We Asked, You Said, We Did

We asked for views on 66 proposals in the October 2024 Miscellaneous Parking Changes.

We received a total of 71 objections, seven letters of support and two comments across 20 of the on-street parking proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised apart from the proposals relating to Balliol Road (moving of the personalised disabled bay), Hyde Park Gate, Lower Sloane Street, Milner Street, St Luke’s Road and Walpole Street, which were dropped in their entirety.  The proposals relating to Cornwall Gardens, Ladbroke Road and Launceston Place were amended following the consultation.

We asked for views on proposed changes of the parking provision within the Longlands Court housing estates.

We received no objections or letters of support in relation to the proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised.

Whether the Council should introduce a new zebra crossing, on Sirdar Road by Avondale Park Primary School and Henry Dickens Court.

We received 115 responses to the consultation. One hundred and five responses (91 percent) were from people who supported the proposals, two (two percent) agreed in part with the proposals and seven (six percent) objected to the scheme.

A full summary of the consultation replies, and the Councils responses can be found in the attached documents.

Following consideration of all the comments received, the Council has decided to proceed with the introduction of the zebra crossing on Sirdar Road.

The scheme has proceeded to detailed design, and we plan to give formal notice of the zebra crossing once the design has been completed. Following our consideration of any responses to the statutory noticem we hope to cntruct the crossing by Summer 2025.

The Gambling Act 2005 requires all licensing authorities to prepare and publish a Gambling Act Statement of Policy and Principles every three years. As part of the review of our current policy, which is set to expire in January 2025, we sought residents' feedback on the updated policy. This will be our seventh Statement of Gambling Policy.

We carefully reviewed all feedback provided as part of the decision-making process.

Based on your feedback, we are pleased to confirm that your input has helped shape the updated Policy. The Policy is now progressing through the Council’s governance procedures, and the final decision will be shared in due course.

We asked for residents and stakeholders views on the impact of wildlife feeding in the borough. This would help to inform whether the Council should introduce additional measures to manage wildlife feeding.

Antisocial behaviour caused by wildlife feeding:

• A total of 92 per cent of respondents reported that animal/bird faeces on the highway/pavement caused by wildlife feeding was an issue 
• Almost nine in ten (89 per cent) respondents felt that litter/discarded food on the street was an issue caused by wildlife feeding
• A total of 85 per cent of respondents felt that wildlife feeding caused damage to property and spaces e.g. defacing public spaces with faeces or feathers
• Over two-thirds (69 per cent) felt that wildlife feeding had resulted in financial costs, e.g. cleaning, pest control and repairs
• Slightly less (63 per cent) had encountered aggressive behaviour from those feeding wildlife

Experience of antisocial behaviour

Almost three-quarters of respondents had seen antisocial behaviour caused by a person feeding wildlife and almost half had seen the same person causing antisocial behaviour by feeding wildlife more than once.

Locations of antisocial behaviour

• Locations around underground stations, particularly Gloucester Road (111) and South Kensington (49), were the most commonly mentioned 
• Specific streets were mentioned by 103 respondents
• Park locations were identified by 49 respondents.

Frequency and timing of antisocial behaviour caused by wildlife feeding

• Four in ten (40 per cent) respondents reported antisocial behaviour caused by wildlife feeding occurred daily or more frequently, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) reported this occurred weekly
• Almost half (49 per cent) reported that antisocial behaviour caused by wildlife feeding occurs in the morning, over half (57 per cent) reported it occurs in the afternoon and over a quarter (28 per cent) indicated it occurred in the evening

Introduction of Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)

There were high levels of support for the introduction of PSPOs in the three areas put forward.

• Outside South Kensington Station - 86 per cent either strongly support or support the introduction of a PSPO
• Outside Gloucester Road Station - 84 per cent either strongly support or support the introduction of a PSPO
• Outside Holland Park at the junction with Kensington High Street - 83 per cent either strongly support or support the introduction of a PSPO

Respondents were asked what other measures the Council should consider to tackle wildlife feeding. The most common themes of comments were: Enforcement, issuing fines or arresting offenders, education or awareness raising and signage.

The results of the consultation have indicated there is support for a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in relation to wildlife feeding in specific locations in the borough. This has been used to develop a draft PSPO which will be subject to consultation prior to a decision being made on its introduction.

We asked residents for their feedback about different aspects of the Housing Management services as we are undertaking a significant programme of service improvement. As part of this we are recruiting several tenants to be part of a co-design panel who will go through this process of service improvement with us.

Some of the feedback residents gave about improving services, were on effectiveness of tackling anti-social behaviour, the need to better advertise mutual exchange opportunities, improving communication from the service and the way repairs get reported and tracked. Additionally, some residents expressed their interest in joining a panel to co-design housing services.

The feedback from this survey resulted in the formation of the 'Housing Improvement Resident Co-design Panel'- eleven residents in total, who will be working with us to consider how we deliver our housing services from a resident perspective. 

Through an online and paper survey and a series of engagement events, which were co-designed by local residents, we sought the views of residents and stakeholders on services on the World’s End Estate and surrounding area. This focused on services used, what services residents would like to see delivered in the future and how they would like to find out about services.

 The consultation also gathered feedback to inform the Blantyre Housing Office refurbishment.

Current services used:

The services currently most used by survey respondents are health and wellbeing services, sport and leisure activities, Council housing services and social/cultural events and activities. 

Finding out about local services

The most common ways that residents responding to the survey currently find out about local services is via leaflets/posters, word of mouth and via other organisations.

In the future, the top three ways survey respondents would like to find out about local services were leaflets/posters, the World’s End area booklet and Council e-newsletters.

 Locations for delivery

When asked about locations for service delivery, 1-2 World’s End Place was the most popular location amongst survey respondents, followed by Blantyre Housing Office for services aimed at Council Housing tenants and leaseholders.

 These locations were also popular with residents in conversations as part of the community engagement element of the consultation.

 Future services

In conversations with residents during community engagement events and activities, and via the survey, residents highlighted a number of areas where they would like to see additional services provided. These included:

• Services to support children, young people and parents
• Advice and guidance services
• Social and leisure activities
• Health and wellbeing support services
• Learning opportunities and employment support
• Tackling anti-social behaviour

 Blantyre Housing Office, future services

More residents responding to the survey and engaging in conversations during community engagement activities identified a repairs service as the service they would most like to see delivered from the Blantyre Housing Office

 Other services selected in the survey included Caretakers service, resident engagement and leaseholder services. These services also were identified in conversations with residents.

 Blantyre Housing Office, operating hours

The majority of respondents to the survey indicated that they were satisfied with the current opening hours.

The results of the consultation exercise are being used to develop a plan to bring additional services to the World’s End Estate, in line with the services identified by residents in the consultation exercise. The aim is to start delivering these services by April 2025.  More information will be added to the dedicated World’s End webpages in due course

The Repairs Policy is currently under review to update the existing version, which was published in 2019. Kensington and Chelsea Council have proposed changes to the policy, which outlines the responsibilities of the Council, tenants, and leaseholders. While the primary focus is on responsive repairs, the policy also addresses communal repairs, planned maintenance, and adaptations.

To refine the policy further, we sought feedback from tenants and leaseholders through a survey, aiming to gather opinions on the proposed changes and additional suggestions for improvement.

• Residents appreciated the transparent inclusion of leaseholders, particularly the addition of a general table outlining repair responsibilities. However, leaseholders requested more detail on what the Council is responsible for repairing versus leaseholder obligations.
• Concerns were raised about the lack of guidance on addressing long outstanding repair issues.
• Residents sought clarity on the Council’s stance regarding laminate flooring.
• Feedback emphasised the need to better support elderly and vulnerable residents during repair requests.
• Residents requested operatives to wear shoe coverings or PPE when entering homes if requested.
• Residents expressed concerns about damp and mould issues and whether they would be effectively addressed.

We have used your feedback to update policy, accordingly, aims to be published in January 2025. The changes that have been made are as follows:

• We have further clarified repair responsibilities for both the Council and leaseholders, specifically around windows, front doors, walls, ceilings, floors, communal pipes, and pipes used exclusively within a leaseholder's flat.
• Section 10 of the policy now includes guidance on how to address long outstanding repair issues. Additionally, we have written a Disrepair Policy which will give further detail on how to address outstanding repair issues, which should be published by March 2025.
• Section 15 of the policy now provides detailed clarification on the Council’s stance regarding laminate flooring.
• We updated our “code of conduct” section to “code of conduct and vulnerabilities” ensuring tailored support for elderly and vulnerable residents. Residents are encouraged to inform staff about their needs so this can be recorded, and additional support can be provided.
• We updated our policy to include a requirement for operatives to wear shoe coverings or PPE upon request.
• The concerns raised about damp and mould are being addressed in a separate Damp and Mould Policy, which will be published alongside the updated Repairs Policy.

The Council sought residents’ feedback on a new approach to tackling damp and mould in homes. Recognising the serious impact on health, well-being, and property conditions, the Council is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ensure residents’ safety and comfort.

The policy outlines different types of damp in the home that can be found as it is important to understand the different causes of damp as they each require different solutions. The policy also goes through the Council’s responsibilities to tenants, timescales, risk assessing, safeguarding, tenant and leaseholder responsibilities and an advice section.

• Leaseholders requested clearer information about how the Council addresses various types of damp and mould beyond condensation when it comes leasehold properties.
• Leaseholders also wanted clarification on queries related to home alterations and building insurance.
• Residents asked for more detailed clarification on timeframes for addressing damp and mould issues.
• Residents expressed concerns about whether the policy would be effectively followed through.

We have used your feedback to update policy accordingly, which aims to be published in January 2025. The changes that have been made are as follows:

• We updated the policy to provide leaseholders further guidance on addressing water leaks, penetrating damp, and rising damp, ensuring a comprehensive approach to damp and mould issues.
• The queries around home alterations and building insurance are addressed in the updated Repairs Policy so we have asked residents to refer to this policy for more detailed information.
• Clear timeframes for addressing damp and mould issues were added to the policy, providing better transparency and accountability.

To ensure effective follow-through of the policy, we are developing an IT workflow in line with Awaab’s Law to manage oversight of damp and mould cases from report to resolution. This system will trigger management involvement if cases do not progress within the established timeframes. Additionally, you can now have a video call with the Customer Service or submit photos when reporting the issue so cases can be prioritised more efficiently, and we can address the problem more effectively.

We asked for views on 45 proposals in the June 2024 Miscellaneous Parking Changes.

We received a total of 29 objections and 12 letters of support across 18 of the on-street parking proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised apart from the proposals relating to Earl’s Court Square, Kensington Park Road, Trebovir Road and Uxbridge Street which were dropped in their entirety.  The proposals relating to Allen Street, Launceston Place and Old Church Street were amended following the consultation and we made an item around the junction of Kempsford Gardens and Old Brompton Road, which had been deferred since the June 2023 Miscellaneous Amendments.

We asked for views on proposed changes of the parking provision within the 375 Portobello Road, Henry Dickens Court, Longlands Court, Portobello Court and Tor Court housing estates and the World’s End underground car park.

We received a total of two letters of support across two of the off-street parking proposals and one comment on one of the proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised.

We asked for your views on a wide range of improvements to Westfield Park. The potential improvements included:

• Refurbished Toilet facilities – including Changing Places Facility
• Support for a café facility.
• Changing the rose garden to a sensory garden
• Additional benches and accessible picnic tables
• New planting
• Table Tennis table
• Outdoor gym
• Upgrading Lighting
• Installation of CCTV
• Installation of a drinking water fountain

Survey responses 113

General:

How often people visit the park:  Fifty-one percent of respondents said they visit Westfield Park every day,  thirty percent of  respondents visited two to three times per week, twelve percent of respondents visited once a week and five percent respondents less frequently.

Satisfaction levels with the park: Sixty-eight percent of respondents were either very satisfied or satisfied, Seventeen percent of respondents were neither satisfied or dissatisfied,  fifteen percent of respondents were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied and one percent did not answer.

 Support for refurbishing the toilet facilities: Eighty-two percent of respondents supported the refurbishment/upgrade of the toilet facilities, four percent of respondents did not support, and thirteen percent do not know.

Support for a new café: Fifty-one percent of respondents supported a new permanent café, twenty-seven percent support a mobile/pop up café, nineteen percent do not support a new café and four percent did not know.

Support for changing the rose garden to a sensory garden: Thirty  seven percent supported changing to a sensory garden, thirty-five percent supported keeping as a rose garden  with companion planting, twenty-one percent wanted the area to remain as a rose garden and  seven percent did not answer.

Support for new benches and accessible picnic tables: Seventy-three percent of respondents supported were in favour, nineteen percent did not support,  eight percent did not know, and one percent did not answer.

Preferred Planting theme: Fifty percent of respondents said that they would like a mixed planting theme including plants beneficial to wildlife and pollinators, shrubs and grasses, seasonal bulbs, and sensory planting. Thirty-five percent of respondents wanted plants beneficial to wildlife and pollinators. Twenty-seven percent supported seasonal bulbs, nineteen percent sensory planting, thirteen percent ornamental shrubs and grasses and six percent either wanted none of these or did not answer.

Picnic table with chess board: Fifty percent of respondents supported, thirty-six percent did not support, and fourteen percent did not support or did not answer.

Table Tennis table: Fifty-two percent of respondent supported, thirty-three percent did not support, and fifteen percent did not know or did not answer.

 Installation Outdoor Gym: Fifty percent of respondents were in support, forty percent did not support, eight percent did not know, and two percent did not answer.

Gym equipment type of training method: sixty-one percent  preferred a combination of fitness equipment and calisthenics and thirty-nine percent preferred fitness equipment only.

Improving lighting: Seventy-one percent of respondents supported upgrading lighting, eleven percent did not support, and eleven percent did not know or did not answer.

Installation of CCTV: Eighty percent of respondents supported, twelve percent did not support, and eight percent did not know or did not answer.

Installation of a drinking water fountain: Eighty-two percent of respondents supported, twelve percent did  not support, and six percent did not know of did not answer.

Improvements

As a result of the consultation and what you have told us, we will be carrying out improvement works to the park over a period of two years.

 The following work will take place between September 2024 and March 2025:

• New drinking water fountain.
• Improved lighting.
• Additional park benches and picnic tables
• Planting improvements, including additional planting in the rose garden and we will also look at planting new roses.
• In ground no cycling paving slabs

In 2025/26 the remaining works will include:

•  Reconfigured and refurbished toilets and a new Changing Places facility
• CCTV will also be considered at key locations.

Other considerations

Café  - as there was support for a café, we will initially explore whether we can operate a  mobile/pop-up café shared with another nearby park and monitor uptake and demand for this facility.

Outdoor gym, chess table and table tennis – The other parks within the area will be reviewed along with Westfield Park within the next 18 months to look at what facilities are available in neighbouring Parks and where the best locations might be for these activities.

Whether the Council should add sinusoidal road humps to the east and west arms of Lexham Gardens, following a successful application for Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding by a resident of Lexham Gardens.

We received 93 responses to the consultation. Forty-seven responses (51 percent) were from people who supported the proposals, four (four percent) agreed in part with the proposals and 42 (45 percent) objected to the scheme.

A full summary of the consultation replies, and the Councils responses can be found in the attached documents.

Following consideration of all the comments received from residents and councillors, the Council has decided to proceed with the introduction of five sinusoidal road humps, only on the east arm of Lexham Gardens. The one hump on the northern side of the Gardens and the four humps on the western arm of Lexham Gardens will not be installed, following objections by residents in those sections of Lexham Gardens.

The scheme has proceeded to detailed design, and we plan to give notice of the final proposed positions of the road humps once that design has been completed. Following our consideration of any responses to the statutory notice, we hope to construct the road humps by spring 2025.

We asked for your views on the way you use and interact with the service. In particular we wanted to know whether you found each of the avenues of communication (in-person, telephone, letters and assessments and online) accessible and user-friendly. Furthermore, we wanted to get an understanding of any issues around internet access and the digital skills of our temporary accommodation residents.

We received extensive feedback on the aspects of our service that were working well but also on the gaps and areas that could be improved. The following points represent key feedback that we have gathered from the survey:

• 23 per cent of respondents said that they had not accessed the Housing section of the Council’s website. Of those that had, 37 per cent found that they were unable to fully resolve their query online.
• The most popular method of contacting the Housing Service remains the telephone, this is the preferred method for 46 per cent of respondents. However, customer satisfaction for the telephone service has reduced compared to 2023.
• The most popular reason for contacting the service was due to unsuitable temporary accommodation. This was the reason for 40 per cent of contacts, up from 30 per cent in 2023.

• We have made significant changes to the Housing pages of the RBKC website. This has included inviting external organisations to review the current architecture as well as internal working groups. The outcome of this work includes a more efficient and intuitive structure and more informative and relevant content.
• We have made changes to our triage system to improve the efficiency of our telephone service. This includes increasing the resource to ensure more effective front-end service and better ascertain the nature of the call, and record as much information as possible around this first contact. For example, this could involve booking appointments with Housing Solution Officer's, signposting to other services, referrals and information sharing.
• A project is well underway to contact long-term temporary accommodation residents and provide support in any way that we can. This could be signposting to other services or updating bidding details to ensure they are up to date and reflective of each resident’s current situation.

We asked for views on the proposal to prohibit all vehicles (except cycles) travelling on Old Brompton Road from turning right into Cresswell Gardens.

We had 14 objections and 18 letters of support to these proposals.

We have made the traffic order prohibiting all vehicles (except cycles) travelling on Old Brompton Road from turning right into Cresswell Gardens, as proposed.

We asked for views on the proposals to remove the pedestrian and cycle zone in that part of Kensington Park Road that lies between Blenheim Crescent and Elgin Crescent and to provide a south-eastbound one-way system applying to all vehicles except pedal cycles in Kensington Park Road, between Blenheim Crescent and Elgin Crescent, with an accompanying 'compulsory right turn except cycles' from Kensington Park Mews into Kensington Park Road.

We had 19 objections and three letters of support for these proposals.

We have made the traffic order removing the pedestrian and cycle zone in that part of Kensington Park Road that lies between Blenheim Crescent and Elgin Crescent and to introduce a south-eastbound one-way system applying to all vehicles except pedal cycles in Kensington Park Road, between Blenheim Crescent and Elgin Crescent, with an accompanying 'compulsory right turn except cycles' from Kensington Park Mews into Kensington Park Road.

We asked for views on the proposal to prohibit all vehicles (except cycles) travelling on Old Brompton Road from turning left into Eardley Crescent.

We had 13 objections, one comment and 16 letters of support to these proposals.

• We have made the traffic order prohibiting all vehicles (except cycles) travelling on Old Brompton Road from turning left into Eardley Crescent, as proposed.

if we should install 80 new rental e-bike parking bay locations across the borough, to help reduce footway obstructions caused by rental e-bikes. 

Please see individual consultation ward reports below.

The Council is implementing 54 of the proposed rental e-bike parking bays, as below:

For views on a series of interventions that would give the local community and visitors a high-quality space to enjoy and provide a pleasant setting for the vibrant collection of shops, restaurants and small businesses on Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge.

The proposals include widening the pavements, improving the street surface, introducing traffic calming measures and planting new trees. They have been developed by a stakeholder group made up of local businesses and residents to address current issues such as large volumes of traffic, uneven pavement and road surfaces, and street clutter.

We received 81 responses to the questionnaire. 60 per cent of respondents (49 responses) support or strongly support the proposals while 36 per cent (29 responses) oppose or strongly oppose the proposals. The responses are broken down below:

• Most comments supporting and strongly supporting the proposals are looking forward to the more attractive streetscape, more opportunity for al-fresco dining, better pavements and accessibility, and greening. Nevertheless, some supporters ask that loading bays are retained, that taxis have kerbside access for pick up and drop off, and better traffic management and parking enforcement.
• Most comments opposing and strongly opposing the proposals raise the impact on traffic and parking on neighbouring streets, particularly on Ovington Square. Some say that traffic in the area is already under pressure because of ongoing works on Sloane Street making Beauchamp Place a key alternative route. Respondents suggest that any changes should retain the current road width and traffic flow. They also worry that additional al-fresco dining may take up pedestrian space.
• To address these concerns, respondents opposing the proposals ask for more clarity over the impact on traffic and parking on neighbouring streets, the scope of interventions regarding road width, and measures to improved traffic management.

After considering the feedback, the project team have put forward the following measures to address concerns raised by consultees:

• Any loss of parking spaces will only be allowed if it does not significantly impact the area.
• Improvement works to Beauchamp Place, if allowed to be implemented, will not start until works on Sloane Street are completed and traffic is able to flow on both directions.
• The widening of the pavements will not impede upon traffic flow on Beauchamp Place or surrounding streets
• The pedestrian crossing will be a zebra crossing, rather than a light-controlled junction, in order to improve the flow of vehicles and traffic along the street, while allowing a pedestrian friendly environment.
• Loading bays and kerbside access for taxis will also be retained on Beauchamp Place.

Next steps

As of July 2024, we are commissioning detailed design of the proposals based on the consultation results.

Once the parking survey is complete, the project team will prepare a report to inform the decision to implement the project or not.

You can sign up for project updates by emailing the project team on GrowthandDeliveryTeam@rbkc.gov.uk

The Panel survey on making the borough safer focussed on gaining a better understanding of what would make Panel members feel safe and gain an insight into Panel members’ experiences of crime and antisocial behaviour as a witness and/or victim. This survey is a repeat of a similar survey conducted in both 2022 and  2023 benchmarks against the previous results to identify changes in opinions, attitudes, and experiences. 

Overall feelings of safety –  Eight in ten (81 per cent) Panel members feel safe when out and about in their neighbourhood during the day but feelings of safety drop for Panel members after dark with around half feeling safe (49 per cent). Forty-six per cent of Panel members agreed that there were places in their neighbourhood they were worried about visiting including badly lit areas and Council estates. Sixty-two per cent said that they had changed their behaviour in the last 12 months to feel safe which continues an upward trend over the years. The most often taken actions were sticking to main roads/avoiding badly lit areas and having more awareness of others and surroundings.  ​

Crime levels -  Forty-six per cent of Panel members feel that the crime levels in their local neighbourhood are average with 28 per cent feeling that they are high and 26 per cent low. The majority of Panel members (62 per cent) felt that the amount of crime in their local neighbourhood in the last 12 months was about the same. ​

Community safety priorities –  Of the four community safety priorities, drug related offences continue to be viewed as the biggest problem (60 per cent) followed by antisocial behaviour (52 per cent). The other crime issues in their area that Panel members are most concerned about are theft (71 per cent which has seen a 12 per cent increase on the 2023 results), motor vehicle crime (65 per cent) and burglary (58 per cent). ​

One thing to make you feel safer where you live – For the first time, Panel members were asked what one thing would make them feel safer in the neighbourhood where they live. By far and away the most mentioned measure was a more visible/increased police presence. There was also support for better enforcement/penalties for crime/ASB, CCTV and improved street lighting. ​

Experiences of crime and antisocial behaviour –  Just under half of Panel members (47 per cent) had not been a witness to or a victim of crime or antisocial behaviour in the past 12 months. A third (33 per cent) stated they had been a witness and 14 per cent a victim, whilst five per cent had been both a witness to and a victim.  Antisocial behaviour was both the most witnessed crime (28 per cent) and the crime Panel members were the most likely to be a victim of (10 per cent).

Impact of measures on crime and antisocial behaviour – As in the previous two years, Panel members felt that high visibility of police/wardens (94 per cent) would have the biggest impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood. This was followed by environmental improvements for local neighbourhoods and enforcement against antisocial behaviour (both 92 per cent). CCTV was asked about as a separate measure for the first time in 2024, with 86 per cent thinking this would have an impact.​

• The full results of the survey were heard at the Safer K and C Board on 18^th April. This Board has senior representation from council services, police, criminal justice agencies and health services, thus ensuring senior decision makers from across key stakeholders are aware of the results. The Board had a detailed conversation about how the survey will inform the future of responses to crime and disorder and act as a key part of resident voice for Community Safety work programmes and projects.
• Where possible details on where respondents do not feel safe will inform operational taskings for CCTV, Street Enforcement Team and Police. These will be used alongside the business-as-usual practice of crime and disorder data.
• Over the next 12 months the findings will be used to refine community safety strategies and planning, specifically the borough’s CCTV Strategy and ASB Action Plan.