MOYLAN ON TENTERHOOKS FOR PAYBACK

There's one chap waiting with bated breath for Boris Johnson to replace the hopeless Mrs. May.


Stop forward ex councillor Daniel Moylan. Dan the Man was behind the much-derided £30 million Exhibition Road. 
To remind residents..... £30 million builds a few much needed primary schools.




But what's £30 million when you are on a taxpayer-funded ego trip.

Anyway, back to Boris....

Danny, a one time Boris City Hall team member, thinks that Boris 'owes him one' so is looking forward to some remunerative employment..... once Boris has climbed in through a 10 Downing St window.

Maybe a diplomatic appointment in that country he knows well...South Africa?

WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL AT WAR WITH ITS RESIDENTS

After the reshaping of our political scene you would think politicians would now 'get it'!
If the councillors on the committee go against residents they need the same punishment meted out by a recent parvenu party! We need to support these two organisations against councillors determined to destroy Dolphin Square-a building 

that Londoners love.

The Dolphin Square Preservation Society and Protect Our Pimlico are requesting your support to protect the Grade II listed gardens and “unlisted building of merit” that is our beloved Dolphin Square complex.  Sitting along the Thames in Pimlico this iconic Square, designed and constructed in the 1930s to resist collapse in the event of aerial bombardment, has survived about a dozen wartime bombs but may not make it through the greed of the developers of 2019. 
The Square has been memorialised by K.F. Morris in “A History of Dolphin Square” and again in “Wartime In Dolphin Square” by Jan Prebble. 

It is now up to our generation to save it.

Despite over 170 local objections logged on the council website

https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

and over 2,250 signatures on the petition against these plans

Westminster Council planners have recommended the plans be approved.

The final decision is now in the hands of the Major Applications sub-committee who on June 4th will decide the fate of this important building as well as the approximately 180, Option B tenants within. 

Attend the meeting and we would be very grateful if you would take a moment to email members of the planning sub-committee to let them know that you expect them to safeguard the local Westminster environment by protecting its buildings, people and its conservation areas. 

If one of the councillors listed below serves your constituency, we would be very grateful if you would take a moment to make it clear that you will no longer support them at council elections if they vote to approve the Westbrook plans to alter Dolphin Square and compromise the integrity of the Dolphin Square conservation area.

Committee members:

Gotz Mohindra (Conservative/ Regent's Park) gmohindra@westminster.gov.uk

David Boothroyd (Labour/Westbourne)  dboothroyd@westminster.gov.uk

Geoff Barraclough( Labour/Mada Vale) gbarraclough@westminster.gov.uk

Murad Gassanly (Conservative/Churchill Ward) mgassanly@westminster.gov.uk 

and Elizabeth Hitchcock (Conservative/ Knightsbridge & Belgravia). 

Reasons to object:

Dolphin Square historically offered flats at moderate rates for those working unsocial hours in central London, the proposed development offers little similar accommodation to the next generation. Thus, it does nothing to really tackle the growing housing crisis in Westminster.

Dolphin Square is a building of special interest due to its unique construction, history and usage. 

The proposed demolition of the entire north side of the Square would degrade the physical character of the Dolphin Square Conservation area, altering it beyond recognition. 

The Dolphin Square Conservation area was designated explicitly because of  Dolphin Square’s design and architectural significance. 

The proposed replacement for this north side would no longer be, as is the present building, sensitive to the height and light of its neighours: Pimlico Academy, the properties on St. George’s Square and Claverton Street. 

The replacement with its additional height would be completely out of scale and disruptive resulting in a sense of enclosure, loss of light and the human scale which now shapes a vital part of the local character. 

The plans do not preserve the unique Dolphin Square internal, art deco shopping arcade.

The Spanish Garden will be swept away in its present form and will suffer with a loss of light and sun, overshadowed by adding yet another floor to all of the surrounding buildings.

These plans are contrary to the Westminster Unitary Plan policy, protecting family flats of three and more bedrooms and opposing the development of short-term residential property as well as hotels outside certain locations of which this is not one.

These plans make a very poor social housing offer but will provide an excellent profit for its off-shore developers.

SOME GOOD AND NEWS AND EVEN BETTER NEWS

The Dame is politically ambivalent but woke up this morning with some good news. 
After twenty years sucking on the teat of the EU Tannock had been kicked out.
Yes, the Dame knows it's not 'comme il faut' to kick a man when he's down but this is a man who claimed to be ashamed of being British and dashed off to get an Irish passport.
It was the old Dame who tipped off the Insight Team on the Sunday Times that the Doc had 'prescribed' himself four hundred thousand share options with a fracking company.
Fortunately, the company, 3 Legs Plc went bust so the Doc was never able to cash in. However, he did get a 'knighthood'(seen below) from some Ukranian president!

Whatever made the ex psychiatrist think he didn't need to declare his options? He needed his head seen to....

Tannock was seen off by Ben Habib.
The Dame hears that Habib, a modest and unassuming individual, was the finance director of a listed company at the tender age of twenty-three and went on to launch a listed property company with assets throughout Europe. 

Habib..talented!

THE DAME'S CHAP IN DAGENHAM....REPORTS

Not looking good for Labour and other parties in Dagenham...
We need to do something and fast....


"Early indication of results for Dagenham (voted leave in 2016) is that Brexit Party is smashing the other parties. Labour at 25% of the votes of Brexit Party – 

Dagenham is a solid Labour seat."

COME ON, GREG AND EMMA...YOUR CONSTITUENTS NEED YOU!

1000HP SPEEDSTER ON SLOANE ST

The lives of residents in Chelsea and Knightsbridge are being wrecked and endangered by speeding, noisy supercars barrelling down their streets.
Sloane and Pont St's, Knightsbridge, Brompton Rd, Walton St and Ovington Square are their preferred 'drags'.

There are two distinct perennially offending groups

• Middle Eastern visitors with supercars with illegible and unrecordable registration plates 
• Uk residents with legible plates

Every effort has been made to persuade the Middle Eastern embassies to assist: it's been a complete waste of time.

Therefore the Council needs to be talking to talking to DVLA about:

1. Insisting that  vehicles with illegible Arabic plates are replaced with temporary British plates and registered to a legitimate UK address

2. Temporarily imported supercars are inspected by DVLA to ensure they are UK road legal. 

Specifically, the Mercedes Benz 4 wheel drives which are a huge speed and noise nuisance.

This action will be highly disruptive.

But, in reality, there is just one cure in the absence of effective policing....we need strategically sited speed cameras. There is no other solution.

The money to install is there from the ring-fenced parking enforcement revenues and once installed the payback period will be rapid.

GET THEM UP...NOW!

A reader tells me that the Council is now, at last, willing to consider cameras but it will require the support of TfL and parliamentary time.

So, the Dame calls upon Greg Hands and Emma Dent Coad to get behind residents and get these cameras up and running.

There is no other solution and fiddling around the edges just won't cut the mustard.
The Council has wasted far too long on this issue and now needs some resolute action. Come on, Doc Quirk, this is one for you too.

A DOUBLE JOBBING COUNCILLOR

Double Parking

You can double park but turn off your
engine!

Double Yellow lines

Dear Dame,

These images demonstrate how the Council turns a blind eye to blatant law-breaking on an industrial scale. 

Taxis, filthy diesel engines running, snake down Hans Road and into Hans Place.

Residents and their families endure constant noise and danger and other road users constant congestion.

All because of poor traffic management decision making by the council.

The only ward councillor to put her back into sorting out the muddle is Cllr. McVeigh.

But what of her longest-serving councillor colleague, Cllr. Mary Weale?

In all the years that I have lived in the Hans Town ward Cllr. Weale has been phantom like: no one has ever seen her.

Yet in those years Cllr. Weale has claimed allowances and expenses well in excess of £300,000.

She is so dismissive of the concerns of residents that she has not responded to one email sent to her by residents.

As lead member for Council Finance Cllr. Weale has an allowance of close to £1,000 a week. 

In January this year, with the Council’s financial situation in a parlous state, Cllr. Weale took on a senior role with Imperial College Healthcare Trust. 

Why did the Leader allow this to happen?

Cllr. Weale? 

Can you please spare a little time to serving residents....

Regards

Justin Downes

WELL DONE, ANNIE REDMILE

Annie Redmile is a wonderful example of tireless campaigning for the public good.

She has now joined the Dame as a local blogger and the Dame is delighted. 
Annie is going to focus, amongst other things, about keeping fit and active in the 'troisieme age' although the Dame is more 'quatrieme age' so probably beyond help.
Please do look at Annie's blog www.kensingtonview.com

MD OF STANLEY CHELSEA ASK IF SOME SHORT LETS FINANCE TERRORISM

PATRICK BULLICK, MD STANLEY CHELSEA

Prime Central London is increasingly suffering from inappropriate short-letting of residential properties.

Airbnb started it but now they are all at it.

In Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Chelsea there are highly organised gangs, running dubious short-letting operations.

I gather Bayswater and the Edgware Road areas have long suffered the same issues.

These sophisticated gangs rent flats from unsuspecting landlords and then sub-let on short-lets, at vastly inflated rates.

This is presumably extremely profitable and begs the question as to where those profits go.

Some say it could be funding terrorism......if so

innocent landlords are caught out and completely compromised.

Central London councils set a maximum of 90 days per annum for short letting private homes and only certain buildings have short-letting licences.

Most leasehold flats are prohibited from short-letting altogether.

Mortgage lenders require owners to gain their permission before short-letting a property and they definitely do not allow letting in breach of local authority rules.

Standard buildings insurance policies are also vitiated by short-letting within a building.

These rules are often ignored, putting landlords in clear breach of their leases, mortgages and insurance policies.

If they have let their property to someone who then goes on to sub-let, the landlord is still responsible for these breaches.

Additionally, the transient nature of short-let tenants leads to significant disruption and disturbance to neighbours.

In extreme cases, criminal activities, prostitution, and physical damage can occur.

Whole buildings can fall into the hands of these shady gangs.

We have an extraordinary live example in Hans Crescent – just opposite Harrods and the now infamous, (thanks to Julian Assange) Ecuadorian Embassy.

Our client has a good one bedroom flat on the ground floor which he wants to sell because there is another purpose calling on the funds in the property.

The price has been discounted significantly to take into account the fact that a gang had managed to get their claws into the building.

They let and then sub-let several flats in the building. Thankfully, the situation is now coming under control and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Someone with patience, and a medium-term view can pick up a bargain.

Is it Terrorist Financing?

We take great care to try to protect our clients from people who let to sub-let.

We have had only two cases in the last ten years, which is a lot fewer than many agents.

The local authorities do nothing to enforce their own rules around short letting and don’t even acknowledge complaints.

HMRC, who have a poor record on reporting terrorist financing themselves, shrug their shoulders. Bin Laden Support

We consider the profits from the illicit activity of sub-letting a rented property as potential Terrorist Financing.

As part of our Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Finance Policy any sub-letting activities by tenants in our clients' properties will, from now on, be reported to the National Crime Agency as a suspicious activity without further consultation.

We are letting all potential tenants know this as we negotiate lets with them, so as to deflect them from misusing our client’s properties.

If you have a property which you have inadvertently let to people who are sub-letting and you need advice please get in touch.

THE DAME TAKES IT ON THE CHIN!

It is untrue to claim the blog has never critiqued Emma Dent Coad but, as always, the old bat takes up the challenge...

Dear Dame whoever you might be,
I doubt this will see the light of day
You have devoted several blogs in a vicious attack on the probity of our Conservative MEP, Charles Tannock.
In fact, were I the MEP I would sue you for defamation.

Many of your readers are pondering upon why you never attack Emma Dent Coad, one of the most useless and partisan of MP's.

It seems that apart from comments she is left alone. 
Why should she be? 
She's an 'I'm alright, Jill' type who despite her £85,000 a year salary lives in chic social housing costing the thick end of £1.3m and who has managed to get all her children educated at exclusive £35,000 a year Christ's Hospital....but then only the best for the Spanish aristocracy!

As Ancient As Eton

In the light of her new salary has she offered the Housing Association a market rent to reflect her new wealth?

Let me give my view for what it is worth......

Emma Dent Coad is on the wing of a movement which wishes to introduce taxes so punitive that ordinary Londoners who bought their homes in a period of low house/flat price inflation will now have to find around £20,000 a year to remain in their homes....YES, John McDonnell is proposing a 1% annual tax on any house or flat worth £2 million or above.
This tax will cut a swathe through thousands of her constituents who bought their homes years ago and whose incomes will never be able to support such a tax. 
They will be forced to sell into a depressed market just to satiate the vindictiveness of Dent Coad and her friends.

So, Dame 'whoever you might be' I challenge you to get off the hedge and recognise rank hypocrisy when it stares you in the face!

Regards,
Anon

BUS ROUTE 23 DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS AND OBJECTIONS FRIDAY JUNE 7

SAVE IT

Dear Resident Associations of Dalgarno, St Helens, Golborne, Colville, Pembridge, Queens Gate, Abingdon, Campden and Holland wards

We know that some(the Dame says MANY!) residents are not happy with the new route of the 23 bus (which now terminates at Hammersmith going via Hyde Park Corner and Kensington High Street). 

Councillor Henderson and I met with Transport for London (TfL) to discuss whether the route could be changed.

TfL want to understand exactly why residents are not happy with this new route. 

Please email me any comments that you may have regarding this route by Friday 7 June 2019 and I will collate your feedback and thereafter discuss with my contacts at TfL. 

My email address is Ayesha.Flemming@rbkc.gov.uk

I should make clear that while TfL are not promising to make any changes at this stage, they will bear in mind any feedback received for any future changes.

IDLING ENGINES: IDLING WARDENS...COME ON, COUNCIL LEADER...SORT THIS OUT

This is the day and night scene in Hans Rd. 
Lines of taxis breaking the law by parking on double yellow lines with their filthy, old fashioned clattering diesel engines pumping out thick, treacly black smoke as their engines idle. The fumes seep into homes and damage the health of young and old.





When a resident wrote to Nick Day, the Council's Contracts Team Leader he washed his hands of the problem by saying:



1. There were insufficient CEO's available to deal with the problem

2. That the taxis drove off when they spotted a CEO

Mr. Day hotly denies that the reason he cannot deploy CEO's is that they are all too busy on revenue generation activity ticketing overstays in leafy Knightsbridge squares: residents know better than Mr. Day who runs his office from Hammersmith!

The reason why we are where we are is that the Council totally cocked up the traffic management plan. 
It is now desperately seeking a solution.

Mr. Day says that the taxis drive off before the CEO can issue a ticket so there is no point in having a presence. 
Does Mr. Day take us for imbeciles?
When a CEO is present the taxis are not..so Mr. Day's pathetic reasoning does not stand scrutiny.

The Council has created this problem and until it resolves it permanently it needs to 100% focus on dealing with it and that means a permanent rota of CEO's and TfL staff present.

Mr. Day stupidly asks for evidence of idling CEO's. 
That's as dimwitted as asking residents to take down the registration numbers of speeding supercars.
Mr. Day...your Council created the problem...deal with it!

"WHEN THINGS GET SERIOUS YOU HAVE TO LIE" J-P JUNCKER

These words of Jean-Paul Juncker have been taken to heart by Charles Tannock, the London MEP and one-time psychiatrist.

SHEEPISH TANNOCK ON RIGHT OF PLATFORM 

At last night's Chiswick hustings angry and flustered MEP Tannock flatly denied being involved in the fracking industry.
We all know politicians lie but do they have to do so in such a flagrant manner and do we want liars representing us?
Persistent lying is a clinical issue so maybe Tannock should be self-treating...him being a shrink and all that!

As the Sunday Times reported it...

"Tannock, a psychiatrist turned London MEP, declared his position as a non-executive director but failed to mention his lucrative share options.

Meanwhile, he has used his role as a politician to call on Europe to lessen its reliance on Russian oil and gas in favour of other energy sources. 3Legs has 11 exploration licences in Poland and Germany.

Financial documents show that 3Legs awarded Tannock 215,884 share options, worth about £500,000, at the peak of the market in July. The MEP was also allowed to buy 160,000 shares for just £400 and sold half of them for a six-figure profit when 3Legs floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in June."

The Dame thinks Tannock, an ex-director of defunct 3 Legs Plc doesn't have a leg to stand on.....