participation in decision-making.

Harrow had previously been allowed just one elected Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) on the UKYP and one deputy, but has been asked to elect two of each for the past two years.

An internet class that helps Muslim women detect the tell-tale signs of extremism in their children has been praised by government officials.

The Harrow Council scheme, launched earlier this month, was one of three Harrow-run projects up for awards in the Prevention of Violent Terrorism awards, held last Tuesday.

Labelled the E-safety training workshop, the idea saw off competition from Brent, Hounslow and Lambeth in the best women's project category.

The class aims to cover safety advice on the use of internet messaging, social networking websites and chat rooms, but also helps to alert Muslim mothers about teenagers who might be enticed to look at websites which promote terrorism or extremism.

The event, which was organised by the Government Office for London and the London Prevent Network, was hosted by minister for London and Harrow East MP, Tony McNulty.

Harrow was also shortlisted for prizes in the best youth project and innovation categories.

A private bar which claimed Al Pacino and Robert Redford were regulars has been fined more than £2,000 for selling alcohol to non-members.

Ruby M, in Alexandra Avenue, Rayners Lane, had a signing-in book which included Jaws, the Great White shark from the film of the same name, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

However, the supposed celebrity regulars were suspiciously absent from the bar when it was discovered customers were able to buy drinks without being questioned.

The owners of the private members' club were found guilty at Harrow Magistrates' Court on February 13 of abusing their licence.

The owners, Umesh and Grisha Jivraj, of Woodbury Avenue, North Harrow, admitted to breaching the Licensing Act 2003 and were ordered to pay £2,500 each in fines and court costs.

Two years ago the couple were warned by the police about selling alcohol, but were caught flouting the rules by Harrow Council officers.

Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative), portfolio holder for environment services, said: "Private members' clubs are granted licences on condition that they only serve proper members.

"Much as I'm sure Robert Redford and Al Pacino would enjoy a visit to Harrow's nightlife, they patently weren't regulars at Ruby M's."

A private members' licence only permits entertainment and the selling of alcohol to bona fide members and their guests.

Construction firm Kier flouted safety rules with the improper disposal of asbestos in South Harrow, a damning report found.

Workers refurbishing properties in Brookside Close and Eastcote Lane ripped out floor tiles and toilet cisterns covered in cancer-causing asbestos last February and dumped them in an open skip, rather than putting them in a bag inside a hazardous waste skip so a licensed waste contractor could collect it.

Asbestos can cause cancer by breathing in the fibres, although the tossed materials were deemed a 'neglible risk to the public' because the tiles were thermoplastic and the cisterns were made from Bakelite.

The incident, called 'unfortunate' by Kier, breached health and safety policy and the sub-contractors are no longer employed by the company.

A report into the case remained confidential until pressure by the opposition Labour party forced Conservative-run Harrow Council to make it public.

The report says: "As a result of accepted poor site management and inadequate quality control measures undertaken by Kier...operatives did not receive appropriate asbestos related information.

"This failure by the site manager of Kier was in clear contravention of the company's and Harrow Council's health and safety policy."

Before the asbestos-dumping took place Kier had sacked an area manager responsible for Brookside Close and neighbouring streets for flouting health and safety laws.

Ward councillor Bob Currie (Labour) said: "I don't think the report goes far enough. I think at least the council or Kier should have written to these tenants to tell them asbestos had been removed from their property.

"The tenants have never had a letter of apology either."

Councillor Paul Osborn (Conservative), Harrow Council's portfolio holder for performance, communication and corporate services, said: "This report relates to an issue over asbestos that was reported in the media last year. The conclusion is that there was a 'negligible' risk to residents, Kier and Harrow employees. That conclusion was made public at the time.

"Harrow Council believes it has a clear duty to disclose information in the public interest and that has already been done in this case.

"It is important to note that this report was submitted to a cross-party committee of councillors and was not a document held only by the administration."

Harrow College has taken on Pat Carvalho as vice principal following the retirement of postholder Susan Harrison.

Mrs Carvalho joins the college from Brent's College of North West London (CNWL), where she worked as the head of higher education and professional courses and also led e-learning.

She said: "I think it's a vibrant college and it can truly build on its potential. I'm really pleased to be a part of what's going to be a real success story and I am looking forward to working with local partners to deliver a broad and responsive curriculum to the Harrow community and beyond."

Coincidentally, Harrow College's prinicpal Tony Medhurst - who replaced Dr Barbara Field - also came from CNWL, where he was vice prinicipal.