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Archive for November, 2008

New police station for Camden Town!

Posted on November 18th, 2008 by theob. Filed under Camden Labour.


The large Hawley Wharf development in Camden Town should be the home to a new police station for the area, say Camden Labour councillors.

The large industrial site located by Camden Lock is currently under consultation for a planning brief could easily hold a medium-sized police station, say local councillors, bringing needed community safety improvements to Camden Town.
 
Negotiating a site would require commitment from the police, businesses and Camden Council, but is achieveable with the right vision for the area says Labour. 
 
Labour’s Deputy Leader, Cllr. Nasim Ali, said:
 
“It’s a chance in a lifetime that a big site comes up in the middle of the borough.  Camden Council should negotiate a space with developers for a modern police station for Camden Town.  This would put policing right in the centre of the borough, helping surrounding wards and neighbourhoods and deal with Camden Town.  It’s a win-win for the development, as a safer Camden Town will be good for business and help regeneration.” 

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Camden Lib Dems and Tories ditch 50% affordable homes target

Posted on November 18th, 2008 by theob. Filed under Housing, Services.


Camden’s commitment to 50% affordable housing is being ditched on the sly, say Camden Labour Councillors. 
 
New council development proposals are to introduce a new “sliding scale” of 10% to 50% to cover the amount of affordable housing required on developments of less than 50 homes – the vast majority of all developments in Camden.
 
The effect of this, warn Labour councillors, will be to reduce the amount of affordable homes required from developers and hamper attempts to reduce Camden’s massive housing waiting list.
In October Mayor Boris Johnson ditched Ken Livingstone’s commitment for 50% affordable housing.
The new Local Development Framework, currently being consulted on by Camden council, states under “Camden’s Preferred Development Policies” (Vol. 2, p.20):
“The Council is aware that the 50% affordable housing target cannot be delivered for schemes that are close to the threshold, and is unlikely to be deliverable for schemes which provide less than 3,500 sq m housing (approx 35 dwellings)…”
“The Council will take the following positive measures to bring forward schemes that reach or exceed the 10 dwelling threshold:
“The 50% target will operate on a sliding scale, subject to development viability, with a norm of 10% for 1,000 sq m (gross) of additional housing and 50% for 5,000 sq m (gross) of additional housing – considered to be sites with capacity of 10 dwellings and 50 dwellings respectively.”

Camden Labour said:
 
“The Council’s commitment to obtaining 50% affordable housing from new developments would be fatally undermined by this approach.  The Conservative/Liberal Democrat administration is watering down our access to new housing by this measure, and trying to cover it up in the smallprint.”
“This will reduce the council’s bargaining position with developers to get benefits for local people, who even more than ever will plead poverty in order to get the best deal for themselves.  Developers will rush to get fewer and fewer affordable homes, rather than more.”
“The vast majority of developments in Camden would be captured by this proposal.  If you think about the area south of the Euston Road, where space is so limited, we are most unlikely to get any affordable housing at all under this proposal – whereas, as we speak, there is a small development in Whitfield Street which is yielding 50% affordable housing on a site of 22 dwellings.”
 
Camden Labour is urging people to have your say on this important issue, write to Forward Planning, FREEPOST NAT15037, LB Camden, Town Hall Extension, Argyle Street, WC1H 8EQ.  Or e-mail to ldf@camden.gov.uk, or comment on the Camden website Camden.gov.uk/ldf.

 

 

 

 

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Camden Labour calls for a new 8 point-plan to help local small firms

Posted on November 10th, 2008 by admin. Filed under Local, Services.


Camden Labour today called on the council to consider 8 extra steps to help local small businesses and local workers and traders in times of economic uncertainty.

Camden Council should:

For small firms and traders

1.   Pay all invoices from small firms within 10 days of receiving them in order to ensure that small businesses have the cash flow available to pay the wages of their staff.

2.    Reverse extra charges introduced last year for council-run markets.

3.    Suspend unpopular plans to hike ‘permission to park’ notices to local builders and plumbers.  This year charges went up from £9 to £33 – 267%.  These fees have force many tradespeople to pass cost on to consumers, slowing business.

4.    Camden should consult local businesses and unions on other measures it could take to help in this time of uncertainty.

For local workers

5.  Reduce barriers to work for parents by suspending higher charges for childcare in Children’s Centre’s and Surestarts in Camden’s most deprived areas, reducing barriers to work.

6.  Advertise jobs in the ‘Your Camden’ and local newspapers in order to attract applications from local residents.

7.  Re-invest in its once award-winning Welfare Rights Service, cut in 2006, and promote a major new benefits ‘take-up’ campaign on Camden’s estates and neighbourhoods, in association with the CAB and community groups to ensure that residents are getting the in-work benefits they are entitled to.

8.  Link up with the local police, PCT, Westminster Kingsway, UCL and LSE to offer more apprenticeships, training courses and work experience opportunities for local residents.  Target the scheme at Camden’s poorest areas, with the highest levels of unemployment.  There should also be more targeted work with communities with the highest jobless rate, such as the Bangladeshi and Somali communities.

Opposition finance spokesperson Cllr. Theo Blackwell said:

“The council is a major player locally and should be taking steps to help local traders and businesses.  Many of the extra charges Camden has introduced since since 2006, like the 267% hike to parking permits, are creatures of a different economic climate, and should be scaled back to help local traders.”

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