Date of tour
Sundon Park / Ref / Location / Issue / Action – Referred to / Outcome
4th March 2011 / SU 1 / Junction Chestnut Ave/Sycamore Close / Large pothole. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 2 / Outside 6. Epping Way / Pothole. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 3 / Outside 14. Ashwell Avenue / Pothole. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 4 / Oakwood / Potholes whole length of road. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 5 / Outside 22. Mendip Way / Grass verge churned up, in a terrible state. Could bollards be erected? / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 6 / Outside 27, 29, 40, 85 – 93, 95 Mendip Way / Potholes. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 7 / Outside 42 – 50, 85 - 93 Mendip Way / Grass verge churned up, in a terrible state. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
Date of tour
Sundon Park / Ref / Location / Issue / Action – Referred to / Outcome
4th March 2011 / SU 8 / Junction Mendip Way/Grampian Way / Potholes patched up but are reopening. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 9 / Outside 27 & 29 Wellfield Avenue / Potholes / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 10 / 30, 32, 38 Wellfield Ave / Grass verge churned up. No. 38 requires extension to drop kerb. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 11 / Colebrook Avenue land behind shops / All the hard standing area is broken up, massive crator/potholes. Urgent work required to make area safe. / Jenni Trigwell
Environmental Health Officer
Luton Borough Council
Environmental & Consumer Services
Clemitson House
44 - 48 Gordon Street
Luton
LU1 2QP
Tel. 01582 546388 / I have recently been dealing with this area following a complaint from a local resident about rodent activity.
I have contacted the owners of the land and they have put in place some pest control measures to try to alleviate the pest problems. The contract has only been in place for a couple of weeks and I haven't yet been back to assess the effectiveness of the treatment.
With regards to the rubbish on the land, I have requested that this is cleared as well as the 'shrubbery' that is currently growing in the area. The pest control company has also recommended that this area is cleared. I have also discussed extra measures that they could take to reduce the amount of fly tipping in the area which they are considering.
I hope that this answers some of the queries about the area. If you or the Councillors have any queries in the future please do not hesitate to contact me.
4th March 2011 / SU 12 / Sundon Park Road, Dildar Restaurant / Passage way next to restaurant rubbish and broken glass needs clearing away. / Lindsay Vernon
Environmental Health
4th March 2011 / SU 13 / Sundon Park Road toilets / The toilets have been closed off for a while due to burst pipes over the winter period. What are the plans for these toilets? / Shaun Askins
Head of Waste Management
Date of tour
Sundon Park / Ref / Location / Issue / Action – Referred to / Outcome
4th March 2011 / SU 14 / Sundon Park Road Recycle Area / Bin area needs clearing / Alistair Gordon
Street Services
4th March 2011 / SU 15 / 40 Sundon Park Road / Rubbish in front garden requires clearing. Bathroom fittings/builders materials. / Sue Farmer
Private Sector Housing / I called up to the above property yesterday to take a look at the rubbish.
From what I could see - it looked to be building materials, rubble, tiles, toilet and bath. I looked in the black sacks dumped there too and they appeared to be filled with broken tiles.
As you are probably aware. Enforcement action can only be taken where the rubbish dumped is likely to attract rodents/pests - soft furnishings/food refuse so it would not be possible to take any formal action.
I will however find out who owns the property and write and informal letter.
Sue Farmer
Private Sector Housing Officer
Luton Borough Council
Tel: 01582 546595

Date of tour
Sundon Park / Ref / Location / Issue / Action – Referred to / Outcome
4th March 2011 / SU 16 / 121 – 127, 141 – 145 Sundon Park Road / Grass verge churned up
NB: Pictures of the offending car has been taken and are with the Area Committee Support Officer. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 17 / Nisa Local Shop, Sundon Park Road. / Pothole in pavement area outside the shop. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 18 / Sundon Park Road
Alleyway by Tesco / Rubbish building up in alleyway. / Lindsay Vernon
Environmental Health
4th March 2011 / SU 19 / Wauluds Bank Drive / Hole next to drainage cover by the bus stop. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division
4th March 2011 / SU 20 / Harding Close.
Land between two garage block / Shrubs needs clearing and electrical wiring cable.
Check if land owned by Marsh Farm Trust. / Sarah Markham
Estate Services Manager / Please see the response we have received from Sarah Markham.
Date of tour
Sundon Park / Ref / Location / Issue / Action – Referred to / Outcome
4th March 2011 / SU 21 / 17 Spinney Road / Rubbish in front garden needs clearing. / Shahriar Ahmed
Housing Department
4th March 2011 / SU 22 / 43 Spinney Road / 3 settees and armchair need removing from back garden. / Shahriar Ahmed
Housing Ahmed
4th March 2011 / SU 23 / 96 Eighth Avenue / Post out of grass verge needs resetting. / Andrew Downes
Highways Division

Reference SU 20

I understand that you have asked the Senior Housing Officers in Tenancy Management about action taken on the abandoned play area at the end of Harding Close, Marsh Farm as this was identified as needing action last July on an area tour. This was passed to me at the end of last week with a request for assistance as you can see from the email exchange below.

The good news is that I was already aware of the play areaas it was brought to my attention by the Police on an unconnectedjoint visit with the Fire Service, Police and Enforcement afew weeks ago, and I agreed to investigate and do what I could to resolve the problems. Technically this was not within my remit but I recognised that it needed to be resolved due to the ASB and H&S issues that were very apparentatthe visit.

Iidentified that theimmediate issues are as follows:

- The area is dilapidated and has not been maintained for a number of years as you can see from the photos.

- The concrete structures may cause a risk to anyone accessing the site - although there is some lighting (I can't verify whether this is working or not though as I visited during daylight hours)

- Local residents and the local Police have said that this is an area used by drug dealers and is also frequented by groups of youth who cause ASB

- The area is frequently fly tipped (you can see electrical wiring in the photos)

As you know the site is located at the end of Moxes Wood and Hardings Close on Marsh Farm and is situated between the garage areas with access via the footpath running along the rear of the houses in Wauluds Bank. The play area is very overgrown and the concrete 'bases' for the original play equipment are still there along with other structures. I have attached two photos that have been taken from the entrance to the play area on the Wauluds Bank end.

I have researched thisarea andcan confirm that the site definitelybelongs to Housing. Oneserious complication is that according to the RTB records part of the garage site was sold with the adjacent house(14 Moxes Wood). This means that the land up to the end of the first garages on the right of the photos(approx a third of the site) actually belongs to 14 Moxes Wood. This sale was made at the same time as the RTB in 1986 but it is clear from the photos and from comparing the LBC intranet mapping system with Google Earth that this area was never taken into the garden and fenced off - the original 6 foot retaining wall is still there. There is also some doubt whether the current owner of the house is aware that they own this land. Linda Simpkinsin CAM is currently looking into the legalities of thisand the implications for the Council onownership as the land has clearly not been in the continuous usage of the owner of 14 Moxes Wood since 1986. We are awaiting this information prior to approaching the current owner of no 14.

I have already got a quote from Parks to clear the areaand Denis Moranfrom Corporate H&S has had a look and has advised that we need to make safe. Kevin Turner from BTS hasbeen out and carried out a risk assessment and looked at some options for us. Hissuggestion is that we fence the area off to make it secure,to prevent further risk to anyone using the site and to reduce incidents of ASB (noise, nuisance, fly tipping etc.). Alan Keers has just agreed to get this work funded - and it will include clearance of bushes and other weeds from the site. We will obviously need to specify the work and get quotes for this and so the work is unlikely to start until April.

The longer term issuewill beto deal with the ownership of the site - and find an alternative use once this is clarified.

Anyway, I hope that this is helpful - please contact me if you have any further queries and I shall be very happy to assist.

Sarah Markham
Estate Services Manager
Housing Landlord Services
Luton Borough Council
Telephone: 01582 547276