Happy New Year 2023 & Christmas Tree recycling

The PWRA board would like to wish all residents and their families a Happy New Year.

As always, at this time of year, there is a lot of rubbish and recycling from the festive period that will have built up. Residents are kindly asked to be as considerate as possible to everyone else in the community by correctly disposing of their refuse; breaking down any cardboard boxes, and compressing plastic bottles and containers to save space in communal bins.

The party is over for Christmas trees so give them a new life and recycle

For those of you that have Christmas trees that require disposal after the seasonal festivities, please be aware that Tower Hamlets do offer a free collection service for real trees (not plastic). This service runs from 9th to 19th January 2023 and is aligned with the normal kerbside food and garden collection service (Wednesdays in the case of Plymouth Wharf).

In order to use the service, remove all decorations from your tree first and place it out with existing food and garden waste on Wednesday 11th January or Wednesday 18th January.

In order to avoid trees blowing around the development in the event of high winds, those in houses should leave trees securely up against their fence at the end of their drives.

Residents in the flats should place their trees in the Block 4 recycling bin area (this is the area opposite the Block 4 stairwell between properties 53 & 54. Please take care not to block access to the bins for residents in that Block. We will then arrange with collection team to take all the trees in this area.

We kindly ask that residents who do not make use of this service to not simply dump trees in bin cupboards or elsewhere on the development as they will not be collected. If necessary, CCTV will be used to enforce and dumping of rubbish and offenders will be charged for removal.

Gutter cleaning – North side houses 44-52 – Tuesday 20th December

City House Cleaning will be attending site tomorrow, Tuesday 20th December, to complete the remaining gutter clearing that our original contract (HJ Tebbutt & Sons) were unable to complete.

Works to clear the gutters will be restricted to the rear of the north-side houses (No. 44-52) and contractors will be on-site during this operation. They’ll be using specialist equipment to access and clean the rear gutters from the ground floor and will require access through each property and to an electrical point. The contractors will wear protective overshoes when walking through each property. These works will be carried from 8:30am.

Gutter cleaning 5th December-12th December


Our annual gutter cleaning work is due, and a contractor has been selected (HJ Tebbutt & Sons). Works to clear the gutters will commence on Monday the 5th of December, 2022. HJT&S’ contractors will be on-site during this operation. They’ll use ladders and a cherry picker that will be parked on site (North West Corner of the Estate). These works will be carried out daily from 8:30am.


The schedule will be as follows:

  • Monday the 5th of December: Block 3 & 2
  • Tuesday the 6th of December: Houses South Side (House 11 – 19)
  • Wednesday 7th of December: Houses South Side & Block 1
  • Thursday 8th of December: Block 1 & 4
  • Friday 9th of December: Houses North Side (House 44 – 52)
  • Monday 12th of December: Houses North Side (House 44 – 52)


This schedule may vary according to how things unfold. But the plan is to finish by the 12th of December.

In order to facilitate access for contractors:

  • Some flats on the ground floor may be requested access to back patios to clear the gutters on the east side of the state. The same will apply to the west side of the estate.
  • House tenants and/or owners may be requested access through their properties.
  • We will request vehicle owners from the houses to park somewhere else for a working day while contractors carry out the job in each row of houses.

Gutter cleaning and repair – 25th November-1st December

In response to several reported incidents of blocked gutters, a contractor (Sam’s Gutters) has been selected and maintenance works to clear and repair all gutters on the development will commence on Wednesday the 25th of November 2020.

Two or three workmen will be on site during this operation and all will be complying with government COVID-19 guidance as well as necessary health and safety regulations. This will include use of a cherry picker.

The proposed schedule will be as follows:

Wednesday 25thBlocks 2 and 3 with a cherry picker and ladders (Properties 20-43)
Thursday 26thBlocks 1 and 4 with a cherry picker and ladders (Properties 1-10 & 53-62)
Friday 27thHouses (north side) with ladders (Properties 44-52)
Saturday 28thTBC
Monday 30thHouses (south side) with ladders (Properties 11-19)
Tuesday 1stContingency / completion.

Access to rear of properties

Houses and some flats on the ground floor may be requested access through their property by contractors to back patios in order to access the gutters on the east and west sides of the state. The contractor will be taking appropriate COVID secure precautions but if anyone has concerns and is not comfortable to provide access or is currently self-isolating please email directors@plymouthwharf.com

If you are a house occupant, or a flat occupant on the ground floor, we will be in touch shortly on the specific access information required to carry out these works.

Parking

According the schedule we request vehicle owners to park somewhere else for a working day while contractors carry out the work. Please utilise the visitor bays in the first instance. If you are unable to locate a suitable space, we will advise you of temporary parking locations.

Fire door upgrade works Block 1-4 – 24-28th September

Following on from our recent fire stopping works, further works are planned on 24-28th September to upgrade fire doors in Blocks 1-4. This is being undertaken as part of a number of steps to ensure the development, built in the late 1980s, is compliant with the latest health and safety guidelines relating to fire.

The work will involve replacement of electrical cupboard doors with new doors that meet the latest standards as well as upgrades to the existing block entrance and 1st and 2nd floor entry doors.

There should be minimal disruption to those in the flats although residents may experience some noise during the hours of work (9am-5pm). Houses will not be affected by this work.

Carriageway resurfacing works in Seysell Street (29th June – 1st July 2020)

Tower Hamlets are planning to undertake resurfacing work on Seysell Street. The work is expected to commence on 29th June and complete 1st July. The hours of works will be between 8am and 5pm every day.

During the hours above all on-street parking bays will be closed and there will be no vehicular access.

It will still be possible to access Saunders Ness Road and Plymouth Wharf during this time using either Glenworth Avenue or Glenaffric Avenue further down.

However, those utilising on-street permit parking spaces outside Plymouth Wharf may find this busier than normal and struggle to locate a space. If this affects you then you may wish to make alternative temporary arrangements in advance. The parking regulations at Plymouth Wharf remain unchanged during this time.

Anyone wishing to discuss the carriageway works should direct these to Tower Hamlets directly and not to PWRA. The contact at Tower Hamlets for the works is jeff.aghoghogbe@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Parking regulations

We have recently received a number of complaints from residents around parking on the development. The parking regulations are already stated within the Lease (shared with owners – [clause 4(n)] ) and the Residents Handbook (available to owners and tenants). For awareness we are also sharing these regulations here:

Defined parking areas

Each flat is provided a specific allocated space in the area outside the block or around the central garden. The allocated spaces are defined within the Lease and Residents Handbook. For privacy reasons we do not publish the space allocation publicly here but owners and tenants can contact directors@plymouthwharf.com if unsure.

Each house is provided space on their forecourt for parking in addition to garage.

There are also a number of allocated “visitor” bays around the central garden, each one is clearly marked with a sign saying “visitor”.

Parking outside of the allocated areas is not permitted. The only exception being emergency vehicles or if explicitly agreed with PWRA board as a temporary exception. Such exceptions are typically only granted for maintenance of the overall development.

Use of allocated parking spaces

The following regulations are outlined in the Residents Handbook:

  1. Parking for the flats is in allocated spaces around the blocks and garden in accordance with the provisions of each of the Owner’s leases
  2. Flat Owners have exclusive right to use their own parking space.  Flat Owners shall not park their vehicles in other people’s allocated parking spaces – this will amount to trespass – unless they have explicit permission to do so from the corresponding owner
  3. There shall be no parking in such a way as to obstruct access to and from a resident’s allocated parking space – or allocated visitor bay
  4. Parking for the houses is in their own garages and on their own forecourts.  House Owners shall not park their vehicles in other people’s allocated parking spaces – this will amount to trespass – unless they have explicit permission to do so from the corresponding owner
  5. The Lease does provide that the five visitors’ bays may be used, if vacant, on a short-term basis only.  If these are full, then parking shall be outside the development  
  6. No parking is permitted at each end of the centre garden island as this restricts access of emergency vehicles.  No parking of bicycles or vehicles on the communal pedestrian areas  
  7. No  parking of bicycles in the flat block corridors or stairwells, nor the chaining of bicycles to railings, as maintenance of these areas is the responsibility of PWRA. There are two cycling racks to the left and right as you enter the main gates where you can park your bikes 
  8. Commercial vehicles cannot be parked anywhere on the development – unless explicitly agreed with PWRA board as a temporary exception. Such exceptions are typically only granted for maintenance of the overall development.
  9. Owners and Tenants are responsible for ensuring that their visitors comply with the parking regulations set out in the above paragraph.  The maximum stay for visitors’ vehicles in the visitor’s bays shall be 48 hours per week, after this time any visitor shall remove their vehicle from the Wharf – unless explicitly agreed with PWRA board as a temporary exception. Such exceptions are typically only granted for maintenance of the overall development.
  10. It is not permitted for residents to utilise their allocated space for commercial purposes or to rent it out for use by other people who do not reside on the development
  11. Any vehicle parked on the development must comply with government regulations – specifically be: registered with the DVLA, have up-to-date vehicle tax, have a current MOT and be roadworthy

Speed limit and direction of travel

The speed of vehicles in the Wharf shall not exceed 10 mph and vehicles shall comply with the one way system, which is clockwise from the Saunders Ness Road entrance.

Enforcement

PWRA board of directors will take action to enforce breaches of the parking regulations; including application of penalty fines, reporting to the police or even legal action if necessary.

Use of visitor bays and communal areas for parking is monitored regularly including via CCTV system where security or safety is a concern.

With regards to unauthorised use of private allocated spaces by others, we rely on residents to report this as we do not maintain a list of vehicles and their owners. Any resident whose space is being used without their permission can report this to directors@plymouthwharf.com. All emails will be treated in confidence.

Annual Plymouth Wharf BBQ – 2nd November

If you were wondering what happened to the annual PWRA Summer BBQ this year, don’t worry you haven’t missed it. Unfortunately, our organising committee couldn’t find a suitable date in the summer so we will be having a Winter BBQ instead. It might be a bit colder but as a consolation we will be having some fireworks to go along with it.

To keep things easier PWRA will only be supplying the BBQ, charcoal and fireworks so please bring food and drink (we will provide plates, sauces and some buns).

Update on Thames Water work and irrigation system installation

The work by Thames Water on installing a water system for Plymouth Wharf at each end of the estate is due to be completed this week between Feb 28th– March 2nd. Obviously this will be dependent on the weather!

The irrigation system is then due to be installed next week starting March 5th. It is expected to take approx. 5 days.

Paviors will need to be lifted temporarily to make links from the top river bed to the middle bed and from the middle bed, at each end and on both sides, to the flower beds. This will not affect anyone’s car parking space but it may be necessary at times to drive the wrong way round the Wharf.

If you cannot reach your parking space at any time please park at either end of the Wharf, or in the Visitors spaces or in a space that you know is empty.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf river crossing consultation

Transport for London are seeking views on proposals for a new river crossing between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf for pedestrians and cyclists.

The new crossing is proposed to provide a “safe, attractive and direct route for pedestrians and cyclists, reducing journey times and encouraging more active travel among the growing communities on both sides of the river”.

For full details and to share your views, please visit tfl.gov.uk/R2CW-crossing

The consultation is open until Monday 8 January 2018.