We were just about to write to our members with a “save the date” for early May for our Annual General Meeting…. that now seems premature in the light of the latest Government advice, so…..
First of all, we hope that you and your families are well and coping with these exceptional times.
Secondly, we will in the next few weeks be finalising and circulating the reports including an update of progress in the last year that we had hoped to be able to present to you at the AGM. In particular, we wanted to share with you how we were dealing with the responses we received in our consultation last Summer and the updating of the Neighbourhood Plan.
Thirdly, we recognise that many of our members are in those groups who have been asked to take particular care to avoid contracting Covid 19/Coronavirus and that some of you will be limiting your contacts. Westminster has a web page with more information and contacts should you need help or be concerned about anyone who might need help. There are also links to the NHS pages containing advice on who should stay at home and what that means in practice.
We know that many of the residents’ associations are organising their own contact arrangements and setting up networks to enable assistance with shopping and other matters should the need arise. This newsletter can also be found on our website, and we may update this 18 March 2020 Announcement with other useful links.
Pimlico’s special quality is that it is a village and we are sure that the village will want to offer both practical and moral support, so do please volunteer if you can or ask for assistance for yourself or a neighbour if you think it may be needed.
We have received over 100 responses from local residents and from statutory consultees: thank you!
Our consultation on the draft of the Pimlico Neighbourhood Plan started on 31 July and ended on 10 October. We delivered postcards to residents in our area and posters in shops and public places helped to raise awareness about the plan. Thanks go to the shopkeepers and other local businesses for putting up our posters. Members of the Steering Group also held briefing meetings with local residents’ associations.
The overwhelming majority of the responses supported the preparation of the Plan and the vision for our area developed by the Neighbourhood Forum.
The Steering Group is now considering the detail of the responses and how they will be reflected in the Plan and the policies contained within it. We will report back early in the New Year.
We are also pleased to announce that as a result of the consultation, we now have 50 more members of the Forum. Welcome to all!
It would be helpful if you could input either to the draft Plan in general and/or by reference to the such of the specific Policies on which you wish to wish to comment.
We are delighted to be able to launch our first formal consultation on the Pimlico Neighbourhood Plan today.
We have been working since 2016 on a Plan for our area which sets out our proposals: see this page for more details. We want to see our area keep its village feel with its fine architecture of all periods, while enabling the shops and other business based here to prosper.
We need to know your views about our priorities and about the policies set out in the Plan (browse or download the 68 pages document here)! The consultation lasts until 10 October and responses should be emailed to: email@pimlicoforum.org
Since it started in 2016, Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum has been hosted by the independent community network 5Fields.org. The Steering Group would like to thank 5Fields’ editor Ken Sparkes for his help and support in the launch of our Forum, letting us use his site, developing our membership and promoting our activities.
The Forum is opening a new chapter with the publication shortly of its draft Neighbourhood Plan and a formal consultation. It now seems the right time to launch our own website pimlicoforum.org.
For convenience, articles and posts about the Forum previously published on 5Fields.org are shown in the Announcements section of this website. Forum Members and others will continue to receive updates from the Forum by email as well.
We look forward to seeing you at 7.30 on Wednesday 1 May for the 4th meeting of the Forum at St Saviour’s Church Hall, St George’s Square and to update you on progress withe developing a Plan for our area. Please find our documents on these links:
The 3rd meeting and Annual General Meeting of the Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum (PNF AGM) was held in St Saviour’s Hall, Pimlico, on Wednesday 25th April. 37 members of the Forum and local Councillors were present.
The Chairman gave a report on the work on the Forum in the past year and the full PDF is available on Google Docs.
The principal activity of the Forum is to produce a Neighbourhood Plan that will set out Westminster Planning policy specific to our area. The Plan will aim to have policies that preserve the quiet village feel, while facilitating a more vibrant local economy and enhancing the local environment.
The steering group has come up with the idea of “Key Business Areas” in which the small local shopping centres in the residential areas should be preserved for retail activity or other commercial activity, rather than being lost to residential. Otherwise residential areas should be protected.
The steering group has also been thinking about how to improve the public realm generally, especially in the area around the Warwick Way/Wilton Road junction. This needs improvement because it is the principal commercial centre of our area, but does not present an attractive face.
We will also be proposing a greater degree of scrutiny of the design for major projects to enable review earlier in the planning process.
We’ve received funding from central Government and from the Ward Budgets of all 3 Council Wards and expect to be able to have sufficient consultancy support for the drafting of our Plan.
We hope to go out to further consultation in the Autumn with more detailed proposals for planning policies.
Mair Garside
Following the PNF AGM, which she attended, the Steering Group is very sorry to report that Mair Garside died suddenly on 28 April. She had been a wonderfully supportive and active member of the Steering Group, and a Pimlico resident for over 60 years. She will be sorely missed. Mair’s funeral takes place on 6th June, 2pm at St James the Less church, 4 Moreton Street, SW1V 2PS. No flowers please.
Peter Ruback Chairman, Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum
The Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum will be holding its 3rd meeting (and Annual General meeting) on 25 April at 7.30pm at St Saviour’s Hall, St George’s Square in Pimlico (Entrance on Pimlico Academy side of St George’s Square).
The meeting is open to all members of the Forum and Councillors of Churchill, Warwick and Tachbrook wards.
Please come along to hear about the work we have been doing to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for our area and to take forward our Vision for Pimlico. The Plan will deal with such things as housing, transport, the environment, public realm and design and heritage issues.
In addition, as you know, we had an exhibition and consultation in November and December 2017. The Online survey results are here. The consultation leaflet is here.
Peter Ruback Chairman, Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum
The Pimlico Forum needs to know your views about some key issues that will affect our area so they’ve produced a leaflet that expands on the ideas in the exhibition and an online survey to find out what you think about it.
Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum was set up to develop a Neighbourhood Plan that will influence how development will happen in Pimlico. The Pimlico Forum is now setting out its thinking about how the area might develop in the future. It is seeking views of residents and local businesses to help develop the plan to the next stage.
There will be a drop in consultation event on Wednesday 8 November 3-8pm at Dryburgh Hall in Alderney Street, SW1V 4ET with a small exhibition.
Leaflet
The Pimlico Forum needs to know your views about some key issues that will affect our area so they’ve produced a leaflet that expands on the ideas in the exhibition and an online survey to find out what you think about it.You can view and download the leaflet here (PDF ∼500Kb).
Survey
The Pimlico Forum is keen to get your feedback on the Plan via their online survey. Please take a minute to tell them what you feel about it – it’s vital that Pimlico residents and businesses have a say in the future of their neighbourhood.
The survey will run to 30th Nov 2017.
The Neighbourhood Plan
Introduced by the Localism Act 2011, Neighbourhood Plans enable communities to have a say in the development of their areas. When adopted, a Neighbourhood Plan becomes part of the Local Plan and the policies contained within it are then used in the determination of planning applications.
Developing the Pimlico Neighbourhood Plan
Everyone’s ideas are sought in the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan, and the result is subject to a referendum of residents across the area – in this case Pimlico (The area designated by Westminster City Council shown on the map overleaf. It excludes the Churchill Gardens Estate, which has its own Neighbourhood Forum). Our plan is being shaped by the Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum, which holds public meetings to discuss it; the detailed work is done by a Steering Group which the Forum elected.
In response to an earlier stage of consultation, the Steering Group has begun to assess the priorities of Pimlico residents, from the feedback received. It would now like to know what you think about the policies that will help shape Pimlico over the coming years.
So, please take a look at the Leaflet and use the Online Survey to have your say. And please tell your Pimlico neighbours about it!
Queries and comments are welcome! If you’d like to send a message to the Pimlico Forum, if you’d like to get involved, please write to email@pimlicoforum.org
About the Pimlico Forum
Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum was proposed by Pimlico FREDA (Federation of Residents Associations of Pimlico) and designated by Westminster City Council with the main aim of developing a Neighbourhood Plan.
The Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum area is the area of Pimlico bounded by Vauxhall Bridge Road, Gillingham Street, the Railway and the River, excluding the Churchill Gardens Estate which has its own forum.
The Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum is developing a Neighbourhood Plan in order to influence planning decisions in the local area. After the Plan is adopted by Westminster Council it will shape decisions in the area.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
The Plan is a planning document that will influence what planning applications for new buildings can be passed, aspects of their design, what conditions for example on affordable housing will be applied, where residential or commercial development can take place and it will also affect how certain taxes (the “Community Infrastructure Levy”) are spent in the area.
The Plan has to be in general conformity with National planning policies and with Westminster’s Strategic planning policy, but there is considerable scope within this and can add detail to gaps in existing policies.
A steering group was elected last Summer and a meeting of the Forum was held on 21st March 2017 (Read a report of the meeting here).
Vision
The last meeting of the forum agreed a vision for the plan:
Continue to maintain the quiet village atmosphere and its largely residential nature.
Improve the quality of life of current and future residents by bringing about a more vibrant retail and commercial sector and enhancing leisure and cultural facilities.
Development that respects and enhances the form and setting of the conservation areas.
Protecting the squares and green spaces and where possible add more of them.
Improve the local environmental quality by continuing to limit and if possible reduce the harmful effects of traffic.
Progress
Since we last reported at the Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum meeting in St Saviour’s Hall on 21 March, we’ve been making progress in developing our Neighbourhood Plan:
We’ve met Victoria and Belgravia forums and local housing associations.
We’ve also met residents’ representatives of some of the local estates.
We’ve also set up several workstreams to develop the plan, led by local residents and members of the forum.
Roadmap
We envisage the plan covering the workstream areas of:
Housing.
Design and Heritage.
Economic/Non residential development.
Environment, leisure, open spaces and Transport.
Maintaining our infrastructure.
We’re planning to brings this work together in an exhibition and more detailed consultation event on 8th November (afternoon and early evening) in Dryburgh Hall, Northern end of Alderney Street on the Abbots Manor Estate, so please save the date!
Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum was proposed by Pimlico FREDA (Federation of Residents Associations of Pimlico) and designated by Westminster City Councilwith the main aim of developing a Neighbourhood Plan.
The Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum Area
The Pimlico Neighbourhood Forum area is the area of Pimlico bounded by Vauxhall Bridge Road, Gillingham Street, the Railway and the River, excluding the Churchill Gardens Estate which has its own forum.
This is to confirm that the 
