Chuka Umunna MP

Urban Art 2011, London’s largest free annual open air Contemporary Arts Fair will be taking place for its tenth year on Josephine Avenue, London SW2 on Saturday 16th July and Sunday 17th July from 10.00am to 6.00pm.

Last year the event attracted over 7,500 visitors and this July even more are expected. The event will exhibit new and established artists work as well as help fundraising for local causes: Trinity Hospice and The Crown Lane Primary School will receive 10% commission from the sales made on Sunday.

Around 2,000 pieces of work will be on display from 150 artists, printmakers, street painters and photographers, ranging from the novice to the established making this is an event for all art lovers. Prices range from under a tenner to over £1,000, examples of which can be found here.

Additional attractions for Urban Art 2011 include the Saturday Sound Stage showcasing an eclectic mix of music and a wide selection of food stalls.

Urban Art was created by Josephine Avenue resident and portrait artist Timothy Sutton. Commenting, he said “I knew that local artists were desperate to find places to show their work and this seemed an obvious solution. The local community work really hard but it’s always a fun weekend so makes it all worth while; it’s kind of the Big Society in action. We’re also delighted that Trinity Hospice and Crown Lane Primary School will benefit this year, two local services who need the money.”

Brixton resident and artist, Martin Grover, who has been exhibiting at Urban Art since its inception, added: “This will be my tenth time exhibiting at Urban Art. It’s always a chilled atmosphere and great place to talk to other artists and visitors about my work. Can’t wait.”

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna has joined students at Fenstanton Primary School in Tulse Hill, opening the school’s new community recycling area at its launch event which took place last week.

The launch of the facility took place alongside the school’s Big Tidy Up event to clean up the school environment.

Mr Umunna cut the ribbon alongside students who had worked on creating the community recycling area. Students of Fenstanton and other nearby schools have been involved, including art students from nearby secondary school St Martin-in-the-Fields who have assisted.

Primarily, Fenstanton’s year six contributed to the project which is their gift to the school before they leave to secondary school.

Commenting, Mr Umunna said: “The community recycling area will provide an excellent facility and I was pleased to be able to meet with the students whose hard work created it.”

Following the tragic events in Tulse Hill this week, Chuka submitted the statement below to the Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group (CPCG) meeting which took place last night:

Dear all

You will now all have heard of the senseless killing of yet another young man from and in our community – my constituent Nana Darko Frempong.

When we hear of a life tragically lost in our community, our hearts sink – we can only imagine the pain that their loved ones are going through. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

We, together as a community, will do all we can to support and comfort them at this very difficult time – let there be no doubt: we are right behind them.

I will not comment on the details of this particular incident as I do not wish to prejudice the police investigation which is ongoing, save to say that it is totally unacceptable that this is happening on our streets, we will work together to tackle the root causes and, above all, we must bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice.

Clearly we have a problem given the number of incidents that have occurred of late. There are many things we need to do which I have already mentioned at CPCG before. Above all, we need much better joined up working locally and nationally to prevent these tragedies occurring. We are already working towards this as you will hear this evening from the police and the Council; I am doing all I can to address this in Parliament at a national level.

I am sorry I cannot be with you this evening – we are voting on important counter terrorism measures in the House of Commons tonight. However, you can speak to my office manager Anna Coffey who is in attendance and/or contact me directly with your thoughts on this issue.

Yours in solidarity,

Chuka

Following a recent planning meeting, Lambeth council officials provided Chuka with an update on the Streatham Hub redevelopment. The update is below:

• Demolition of the former Pope’s Road car park is near completion with works to level the site now underway. This is due to be completed by late April 2011.
• Start on the construction of the temporary ice rink – July 2011
• Open temporary ice rink – November 2011
• Start on site for Streatham Hub – September 2011
• Completion of Streatham Hub – end of 2013
• Decommissioning of temporary ice rink – early 2014

Commenting on the occasion of the Black Cultural Archives’ Uprising event to mark the 30th anniversary of the Brixton Riots this weekend, Chuka Umunna MP, Member of Parliament for the Streatham constituency (which covers part of Brixton) said today:

“One spring day in April 1981 my mother popped down to Brixton with her little toddlers to do a spot of shopping. Little did she know what was about to unfold; as the tension mounted and the violence started, she literally sprinted to our car with her two bundles of joy – my sister in her pushchair and me on foot – and fled the unrest.

“The Briton riots 30 years ago were a product of many things – a community that had had enough. Police brutality and prejudice yes, but also poverty, unemployment and a lack of opportunities. We’ve come a long way since then and things are far better for my generation than my father’s who arrived in this country in the 1950s and 60s.

“Yet, we still have our challenges – there is still prejudice, though it might also take on different forms. It is for these reasons that we should remember and never forget what happened – that way we fend off complacency and keep striving to be a better place to live for all our communities.”

Chuka is holding a People’s Question Time to discuss an exciting potential community development in the area. At this very early stage of the development, residents’ views are being sought on the idea and the potential building design.

Date: Wednesday 6th April
Time: 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Venue: Corpus Christi RC Church, 11 Trent Road, SW2 5BJ

At the meeting a proposal will be discussed to turn a row of disused garages at the rear of Fairmount Road and Raleigh Gardens into a green, creative space for the community. This development would turn a wasteland into a financially sustainable community building and garden that would provide a real oasis in a crowded urban space.

There are already many exciting ideas about what could be done with this space, including developing a community kitchen and cafe to promote healthy eating and demonstrate the benefits of using fresh, own grown produce and engaging in community activities including animation, film, sculpture, creative writing, live music, arts and crafts.

The project will be introduced by local resident Katherine Rake and the building designs presented by architect Jerry Tate.

Chuka hosted coffee afternoon last month at Cressingham Gardens Estate – all residents on the estate were invited to come along for a casual cup of tea or coffee and a chat.

The event provided an opportunity for local residents to raise issues with Chuka – thanks again to those who were able to attend. Chuka will be holding many similar events around my constituency in the future.

The building of the Streatham Hub has been fraught with delays since its inception more than 10 years ago.

History

Tesco Plc (“Tesco”) purchased the site where Streatham Ice Rink is currently situated almost a decade ago. In June 2001 the retailer published plans to demolish the Ice Rink – these were abandoned following strong opposition from local user groups, community and voluntary organisations.

New plans were approved by Lambeth Council (the “Council”) in February 2003 with a Section 106 Agreement associated with the scheme – which has become known as the ‘Streatham Hub’ – being concluded between the Council and Tesco in December 2007.

Under the agreement the development was set to provide new leisure facilities, a new supermarket and 250 new homes for the Streatham area where Streatham Ice Arena is currently located. There would also be a new transport hub linking road and rail. The Council said that as part of the deal Tesco would not be allowed to open its supermarket until the new leisure centre and ice rink open. Planning consent was granted to Tesco on this basis in December 2007.

In 2009 Tesco indicated to the Council that it wished to revise the scheme on account of economic conditions which it said meant the 2007 plans were no longer financially viable. With respect to their revised proposals, residents were alarmed when in October 2009 representatives from Tesco refused to guarantee that it would be able to ensure continuity of ice pending the development being completed (under the original plans the old ice rink would only close once the new ice rink opened, thus ensuring continuity of ice). Continuous ice provision is essential for the many user groups of the ice rink including Olympian skaters and the famous Streatham Redskins ice hockey team.

Keep Streatham Skating

In October 2009 I established a cross party coalition to campaign for continuity of ice to be retained following the public meeting that month. Various online and off line petitions, and a Facebook group, were established which thousands of residents signed. Following this campaign, Tesco and Lambeth came forward with revised proposals under which the old ice rink would close before the new one opened but temporary ice provision paid for by Tesco would be put in its place somewhere near by.

The revised proposals were approved by the Tesco Plc board in March 2010. This approval was of some significance since on the last two occasions when the scheme had gone to the Tesco Board for approval, no approval had been forthcoming; on this occasion the scheme was promoted by the Chief Executive himself and given Board approval.

Hands Off Our Common

As part of the revised proposals, the option of putting a temporary ice rink on Streatham Common whilst the new rink is built was discussed and considered. However, whilst many of the user groups of the ice rink were supportive of this plan given its close proximity to the current ice rink site, regular users of Streatham Common were deeply opposed and a campaign – Hands Off Our Common (HOOC) – was established in May 2010 to reject the revised proposals. Groups involved with HOOC included Sustainable Streatham, Streatham Action, Friends of Streatham Common and the Streatham Society.

The campaign was successful and on 26 July 2010 Lambeth Council’s cabinet resolved not to place the temporary ice skating provision on Streatham Common following a report from Council officers citing legal obstacles, practical difficulties and the likely extensive delay resulting from implementation, as the main reasons for not pursuing this: Report to Cabinet, 26 July 2010.

Instead the Council officers’ report recommended that the temporary ice skating provision be placed at Pope’s Road in Brixton, one of 14 options considered by the Council. The officers’ paper lists the advantages and disadvantages of Pope’s Road as follows:

Advantages

• In Council ownership
• Site to be demolished and will be in vacant possession shortly.
• Site large enough
• Good accessibility
• Good public transport links
• Viability of town centre would be enhanced

Disadvantages

• Could raise objections among market traders if temporary car park not provided.
• Loss of car parking for market traders, but can be mitigated by relocating elsewhere on site.
• Possible community safety concerns.
• Opportunity cost to Council for delaying its redevelopment of the site.

The timetable for completion of the entire Streatham Hub scheme envisages the temporary ice rink being opened at Pope’s Road towards the end of 2011 and the new ice rink (along with the supermarket etc) being completed in the summer of 2013.

Some stakeholders who use the ice rink support siting the temporary provision at Pope’s Road so long as Tesco are not permitted to open their supermarket before completion of the new ice rink and the other leisure facilities – this was the view presented to Lambeth’s cabinet on 26 July 2010 by the Secretary of Streatham Ice Skating Action Group. SISAG’s members include representatives of the dance club, figure skating club and hockey clubs who use the current ice rink. In response Council cabinet members confirmed that the Tesco store would not be allowed to open until the leisure facilities had been completed.

Save Skating in Streatham

Some users of the ice rink and local councillors have voiced great concern about the temporary provision being situated out of Streatham and formed a campaign: Save Skating in Streatham (SSS). They worry the ice rink will never return to Streatham and have considerable concerns about community safety, access and parking at the Pope’s Road site. Their petition (which has been signed by 335 people at the time of writing) is here, their Facebook page is here, and their recent letter to me is here. They argued that a site at Stockport Road should be considered but the campaign is now focused on enforcement of original section 106 Agreement under which it was agreed the old ice rink would stay in situ until the new ice rink opens.

I should mention that the Brixton Market Traders’ Association also oppose the temporary ice provision being placed at Pope’s Road – they argued at the 26 July 2010 cabinet meeting that the space could instead provide much needed parking facilities for Brixton Market customers.

My thoughts

Firstly, I should state that, as the Member of Parliament for Streatham, I have no legal power to affect this situation nor am I a party or signatory to any of the agreements between Tesco and the Council – it would be misleading for me to claim otherwise. My role – as an advocate for the area – is to ensure that as many of the voices and concerns of the community as possible are heard when decisions are made.

Secondly, there are a range of stakeholders with an interest in this development but – as the history of the project has demonstrated – those interests are not necessarily aligned and, even within the different groups concerned, there is a diversity of views too; I know this because I have spent much time consulting with all of them. For example, some ice rink user groups are happy to accept Pope’s Road as a temporary solution; others are not. Unfortunately this is not a project that will complete to the satisfaction of all involved – a degree of compromise on everyone’s part will be required.

That said, all are agreed on the principle that we all want to see the Streatham Hub completed as soon as possible, so that we can benefit from the fantastic leisure provision which it will provide, employment opportunities and new homes. My priority has always been to see the project completed as quickly as possible with this aim in mind whilst ensuring that, at the very least, there is ice provision for the current users of the ice rink in the interim.

Thirdly, the original s106 Agreement – agreed in 2007 – will be varied by Deed of Variation (if it has not been already) to allow for the revised 2010 plans to proceed. This is because Tesco would not agree to develop the Hub on the basis agreed in 2007, citing current economic conditions and commercial viability. I voiced some scepticism of their arguments in this regard given its pre-tax profits increased during the recession but their position remains unchanged. It is for this reason that Tesco paying for temporary provision pending completion of the scheme was agreed upon this year. There has always been a possibility that, should Tesco not deem the scheme commercially viable, they would walk away from the Hub project altogether leaving the future of ice skating in Streatham in peril – thankfully we did not reach this point. So whilst I have great sympathy with the SSS campaign objective to enforce the original s106 Agreement, I do not see how this can be done given what has come to pass and Tesco’s position. A lot has happened since the original 2007 agreement was concluded and I do not think we can wind the clock back (so to speak).

However, this does not mean that I am entirely happy with the Pope’s Road solution that has been proposed as things stand. It is vital that the concerns raised in relation to parking, community safety, spectator accommodation and transport are addressed ahead of the erection of the temporary provision. I understand that ice skating user groups met with Council officers yesterday and that progress towards the resolution of some of these issues has progressed.

Between now and the construction of the temporary provision at the end of next year, I will do all I can to demand that these issues are resolved. I met with Council officers and cabinet members during the summer with this is mind and I have written to Council officers for an update on progress in this regard which I will publish on this website in due course. I have also spoken with my colleague, Tessa Jowell MP, in relation to the concerns raised by the Market Traders Association of Brixton Market which is located in her constituency.

Finally, I am aware that the user groups of Streatham Swimming Pool feel that their concerns in relation to swimming provision in the vicinity have been overlooked somewhat given the focus on the ice rink. I was a frequent user of the pool myself as a child as I often competed there as a competitive swimmer. It is totally unsatisfactory that my constituents have been having to travel some distance in order to be able to continue to swim on a regular basis. This is an issue I have raised with the Council but my office will be seeking to arrange a meeting between myself and the stakeholder group for Streatham Swimming Pool imminently to see what further needs to be done.

If you wish to contact me further on this issue, please write to me at my constituency office or email me – contact details are here.

Kind regards,

Chuka

Last month, Chuka invited Lambeth Living, representatives from the Council and Tulse Hill Tenants and Residents Association to accompany him on a walkabout of Tulse Hill Estate to meet local residents and listen to their concerns.

One of the problems reported during the visit was the number of potholes around the estate. Following the visit, Lambeth Living assured residents that the worst of the potholes will be filled in within the next two to three weeks and the Council suggested that Lambeth Living should meet with the Council officers responsible for filling in potholes in the borough to see if their knowledge and experience can be of assistance – a small example of why walkabouts like this, with representatives from all the relevant agencies, are so important.

Local residents also raised the lack of activities for young people, and Chuka visited the Jubilee Hall facility which has lain dormant because of a lack of funding – following this Chuka is meeting with its steering group which is working to get the building up and running again.

Chuka will be doing regular walkabouts throughout the constituency to meet as many constituents as possible, hear their concerns and take action.

On Saturday Chuka spoke at a Living Wage action lunch at Windrush Square in Brixton, organised by South London Citizens, a grass roots charity working with local people to organise for change around local issues.

As well as promoting the living wage, the event celebrated the ongoing work that Lambeth Council is carrying out with South London Citizens on street safety and youth opportunities.

Chuka Umunna said: “I am a big supporter of the work of London Citizens. The National Minimum Wage, which Labour introduced, was a groundbreaking step and has benefitted millions of people.

“A Living Wage would build on this by adequately reflecting the high cost of living in London, which would help further the fight against low wages and poverty.”

The Labour Party Manifesto was the only to commit to introducing a living wage for all Whitehall employees.

This commitment to a living wage would be combined with and supported by measures that Labour would introduce to address high pay in the Public Sector. These commitments ensure that the Public Sector continues to lead the way in promoting a fair and equal working environment.

London Citizens welcomed the commitment from Labour and suggested that other parties have to play catch up on the issue.

If you are interested in getting more involved with the London Citizens there is a South London Citizens section that always welcomes volunteers.