We Asked, You Said, We Did

Following the 2024 consultation to assess the need of a wildlife Public Space Protection Order, the council carried out a consultation to take residents' views on board regarding its implementation. 

The consultation had 168 responses and a staggering majority of over 94 per cent was in favour of the implementation of the Public Space Protection Order by South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations and the space by the entrance of Holland Park (junction with High Street Kensington).

As a resut of the general consensus received, the Public Space Protection Order has now been implemented for the areas outlined in the report and it is in full effect.

The Council continues to evolve its approach to involving residents in housing-related matters and is in the process of refreshing its Resident Involvement Policy. In order to refresh the policy, the Council is engaging and involving residents to seek their views on the direction of the policy and to plan future resident involvement activities and strategies for enhancing resident involvement in Kensington and Chelsea.

As part of this a short Pulse Survey was undertaken.

• Over half of respondents are satisfied with the current opportunities provided by the Council for residents to get involved with housing related decisions
• Ovre two-thirds of those involved in engagement opportunities have had a positive ecperience when doing so
• The areas that residents would like to see more resident involvement included: repairs and maintenance (73 per cent); anti-social behaviour management (50 per cent) and safety and building standards (45 per cent)
• The most popular ways that respondents would like to hear from the Council were: email updates (58 per cent) and in person meetings (54 per cent)

The feedback and views of residents is being used to inform the development of Housing's Resident Involvement Strategy.

The Council consulted residents and businesses on the implementation of time-banded waste collection and assessed its impact on businesses.

Many respondents supported the initiative, citing cleaner streets, reduced waste pile-ups, and improved public hygiene. Some emphasised the positive impact on residents' quality of life and business environments.

While there is broad support for time-banding to improve street cleanliness, concerns remain around timing, enforcement, and impact on businesses. Effective communication, adjustments to collection slots, and proper enforcement will be key to the scheme’s success.

The Council introduced time-banded waste collections for commercial waste on Tuesday, 11 March 2025. This system helps keep streets clear while ensuring businesses have regular and flexible collection times. Timed slots will be available 24/7 across nine town centres, with enforcement action for waste presented outside allocated times.

The Council asked residents and key stakeholders if they support the renewal of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO)
– Nuisance vehicles, for a further three years, following the 2021 public consultation that overwhelmingly supported the
expansion of the PSPO to cover the whole of the borough and the increased use of acoustic cameras.

A staggering ninety-seven per cent of respondents support the PSPO renewal.

The Public Space Protection Order- Nuisance vehicles, has now been implemented following residents' support via this consultation.

We asked for your views on a vision and collection of projects within the draft Local Action Plan for Earl’s Court Road.

We asked you to choose your most important project from each of the three project categories:

· Improving the environment

· Character and heritage

· Managing the street

We also asked for your views on the draft Earl’s Court Shopfront Design Guide, and if you had ideas for any further projects for the Local Action Plan.

We received 184 responses to the survey and a further eight responses by email. Of the 192 responses, 93 per cent supported or strongly supported the vision and objectives of the plan.

Most comments about the vision and objectives of the plan and its proposed projects fell under the following themes:

· Address anti-social behaviour, improved safety and more policing

· Dissatisfaction with retail offer and desire for a different and more varied mix of shops and businesses

· Improve the pedestrian experience, cleanliness and repair pavements.

The most popular projects within each category were:

· Improving the environment: Decluttering the street

· Character and heritage: Shopfront Design Guide

· Managing the street: Tackling waste and recycling bins

Comments about the Shopfront Design Guide were received from 110 survey respondents and 98 were supportive, i.e. 89 per cent.

Following the consultation, we are amending the projects and action plan accordingly. The key changes are:

· Add ‘safe’ to the vision so that it reads, “Earl’s Court Road will be known for its special character both as a safe, attractive and convenient neighbourhood high street and an appealing London destination”.

· Add information about other ways crime and anti-social behaviour are being tackled as well as supporting the street population.

· Add information about how to report problems via Report a problem

· Add ‘including young people and families with children’ in objective 4 so that it reads, “Earl’s Court Road will offer a selection of useful and appealing shops, facilities and services for local residents and visitors including young people and families with children.”

· Through the market stall feasibility projects, explore the contribution a market could make towards providing a more neighbourhood shopping offer e.g. a weekly farmers’ market, to address the deficit in the retail offer identified in the comments.

In addition, we will take the following actions:

· We will continue to support work towards forming an Earl’s Court Business Improvement District which would give businesses funds to implement crime and anti-social behaviour reduction measures and other measures to improve the pedestrian experience.

· Discuss speed cameras and enforcement on Earl’s Court Road with TfL.

· Discuss additional pedestrian crossings raised by respondents, with TfL – including one between Barkston Gardens and Penywern Road.

· Given the high level of support for the Shopfront Design Guide, we will now consult on adopting this as a Supplementary Planning Document. If adopted, it would become a material consideration in determining shopfront planning applications and applications for advertisement consent within the Earl’s Court Road District Centre.

The following project ideas were suggested by respondents, and these will be relayed to relevant services and considered for inclusion in the plan when it is reviewed in 12 months:

· More pedestrian crossings on Earl’s Court Road, in particular from Barkston Gardens to Penywern Road

· Speed limit enforcement measures on Earl’s Court Road

· Conservation Area Management Plans for other Conservation Areas (Philbeach and Earl’s Court Square mentioned)

· Freddie Mercury commemoration as a draw for visitors

· Earl’s Court to have a central part in London Pride with events and streetscape/shop front celebrations. Blue plaques to create a “Walk with Pride” walk from the station, down past the Boltons and Old Brompton Road.

· Address nuisance caused by delivery bikes

· ‘Gum trees’ or similar to reduce gum waste

· Loyalty scheme for local businesses

· More seating in the public realm

· Christmas tree in Hogarth Road

· Tourist/visitor information map or leaflet that could be available at the kiosk since the traders are frequently asked for help

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 notice we hope to construct the crossing by Summer 2025.

Whether the Council should introduce five new trees in carriageway tree pits at the southern end of Portland Road.

We received 77 responses to the consultation, 76 via the online survey and a letter.

Fifty-eight (75 per cent) of the responses supported the proposal, eight (ten per cent) supported in part and eleven (14 per cent) 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 five tree pits on Portland Road. 

We plan to start construction of the tree pits towards the end of March 2025. 

We asked for views on the proposal to change Hortensia Road and Fernshaw Road from two-way working to one-way for all traffic (except cycles).

For Hortensia Road we received 59 objections, 29 responses in support and six responses supporting these proposals in part.

For Fernshaw Road we received 78 objections, 29 responses in support, two response supporting these proposals in part and one comment.

For Hortensia Road, the majority of responses received (63 percent) were in opposition to the one-way proposals on Hortensia Road. In the absence of any overriding policy or highway network need to proceed with the proposals, and having consulted ward councillors, the Director of Highways and Regulatory Services has decided not to proceed with the scheme.

For Fernshaw Road, the majority of responses received (71 percent) were in opposition to the one-way proposals on Fernshaw Road. In the absence of any overriding policy or highway network need to proceed with the proposals, and having consulted ward councillors, the Director of Highways and Regulatory Services has decided not to proceed with the scheme.

Whether the Council should introduce a new zebra crossing on a raised table, on St Quintin Avenue near Pangbourne Avenue and Wallingford Avenue.

We received 87 responses to the consultation. Seventy-three responses (84 percent) were from people who supported the proposals, seven (eight percent) agreed in part with the proposals and seven (eight 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 raised table and zebra crossing on St Quintin Avenue. The scheme has proceeded to detailed design, and we plan to give formal notice of the zebra crossing once that design has been completed. Following our consideration of any responses to the statutory notice, we hope to construct the crossing by summer 2025. 

We asked for your views on widening the footway around Sloane Square, which would include the realignment of pedestrian crossing to improve accessibility, reducing street clutter without impacting traffic flow. The project would also re-use York stone paving from Sloane Street, to reduce the environmental impact.

The majority of respondents supported the proposals, although a number of comments and suggestions for improvement were made.

In response to the concerns raised about loading, we have amended the plans to include additional loading bays outside Peter Jones and the Sloane Square Hotel. These alongside the raised service pad outside Ralph Lauren will be paved in a natural material, to become more accessible for pedestrian when not in use.

In response to improving vehicle flow, we have amendments to the kerb line in Symons Street on the approach to Sloane Square, and removed the kerb build outs on the north side of the Square. We have moved the bus stop on the south side of the Square by approximately 2 metres to improve the alignment for buses wishing to turn right around the Square

We will now be embarking on detailed design of the revised scheme and the legal agreements with Cadogan Estates for funding the work. Subject to this being completed, we are aiming to start work in Spring 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 revised policy was adopted and came into effect on 6 January 2025. 

Link to Gambling Policy

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.