Tell the Kennington Association what Kennington wants

From the Kennington Association:

In July, Lambeth Council hope to introduce Community Local Infrastructure Plans (CLIPs), to decide on spending the neighbourhood share of Community Infrastructure Levies  paid by developers of new buildings. Kennington is likely to be bundled together with Oval and Vauxhall, who have already had consultations with residents about neighbourhood improvements like greening roads and traffic calming.

So what does Kennington want?

To obtain views, the Kennington Association (KA) is conducting a survey of Kennington opinion. Please follow this link to tell KA your views: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SBVCVL7

You can be anonymous if you like, but it will help KA to see how widespread suggestions are if you give your home postcode as part of the survey.

Best regards,

David Boardman (Chair of Kennington Association Planning Forum)
Kennington Association, 102 Lollard Street, London, SE11 6PX
Email: Kenningtonassociation@gmail.com

Your Priorities for Kennington & Vauxhall 2014-18

As you will be aware there will be local elections next May. As a result all councillors are looking at what we said we would do over the past four years and what we want to do over the coming four years.

We therefore wanted to take this opportunity to discover what your priorities are for Kennington & Vauxhall over 2014-18. It can be as small as fixing a pothole in a pavement or as big as the level of council tax you would like to see.

All ideas are welcome! To give you an idea, please see the manifesto Steve, Lorna and Mark stood on in 2010. Do you think we kept all our promises? Is there anything we could have done better?

If you can respond by emailing Steve before the end of the year that would be helpful. Steve, Lorna and Mark will then take your suggestions to council officers and our new candidates David, Chris and Joanne to see how we can make them a reality.

Pictured: Mark, Lorna and Steve campaigning in 2010 with local resident Jon

Funding the Northern Line Extension

After years of consultations and negotiations there is now agreement between the Government, Mayor of London, Lambeth Council and Wandsworth Council on how the Northern Line Extension should be funded, and we are near the point when Transport for London will start the planning process for the Northern Line Extension.

When the Northern Line Extension was first identified as the preferred transport solution, we as councillors shared the concern of residents that Lambeth shouldn't be paying for it at the expense of Lambeth residents. We have negotiated down Lambeth's contribution to the NLE from 62% to 15% of the monies due from the private developers. This is a huge win for Lambeth and one your Labour councillors have pushed for from the start.

More detail is outlined below but the next step for us all is to work out how we as a community decide how the remaining developer money is used to support the needs of existing communities alongside measures to mitigate the various developments.


Funding the Northern Line Extension

• The Government will set up an Enterprise Zone – where business rates from the new businesses created as part of the Vauxhall- Nine Elms- Battersea developments will be collected over the next 25 years to pay for the NLE. The only sites in Lambeth in the Enterprise Zone will be the Wandsworth Road Sainsbury’s site and the Vauxhall Square site (immediately south of Vauxhall Cross, bordered by Parry Street, Wandsworth Road and Bondway). All the other sites in the EZ will be in Wandsworth.
• Funding from the private developers will also contribute to the NLE. This is currently collected through Section 106, in the future this will be collected through the Community Infrastructure Levy. Current estimated development income for Lambeth Council will total £46m, of which the GLA is seeking agreement that £7.3m be allocated to contribute towards the cost of the NLE. This is just 15% of the income we will collect from developers. The rest will be used to pay for the other infrastructure needed in Vauxhall, such as sorting out the Vauxhall Cross gyratory, improved public space and school places. By contrast, the developers of Battersea Power Station will contribute £203m to the NLE.
• The Government in underwriting the cost of the project, and the risk will lie with the Greater London Authority. Neither Lambeth nor Wandsworth will shoulder any risk. TfL has also committed to taking all of the risk on any increase in costs that may occur in relation to other transport infrastructure over and above what is already planned.

Lambeth Cabinet on 4 March

A paper is being heard by the Cabinet on 4 March. The recommendations are:

•  that the noise level resulting from trains does not exceed 35dB (fast) and that mitigation measures are explored to reduce the noise level as far as  possible below that level 
• that the Council is satisfied that all other impacts of the NLE are minimised  and that this is clearly set out and demonstrated by the documents included in the Transport Works Act Order submission
• that the shafts and any associated buildings at Kennington Green and Kennington Park are designed to the highest standard, to be determined by the Council, and that mitigation measures to minimise the impacts of noise and air pollution are provided 
• that the proposed station at Nine Elms and the public realm surrounding it are designed to the highest quality, to be determined by the Council
• agreement between the Council and TfL on a satisfactory package of other strategic transport improvements, including improved/new bus services, that ensures the NLE is part of an overall strategic transport solution for the VNEB Opportunity Area 
• that the transformational change to the public realm and the bus station be progressed leading to the creation of a new district centre and the removal of the Vauxhall Gyratory wherever possible and to the satisfaction of the Council.
• That the Enterprise Zone as it relates to Lambeth is limited to the developments know as Vauxhall Square (Planning Ref 11/04428/FUL) and the redevelopment of the existing Sainsbury store  on Wandsworth Road, (Planning Ref 11/02326OUT), as defined by the relevant planning permissions that the Planning Application Committee have approved, subject to S106 Agreements.
• That all efforts be made to reduce the potential infrastructure funding gap by working with existing strategic partners who have a responsibility to provide infrastructure for the new population.

Benefits for Lambeth

• 3,500 new homes and 8,000 new jobs created in Lambeth. Many thousands more jobs on the Wandsworth side available for Lambeth residents to apply for.
• A new tube station at Nine Elms which will dramatically improve transport connections around Wandsworth Road.
• Pressure taken off Vauxhall tube station, as passengers in Nine Elms and Battersea will not add to the demands on Vauxhall and the Victoria line.
• A fast, direct new tube connection from Kennington to the jobs, shops and services being developed at Battersea Power Station.
• As new buildings are erected, developers will have to pay £46m to Lambeth. Only £7.3m of that extra money will go to the Northern line. The rest will go to other projects in Lambeth, such as the sorting out the Vauxhall Gyratory System.
• With all the new businesses in the area Lambeth will get more income from the business rates. Lambeth will keep all this extra money.
• Only Sainsbury’s on Wandsworth Road and the Vauxhall Square development will be in the new Enterprise Zone, meaning Lambeth will give 70% of the extra business rates to Government.

Lambeth’s Overview & Scrutiny committee on 20 March

The committee that Stephen and Mark are both members of will consider the regeneration of Vauxhall and the Northern Line Extension. It is a public meeting so you are welcome to attend. We will also be holding the meeting at the Wheatsheaf Hall, South Lambeth Road, SW8 2UP, in order to hopefully make it easier for those residents most affected to get to.


Our view

Transport experts believe that the Northern Line Extension is the best way to improve transport links and regenerate the Vauxhall- Nine Elms- Battersea riverfront. No other transport solution will provide the capacity that will be needed to make the area a success.

It will cost money, but we think out of a budget of £1bn, asking Lambeth to pay £7.3m from the money developers give us and 70% of the extra business rates that businesses give us on only two sites is a great deal!

Some groups who are against the Northern line Extension will tell you that this money could be better spent on Lambeth residents and not on the Northern Line Extension. But just think about this for a minute. Without the Northern Line Extension, Battersea Power Station would not be developed. A lot of other sites in the area would not be developed, as transport will be overwhelmed. We would not get the all of the £46m from developers in Vauxhall, as there would not be a comprehensive transport solution to support all of the planned development. We would not get all of the extra business rates from the new businesses. We would not get all of the 3,500 new homes and 8,000 new jobs.

So being against the Northern Line Extension does not mean saving Lambeth £7.3m. It means costing us millions of pounds, thousands of homes, thousands of jobs and a once in a lifetime opportunity to redevelop Vauxhall- Nine Elms- Battersea.

Council listening to residents' Northern Line Extension concerns

Lambeth Council have appointed tunnelling experts Ramboll as independent technical consultants to examine Transport for London's plans for the Northern Line Extension, which are are progressing quickly.

At an exhaustive three hour meeting this evening, chaired by London Assembly Member Val Shawcross, experts from Ramboll listened to the detailed concerns that residents have about the construction and operation of the Northern Line Extension.

Issues included:
- the exact location of the construction shaft in Radcot Street (not yet decided)
- the effect on adjacent properties
- air quality next to the shaft
- parking during construction (the gin distillery was suggested as a possible site for parking)
- traffic circulation through 'Methravia' during construction
- size and quality of the construction vehicles
- hours of construction work
- noise - construction of tunnels and operation of the trains
- capacity of Kennington station - for additional trains and additional passenger interchange
- boundary issues - discussions with Southwark
- process for monitoring any settlement or damage caused by tunnelling
- the need for maximum noise mitigation around the 'Kennington Loop' - where the NLE will meet the existing track and be at its most shallow - and the need for the existing track on the Loop to be upgraded to reduce noise disruption.
- how to manage Kennington Park during construction, reproviding the dog exercise area and ensuring community projects aren't forced to close.
- which shaft site has been decided for Kennington Green - the distillery is preferred and residents want the trees protected
- the proposed permanent shaft at Claylands Green which is fiercely opposed by local residents there and TfL are now examining whether other options are possible.
- what noise and effect the permanent ventilation shafts will have.

There was a clear consensus from residents and councillors that
- Lambeth Council must demand the minimal construction disruption to residents possible.
- Lambeth Council must insist on the highest possible noise mitigation work for the operation of the trains.
- Lambeth Council must specify construction techniques which are least noisy and least disruptive to residents.
- Ramboll need to examine TfL's plans in great detail and not be afraid to challenge them to improve the project's effects on Lambeth's residents.

Councillor Mark Harrison said 'the meeting was a really useful and detailed airing of all the many concerns that Lambeth residents have about the Northern Line Extension. Now independent experts Ramboll can go away and examine TfL's plans in detail and get answers to the questions raised'.

Northern Line Extension Update

Transport for London have updated us on plans for the extension of the Northern Line, from Kennington to Battersea.

The main benefit of the NLE is that it will provide the necessary transport capacity for Battersea Power Station to be fully redeveloped. It will also provide a new station at Nine Elms (next to Sainsbury) which will take pressure off Vauxhall tube station.

The developer of Battersea Power Station had been leading the NLE project, but they went into administration at the end of last year, so TfL confirmed its intention to take forward the Northern line extension project to Transport Works Act Order (TWAO) stage. This is the legislation needed to start work on a major transport project.

A preferred bidder has been chosen for the development of the Battersea Power station site and TfL will be working with them to take forward plans for a proposed extension of the Northern Line.

The wider work necessary in advance of submitting a TWAO continues and this week TfL are updating residents and stakeholders on the progress of their plans. Over 40,000 households and businesses along the route of the proposed extension will receive a leaflet. This will be followed by further local consultations to refine some of the details of the scheme over the coming months with a final consultation on proposals planned for the Autumn.

To construct the NLE there will need to be a temporary construction shaft in the Radcot/ Stannary Street area, and permanent ventilation shafts on Kennington Green and Kennington Park. You can find out more, and view a detailed map of the plans, on TfL's website.

Lambeth memorial restoration to honour war dead

Lambeth Council has this week announced approval of £200,000 funding to refurbish five iconic war memorials in the borough.

They are Kennington Park War Memorial, the memorials in front of St Mark’s Church, Oval, and Holy Trinity Church, Clapham Common, Streatham memorial gardens, and Stockwell, which is the borough’s official memorial.

Councillor Paul McGlone, Lambeth council’s Finance cabinet member, said:

'Capital funding is very tight, but all Lambeth councillors agreed that the £200,000 funding had to be allocated to honour our responsibility to our war memorials in memory of those who have fallen'

'We also owe a debt of gratitude to local people like Naomi Klein, a Stockwell resident, who wrote a book, ‘These Were Our Sons’ to commemorate the memory of the 574 local men whose names are inscribed on Lambeth official War Memorial at Stockwell, as well groups like the Friends of Stockwell Memorial and Friends of Kennington Park for their important role in raising the profile of the need for investment.'

Last year local residents led by the Friends of Kennington Park launched a major fundraising drive which raised more than £2,500 to help clean the Kennington Park War memorial and paint the railings. Upcoming work will help to build on those improvements by seeing stonework expertly cleaned and loose joints fixed. The plans will also see the inscription of battle honours from the Second World War reinstated. Railings around the memorial will also be repaired.

At the Kennington Cenotaph, which is the memorial to the Queen’s London Regiment 24th Battalion, the structure will be underpinned and stonework cleaned. Missing lead letters will also be replaced.

The Stockwell War Memorial will again be cleaned and re-pointed. Using mason’s hand tools, craftsmen will redefine eroded lettering and architectural detailing on the memorial in the middle of busy traffic interchange. Local residents, including Sheila Dartnell and Naomi Klein, have been key champions and dedicated campaigners for the improvement work.

At the Clapham memorial scaffolding will be erected and the monument expertly cleaned using a high-pressure hot water system. Loose stonework will be re-pointed by expert builders. Over 10 square metres of existing concrete paving will be replaced by York stone.

Bronze including the cold cast bronze resin plaque at the Streatham War Memorial will be cleaned.

The works are due to be completed early next year.

The investment has come from the council’s capital investment fund.


Photo: R Sones, Wikimedia Commons

Another Tesco for Kennington

Many people have been asking what is happening to the old bingo hall/cinema building at 216 Kennington Road. Tesco have now revealed that they are planning to open a new Express Store in the summer of 2012.

Despite much speculation as to who would be taking over the site Tesco has only signed the agreement to use the building in the last few weeks.

The site was granted planning permission for retail use in 2008 and was renewed in 2010. Before they open their store Tesco will have to submit a planning application for the signage they will use outside of the store. They will also have to submit a licensing application if they plan to sell alcohol.

The Tesco press release confirming the opening of the store is below.

TESCO EXPRESS COMING TO KENNINGTON ROAD

Tesco is delighted to confirm its interest to open a Tesco Express convenience food store in Kennington Road. at the former bingo hall.

The former bingo hall which has been empty for some time will be converted into eight apartment and an Express.

Carol Leslie, Tesco spokesperson said: 'We think this is an excellent location for a Tesco Express and we are delighted to have secured a lease on these premises.'

The `Express’ is a small convenience food store that focuses on bringing quality, service, value and fresh produce to peoples’ doorsteps.

Carol continued: 'Our Express stores are extremely popular and can bring lots of benefit to the community it serves. Not only will it keep people shopping in the area but is extremely convenient for residents and workers and those people who have no transport or those preferring to shop on foot. We believe it will benefit the area by encouraging people to shop locally and also cut down on car journeys to other shopping areas.'

She added: 'Our Express stores are all about being local, employing local people, serving local people, working with local traders and actively supporting the local community. It will employ around 20 staff.'

Kennington fete

Sunday saw another highly successful Kennington fete, organised by the Kennington Association and opened by Kate Hoey MP.

Prince's councillor Stephen Morgan went along and spoke to residents about issues of concern, including the Northern line extension, St Anselm's Church's planning application, the Council's plans to sell the Shelley site, and 'free school' proposals for the area.

Big win for Prince's ward - four roads to be resurfaced

Councillor Steve Morgan has emailed the dozens of residents who have complained about the poor state of four Kennington streets with some excellent news - the Council is planning to resurface them next month!

Stannary Street, Wincott Street, Reedworth Street and Kempsford Road are in an appalling state with potholes littering the carriageway. Council officers have made some savings to this year's borough-wide resurfacing programme and have managed to squeeze the four Kennington streets into the end of year's programme.

The plan is for:

Stannary Street - 17 February
Wincott Street and Kempsford Road - 21 February
Reedworth Street - 23 February
The dates may be subject to change by weather delays.

Pictured: Councillor Mark Harrison pointing out a pothole on Stannary Street during 2009's byelection - proving that with consistent pressure we can get the Council to get things done!

Night buses from West End to improve

Transport for London have announced changes to buses which should greatly improve the service Kennington residents get at night from the West End.

The 159 is to become a 24 hour bus, running an extended route from Paddington to Streatham. It means we will have a direct bus link to Paddington for the first time.

A new night bus route (the N109) will be introduced to replace the N159, running from Oxford Circus to Croydon town centre, along the same route as the N159.

This means Kennington residents will have three routes to chose from to get back from the West End at night - the 3, the N109, and the 159.

The changes will take place on Saturday 28 August.

Full details are here

Notice of parking changes in Kennington

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

PROPOSED CHANGES TO PARKING PLACES AND WAITING RESTRICTIONS IN
THE KENNINGTON “K” CONTROLLED PARKING ZONE

(Note: This notice is about proposals to lengthen the disabled persons’ parking places in the Kennington “K” Controlled Parking Zone and to remove others that are no longer needed, and to make various changes to the layout and type of other parking places and the operational times of the waiting restrictions in parts of that controlled parking zone. Objections or other representations may be made – see paragraph 7).

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth proposes to make the Lambeth (Kennington) (Parking Places) (No. -) Order 201-, the Lambeth (Free Parking Places) (Disabled Persons) (No. -) Order 201-, the Lambeth (Free Parking Places) (Limited Time) (No. -) Order 201- and the Lambeth (Waiting and Loading Restriction) (Amendment No. -) Order 201-, under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

2. The general effect of the Orders would be, in the Kennington “K” Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), to:

(a) lengthen to at least 6.6 metres all the disabled persons’ parking places situated in Aveline Street, Brook Drive, Bondway, Bonnington Square, Caldwell Street, Cardigan Street, Carroun Road, Claylands Road, Cranworth Gardens, Denny Street, Dorset Road, Durand Gardens, Elias Place, Fentiman Road, Hackford Road, Handforth Road, Hanover Gardens, Heyford Avenue, Hillyard Street, Juxon Street, Kennington Road (the length that lies south of the Old Town Hall - also known as Milverton Street), Liberty Street, Lollard Street, Meadow Road, Morat Street, Mowll Street, Offley Road, Orsett Street, Prima Road, Renfrew Road, Rita Road, Sancroft Street, South Island Place, Vauxhall Grove, Walnut Tree Walk and Whitgift Street, except where two disabled persons’ parking places are situated next to each other in which case these would be converted into one parking place having a length of at least 13 metres;

(b) remove certain existing disabled persons’ parking places from Bonnington Square, Caldwell Street, Cleaver Square, Cranworth Gardens, Dorset Road, Fentiman Road, Hackford Road, Hillyard Street, Kennings Way, Kennington Oval, Meadow Road, Richborne Terrace and Vauxhall Grove;

(c) reduce the parking space adjacent to the disabled persons’ parking places specified in paragraph (a) above, to accommodate the longer parking places, and lengthen any parking space adjacent to the disabled persons’ parking places specified in paragraph (b) above to replace the removed parking space;

(d) introduce new or extend existing residents’ parking places in Newport Street and Wincott Street;

(e) introduce new or extend existing shared-use residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking places in Ashmole Street, Lambeth High Street, Rita Road and Wincott Street;

(f) introduce new or extend existing shared-use residents’/business parking places in Brook Drive and Stannary Street;

(g) remove a residents’ parking place from Fentiman Road (outside Nos. 57/59) and replace it with single yellow line waiting restrictions (operating during zone hours) and a shared-use residents’/business parking place from Ashmole Street (at the side of No. 81) and replace it with “at any time” waiting restrictions (double yellow lines);

(h) convert a business parking place in Chester Way and shared-use residents’/business parking places in Ashmole Street, Chester Way and Stannary Street into shared-use residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking places;

(i) convert 5 metres of residents’ parking space in Mowll Street and Crewdson Road into solo motor cycle parking areas;

(j) convert two residents’ parking places in Meadow Road into shared-use residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking place;


(k) convert a length of shared-use residents’/business parking space in Randall Road and a residents’ parking place in Vauxhall Grove into free, short-stay parking places (see paragraph 3);

(l) to shorten a residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking place by 2 metres, extend another by 6 metres and introduce a new residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking place in Hillyard Street;

(m) to re-arrange the layout of parking places on the west side of Liberty Street by shortening some and replacing them with “at any time” waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) and extending the length of others with an overall increase in the amount of parking space;

(n) to re-arrange the layout of parking places in Bowden Street by removing the ones on the west side and replacing them with “at any time” waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) and providing new shared-use residents’/business/4-hour pay and display parking places on the east side, with a small overall increase in the amount of parking space;

(o) remove a motorcycle parking area from Claylands Road (at the side of No. 26 Clapham Road) and replace it with single yellow line waiting restrictions (operating during zone hours);

(p) introduce “at any time “ waiting restrictions on vehicles (double yellow lines) in lengths of Ashmole Street, Bowden Street, Glasshouse Walk, Lambeth High Street, Liberty Street, Newport Street, New Spring Gardens Walk and Tinworth Street (instead of the single yellow line waiting restrictions that currently apply between 8.30 am and 6.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays);

(q) to allow residents and business users at Nos. 38 to 58 Kennington Park Road (even numbers inclusive) to apply for permits to park in the Kennington “K” CPZ sub-zone.

3 The short-stay parking places specified in sub-paragraph 2(k) above would operate from 8.30 am until 6.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays (excluding Christmas Day, Good Friday and Bank Holidays) during which time vehicles may wait free of charge for periods of up to 30 minutes at a time, with no return to the parking place within 2 hours of leaving it. Apart from this, the hours of operation of the parking places, the classes of vehicle which may use them, the charges for their use and any time limits, would be those currently applying in similar parking places in the adjacent area.

4. The Orders are necessary to meet changes in demand for different types of parking space in the Kennington “K” CPZ, whilst maintaining road safety and the flow of traffic and continuing to protect the available on-street parking space for residents, their visitors and local businesses and providing parking space for short term use and for other road users. The disabled persons’ parking places would be varied to improve parking facilities for disabled persons and removed where they are no longer needed.

5 If you have any enquiries about the proposed Orders, please telephone 0207 926 9000 and select the option for transport and highways enquiries.

6. Documents giving more detailed particulars of the proposed Orders (including drawings) are available for inspection between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays inclusive (except on Bank Holidays), until the last day of a period of six weeks beginning with the date on which the Orders are made or, as the case may be, the Council decides not to make the Orders, at: the offices of Lambeth Borough Council's Transport and Highways Group, 3rd Floor, Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London SW9 9SP. To arrange a viewing please contact 020 7926 9000 and select the Transport and Highways option.

7. All objections and other representations relating to the proposed Orders must be made in writing and all objections must specify the grounds on which they are made and should be sent to Barbara Poulter, Transport and Highways Group, London Borough of Lambeth, 3rd Floor, Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London SW9 9SP, by 8th March 2010.

Dated 15th February 2010
MARTIN SACHS
Head of Transport and Highways

Planning consultations

Three planning consultations are currently open for the area's residents.

An exhibition of proposals for the redevelopment of New Covent Garden Market at Nine Elms will take place between 4 and 7 November.

The Mayor of London's draft Planning Framework for Vauxhall is now available for consultation. The closing date for responses is 29 January. The KOV Forum will be hosting a public presentation on this, date to be announced shortly.

Finally, Lambeth Council is currently undertaking consultation on the Kennington conservation area. There will be a public meeting at 6pm on Monday 9 November, at Alford House, Aveline Street.

Busy week for Labour in Kennington

It's been a busy week for Labour activists in our area.

On Sunday 4 January a group of six hardy volunteers braved freezing temperatures to knock on doors in Methley Street, Radcot Street, Ravendsdon Street, Milverton Street and Stannery Street. We spoke to residents about local priorities for investment, invited people to our coffee morning, and delivered calendars. The volunteers included Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed, who was keen to find out about Kennington issues, such as the Beaufoy Institute.

On Wednesday 7 January nearly 30 local Labour party members met to discuss June's election for the European Parliament. We met Lambeth resident Anne Fairweather (pictured), who is third on the Labour list of candidates. If Labour does well in June Anne could join Claude Moraes and Mary Honeyball as Labour's third MEP for London.

Anne explained the importance of having engaged Labour representation in the European Parliament. In recent months Labour MEPs have secured equal rights for agency workers, as well as a maximum 48 hour working week for all employees. Working alongside our European partners gives us greater weight in international affairs, whether that's our approach to Russia and gas supplies, or our response to the current crisis in Gaza. Our economy benefits hugely from being within the EU, but we need to engage in order to ensure decisions are taken that are fair to the UK. The Tories have decided to leave the mainstream centre-right group in the European Parliament in order to join a strange collection of right-wing fringe parties, opposed to the EU. That decision demonstrates clearly that they are not serious about standing up for Britain by participating properly in the EU.

The European election takes place on Thursday 4 June. Citizens from the UK, Ireland, the EU, and the Commonwealth can all vote in European and local elections. Register to vote now

Labour Assembly member acts on dangerous dogs

Lambeth's Labour representative on the London Assembly, Val Shawcross, has pressed the London Mayor to act on the problem of aggressive dogs.

Val acted after hearing about serious problems with aggressive dogs in Kennington, raised at the KOV Forum meeting by local resident Alison Packer. In recent months both dogs and people have been attacked by aggressive dogs in parks in Kennington.

Val put forward a motion calling on the Mayor to work with the Metropolitan Police and London's borough councils to tackle the use of animals as weapons.

The Mayor agreed that action was needed. He revealed that the number of dogs seized by police this year has risen to 800, from only 180 in the year 2006/7. You can read more on the story in yesterday's Evening Standard.

Val has promised to keep up the pressure on the Mayor, the police, and the Council to deal with this growing problem, which is of concern to residents across Lambeth.

About Prince's Ward

View Prince's ward in a larger map

Prince’s ward is an area in the London Borough of Lambeth, taking in parts of Kennington, Vauxhall and the historic centre of Lambeth. The ward covers the northern part of Kennington, from Brook Drive down to Kennington Park Road; the part of Vauxhall north of Kennington Lane; and the Ethelred Estate, south of Lambeth Road. The river Thames is the western boundary of the ward. Kennington Cross (pictured) is closest to the centre point for the ward, Vauxhall and Kennington tube stations both lie on Prince’s ward’s boundary. Click here for a map of the ward.

Prince's ward is roughly coterminous with the SE11 postcode, but not completely. The area along the riverbank has an SE1 postcode, but is part of Prince's ward. The area south of Kennington Lane and west of Kennington Road is part of SE11, but not part of Prince's ward. The China Walk Estate is part of SE11 but is outside Prince's ward. A few streets around Elephant & Castle have an SE11 postcode, but are in the Borough of Southwark.

The biggest housing estates are the Vauxhall Gardens Estate, the Ethelred Estate, the Black Prince Estate, and the Cottington Close, Penwith Manor, Kennings and Cotton Gardens estates. The parks in the ward include Spring Gardens, Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green, Pedlars’ Acre Park, Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground, and Pedlars Park on Vauxhall Walk. There are two schools- Archbishop Sumner and Vauxhall Primary. The Durning Library at Kennington Cross serves the community.

Kennington Cross is the main concentration of shops and restaurants in the area. There is a Tesco supermarket on Kennington Lane, and other clusters of shops at Vauxhall Cross, Jonathan Street (where Lambeth Walk post office is), Lambeth Walk, and Wincott Parade on Kennington Road.

The census shows that population on Prince’s ward in 2001 was 11 636. Today this is likely to be considerably higher as many new developments have taken place since then. Prince’s ward had a slightly older population than the average in Lambeth. Its population is 62% white and 29% black. 32% of the population was born outside the UK. 83% of homes in Prince’s ward are flats. 37% of homes are owner-occupied; 29% are rented from the Council, 13% from social landlords, and 20% from private landlords. 68% of people in Prince’s ward are ‘economically active’, which is low by national standards.

History

Lambeth was originally a riverside village that was the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The village gave its name to the parish that stretched down to Brixton, which was the forerunner of the modern Borough of Lambeth. The area alongside the river housed wharves and manufacturing enterprises like the Royal Doulton potteries. In the nineteenth century the riverside was transformed into the Albert Embankment, and in the 1930s Lambeth Bridge connected Lambeth to Westminster directly.

Vauxhall became famous in the eighteenth century as a pleasure garden – a park that people from all over London visited to promenade and be entertained.

Kennington has a close association with the Prince of Wales and the Duchy of Cornwall – it was the site of the palace of the Black Prince in the Middle Ages, and the Duchy of Cornwall still own much land in the ward to this day. The name Prince’s ward comes from this association.

Read more about the area’s history here