York Way kebab take-away refused planning permission
The Sorriso Kebab take-away at 2B York Way was refused planning permission by Islington Council on Thursday evening, 30th September.
The kebab take-away has been operating without a planning permission since December 2009 . The owner submitted an application following enforcement action triggered by Caledonian Ward Councillors.
The applicant wanted to regularise the change of use from a cafe to a hot food takeaway; he sought permission to use a garish backlit sign (see picture); and to trade until 2am each day.
Paul Convery attended the subcommittee meeting and made the case against the planning officers’ recommendation which was to approve the application. Paul argued that the shop presents a poor image in an area that has managed to shake-off most of its reputation for sleaze. But he warned the subcommittee that, although Kings Cross was “recovering from its old image, the recovery is still fragile”. He also said that the takeaway is causing nuisance from passing trade at late hours and was contributing to a worsening litter problem on York Way.
The planning subcommittee split down party lines with the 4 Labour members voting to refuse permission and the 1 Lib Dem member arguing to grant permission but with reduced opening hours.
** UPDATE 25-3-11 The leaseholder appealed the decision and a planning Inspector supported the Council’s refusal. Click here for the Appeal decision letter.
Cracking-down on Kings Cross vice – another result
Islington Council has successfully prosecuted the owners and operators of an unlicensed sex shop at Kings Cross. Today, September 29th, Highbury Magistrates ordered fines and costs totalling £35,360.
Cally Councillors have welcomed the prosecution of “Pirate Bookshop” at 4 York Way.
The defendants were Maria O’Sullivan and her company Ballaction London Ltd. The company was fined £17,500 plus £2,830 costs and £15 victim support surcharge.
Mrs O’Sullivan is the sole director of the company and was personally fined £15,000 plus £15 victim support surcharge. The case was brought under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
Maria O’Sullivan is the mother of snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan. She has attempted to run several sex-related businesses in north London over recent years and was jailed for a year in 1996 for tax evasion.
Caledonian Ward Councillor Paul Convery said “I am very pleased that the Council’s case has been successful. For nearly 5 years, we have repeatedly called for legal action against unlicensed sex shops in Kings Cross. The first step in ridding the area of its vice reputation is to get rid of every vice-related business, particularly the ones that refuse to be licensed by the local authority. Our policy is simple – zero tolerance against all types of sleazy and illegal sex related activities.”
Why do people dump stuff on the street?
Piles of household rubbish dumped around a contractor's skip at Pembroke Street/Carnoustie Drive
Cally Councillor Paul Convery says the Borough needs to get stricter with street dumpers … including some of his own neighbours!
When contractors starting replacing the tiles on the roof of the “Wosem” evangelical church on Pembroke Street, Paul says he got worried. In July, the roofers placed a skip on a roadway that is part of the Bemerton Estate. It’s not a public highway. So they avoided having to get a skip licence.
As the work dragged-on for weeks, Paul noticed that the skip did not just contain builders’ debris. It was filling up with furniture, old clothes and black sacks.
Then 10 days ago, Paul bumped into a neighbour carrying a large green sack just like half a dozen or so which had begun to pile-up around the skip. “Oh”, she said, “you caught me. I don’t do this regularly”. So why do it all? This neighbour was moving home and perhaps figured she could just leave some sacks on the roadway as a parting gesture.
This sort of thing happens all the time. Rufford Street has a notorious spot next to two “Euro-bins” on the pavement which attracts all kinds of dumped rubbish. Kember Street (outside Residence Primrose) has the same problem. People seem to reckon that, if they leave lumber or sacks next to big bins or skips, it’s bound to be removed. Funnily enough that’s exactly what happens, eventually. Because someone will always call-out the Council’s cleansing service and clear the mess. In some peoples’ minds, they then reckon this is a regular service … and carry-on dumping.
This is daft. The Council runs weekly rubbish collections. They are reasonably good at keeping to schedule. The Council also has a “special collection” service to remove large items of lumber, fridges etc. Yet people keep on dumping.
What can be done? Paul says a carrot and stick approach is needed. “We need to impose maximum penalties on dumpers. But we also have to inform the public (even more) about regular garbage collections and special collections. But we should also put notices on lamposts in residential streets and main roads with simple information about collection times. Then there really will be no excuse.”
“Ultimately, the real problem is about changing attitudes. The vast majority of people are conscientious and considerate. They wouldn’t dump their garbage anymore than they would take a pee in the street. Because it’s their street! But we have a large transient population of folks who either don’t think or they don’t care. Or like my erstwhile neighbour, they really are ‘here today, gone tomorrow’.”
Government cuts cash for Arundel Square kids playground
Rupert and Paul join parents and kids protesting the Government's abrupt withdrawal of promised cash
Cally Councillors are furious that money earmarked for a new kids playground has been cut without warning by the Government.
Rupert and Paul joined a parents’ protest at the loss of cash from the “Playbuilder” scheme whichwas won after Islington successfully competed for the funds. The kids playground is meant to finish off the new Arundel Square park and public gardens.
Arundel Square will soon open as a great re-modelled park. Additional green space has been created by decking-over the North London railway line. As a result, just over 7,000 sq metres of parkspace has been created.
During the public consultation for the redevelopment of the gardens, there was strong public support for play opportunities for a wide age range of kids. Government cash from the “Playbuilder” scheme allocated to the Gardens for further play provision. Nine other parks in Islington successfully bid for Playbuilder and all of these appear to have been scuppered by the new Government’s spending cuts.
Rupert and Paul have committed themselves to finding some replacement cash to make sure that Arundel Square gets a decent play area for kids of different ages. Rupert said: “It’s outrageous that cash for an area like this has been cut. This is typical of a Government that talks about helping-out poorer parts of London but then cuts special grants which have been specifically earmarked for places like Islington.”
Paul added “Arundel Square is used by kids and parents from a wide area. Just because it’s an ‘Islington Square’ doen’t mean this is a mainly affluent neighbourhood. Many of the homes on the square are owned by the Council and Housing Associations whilst nearby are estates like The Grove and the Westbourne/Mackenzie estate. And, if there is one way to make sure we have a better more cohesive Islington, it’s by having kids of all backgrounds able to freely and safely play together.”
Affordable housing being sold-off
Family Mosaic's two terraced houses are on sale for a cool £1.2 million
Caledonian Councillors have challenged a prominent Housing Association to explain why it is selling off two street properties in our ward. Family Mosaic owns two terraced houses on Gifford Street and is selling them both as a single lot on the open market for £1.2 million.
It is believed the two houses were once owned by the Council. They are subdivided into two flats each. Both have a 1 bedroom ground floor flat and a 2 bedroom maisonette at 1st and 2nd floor level. The properties were previously used to house tenants through Islington’s Supporting People programme and this funding has ceased.
Paul Convery says “These are two perfectly good houses which could be allocated to people on Islington’s housing waiting list. Selling these properties off will result in a net loss of affordable homes in the Borough, something which the Council is keen to avoid except in the most adverse circumstances. I have urged Family Mosaic to consider an alternative course of action, including reverting the houses back to the Council’s ownership”.
Paul says he has been “fairly circumspect” when discussing the management of these two houses because he lives just a few doors away on the same street. But he adds “selling both houses together on the open market is a bad choice for Family Mosaic not least because the most likely purchaser will be an investor in the multiple buy-to-let landlord business”
From under this scruffy scaffolding emerged the bar/restuarant now called "Mystic" ... we won't go on about what a miserably long time this building site blocked the pavement ... but it was almost a year.
Councillor Rupert Perry has bargained a deal to restrict the licensing hours of the “Mystic” bar/restaurant which is attempting to open on the ground floor at the corner of Caledonian Road and Offord Road.
Rupert arm-twisted the owners to accept restricted hours of evening opening but the business still does not have a valid planning permission to operate as a bar/restaurant at all on Sunday. Rupert says that Caledonian Councillors are continuing to challenge and oppose any changes to the original planning permission until residents have seen the effect of the operation of the premises.
Local residents were worried about the hours and impacts of late drinking. At the licensing committee on 12th July, Rupert and local resident representative Sue Cartwright, opposed the granting of a license.
Unfortunately the committee was chaired by a stand-in Councillor, a Lib Dem from Archway. His management of the committee meeting was, according to Rupert, “totally useless”. Fortunately the 3 hours of waiting provided Rupert and Sue with an opportunity to negotiate with the applicant’s representative and they agreed:
- alcohol only allowed for diners not casual drinkers
- finishing at 11pm Mon to Saturday
- no alcohol on Sunday.
Sue outlined residents’ concerns to the committee and Rupert told them he had reached a deal which the committee – if it was going to grant a license – should endorse instead. The Committee did exactly what Rupert proposed.
The Eagle pub on the corner of Brewery Road and Caledonian Road - directly opposite the Caledonian Estate
Cally Councillors are opposing an application for late-night drinking and music license for the Eagle pub on Caledonian Road.
The pub’s new operators want to serve alcohol until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, to midnight during the week and until 1am on Sundays.
Councillor Paul Convery has submitted an objection to the license application saying that “the hours sought are excessive and will cause harm to the locality and to neighbouring residents.” He says there is a high risk of crime and disorder because the likely clientele will not be drawn from the permanent population in the locality. They will have little regard for good order and are likely to be drunk and behave in a disorderly fashion.
Councillors suspect that the applicant has a business model which relies on a clientele aged in their late teens or early twenties and that initial market testing for this bar has been aimed at the substantial student population concentrated in purpose-built student accomodation that exists or which is currently being constructed on Caledonian Road and Market Road.
By the end of this Summer, there will be almost 800 student rooms at James Leicester Hall, 34 Market Road and Piccadilly Court at 457-463 Caledonian Road. There is a risk that developers could also win an Appeal against the Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for another 360 new student rooms at 465 Caledonian Road.
The Councillors’ objection says there is a risk of public nuisance arising from a pub that targets a young student or recently graduated clientele. The premises are located opposite the Caledonian Estate a dense housing estate of predominantly social rented tenure. A very high proportion of homes on the estate are families with young children and these residents are certain to experience noise and disturbance from people departing the pub and – most particularly – from people standing outside on the street to smoke. The applicant says that “doors and windows will be kept closed at times of entertainment” but there is no assurance given that, for example, air conditioning or sound proof ventilation has been installed that would obviate the temptation (or even the necessity) to open windows during warm weather.
Finally, Cllr Convery’s objection says that the applicant may not be fit to manage a licensed premise. The limited company which has made this application does not substantively exist or have a trading record. He says that a Companies House search reveals that the sole Director of the company is aged just 25 and has listed his occupation as “student”. Paul says “the Council should have serious doubts as to the credibility, capacity and competence of the applicant to run a pub licensed for alcohol and music.”
Cllr Convery says that this “is underlined by the applicant’s alarming naiveté in misunderstanding the difference between the Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police.” The applicant claims that there is a police station “situated 20 metres across the road”. This is misleading. The BTP has a divisional facility and prisoner holding centre in the near vicinity. This is quite different to there being a Metropolitan Police operational police station. The BTP does not ordinarily deploy officers to deal with anti-social behaviour or public order problems related to licensed premises no matter how closely located one of their facilities is to a place where officers might be required.
Kings Cross no-alcohol zone gets the go-ahead
The zone extends from Clerkenwell up to Kings Cross and the southern end of Caledonian Road
The public has backed the alcohol exclusion zone around Kings Cross and the bottom of Caledonian Road. As a result, the final hurdle has been cleared and the zone is now operational.
Over 90% of respondents to the public consultation supported the exclusion zone which extends from Clerkenwell to Kings Cross. It matches an equivalent zone on the Camden side of the Borough border.
Islington Council is now arranging for permanents signs to go up in the area telling people it is an Alcohol Control zone. In the meantime, temporary signs have already been posted.
Police officers will have new powerss to control outdoor anti social drinking by requiring someone to stop drinking in the area if they feel anti social behaviour is being or is likely to be caused. Refusal to comply is an offence and can lead to immediate arrest.
The Police and the Borough’s licensing officers will also meet licensed premises in the area to negotiate how they manage permitted outdoor drinking so that anti-social behaviour is minimised.
Paul Convery says “The zone is being implemented just in time. With Summer here, the risks of people becoming drunk in the streets and parks is greater. We want this power to be sued properly and effectively. Obviously people having a quiet drink outside a pub are not going to be affected.
“Labour’s policy is to extend alcohol free zones throughout the Borough and the Caledonian Councillors will press for early implementation throughout our ward.”
Notice of repossession posted at the premises on Thursday 27th May
The owners of a rogue nightclub on Caledonian Road wangled a late night licence out of the Town Hall on Monday 24th May only to have the premises repossessed by their landlord three days later.
Pappeos at 169-171 Caledonian Road has been a source of trouble and nuisance to nearby residents for many months.
Despite the opposition of several dozen nearby residents, the Council’s licensing committee granted the Pappeos management a license for dancing and amplified music and to serve alcohol until 2am at weekends. The club had asked for a license until 5am.
But the operators still do not have a planning permission to operate beyond 11.30pm each evening. Despite getting an entertainment and alcohol license, Pappeos still cannot operate unless they get planning permission for the later hours. It is generally quite easy to get an entertainment and alcohol license but very much harder to get planning permission. The club has been operating until 5am and enforcement action is currently underway by the Council’s planning officials.
In the course of the licensing committee hearing, the operators admitted they wanted to run a “nightclub”. This means the operators will not just have to get planning permission for the extended hours. They will also have to seek permission for a change of use from “cafe/bar” to nightclub.
Now the operators of Pappeos have had their premises repossessed. It is reported that contracters are owned thousands of pounds for work on the building and that other creditors are lined up demanding payment. And the landlord is owed his rent.
Although the Pappeos management have lost their lease, the Council’s decision to grant a license still stands. It is possible that the landlord may now try and re-let the premises to another operator and take advantage of the entertainment and alcohol license granted.
Wharfdale Road will definitely be in the 20mph zone
In mid March we reported that Wharfdale Road would be included in a pioneering Borough-wide programme to establish 20MPH zones on all roads and streets – with the exception of a small number of main highways. But last week, it transpired that Council officers had secretly reversed that decision and not told anyone.
In September, the West Area Committee voted to include Wharfdale Road in the list of roads. The Borough’s Highays officers had originally proposed a list of roads that did not include Wharfedale. The West Area Councillors voted unanimously to add Wharfdale Road. The Council published statutory notices which confirmed the decision.
Last week, Wharfdale Road resident John Ashwell got a letter saying that signs and notices were to be put-up in June. Just to be sure, he called the named Council officer and was astonished to be told “this was a mistake” and Wharfdale Road was not in the scheme.
He told Cllr Paul Convery who undertook a quick enquiry which revealled what he called an “outrageous push-back by the officers” who claimed that Councillors had merely ‘recommended’ Wharfdale Road be included in the zone. Someone decided to consult with the police who opposed; Someone then dropped Wharfdale from the scheme. And they did not bother to tell a single elected Councillor representing the area.
So, on Monday night at the West Area Committee, Cllr Paul Smith gave a categoric assurance that the scheme would include Wharfdale Road.
As Rupert Perry, the new chair of West Area Committee remarked “Paul Smith is not just a Councillor on West Area (representing Holloway Ward), he is the Executive member responsible for all highways matters. He says Wharfdale Road is now taken care of.”
“It now seems clear that the previous Lib Dem Council leadership give their assent to Wharfdale Road being excluded from the 20MPH scheme despite the unanimous decision of West Area committee. The new Council Leadership team has made sure that this decision will be honoured and Wharfdale Road will be in the 20MPH zone. There are some administrative and technical details that will take up to 8 weeks to implement and then Wharfdale Road will be included in the scheme.”
Paul Convery adds there is a moral in the story: “With a Labour administration now in charge of the Council, a dodgy decision by Council officers got overturned in just 2 working days.”
Labour Councillors representing Caledonian Ward in Islington 