Local Authority

A NURSERY class could be established at a South Harrow school where just 10 per cent of the youngest children have English as their mother tongue.
Roxbourne First School would offer 60 fully subsidised part-time places - half for the three-hour morning session and half for the afternoon session of the same duration - in a classroom currently occupied by Reception children.

COUNCILLORS are to meet Royal Mail representatives in the New Year to discuss the sudden and mysterious closure of South Harrow Post Office.
The franchise branch, based inside KP Retail in Northolt Road, South Harrow, shut without warning in October with both Royal Mail and store owner Kaushik Shah blaming each other for its demise.

PLANS have been deferred to build the properties needed to rehouse the remaining tenants on the Rayners Lane Estate yet to get a new home.
The next stage of housing association Home's multi-million redevelopment of the borough's largest social housing estate, in South Harrow, comprises 135 homes and flats in Eliot Drive, Drinkwater Road and Coles Crescent lying in 2.4 of the 15.4 hectare estate.
They will replace 11 "poor quality" four-storey blocks of flats and two-storey terrace houses currently being demolished and will add to the 657 properties already built since 2001.
Harrow Council's planning committee was told in a report "the proposal would deliver a mix of large family houses and a smaller number of one and two bedroom flats to address the specific housing needs of the Rayners Lane Estate" but decided to postpone its decision until December at its meeting on
Families will be able to enjoy a new open space of approximately 1000 sq m that will
incorporate playgrounds specifically for 2 to 5 year olds and for 4 to 8 year olds, while 157 car parking spaces, new roads and courtyards are planned.
The replacement affordable housing is being part-funded by the private sale of some properties: in this case, 105 of the homes would be rented out by Home to existing tenants and 30 sold to generate revenue.
Due to the recession, Home has had to modify its initial masterplan and roll its fifth, sixth and eight proposed development phases into one in order to make a bid for funding from the Homes and Communities Agency that has been accepted in principle.
A Harrow Council spokeswoman said: "The items was deferred for a site visit. The committee have also asked to see some clearer drawings for what is a large and complex proposals in order to assist them in their consideration of the proposals."

A RESIDENTIAL home that provides respite care for children and teenagers with severe learning disabilities has been called "outstanding" by inspectors.
The Firs, a Harrow Council-run service based in an suburban house in Northolt, received the top grade by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) following an unannounced inspection conducted on October 15.
Officials said in their subsequent report: "Children and young people are well looked after, stimulated and encouraged to participate in the home during their short break.
"The staff and managers have an excellent understanding of the health, physical, social, cultural and emotional needs of children and young people.
"The staff team work extremely well with all professionals involved with children and young people."
Five beds available in the home to provide overnight and holiday stays for young people aged between five and 19 who have learning, sensory and physical disabilities and need one-to-one support.
Centre manager Eithne Staunton, said: "We are absolutely delighted with this grading as a lot of hard work has been put in by all the team and management at The Firs to achieve this, with support from the children and young people as well as their parents or carers."

Harrow Nature Conservation are holding a working party on Roxbourne Rough, Rayners Lane Station on Sunday 15th November from 10am (meet at Stirling Ave, off Cannon lane).

The Multiple Sclerosis Society and Young Lohanna Association of North London (YLANL) proudly present "The L Factor" Talent Show on Saturday 5th December 2009.

THE Zoroastrian Centre for Europe - the continental headquarters of the ancient Persian faith - has applied for a licence to serve booze, stage dances and play music.
But an immediate neighbour of the cinema-turned-place of worship in Alexandra Avenue, South Harrow, said he is worried the extra "noise and disturbance would be impossible to live with".

Jeffery Poonawala, whose family includes two children and a grandmother, wrote to councillors: "Already we are experiencing disturbance during function nights with severe parking restrictions and loud music which can be heard through our adjoining walls late up to midnight.
"Obviously, with young children sleeping next door, this is causing severely nuisance already, and if you allow further extension to the time and days, we would not be able to endure the noise and disturbance thereby disturbing the children's sleep and effecting their schooling.
"I have complained once recently about the loud noise especially passed the 11pm time and the council patrol came straight away to stop the disturbance.
"I fear that if the application was granted, it would be impossible to live with serious disturbance."
The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) is asking for permission from Harrow Council for:
n live music Monday to Sunday (11am to 1am)
n recorded music Monday to Sunday (11am to 1am)
n performance of dance Monday to Sunday (11am to 1am)
n dancing Monday to Sunday (11am to 1am)
n late night refreshment Monday to Sunday (11pm to 1am)
n supply of alcohol Monday to Sunday (11am to 1am)
n opening hours Monday to Sunday (9am to 1am)
The trust's application said: "Alcohol is served in moderation only as a social need, either before or during a meal.
"Occasionally we may have a live band for entertainment purposes which would be amplified. Could be on any day of the week."
Dance performances would be "very occasional" and "all activity is supervised by at least two responsible members of the ZTFE".
"Our premises is on an island site with hardly any residential neighbours. Having previously been a cinema, the hall is well soundproofed."
But the council's own environmental health team pointed out: "The applicant has failed to show how they are planning to control the level of live and recorded music as applied for."
The team therefore asked for a condition to be imposed on the licence to force the ZCFE to monitor the noise and keep it at a reasonable volume.
Harrow Council's licensing panel will consider the application on Monday, October 19 at a meeting at Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road, Harrow.

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.