www.wecnf.org

WEST EALING CENTRE W13_____________________________________________________________

NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM

Eric LeachInterim Chair, WECNF

• Resident in West Ealing for 34 years

• Vice-Chair of West Ealing Neighbours (WEN) since 2007

• Ex-businessman from the computer business

WHY ARE WE HERE?

• Quality of Life

• Local Services

• It’s All About Land Use

• YOU Can make a difference

EALING IS A BIG PLACE

• 21 Square Miles

• 340,000 Residents

• 8,760 Businesses

WEST EALING CENTRE IS

BIG TOO!

• 3,478 Homes

• 352 Businesses

PLANNING REALITIES• With a continuously diminishing

planning resource, it is not (and will not) be possible for the council to carry out detailed, fine-grained planning in Ealing

• There are Local, Regional and National Planning Guidelines

WHAT IS A NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM?

• It is where people who live, work or have an interest in an area discuss, agree and create a plan for that area

• These forums operate under Government Guidelines (2011 Localism Act)

NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS• Are new• There are over 700 in England & Wales and

more on the way - 2 in Ealing (and a third soon), 3 in Hounslow

• Become ‘legitimate’ when Government designates their chosen neighbourhood areas and the make-up of their organisation

• Create Neighbourhood Plans

NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS• Some are business areas – 10• Many (in mostly rural areas) are Parish

Councils• Any final decision on the Neighbourhood

Plan is by referendum• If 50% or more agree, the plan becomes

the legal Area Plan

WHAT DOES A NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN LOOK

LIKE?• Just three have already become legal – in

Cumbria, Exeter and Thame in Oxfordshire

• It consists of positive spatial policies

• It can contain site allocations

• It can contain aspirations for the area

WEST EALING CENTRE NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM

• Is a business area• First meeting of the Interim WECNF was in

May 2012• It has met monthly since then• The Neighbourhood Area was specified and

Government designated in 2012• WECNF became Government designated in

March 2013

NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA MAP

WECNF• Has researched challenges and opportunities

across a wide spectrum:

Social Provision

Movement Crossrail

The High Street Business Improvement District (BID) feasibility

Spatial Integration Planning system unhelpful

Housing High targets & chronic shortage of social homes for rent

WECNF has• A Bank Account• A Constitution• A small number of very hard-working, key

members• A growing number of registered members• A new Web site – www.wecnf.org• A Budget• A Project Plan• Delivered its first leaflet to all publicly accessible

homes and businesses in the area

WECNF Support

• West Ealing Neighbours (WEN)

• West Ealing Traders Association (WETA)

• Central & Local Government Officers

• Elthorne & Walpole Ward Forums

• Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum

• Hanwell Community Forum

WECNF what next?

• Elect our first 12 person Management Committee – members from business (4), Community (4) and residents (4)

• This committee will then elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer & Secretary

• First meeting will be 7.00 p.m. Monday, 24th June at the Silva Cafe

WECNF Committee• Nominations:

– B - Nigel Presky, Magdalena Silva Roldan, Arthur Breens, Peter Sweetman

– C – Eric Leach, Suzanne Fernandez, Inonu Khyne-Sam, Imran Hamid

– R – Richard Toull, Michelle Yan, Dave Randles

– Co-opted – Cllrs Nigel Bakhai & John Cowing

• Key – B= Business representative, C= Community organisation, R =

Neighbourhood Area Resident

WECNF What Next?• Community Engagement

Past, present & future

• West Ealing Centre Play – to be performed 5 times in the area in August & September 2013

• Second leaflet which will ask:1. What do you like about West Ealing Centre?2. What don’t you like about it?3. What does West Ealing Centre need?4. Any other comments/suggestions?

• Attend Community Events• Organise 4 workshops - analyse feedback and begin to shape an

approach to a plan

WECNF Project Plan• Community Engagement:

June 2013 – September 2013

• Drafting Neighbourhood Plan:

November 2013 – February 2014

• Statutory Public Consultation: April 2014

• External Consultation: October 2014

• Referendums: March 2015

PLEASE JOIN US

• Fill in Membership Forms

• Attend our next Members’ Meeting

• Give us your ideas

• Join our Workgroups

ANY QUESTIONS?

www.wecnf.org