Another data centre approved

Hayes Town is rapidly becoming a main focal point for new data centres with another one approved by the Council's Planning Committee on Wednesday 12 March. It will be in Silverdale Road off Pump Lane and the developers will have to pay the Council more than £500,000 because of its environmental impact.

The centre will be built on the site of an empty warehouse by Marvell Development LLC who specialise in data storage. According to a news item on The Data Center Construction Channel sent to me by a Hayes Town News reader it looks like it is going to be used by Amazon.

The report to the Planning Committee says that the proposal is fully in line with planning policies and the national drive for economic growth but it does not comply with air quality standards or government requirements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The developers will therefore have to pay the Council a carbon offset charge of £435,604, £70,024 for air quality measures and £29,700 for healthy streets. How this money will be used by the Council is not spelled out in the report.

The Al Madinah Masjid (previously known as the Hillingdon Central Mosque) is located in a former industrial building near to the site and members of the Committee asked that the building contractors should minimise disruption for those attending for prayers. A condition was added to the planning permission and you can see the details of the Committee report and decision here.

Ark Data Centres are proposing an addition to their development on the Bulls Bridge Industrial Estate which is being built alongside the Hayes Bypass and Colt Data Centres will be coming forward with plans for another four centres on land adjoining their site off Springfield Road. The Hayes Town Partnership is seeking to link all of the developers with Brunel University and Uxbridge College so that local young people can take advantage of the job opportunities.

Rock returns to Hayes

Around 1000 people braved the cold on Saturday 15 March to attend The Old Vinyl Factory Festival. The stars of the show when I was there were a group called The Hornets (pictured). They describe themselves as a "1960's-influenced band" and they have been called "the best new young band to come out of West London since The Who". They certainly got the crowd rocking - and it was not just to keep warm.

The Hornets were one of a number of local bands with a wide range of different types of music who kept people entertained throughout the afternoon. The event was supported by Hillingdon Council and curated by Hanwell Hootie with the aim of celebrating the musical heritage of Hayes. There was also a Vinyl Record Fair and lots of street food vendors who all seemed to be doing a good trade.

Local Gurkhas celebrate Holi

The reason I was not able to see all the bands at The Old Vinyl Factory Festival was that I was attending an event organised by the Gurkha Centre to celebrate Holi and to mark International Women's Day. The Centre's office is based in the Hayes & Harlington Community Centre but it serves Gurkhas and their families across west London and a hall in Feltham was the only place they could find at a price they could afford.

Holi is the Hindu Festival of Colours, Love & Spring and as well as celebrating a number of Hindu gods and the coming of spring it marks the triumph of good over evil. This is a time for enjoyment and many people throw coloured powder over each other just for fun. You may have seen some doing this and wondered why.

The picture shows the Chief Executive Officer, Hari Bandari, who is a former Gurkha himself, and on the other side of the banner is Councillor Janet Gardner who is a trustee of the Gurkha Centre and Councillor Scott Farley who represents West Drayton Ward.

Car park petition goes in

The petition organised by the Hayes Town Business Forum to reopen safe pedestrian access to the Civic Hall car park gained nearly 700 signatures. It was sent on Wednesday 12 March to Hillingdon Council and a response is awaited.

The car park is above the former Wilkinson's store and the stairs and the two lifts have been blocked off since the company went bust and the premises closed in October 2023. Hopes of an improvement following the opening of Poundstretchers in March 2024 came to nothing. The door to the stairs remains locked and the lifts are inaccessible.

Anybody using the car park is forced to walk up and down the steep vehicle ramp after parking their vehicle but there is no lane for pedestrians and it is slippery in wet weather. The result is as shown in the picture. The lack of pedestrian access is causing inconvenience to shoppers, visitors to the Hayes Muslim Centre and people working in the Winning Box office suite among others. The Council is also losing thousands of pounds in parking revenue.

Although the Council has decided to sell the Civic Hall and the car park as reported in Hayes Town News on Wednesday 17 February the Business Forum believes that there is a pressing need for more parking places in Hayes and the issue should be addressed whoever owns the site.

McDonald's to be open until midnight

On Friday 14 March the Council's Licensing Sub-Committee approved an application for the McDonald's branch in Station Road to stay open until midnight seven days a week.

The Hayes Town Ward Safer Neighbourhood Panel decided to oppose the application because of fears of a repeat of previous problems caused inside and outside the premises by large gatherings of young people. I attended on behalf of the Panel and put the case for a requirement to have door supervisors in attendance. The applicant said they have door supervisors for ten hours a week and that they find that varying their presence keeps things under control. The Police did not oppose the extra hour and the Sub-Committee concluded that there were inadequate grounds to require door supervisors for that specific period.

Councillors questioned the applicant about the very large number of delivery bikes that are parked outside the premises and the litter generated by the drivers who stand in the alleyway next to Boots. She replied that not all the drivers are connected with McDonald's.

The approved conditions require the applicant to arrange for the clearance of street litter at least three times a day and she indicated that this should also include the alley. The Sub-Committee added a condition that lights should be installed in the alley at the applicant's expense. Other conditions require riders to remain inside while waiting to collect orders, not to play recorded music and to park their vehicles considerately. The applicant stated that she would pursue any complaints that these conditions are not being met. Readers can let me know of any problems and I will pass them on.

Millions spent on housing the homeless

A report in MyLondon News on Wednesday 12 March showed that Hillingdon Council spent £20.4 million giving temporary housing to homeless people during the 2023/24 financial year. This was an 83% increase on the previous year. The figure for Hillingdon was well down the league table for the 32 London Boroughs. Newham spent £132.6m with a total of £1.46 billion for London as a whole.

London air quality improving say experts

A Great London Authority report published on Friday 7 March says that since 2019 air quality in London has improved at 99% of monitoring stations. Levels of nitrogen dioxide - the toxic gas that makes asthma worse and raises the risk of lung cancer - has fallen by 27%. The latest figures show that in outer London the nitrogen dioxide level is 4.8% lower than would have happened if the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) had not gone ahead.

The findings have been confirmed by an international panel of independent experts but Opposition members of the London Assembly dispute the conclusions as shown in this BBC News report.

Prolific burglars caught and charged

On Monday 11 March at approximately 22 43 hours, officers from the West Area Burglary & Robbery Investigation Team in partnership with the Flying Squad and other colleagues identified a stolen vehicle at the scene of a recent burglary. With the help of the National Police Air Service the vehicle was traced and officers on the ground attempted to stop it but a pursuit ensued. Shortly after, the occupants decamped from the vehicle and made off on foot but three males were located nearby and arrested.

Billy Hanrahan of Long Elmes, Harrow, Jerry Hanrahan of Trowell Avenue, Nottingham and John Connors of no fixed abode were charged with 45 offences relating to conspiracy to commit burglary and aggravated burglary. They have been remanded into custody and are awaiting a court date.

Thanks are due to all the officers involved. The Burglary & Robbery Team are keen to ensure that residents remain vigilant about their home security and make every effort to secure their properties. To find helpful guidance please click here

What's in a number?

At a recent meeting I attended an NHS worker told a disturbing story about a woman who was suffering domestic abuse and had no idea which phone number to call for help. The following summary might assist in spreading information and knowledge

999 - Emergencies only

Through this one number, you can contact Police, Ambulance, Fire Service and lots of other emergency services but it should only be used when

• there is an immediate danger to life
• someone is using violence or is threatening to be violent
• a crime is happening right now, like a house burglary or a theft

101 - Non-emergency number for the Police

You can use this number when immediate action is not required:

• A home or business has been burgled
• A car has been stolen
• Property has been damaged.
• Drug use or other crime is taking place in your neighbourhood

Instead of phoning you can report non-urgent crimes by using the Metropolitan Police online form. This includes any report about ongoing domestic abuse.

The Council's web site has useful information on where to get help if you are suffering domestic abuse.

You can also report crime without giving your name by using Crimestoppers who are independent of the Police. Call 0800 555 111 or send an email

111 - Non-emergency number for the NHS.

This number is for use when you have an urgent medical problem that is not an emergency and you are not sure what to do. They can always transfer you to the 999 operator if necessary.

To avoid long waits on the phone you can also use 111 online

Very often your local pharmacy is a good place to get help and advice without having to wait for GP appointments.

If you find the above useful you can download a copy to print off for future use.

Dumpers caught on camera

The battle continues against rubbish-dumping in Hayes Town and I am pleased to report that the people responsible for depositing the latest rubbish in East Avenue (pictured) have been caught on camera. Steps are now in hand to try and identify the culprits.

The leaflet for traders produced by the Hayes Town Partnership and the Business Forum is also being delivered to all shop premises.

Praise for MyHealth workshops

The item in last week's edition of Hayes Town News about the workshops run by MyHealth Hillingdon produced a resounding vote of confidence from a reader who said

"My wife and I attended the diabetes workshops run by My Health Hillingdon and I would fully recommend them. At my age and with my experiences I have been to well over 100  presentations and given many but these three were among the very best. Great empathy, knowledge and communication - so helpful and terrific"

The workshops are free and run by professionals whose aim is to engage, educate and empower those living with long term conditions such as type two diabetes, hypertension, childhood asthma, menopause and more. Use this link to find out further details.