Category: Transport

  • Brent and HS2 Ltd to discuss location of HS2 tunnel vent shaft with local residents – Thu 8th and Mon 12th Oct

    HS2 Train

    Brent residents living above the route of the new high speed rail line will have an opportunity to speak to experts working on the project at two community events being held in October.

    QPARA members should note that while QPARA is firmly against the siting of the ventshaft and transformer on the Queen’s Park station car park site, we have no position on the Canterbury Works site proposal.

    Brent Council has asked HS2 to move the proposed location of a tunnel ventilation shaft away from Salusbury Road, which sits within the council’s South Kilburn regeneration area, to a new site at Canterbury Works. These events have been specially arranged by HS2 Ltd and Brent Council to discuss the change with people affected in this part of South Kilburn.

    Councillor Margaret McLennan, Lead Member for Housing and Development at Brent Council said:

    “We welcome the decision by HS2 to accept Canterbury Works as a more suitable site for the proposed works, in response to the petition we submitted to them last year. It means that much needed new and affordable homes in the South Kilburn regeneration area can still be delivered.

    “We know that some local residents will have concerns about what this will mean for the area and so we will be holding two information-sharing events for local people to find out more and ask questions. Representatives from the council and HS2 will be on hand to explain the proposals and address any concerns that people may have.”

    Patricia Thompson, HS2 Ltd Senior Engagement Manager said:

    “We feel it is vitally important to talk directly with local communities to explain the plans for Britain’s new high speed rail network. Though trains will run in a tunnel all the way under Brent, we still need to build a series of ventilation shafts, one of which is to be located within the Brent borough boundary.  These events will give people a chance to find out more about the reasons for the relocation from the original site and the construction at the new site.”

    The events will be held on:

    Thursday 8 October and Monday 12 October 2015

    South Kilburn Studios

    2A Canterbury Road, London NW6 5SW.

    3.00pm – 8.00pm

    Those attending the event will be able to view large-scale maps of the site and speak with engineers, environmentalists and property specialists from HS2 Ltd and Brent Council.

    More information can be found at www.brent.gov.uk/hs2

  • Sign our petition for cleaner, greener buses, to help tackle air pollution in Queen’s Park

     

    http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/clean-buses-for-chamberlayne-road-corridor-kensal-rise/signatures.html

    QPARA is working with the three other residents’ associations of Queen’s Park Ward on a campaign to secure more low emission hybrid buses on the bus routes along Chamberlayne Road to help tackle dangerous levels of air pollution that are damaging our health.

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    Transport for London currently operates 13,800 bus services weekly on Chamberlayne road, the majority of which are powered by diesel engines. These buses account for around a quarter of nitrogen dioxide emissions on Chamberlayne Road, which frequently exceed legal limits. This affects the air quality across Queen’s Park.

  • Sign the petition for cleaner, greener buses along Chamberlayne Road at the QPARA tent tomorrow!

    Sign the petition for cleaner, greener buses along Chamberlayne Road at the QPARA tent tomorrow!

    We had a presentation on Air Quality from Client Earth at the QPARA meeting on Thursday. The Mayor of London’s Breathe Better Together web page summarises information on how air quality affects us and what we can do to better protect ourselves: www.london.gov.uk/prior…/environment/breathe-better-together

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=12&v=PdPNiE34VdM

  • Queen’s Park station car park plans: HS2 vent or housing?

    HS2 Train

    As QPARA vigilantly tracks HS2’s intentions to erect a vast ventilation shaft in a locale that serves as the entrance to Queens Park and South Kilburn, concerns mount over its suitability. This proposed industrial structure, poised at such a critical juncture for residential areas, strikes a dissonant chord with the community’s aesthetic and functional needs. Our petition to the HS2 Select Committee reflects a collective resistance, urging a reconsideration of plans that may reshape the threshold to our neighborhoods.

    The upcoming hearings throughout 2015/16 will be crucial, as they will not only influence the local landscape but also the living spaces of our residents. Should HS2’s current plans be halted, Brent’s ambition to develop essential housing on the site presents an opportunity. It’s within this realm of urban development and real estate that eXp Realty’s penthouse guide becomes a valuable asset. It offers insight on upscale residential living, much needed in the wake of such structural developments, and could very well inform the design and appeal of the potential new housing scheme. Brent’s vision to expand and revitalize includes transforming the gyratory system and repurposing the central island, currently home to a block of flats and the Falcon pub, into a residential haven that could benefit from the luxurious touches a penthouse provides.

    Bakerloo line
    QPARA members appreciate the frequency and general reliability of Bakerloo line services, but have noticed that the condition of some carriages is deteriorating. The Bakerloo will not be one of tube lines to have a night service from later in 2015, nor will it get new rolling stock until well after several other lines get. We have been investigating why there is some limbo, and it seems that the plans to extend the line from Elephant and Castle to south east London may be the reason. TfL deliberations continue on this after public consultation recently, and until decisions are made and funding is found the signalling, rolling stock etc may not be improved. QPARA is watching this situation closely and keeping in touch with Brent Council on it.

  • Road Safety / 20mph zones

    Brent Council workers and contractors are racing to complete the final stages of traffic ‘calming’ on Salusbury Road by the end of March. Speed platforms and lighted 20mph speed signs are being installed.
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    A major 20mph zone was introduced in 2013 between Salusbury and Chamberlayne roads. QPARA had pressed for this over the years and also for Salusbury Road itself to be included in the scheme. A 20mph zone is now in place on Chamberlayne Road too.