An independent Westbourne Green bed maker is gearing up for a David versus Goliath battle with Crossrail to stop its site being bulldozed next year.

Big Table has had both its shop and workshop located on Great Western Road for almost 30 years but employees were shocked when Crossrail representatives walked into the store in June and served it with a compulsory purchase order to take over the site within three months.

The repossession was later delayed until next January but Crossrail have confirmed their plans to build a large electrical substation on the site.

Almost 100 people attended an emergency public meeting last week to discuss saving the bed and mattress maker with a 2,000-signature petition already collected in support of the business.

London Assembly member Murad Qureshi says local concerns have not been taken onboard by Crossrail.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: “It’s a rare local manufacturing business and I am very proud to say that one of the few things that I have in my home that is made in London is my mattress from Big Table.

“The building has already survived the Westway being built over it so I would like to think it can survive Crossrail.”

The business, which secured a 40-year lease in 1982, employs seven staff and is in the process of recruiting two young trainee apprentices. Its main building on Great Western Road dates back to 1901 and local residents argue the building is part of the area’s heritage.

Crossrail recently came up with a plan for Big Table to retain the shop building until 2013 with Network Rail occupying the rest of the site. It would then take control of the whole site from 2013.

Big Table director Stephen Bond said: “The Crossrail guys talk as though they are the law of the land. It seems as thought they can do what they want. If we were to leave there’s no chance of finding premises like this in a suitable part of London.”

A Crossrail spokeswoman said: “Crossrail is sensitive to Big Table’s concerns and has offered for the business to remain in its existing shop building until 2013 which would also enable Network Rail land behind the shop to be used in support of essential Crossrail tunnelling works from January 2012.

“Crossrail continues to work closely with Big Table to secure suitable alternative business premises.”

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Protestors call on Crossrail to spare local heritage landmark from demolition

This morning l joined the local community in Paddington & North Kensington to protest against the closure of the “Big Table” bed shop which is located in the neighbourhood l grew up in. 

I’ve been a supporter of Crossrail but did not expect it to cost local jobs and devour a local landmark like the Big Table (56 Great Western Road, W9) which has resided on this site for many years.  Crossrail have had more then 20 years to sort these issues out and therefore, decisions which affect real lives, livelihoods and local businesses should not be left until just a few months before the tunnelling begins proper in March 2012 at Royal Oak.  A conventional planning application to the local council setting out their plans for the electrical sub-station on the site would have afforded sufficient opportunity and time for all parties concerned to deal with the issues and the proposals.  Instead, plans are railroaded through using the powers of the Crossrail Act. 

In addition we also have the tunnel lining being transported into theRoyal Oak portal via the Great Western Road by lorry.  We were originally led to believe it would come in by rail.   

It was for this reason that I decided to  “go to the mattresses” with Crossrail this morning and to support calls to support local people, jobs and heritage.

Renewed hope for step free access at Greenford station in Ealing

One of the themes of my questioning recently of the Mayor both verbally and in writing has been to ask him about his broken promises on increased accessibility of our tube system, particularly with reference to the lack of lift access at many of our tube stations.

 l used two examples; the first revolved around Ealing tube stations.  At last weeks plenary we had Transport  for London in front of the London Assembly for questions and so I used the opportunity to highlight this issue.  l commented that while it was daft to have stopped the works on lifts at Greenford station at a huge cost, it is still worth looking at some more affordable alternative proposals for lifts put forward by Cllr Bassam Mafrouz (lead Member for Transport at Ealing Council).  Rather surprisingly the Mayor said he would consider them, (although his Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy did not appear appear particularly keen).  Nonetheless, I hope Ealing Council can make the most of this renewed opportunity.

 My second question was prompted by the West Hamstead Amenity and Transport Group (WHAT),  I submitted a written question asking why there is no lift at West Hampstead tube given the works being done by Network Rail on the West Hampstead Thameslink stations?  This would not only aid passengers travelling to and from airports it connects to, it would also assist disabled people and those with pushchairs.  The response was a fairly standard one about the lack of funding but also made clear that for airport connections, other tube stations took priority, including Paddington (Hammersmitth & City line); Victoria (for Gatwick) and also stations at Tottenham Court Rd, Bond St and Bank.

So, although I managed to get some something from the Mayor with his promise to consider seriously the proposal from Cllr Bassam Mafrouz, I only got a rehash of policy spiel on lifts and budget prioritisation on West Hampstead, despite his acknowlement that it is a “strategic interchange” in his transport strategy.

London's largest electricity supplier needs to do more to help its customers

At the plenary last week, I received the full support of the London Assembly for my motion on the energy companies poor performance in London in dealing with fuel poverty. The motion was passed unanimously. For some time now, I’ve made the point that it won’t be the council tax or even the Mayor’s annual fare increases for Transport which hit family budgets the hardest, but it is the energy price hikes of up to 18 per cent which will make the biggest dent in household expenditure, especially for London households. This issue is further compounded by the postcode lottery which is also prevalent in the energy price market, as firms charge up to £180 more in some areas with the best deals to be found in Brighton, Bristol and Leeds. According to London Councils, we already have 1 in 4 households living in fuel poverty. In addition, we are warned (David Blair in FT 10.10.11) that if energy bills remain on their current path, the average household will be in fuel poverty by 2015. In 2008, the Environment Committee produced a report called “Lagging behind – Insulating homes in London”. This report noted then, the poor performance in London of insulating homes. We asked the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to reconsider the rules around CERT (carbon emission reduction targets) in order to address the lower funding delivery in London, as part of the measures to bring forward measures to insulate the hard to treat homes. Therefore this is not a new problem, however, it has been compounded by the esculating fuel prices which are now disporportionate with household incomes.  As for the largest energy company in London, EDF, their performance has been lamentable. Even the industry journal “Uility Week” commented, that out of all the major energy suppliers, EDF achieved the second lowest proportion of its overall obligations in the third year of CERTs. This obliges suppliers to reduce carbon emissions by providing customers with measures such as loft insulation. Instead, we have seen a bombardment of energy efficient electric light bulbs landing on our doormat! Incidentally, the fourth year of the CERT programme ends on the 31st of March 2012 hence the adverts for insulation suddenly appearing in the Evening Standard. So while energy company shareholders are enjoying record profits, London consumers are getting fleeced. We desparately need DECC & OFGEM, the regulator, to take on the greed of the energy companies and to put the interests of London energy consumers first.

A motion agreed today said the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the capital’s air is higher than any other European capital city and recently published government plans show levels may not be reduced to legal limits until 2025.

Assembly Members said Londoners should not have to wait another decade for clean and healthy air to breathe.

In the absence of sufficient urgent action at national level, Members called for the Mayor to update his Air Quality Strategy to ensure that the capital’s air meets legal standards for nitrogen dioxide by 2015, at the latest.

Darren Johnson AM, who proposed the motion, said: “Improving London’s are quality is far more important than simply avoiding hefty EU fines, it’s about stopping the premature deaths of 4,000 people every year.

“If those 4,000 deaths a year were as a result of accidents on the tube or drowning in the Thames the Mayor and central government would feel compelled to act immediately. The fact that the poison in our air is invisible does not mean tackling poor air quality should be treated any less urgently.”

The motion was seconded by Murad Qureshi, AM, who added: “We should be ashamed that there are children growing up in London today who will never have fully developed lung capacity because of the pollution they are forced to breath every day. This issue is a real health emergency for London, if central government is slow to act then the Mayor must take a lead.”

The full text of the motion reads:

“The Assembly notes with concern that:

* London’s air has the highest average concentration of harmful nitrogen dioxide of any European capital city;

* The Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy relies on government delivering specific measures and funding to enable legal limits for nitrogen dioxide to be met in London by 2015; and

* In June 2011 the government published, for consultation, plans to address nitrogen dioxide pollution. The plans reveal that London’s air quality may not comply with legal limits until 2025.

“This Assembly considers that it is unacceptable for Londoners to have to wait a further ten years for clean and healthy air. In the absence of sufficient urgent action at national level, the Assembly calls on the Mayor to update his air quality strategy to include faster and stronger action in London to ensure that the capital’s air meets legal standards for nitrogen dioxide by 2015, at the latest.”

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In a motion agreed unanimously today, Members called on the Mayor to join the Assembly in pressing for a better deal for Londoners from national energy savings initiatives including CERT^{[2] and CESP[3].}

Murad Qureshi AM, who proposed the motion, said

"Household incomes are tumbling in real terms and it is not just those on fixed or low incomes that are going to be hard hit by high energy bills this winter. Recent levels of profits by energy companies along with the hikes in prices of up to 18 percent mean the average household energy bill could be £1200 a year.

"Energy companies have been underperforming on their obligations which could help Londoners living in fuel poverty and we need to get tough with them.

"The Mayor should use his influence to get them to improve their performance and ensure Londoners are not freezing to death this winter."

Victoria Borwick AM, who seconded the motion, said:

"Every year around 2700 people in the UK die because they are unable to heat cold homes and London is particularly affected by fuel poverty because of the high cost of living and the energy companies pushing up prices.

"London has received significantly less cavity and loft insulation that it should have done. Just four percent of homes in the capital have benefited from the CERT scheme and by the end of 2010 only four percent of CESP schemes were in London.

"The Mayor is looking to bring his influence to bear on this issue but energy companies should also step up to the plate to ensure London receives a better deal than it is currently getting"

The full text of the motion passed at today’s meeting reads as follows:

"Energy bills are rising relentlessly and many Londoners are facing falls in their real income. As the coalition government demands the energy companies do better for the UK, this Assembly demands a better deal for London in particular.

A recent investigation by the Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee heard that London has repeatedly lost out under national energy saving initiatives and that as housing costs take a heavier toll on Londoners than those in the rest of the UK, this has pushed a disproportionate number of Londoners into fuel poverty.

We therefore call upon the Mayor to join with the Assembly in calling upon the six main UK energy suppliers to address this imbalance by fulfilling their CERT and CESP obligations equally across the UK and implement measures that ensure Londoners are no longer disproportionately in fuel poverty."

Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). Watch the webcast.

As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

Fuel poverty is defined as households spending more than 10 per cent of their disposable income on energy.

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The motion was agreed unanimously at a meeting of the full Assembly today

Westminster Council’s parking policies have made the headlines for all the wrong reasons not least because I’ve recently found myself defending the imposition of a parking fine by them! Proposals to introduce parking restrictions during the evenings and weekends have been met which much hostility by local residents and businesses alike with a meeting this evening by the full council facing an 8000 strong petition against the proposals.

 So, not only have I been confronted with this issue in my capacity as a London-wide assembly member, I’ve also been clobbered as a local resident. With my assembly hat firmly on, I was interested to hear what the Mayor of London had to say about the issue of evening and weekend charges which is why I submitted a question to him asking “How does the City of Westminster’s new parking policy affect your policies in central London?”. He gave a muted response against the proposals but his response spoke louder about the impact on local businesses (which is of course very good) but not enough about the impact on local residents. With recent price hikes in the cost of transport and the relentless poor service at weekends, those who may not oridinarily have travelled by car are being lured, some would argue forced back into their car. It would not be too cynical of me to suggest that there is a strong element of revenue raising behind the proposals. Residents have wholeheartedly spoken out against the moves and the proposals are also bad for business. For these reasons, the Mayor should be much bolder and vocal in his response. I hope that my recent question to him will prompt him to speak out for the Londoners most affected.

More than three years since he became Mayor, Boris Johnson today published three crucial environment strategies – for tackling climate change, reducing carbon emissions and securing London’s future water supply. But by delaying their release for so long he has left just months for the policies to be implemented before the end of this mayoral administration in May 2012. “To delay such important policies for more than three years simply beggars belief," said Qureshi. "These are big issues – protecting homes from flooding, tackling extortionate fuel bills, fighting climate change – but we’ve now got just six months for any of the Mayor’s limited ambitions to be realised. It’s too little too late."

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The pace of measures to combat dangers for Londoners is a matter of concern, said the chair of London Assembly’s Environment committee.

Heathrow is owned and operated by BAA.

“Pollution is a major problem in the capital and Heathrow has a role to play in helping clean up London’s air, particularly for people living around the airport,” said Murad Qureshi.

“Action must be taken as quickly as possible to reduce the damaging effects of pollution on Londoners’ health.

”Aircraft noise is another major concern for Londoners. BAA is encouraging airlines to use more modern aeroplanes into Heathrow, which are quieter than the older models.

“However, changes to flight paths and operational methods could mean that more people than ever are being affected by aircraft noise, the scale and impact of which is very difficult to evaluate.”

BAA was hailed at City Hall for measures currently in place, under which only two monitoring sites at the Britain’s biggest airport currently exceed EU levels for nitrogen dioxide.

Independent air quality consultant Professor Duncan Laxen said: “The issue is not a disagreement with the overall approach which BAA has adopted, but it would be a requirement to ensure that what is done is being done thoroughly and being done fast enough.”

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