It’s good to be involved locally

RE: Uxbridge Residents response to Policing and Uxbridge town development

I attended the residents Association Meeting (NURA) on Tuesday 24 April at Christ Church in Redford Way. Barbara Fisher is correct that over 100 interested locals were present including members of Hillingdon council and representatives from our local police service. They spoke about the Watkin Jones Uxbridge town centre building project on the Wickes/Halfords site and crime issues respectively.

It is pleasing that local people are involved and want to know what is being planned in their midst and what assurances are given as crime figures soar and the need for more social housing is always on the agenda.

The town centre development from Watkin Jones is only in embryo form as plans had only been released. But a 13 storey apartment block would look unsightly and dwarf the surrounding Uxbridge town.

No representatives from Watkin Jones were present at the meeting and only a tiny minority of locals at the meeting seemed to be in favour of the project.

The Gazette letter of 10 May asked about the involvement of our local Uxbridge MP in regard to overdevelopment in the area.

The NURA chairman did say that the MP would be kept in the information loop about the plans of developers like Watkin Jones and be consulted for any reaction on the matter.

Even though there were so many people at the meeting there was a sense that the new structure of cross borough policing in Ealing, Houn- slow and Hillingdon really is not sufficient to deal with the rising crime figures and ever worrying daily reports of knife crime in the borough and beyond.

Hillingdon residents might like to get in touch with NURA and even attend future meetings to see what is happening on their doorstep and what they could do to make a difference in the future.

The contact address is: Paul Johnson at email: northuxbridgeresidents@gmail.com

Ian Herne Hillingdon