Loughton Residents Association

LRA

 

Roads

Dirty streets
Residents are not satisfied with the street-cleaning arrangements in Loughton. LRA are working hard to improve the situation. If you think your local street needs sweeping ring 01992 564608. If you do, please email us to let us know.

Reporting road defects
Don’t just grouse. Go to www.essexcc.gov.uk, click on 'Report a highway problem' and follow the links, and give the exact location and description, or call 0845 603 7621. You can report damage to (or other) grass verge problems; vegetation problems; damaged or incorrect signs; drainage problems; highway or road lining defects; kerb, path or footway or pot hole defects; street furniture defects; and third party accident claims. If you think the situation is an emergency, please call the Highways Department on 0845 603 7631 (24 hours).

New street lights
Some people are unhappy about the visual impact of the new lighting columns. At 6 metres (20ft) high, they are 3 feet higher than the existing ones, with the benefit that fewer columns are required. Most new columns are located at the back of the footway. A shorter column will be used where the street has little or no frontage and shared surfaces for pedestrians and vehicles, or where there are other reasons why the taller columns are inappropriate. There are already 6-metre columns incorporating the new SON/T lamps in Englands Lane, Pyrles Lane and Forest Road. In conservation areas the traditional style of columns will be retained.

Epping Forest Transport Strategy
 report on the responses received to the public consultation, see www.essex.gov.uk/efts.  The key actions (with consultation where appropriate) in the Year 1 work programme are:
i)      development of the cattle grid network as part of the Branching Out Project;
ii)     a full review of speed limits;
iii)    minor road closures;
iv)    crossing point design and locations to be prioritised;
v)     detailed design and development of gateway infrastructure.

Station Approach
LRA Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens’ long-running battle to sort out the ownership of Station Approach – and get it properly cleaned and maintained – is not over yet. Sainsburys are responsible for the beds bordering the car park, which makes sense as they are on their side of the barrier. But why are London Underground Ltd (LUL) still responsible for the triangular bed next to Great Eastern Path, which should have been adopted by the County Council Highways Dept (who are responsible for all the other beds)? Somehow or other we will get it cleaned up!

M25 widening
The Highways Agency has awarded a £6.2bn contract for 30 years to widen the M25 between Junction 27 (M11) and Junction 30 (A13), beginning in July 2009 and ending before the Olympics in 2012.

In the dark? (updated 01/11/10)
LRA County Councillor Chris Pond chaired the County Safer and Stronger Communities Policy and Scrutiny committee which looked into the scheme to reduce the cost and environmental effects of street lighting. The trial involved turning lights off after midnight, although main streets and some others were left on.
The scheme would have been pushed through by the Conservative majority anyway – Chris Pond and the other Councillors involved have taken great trouble to ensure that it will be much more responsive to local needs. The aim is a 70% saving in fuel carbon and cost, while maintaining sufficient small-hours lighting to avoid people fearing the dark and worrying about more crime. The final decisions will, of course, be taken by the Conservative cabinet member, Cllr Norman Hume.

  • The committee decided on evidence from the police there had been no general increase in crime in the pilot areas - in fact, it had reduced as much or more than in lit areas. There were increases in burglaries in one or two switched-out streets in Saffron Walden, but there were lit streets elsewhere where there were similar increases.

  • New technology offers solutions that save more carbon and money than a blanket midnight switch off. A central computer-managed system can give infinite control over each light, so that modern ones can be dimmed, and/or alternate ones switched off and left on.

  • Parish/Town Councils will have a say over the arrangements, and can pay to leave on a set of lights that the County thinks should be dimmed or off.

  • Routes leading from stations with services after midnight will not be switched out or turned down.

  • There will be automatic reporting of failed lamps and of lamps lit during daytime.

  • Subject to negotiations with the suppliers, the County Council (and hence council-tax-payers) will pay only for the electricity the system uses - at the moment it is on an estimated, unmetered basis.

We know that many people remain concerned about possible dangers. Loughton Town Council would be consulted any changes are made here, and would of course take the views of residents into account along with the evidence. We are very pleased that the work done by LRA County Cllr Pond, chairing the Committee which looked at this subject, has meant that the initial proposals (for a switch-off after midnight) have been significantly improved, with flexibility built in to meet the particular needs of each community. You may like to read the Committee’s report.

Fly-posting
 is a nuisance and unsightly. If you see any fly-posting in Loughton (or anywhere in the south of Epping Forest District) please contact the Environment & Neighbourhood Officers who deal with the south of the district - either Michael Richardson (mrichardson@eppingforestdc.gov.uk)  or Chris Smith (csmith@eppingforestdc.gov.uk);  01992564160.