Wansteadium

A massive programme of pole and machine installation is going on around Wanstead as the council brings in its double whammy of pay-and-display on the High Street and residents parking restrictions elsewhere.

Machines have now been installed, and the poles for signs are gradually being installed. Meanwhile residents who will be affected are desperately applying for £45 parking permits before the new rules begin on 19 February (ie a week on Monday).

The council’s parking registration site warns permits may take 10 days to be received by residents following an online application.

Businesses have to apply for permits too, at £300, but details are still sketchy about where those parking spots will be (or if there will be enough spaces to meet demand).

Imran Asfhar, who runs the Tool Box on Wanstead High Street, told Wansteadium:  “I have contacted the council by email on a few occasions but still haven’t had a response. There is still no clarity on where the business permit bays will be. Also the quantity of bays being made available. From what I gather there is no limit on the amount of permits a business can purchase.”

 

 

Street-by-street Whatsapp groups are springing up around Wanstead as residents who are worried about recent crimes band together to share information about potential threats.

Some groups are taking the lead of a Neighbourhood Watch group in east Wanstead which shares alerts, police information and general warnings. And others are being set up around Wanstead, including in Seagry Road where there was a nasty burglary earlier this week.

The Wanstead Guardian reports that five burglars broke into the house, held knives at the residents’ throats, while they stole a large amount of jewellery.

Meanwhile Redbridge Council has announced it is increasing its “enforcement team” of civilian officers who will be patrolling around the borough. It has said it is working on a range of measures such as improving street lighting and CCTV to react to what council leader Jas Athwal described as “the current crime epidemic”.  He also said more police had been requested from the Met Commissioner.

Steve Wilks, chairman of the Safer Neighbourhood Panel for Wanstead and Snaresbrook, is compiling a list of Whatsapp groups and administrators.

Another gem from Terry Law.

We are delighted to be able to tell you of another group of brilliant Wanstead businesses which are now supporting our anti-plastic straw campaign.

Karen Myers, the prime mover behind the campaign, says: “The U.K. currently discards the highest number of plastic straws in Europe, around 8.5 billion per year.  They are used for moments and can take hundreds of years to disintegrate. They end up in landfill, incinerators or littering our oceans where they have a profound impact on the marine environment.”

Wanstead has made “great strides towards eliminating straws” she says, and when you see the latest names on the list you see she has a point.

• The Wanstead Tap will be giving biodegradable straws on request. It says: “Really no excuse anymore not to.”
• Gail’s Bakery have now decided to remove plastic straws from all their branches – and sure enough have now disappeared from their counter in Wanstead
• Time For Tea opposite Snaresbrook station has joined up,
• The Eagle – yes, the Eagle
• The George – and yes, the George!
• Currant cafe is phasing out its current stocks
• Costa has decided to put its straws behind the counter
• And Tesco in Wanstead is also playing its part – removing plastic straws from sale.

Thank you to all these supporters – there are just a few left now – it’s not too late to come on board!

 

 

A letter to Wansteadium from reader Keith:

Dear Wansteadium,
Please be warned about a couple of young gentlemen riding a scooter. Last week they rammed my car as I was turning into Woodbine Place from the High Street. They managed to get back on their scooter and escape. I would like to thank all of the kind people of Wanstead who came to my aid. Everything happened too quickly to get their registration number. Frustratingly I saw them the next day weaving in and out of traffic in the High Street before jumping the lights at Hermon Hill and riding towards Charlie Brown’s.

I have had a number of people contact me with other sightings. Unfortunately the police are over-stretched with more serious incidents to deal with and will not be following this up.

They have cost me dearly but the greater concern is that they are going to soon hurt someone.

Yours

Keith

It’s our new weekly series of watercolours, and another taste of Wanstead from 20 years ago, as captured by Terry Law.