Wansteadium

Is someone trolling us? We know our repeated appeals for sightings of hedgehogs have become well-known, but this little stone fella on Hermon Hill looks like a ringer.

So the Wanstead Kinema isn’t  taking place after all. In spite of extensive social distancing procedures being in place, the Fringe had to cancel Friday night’s event because of the government’s new regulations on public gatherings in England. Tickets are being refunded.

If things had been different this would have been a wonderful Fringe week, with good weather for the Jumble Trail, photowalks, the Duke Street Party and the Wanstead Festival itself. Wanstead folk would have been filling venues for theatre, comedy, demonstrations and so on.

But 2020 had other thoughts. With thoughts now turning to a socially distanced Christmas, we can just hold out for things to get better in 2021.

Current scene at George Lane, South Woodford, as a building collapsed at 9.10am #woodford @BBCNews @LBC pic.twitter.com/nphRLbr1G3

— Jonathan Somerville (@baptistjon) September 10, 2020

A major incident was under way on Thursday morning as a roof collapsed in a house on the Wanstead end of George Lane, as captured by the pastor of Woodford Baptist Church, above.

At the time of writing it’s not known if there were any injuries.

The fine given to Wanstead Hairdresser’s for putting chairs on the pavement has angered Wanstead people so much a petition has been started.

Redbridge officials gave the £100 fine, first reported here in Wansteadium, to the Woodbine Place shop just after lockdown was eased when demand for haircuts was at a high. The chairs were put outside so that customers didn’t have to cram on to the benches inside, or stand for a long time outside. A lot of the shop’s customers are elderly.

The story appeared on Monday night on BBC London News, in which Redbridge gave the following response:

“It’s important there is a level playing field for businesses in the borough as it would be unfair for those that have paid for a [pavement] licence if we simply turned a blind eye to those that hadn’t, and it’s also essential we ensure the public highway is kept free of any obstructions.”

Redbridge statement, via BBC London News

In Wansteadium’s humble opinion this statement misses the point in a couple of key ways.
* Firstly there’s no reason why an informal warning to Paul – and the others shops who were fined – wouldn’t have achieved the same result of a level playing field.
* Secondly, yes, the public highway needs to be kept clear, but HELLO? Ever heard of SOCIAL DISTANCING? Is that not important too?

A waiving of the fine would demonstrate that, having made their point about playing fields and highways, this was not just a chance for Redbridge to make some quick money.

A petition has now been started in support of Paul. It’s available here.

Several Wanstead shops and cafes have been fined by Redbridge Council for making socially distanced space for customers on the pavements outside their shops.

They include the much-loved Wanstead Hairdressers on Woodbine Place – a shop which has been trading in this location for decades without problems.

When barbers were allowed to reopen after lockdown, everyone needed haircuts. Owner Paul Michaelides installed Perspex barriers separating the seats inside where customers wait in turn, and he also put some well-spaced chairs directly outside his shop where more people could wait safely. It all seemed pretty sensible.

However, Redbridge inspectors took photographs of the seats and issued £100 fines for the infringement. Other shops on the High Street which had reacted to the new need for social distancing faced similar actions.

Paul said: “Everyone needed a haircut after the lockdown, and we wanted people to be able to queue safely – we were doing the responsible thing when everyone is trying to keep their distance from each other. We have quite a few elderly customers and didn’t want to make them stand outside waiting.

“To get a fine without even being warned by the officer that we were doing something wrong was particularly annoying.”

Paul has appealed against the fine.

A new sign has gone up at Boots on Wanstead High Street – but it is in such a clear violation of Redbridge’s rules for street signs in this area that it’s hard to believe it can last for long.

The longstanding rule for Wanstead High Street is that shop signs are not allowed to have “internal illumination” – ie they can be lit by spotlights shining on them, but they must not have lights inside them. Often these rules are somewhat ignored – particularly by small shops – but generally are observed by companies big enough to know there are rules about street signs.

The new sign, installed last week and pictured above, is quite tasteful, frankly, but it clearly has lights on inside it. So the question is – will Redbridge turn a blind eye to it? And if it does, will that mean a free-for-all for other shops?

(PS. To anyone who think Wansteadium has an obsession with street signs, you’re probably right. But we don’t care.)