The Surrey Comet newspaper is running a competition (if that is what you would call something like this) to find the worst road in the Borough of Kingston. They already have a number of nominations in this weeks newspaper. Perhaps we should all be submitting our views. Actually my worry are the roads that have been resurfaced that seem to have been done particualrly badly. The Ridings is a recently resurfaced road where over the past 6 months I received lots of complaints about the way they resurfaced it.Before I get a stream of complaints the photo is of a road in India. Having spent a lot of time in India I can say that there are roads I have seen in the UK that have looked like this.
26 comments:
Not sure whether you would like to admit this Kevin but during the last 4 years, the Lib-Dem Council has resurfaced almost every major road in RBK, far more than the Tories did in the previous 10. They have also tackled loads of other roads but there will always be many more that still need attention. You of all people know that central govt gives Kingston far less to spend on its roads than it really would like to.
However, I'm sure we can now look forward to many of your councillors and activists encouraging residents to raise petitions and make as much noise as possible about the state of their individual roads. Perhaps if you had spent more on them when you controlled the council and hadn't implemented so many speed humps, they wouldn't need the attention they need now from lack of investment.
I do hope,Kevin,that you had nothing to do with wasting money on speed humps and other road obstruction furniture?
I find it hard to credit given your support on the KCR disaster,which seem far from resolved to me as most obstructions remain,surely someone has a JCB handy?
I was the person leading the fight to get rid of them - they were a mistake and should never even have left the drawing board.
The residents have redesigned the scheme but the neighbourhood comittee has not got enough money to complete the job - hope they find something fast!
Come, come Kevin. You might have been "leading the fight" to get rid of the humps and build-outs in KCR but it was YOU and your Tory colleagues that were originally responsible for instigating them in the first place when you controlled the Neighbourhood in 2001. Isn't it a bit disingenuous of you to pretend otherwise?
I am afraid that is simply not true. The 2001 neighbourhood committee only installed the raised table at Alexandra Drive and Berrylands Road. The rest came later - I think it was 2003 and they were installed in 2004.
"the rest came later"
That's right Kevin, the other dangerous bits that you approved in 2001 were implemented in 2003/4 as the neighbourhood had no money to do it earlier. But the point is, you and your colleagues instigated their inclusion and then sat back in later years to watch the fallout as you no longer controlled the neighbourhood? Isn't that more like the truth?
I have no idea if you are a Lib Dem are not but your silly spin really does mimic them well. They were running this bunch of rubbish about the King Charles Road Scheme during the election and had they bothered to check the records they would have seen that they were spinning lies. Here is the history and he references to Council documents so that you can see the evidence.
20 September 2000
Officers presented a proposal for various works along King Charles Road that included throttle elements at Avenue South and Berrylands junction. It also included reversing the priority at Alexandra Drive and Berrylands Drive which appeared to be a favourite of the then Chairman. The committee was not sure these were the right proposals and delegated the power to set out the proposals ready for consultation to the Chairman and ward Councillors. At this time, Kings Charles Road was in three wards and two neighbourhoods.
http://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/Data/Surbiton%20Neighbourhood%20Committee/20000920/Agenda/$xfkingcharlescalmig.doc.pdf
31st January 2001
The minutes had an information item that showed that the officers had met with the Chairman and ward Councillors (including me) and they had rejected the throttles (chicanes) and set out for consultation four elements that included raised tables and reversed priorities at Berrylands Road and Alexandra Drive
http://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/Data/Surbiton%20Neighbourhood%20Committee/20010131/Agenda/$xminfo.doc.pdf
10th May 2001
A new report goes to the neighbourhood telling them that whilst what had been proposed (as outlined at 31.1.01) had been well received in the consultation the scheme had failed a safety audit for a number of insurmountable reasons.
Officers asked for the whole Kings Charles Road Scheme to be reconsidered by setting up a residents panel that they could work with.
http://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/Data/Surbiton%20Neighbourhood%20Committee/20010510/Agenda/$xekingcharlesroad.doc.pdf
27th June 2001
Information item at committee which says a residents meeting would be held soon.
http://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/Data/Surbiton%20Neighbourhood%20Committee/20010627/Agenda/$xpinfo.doc.pdf
7th November 2001
New scheme comes back which has raised tables at Alexandra Drive and Berrylands Road and footway parking exemptions at top end of KCR near Surbiton Hill Park. This scheme was approved for consultation. There was no mention of any other works and especially no mention of the chicanes which had anyway been dumped way back in 2000.
http://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/Data/Surbiton%20Neighbourhood%20Committee/20011107/Agenda/$xcKingCharles.doc.pdf
May 2002 – Local elections and the Lib Dems take control of the neighbourhood.
There were no dangerous bits approved before the Lib Dems took control. They were not implemented because unlike the Chairman after 2002 the neighbourhood committee had a safety audit done before the thing was implemented - that was good chairmanship. Only after the chicanes were implemented did the committee discover that a safety audit had deemed them unwise.
It was all Leslie Dale idea's I think and he definitely was a Tory Councillor for Berrylands ward.
(In the Golden Days when Berrylands was Tory)
Why don't you come clean Kevin on who really was responsible for this fiasco?
I have and have detailed it above. The decision to implement the throttles was taken during the period when the Lib Dems controlled the Council and the nighbourhood committee. Conservatives had rejected the idea when it came to them in 2000/1.
Dennis De Lord was the Chairman of the nighbourhood and he was sensible enough to see that it was a silly idea - but then he was a good Councillor. I cannot now recall how Tolworth neighbourhood voted - they were Labour controlled and had the bottom stretch of Kings Charles' Road in their neighbourhood.
Ah yes Dennis De Lord, Councillor for St Marks, didn't the Tories chuck him out or something.
What was that all about, he seemed a pretty sensible chap for a Tory.
Yes, the Tories get rid of sensible people so the remaining ones look better!
Seriously though, what did happen to Dennis De Lord? He seemed to put the Tories firmly on the map in Kingston. Strange you should get rid of him Kevin or was he competition you could do without?
have not seen Dennis for some while. No we did not chuck him out, he resigned the night before we were due to debate whether we should chuck him out!
Shame really because, as I have said, he was quite an effective ward councillor. Not sure he did anything to "put the Conservatives on the map". In any case all old history now as it is five year's ago.
Last I heard he was trying to build some mews houses off Electric Parade but I had heard a rumour that went sour!
But why were you going to chuck him out ?
He broke group rules although because he resigned it was never debated. In fact the case is still pending as far as the Conservative Group is concerned; they invited him to put his case and he decided to resign instead.
Not really important to be honest.
I believe Mr De Lord was granted planning permision in 2003 for his design of seven mews houses in Electric Parade which was referred to by the Council as "the most imaginative and creative" scheme they had ever seen. This is now under construction.
I presume your reference to it going "sour" was the fact that he had to later get the Council to force the developer who bought his land to stick to the traditional materials he originally proposed for the scheme rather than use cheap modern equivalents. No doubt you would want to applaud his success in doing so Kevin?!!!
Was not aware of this but it sounds good to me.
Perhaps you should recruit him again so you can finally have your outstanding debate and decide whether it makes sense to expel effective Tory councillors.
What rule did he break that was so more important than being a good councillor - being an honourable one perhaps? I understand he received a council ovation for his achievements when he retired so shame not all of your colleagues thought the way you did about him.
Do not remember any Council ovation. No point recruiting him as he needs to be a Councillor to be a member of the Conservative Group.
As I say it is a long time ago and no longer relevant to anything.
Well, if you think he was such an effective Tory Councillor, why not ask him to stand again with you at the next local elections if his health has improved?
He needs to be a member of the party. As I have said I think Dennis was a good ward Councillor. It is a shame that what happened happened but I cannot change history.
But you can correct mistakes...
What do you think of the new junction on St. Mark's Hill Kevin?
The mews development being constructed in Electric Parade will reflect a number of listed buildings or buildings of townscape merit in the area including, the Victoria Avenue Conservation Area, the pump houses at Seething Wells, the tower staircase of 85 Ewell Rd, the Alms Houses in London Rd Kingston and the Royal Mews at Hampton Court.
It's just a shame it's located where it is (behind the shops) but goes to show what still can be achieved today by developers not motivated by money. Mr De Lord should be applauded for the research and effort that went into his design. Luckily, his application and supporting documents have been kept by the planning department for all to see.
Wasn't Mr De Lord also involved with the Postal Sorting Office development in Surbiton?
Yes, I believe he was consulted by the developers on how best they could lessen the impact on the character of Cottage Grove by the proposed buildings closest to them.
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