Local Authority

A FILM produced by Hillingdon council which captures the lives of people in the borough has recently been made.

Kiera Dillon of Horton Road, Yiewsley, is just one of the stars of the film. She spoke to Neela Debnath about her experiences.

A YOUNG independent woman with special needs is proving that nothing can hold her back.

Kiera, 26, moved into the flat last April last to join six other people with mild to moderate learning disabilities.

A STOP and shop scheme is to be considered to boost trade at a flagging parade of shops.

A petition was presented to the council requesting parking controls at Lavender Road and Violet Avenue, Yiewsley.

At present drivers leave their vans or cars outside the shops all day, meaning potential customers cannot find a parking space and often simply go elsewhere.

OVER £400,000 is to be spent giving the town centres of Yiewsley and West Drayton a much-needed facelift.

A more spacious High Street with better access for vehicles and pedestrians is aimed at making the place better for shoppers.

The project will span two years, and the budget for the first phase has just been signed off.

A FILM has recently been produced by Hillingdon Council showcasing the lives of people across the borough.

One of the stars was Cherry Deol, of Green Lane, Yiewsley...

Cherry, 42, is a devoted mother to three children, and moved to the borough 10 years ago.

A worker at Heathrow Airport, she came to Hillingdon for the convenience of her job, and has not looked back.

A PUB'S bid to be converted to a lapdancing bar has been refused by a licensing committee.

The De Burgh Arms, in Station Approach, High Street, West Drayton, had applied for permission to become a venue for lapdancing at the end of December to boost its trade.

The news however angered local residents and MP John Randall, who described the bid as 'a backwards step' for the towns of Yiewsley and West Drayton.

A deciding factor for the licensing committee in their refusal was that the bar was so close to West Drayton train station and the bus stop, and made the site for such a venue far from ideal.

A CONTROVERSIAL request from a pub for a lapdancing license to boost its trade is being opposed by an MP.

MP John Randall (Con) who represents Uxbridge, has sent two letters of objection to Hillingdon Council's licensing committee, about the proposal from the De Burgh Arms.

The De Burgh Arms, in High Street, Yiewsley, made the application in December, and it will be considered at a meeting on Tuesday 26th January.

Speaking to the Gazette, Mr Randall said: "I'm very disappointed, it is the last thing we need there.

"We are trying to regenerate Yiewsley and West Drayton, but this will give a rather seedy element to it.

"It should be recognised there is a great deal of concern about the type of operation in a prominent High Street location, next to a railway station that is used by a large number of people of all ages.

"I regard this variation could potentially cause a public nuisance and which could lead to public disorder. It could also potentially put under age children in harm's way."

However, Mr Randall, who has campaigned against lapdancing bar Spearmint Rhino in Uxbridge High Street, in the past, is aware that moral grounds and reasons are not considered when it comes to plans.

One of the things Mr Randall is pushing for, in case it is approved, is for a ban on advertising the nature of the entertainment within is imposed, and strict controls about being able to observe from outside.

Concerns from police licensing officer Sergeant Ian Meens have also been raised.

"The pub has had a chequered history with regard to disorder until recent times when it has operated at a more acceptable level.

"There are police concerns based on objectives regarding the supervision aspect of the activity, the link between such entertainment and its association to other offences and the position of the premises to children attending the station and thereby passing very near."

Police have therefore asked for a minimum of two staff to be present at all times, and for it to be impossible to see the dance area from the street, with a strict under 18s policy.

The application refers to a standalone part of the pub which is a detached and standalone bar area.

Petitions from objecting residents from the area will also be taken into consideration at the meeting on Tuesday 26th.

THE last chance to prevent the planned Tesco superstore in Yiewsley has been missed, according to a lead campaigner.

At a planning meeting last week, councillors were set to consider an appeal to change the variants of previously accepted planning conditions, which was permitted.

Gay Brown, of Otterfield Road, Yiewsley, said: "We have lost our last chance, we have fought this for 14 years.

"This is the final nail in the coffin and it is devastating, it feels like our community has been sold down the line."

In 2007 a public inquiry was held, and in May 2008 the plans were approved, for the store on the old Taplin Trading Estate at the rear of the High Street.

A FIRM has been fined after placing a skip on the High Street illegally.

Amrik Johal, who owns Johal Skip Hire in Colnbrook was fined £4,015 including costs, for placing an unlicensed skip on a public highway.

He was convicted and fined at Uxbridge Magistrate's Court last week for the offence which took place last July (2008).

Last year Mr Johal was also fined £6,573 including costs, for a fly tipping offence.

YIEWSLEY could soon have its first hotel- if planners get their way.

An application has been submitted to the Hillingdon Council planning department, proposing a new development combining an office block and a hotel.

It would be located at 21 High Street, Yiewsley, and involves the redevelopment of Harrier House.

A NEW Caribbean restaurant which opened up last month has been granted a late alcohol license despite protestations from the community.

Tasties, a new restaurant and cocktail bar, opened last month, but had not received permission to serve alcohol, with the decision resting with a Hillingdon Council licensing committee last Monday.