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Lambeth Council’s Chief Executive, Derrick Anderson CBE has visited Weir Estate for the first time this week and has been shown the developments on the estate by WERA’s Chair, Dave McEvoy and committee member Brenda Lewis demonstrating improvements and engagement carried out by the association to improve the condition and safety of the estate.

Mr Anderson who has been Chief Executive of Lambeth Council since March 2006 was taken on a walkabout of the whole estate which has

undergone dramatic changes and vast improvements over the past few years and has been singled out as one of the best housing estates in Lambeth.

The walkabout was also attended by Thornton Ward Councillor, Cllr Diana Morris and officers from the Thornton ward safer neighbourhood policing team PCSO Karen Rose and PCSO Carl McLean who spoke about the strong community partnership with Weir Estate Residents Association and the impact on reducing crime on and around the estate by working closely with the community.

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Weir Estate Residents Association has revealed a new look logo during the recent Weir Community Day on Saturday 11^th June.  The new look modernised design was unveiled on new promotional items given out at the event.

The new logo was designed by the printers after an earlier design was too costly to use in printing and has been released to coincide with the second birthday of the association’s thriving website www.wera.org.uk.

The newly re-designed logo has kept a similar recognisable design to the previous logo of WERA but has received a two colour black and while design with same size lettering to uniform the graphic, this has reinvented the branding of the association and has replaced the three colour previous design implemented by current chair, Dave McEvoy 3 years ago at the start of his time in office. The logo also now incorporates the web address as part of the design. More >

Damaged and un-kept refuse underground bin pods are to finally get some attention under a new Lambeth Living contract to repair and maintain all sixty one individual units across Lambeth estates including on Weir which has ten of the refuse pods.

With the units falling apart in which some believe is down to bad handling by the refuse collector company, Veolia and the containers below ground never being cleaned, finally Lambeth Living have begun negotiations on instructing a new contractor to repair and maintain the bins which were installed on Weir Estate five years ago.  The refuse pods replaced the old halogen bins and have rapidly become a popular system to storing waste across the country.

Following the installation of the new underground system, they remained in limbo with no long term contract to ensure that any damage was rectified and the metal containers cleaned which has angered many residents, who have regularly complained to their housing teams.

Weir Estate Residents Association Chair, Dave McEvoy has joined a tender panel to ensure that the best contractor is brought into repair all the bin on several council housing estates in Lambeth which have all suffered from damage and awful smells from stagnant water ingress and waste combined. Dave Said “The underground bins have been a bone of contention for a long time and have become an eyesore. I am delighted that finally Lambeth Living see this is a problem that needs addressing. I am confident that we will see the necessary repairs and maintenance carried out under a new vital contract.”

The current underground units have never been cleaned inside which will now take place under the new contract.

The underground bins emptied by a specialist crane lorry rather than traditional refuse lorry will have all broken or missing parts replaced with regular inspections to ensure no damage to inside ot outside the hoppers or the containers, seals or mechanisms.

Tendering processes are on-going and a decision will be reached by a Lambeth Living tender panel who met only recently and it is expected a maintenance contract will be in place within the next couple of months.

Dave McEvoy refused to name the tenders involved in the negotiations but said “There must also be discussions with the refuse collectors as there are clear issues about the handling of these pods and the damage sustained as a result, I will be encouraging Lambeth Living to tackle this problem and hope to ensure we get the correct company in place to maintain these systems on Lambeth Housing estates.”

Many estates have experienced similar problems with the systems and damage to surrounding areas. Weir Estate has at least six units which are damaged and in need of desperate repair.

Tender talks are on-going with the companies involved.

Transport for London (TfL) have begun a consultation on revised plans to introduce the 255 bus route from Streatham to Balham after objections were raised by residents in the Old Devonshire Road area of the planned new route extension.

In 2009, Transport for London consulted stakeholders and the local community on proposals to extend the single decker 255 bus from Streatham to Balham taking in Weir Road and Old Devonshire Road along the planned route.

New proposals have been submitted for consideration as the plans to extend the single decker bus had been held up while other alternatives were considered and discussions took place between Lambeth and Wandsworth Council senior officers in order to tackle the concerns raised in the 2009 consultation surrounding noise, traffic issues, and parking changes.

Residents now can comment on the new set of adjustments to the route which are mainly focused on Old Devonshire Road with changes to the road layout and the relocation of the bus stop in the direction towards Streatham Hill terminus.

Several alternatives were considered following the previous consultation such as re-routing the bus down to Clapham South however this would increase the cost of the extension and not considered a suitable destination, TFL also considered whether it could run down other local roads but Old Devonshire Road is the favoured route due to the direct link to Balham High Road and the road and parking layout. Changes will be made to the junction with Balham High Road. More >

A new recycling scheme, which has been rolled out to residents who live on Lambeth Housing Estates, will see those who recycle each week awarded points which can then be redeemed for vouchers to spend in local business, cinemas and sports facilities.

Cllr Lorna Campbell, Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, said: “I’m delighted that Lambeth residents are going to be the first in London to benefit from Recyclebank.”

“With residents’ help we have made great strides forward, increasing recycling levels across borough over the past few years, and we are confident that Recyclebank will help us to go even further. This scheme is an important part of our plans to reduce waste costs, boost recycling and make Lambeth a cleaner and greener place to live.” More >