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(But there is still lots more to do!)
Friends and supporters of Action4Chalvey were out in force on Saturday, 13th Feb, cleaning up some of the grot spots around Chalvey. All to highlight the need for residents, businesses, landlords and landowners to take more responsibility for the litter and rubbish that accumulates and blights our neighbourhood.
We were joined by local politicians, Community Wardens and the police in the Big Tidy Up around Ledgers Road, King Edward Street, Oban Court, Seymour Road and Alexandra Road. Dozens of bags of rubbish; in particular beer cans, building material, beds and black bags full of household rubbish were collected.
At one area around The Brook between Seymour Road and Montem Leisure Centre, there was tons of fly tipped rubbish. What should be a local beauty spot had been turned into a major grot spot. Since our Big Tidy, local MP, Fiona Mactaggart has written to the Probation Service asking them to put this area on the list of those to be cleaned and looked after by Community Pay Back.
We now need to put pressure on the Council and those in authority to get our neighbourhood clean. There are still many areas around Chalvey that need particular attention; the garages near The Green, (currently used by prostitutes) and those behind Swan Court; the banks around the Jubilee River, particularly the land owned by Rail Track, the Highways Agency and the Environment Agency as well as outside shops and businesses in the area, including the large number of HMOs.
Below is a list of things we believe the Council can do to improve our area;
1 Increase the number of public bins in the ward;
2 Increase the frequency of emptying public bins;
3 Increase the frequency and intensity of street cleaning particularly side roads;
4 Increase frequency of the emptying of waste bins outside commercial premises;
5 Remind the owners of commercial premises of their duty to prevent litter and rubbish accumulating outside their businesses and enforce this duty more rigorously if required;
6 As part of the HMO inspections insist that front gardens are kept rubbish free;
7 For the council to remove rubbish (particularly mattresses ) caused by fly tipping much more quickly than at present;
8 For the council to more intensely enforce any relevant legal powers it has to ensure that home owners and property owners keep gardens and any other public areas clean;
9 For the council to enforce all relevant laws on fly tipping and littering than at present;
10 For the council to call upon the police to do the same as point 9;
11 For any remedial repairs to drains to be speeded up;
12 For drains to be more thoroughly and frequently cleaned than at present;
13 For an urgent audit of all derelict land or spots in the ward (e.g. off Alexander road) that is being used for fly tipping or which has accumulated excess rubbish and litter; drawing on this audit for the council to take actions (e.g. fencing off, cleaning up the ground) to lessen fly tipping/accumulating of rubbish in these places.
As far as we are concerned there is not much point in spending money on regenerating the area if it can’t be kept clean! We plan another Big Tidy Up in a couple of months’ time. Hopefully things will have improved by then.
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