A POSITIVE VOICE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE HYDE PARK ESTATE

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Connaught Village Summer Fair throughout June

On Saturday 10th June Connaught Village will be launching Summer Village Vibes, a month-long celebration of summer coinciding with the Hyde Park Estate’s annual Open Gardens’ Weekend. Throughout the whole of June and into early July there will be events taking place in the area. Open Gardens The month kicks-off with the popular annual Open Gardens event, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to visit gardens that would normally be closed to the public. Taking place from 10am to 4pm, tickets can be booked using the National Open Garden Scheme website. Free activities on Saturday 10th June Also…

New speed monitor for Connaught Street

After a request by HyPER members and with the help of our ward councillors, we thank Westminster Council for installing a new “Vehicle Activated Speed” sign on Connaught Street. Whilst we still want to see vastly less through-traffic using Connaught Street as a rat-run, we are grateful for the installation of the sign as an interim measure. We hope this will remind passing drivers that this is a residential street, not a main road. If you think that more of these signs are needed near you, do let us know. Any pragmatic ideas on traffic calming and vehicle…

Royal Parks Update: HyPER Attends Key Stakeholders Meeting

HyPER attended the Royal Parks stakeholder update on Tuesday 23rd May. The meeting was a useful opportunity to hear many updates about what is happening across the Royal Parks and there was a huge amount of information imparted. What follows is a brief summary of what might be of interest to HyPER members. Strategy update The meeting started with an update from the Chief Executive, Andrew Scattergood. Andrew reinforced the 3 key strategies of the Royal Parks, which are to welcome everyone to the parks; to conserve and enhance the parks; and to build a secure financial future.…

Portsea Mews redevelopment given go-ahead

We are pleased to report that the proposed redevelopment of Portsea Mews has now been given the go-ahead. The planning application has been ongoing for some time. Most recently it was recommended for refusal by Westminster Council’s planning team, due to the loss of residential accommodation and its impact on the conservation area. However, the scheme was nonetheless approved at the council’s recent Planning Committee Meeting. For full details see our Portsea Mews website page.

New Hyde Park Estate cycleway proposals

Westminster Council has released new plans for a cycleway to go through the Hyde Park Estate. This cycleway, previously called Quietway 7, was first consulted on in 2016, and was further consulted on in 2021. The scheme was then put on hold pending the outcome of any traffic alterations on the Estate. It has now been resurrected as Cycleway 43. Whilst the plans are primarily based around cycling, there are also a number of improvements for pedestrians, especially around the north end of Connaught Square where the roads are wide and vehicles frequently overtake in a dangerous manner.…

Lancaster Gate tube station closures

HyPER members have recently raised concerns about the amount of temporary closures currently being experienced at Lancaster Gate underground station. We contacted TfL and have received this response: The closures at Lancaster Gate are being caused by the need to deploy staff to other priority stations (in this instance Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch and Shepherds Bush). This is critical to ensuring these stations operate safely. Unfortunately the reason for this is mainly due to staff absences, but it is also being compounded by industrial action by the RMT who have implemented action short of a strike barring…

Royal Parks Coronation guidance

This weekend the Royal Parks have a huge role to play in the Coronation. Months have been spent on preparations, including the cleaning of statues and monuments in the parks, the removal of bollards and railings along the ceremonial route, the planting of 2000 marigold bulbs in the flower beds and borders and re-seeding of grass areas. In terms of the weekend itself, points of note are: For further information on the Coronation in the Royal Parks visit: http://www.royalparks.org.uk/coronation

Coronation Celebration Drinks at St John’s Church

St John’s Church is hosting a community coronation drinks party, to celebrate the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. This is an opportunity for St John’s to welcome friends and neighbours from right across our community to celebrate over a glass of English fizz and some canapés. This event is intended to be an inclusive community event and as such all Hyde Park Estate residents are welcome, from all faiths and none. The event takes place on Thursday 4th May 7pm to 8:30pm. Tickets for the event are free, but must be booked in…

Live performance of Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera

Contemporary opera comes to the Hyde Park Estate. Featuring award nominated composer, musician and vocalist Helen Epega (The Venus Bushfires), renowned Master African Percussionist Richard Olatunde Baker and celebrated guitarist Adam Coney. This exciting performance is taking place at St John’s Church, Hyde Park Crescent, on 29th April at 2pm and 7:30pm. Watch a trailer for the show at this link. Tickets are £30 per adult including drink & nibbles, £25 without, and £20 per child (under 13 years). Tickets can be bought from Eventbrite at this link.

Licensing application at former Maroush Bakehouse

The licensing application that was recently submitted for the former Maroush Bakehouse on Edgware Road, which was applying for very late night drinking and eating, has recently been withdrawn. HyPER understands that a revised application may be submitted, but nothing has been received to date at the time of writing.

Coronation weekend in Connaught Village

Connaught Village will be celebrating King Charles III’s Coronation with a special “Crown & Glory” weekend event. Activities will be available on Saturday 6th May: for little ones there will be royal crown-making workshops 11am-5pm, and for adults a floral crown making workshop at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm. Book via email connaughtvillage@fourcommunications.com and walk-ins are also welcome. As well as the activities, shops will be transforming their windows into spectacular displays and the street will be transformed with union jack bunting decorating the streets and the famous tree taking on royal neon.

Have your say on the proposed Connaught Village Green

Update 19th March 2023We’re grateful for the many responses we’ve had from HyPER members regarding this scheme. Whilst we encourage you to respond to the Council’s consultation in the first instance, we’d also like to hear what you think. Here are a selection of comments we’ve received:“1. It is vital that traffic flow through the estate is reduced significantly in the near future2. The only reliable method of achieving this involves fairly comprehensive entry/exit restrictions; these are inconvenient for a number of residents near these restrictions3. Alternatively, we can tentatively adopt one or two traffic limitations as per…

Proposed Praed Street Footway Widening

Westminster Council is proposing to widen the footway on Praed Street outside the Hilton Hotel. This will reduce the carriageway to one lane and is anticipated to prevent the illegal waiting of taxis that currently takes place outside the station. This proposals include the following improvements: It is anticipated that construction of a proposed scheme could be undertaken in summer 2023. The City Council is inviting comments on the proposals by 10th March 2023. Any comments relating to the proposals should be emailed to praedstreet@fmconway.co.uk.

HyPER wins prestigious environmental honour

We are pleased to announce that HyPER has been chosen by the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London to trial an air pollution monitor as part of a community programme to improve local air quality. The award is part of the Breathe London Community Programme, a three year research scheme in which local groups with a proven track record in community engagement are given the right to host an air monitor worth £2,500. “It’s a great honour and a tribute to HyPER’s work in and for our community that we have been selected by such a prestigious…

Minutes from “Have Your Say” 24th November

HyPER’s Have Your Say event on Thursday 24th November was another well-attended and fast-paced event. The meeting followed-on from October’s crime meeting and started with a review of the actions from that meeting. The evening started with a review of the action grid from the last meeting. The action grid has been updated with notes and feedback from this meeting. During the updates, a number of separate points were also raised which are detailed below. The first ongoing action point of the evening was the possibility of private security patrols being organised for parts of the estate where…

Winter preparations in Westminster

With snow predicted over the coming days, the Council has provided HyPER with the winter service briefing. In summary, the Council is ready for the arrival of any snow or ice comes, and they have:

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