Author: News Team

Information on the changes to the methods of paying for on-street and car park parking from Harrow Council:

Cashlite Parking

The council is encouraging people to use cashless transactions to pay for its services.

Car parking is one of the areas affected, with suspension of traditional pay and display from late January.  One-hour-free parking will be introduced across all council car parking spaces at the same time.

The easiest way to register your parking session and get your free hour will be with the PayByPhone app – available from all app stores.

PayByPhone also offers text, call and online services. You can set up an account to use these at paybyphone.co.uk or by calling 0208 039 1101.

See more information including how-to guides at the PayByPhone website or YouTube channel 

When parking in the majority of our spaces the option to pay with cash will still be available.

This can be done via the network of PayPoint convenience stores. Details of the nearest one can be found on signage in car parks and near our on-street bays.

PayPoints offer ticketless parking, with no need to return to the car. You will need to quote your vehicle registration and the PayByPhone location number shown on nearby signage.

Where we’re not yet able to provide this facility within a five-minute walk, a pay and display machine accepting contactless card payments will be available instead.

The Pinner Association, and a great many local residents, wrote objection letters regarding the “Prior Approval” planning application for the installation of a new 20 metre high telecom mast and associated equipment cabinets on a site in Albury Drive, on an Designated Open Space in the Pinnerwood Conservation Area.

We can now report that both this applications have been refused by Harrow Council’s Planning Officers, on the grounds of “The proposed telecommunications pole, by reason of its siting, excessive height and prominent location would be visually obtrusive in the streetscene, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the Pinnerwood Park Conservation Area and the Designated Open Space,” and “The proposed telecoms cabinets, by reason of quantity, height and siting would be visually obtrusive in the streetscene and designated Open Space and result in visual clutter which would detract from the amenity value of the Designated Open Space for local residents, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the Pinnerwood Park Conservation Area, the designated Open Space and residential amenities of local residents,”.

From the end of January 2023 Harrow Civic Centre will close.

With 99% of “customer interactions” now online or over the phone, everyday in-person transactions from the end of January will move to Greenhill Library, off College Road. Staff there will offer residents help to do things digitally, including setting up cashless payments for rent, fines, Council Tax and more.

Complex and urgent in-person enquiries for housing and social care will move to a new customer reception, on Gayton Road in the town centre. Offices next door will become the new home of Citizens Advice Harrow.

From Spring 2023, registering of births, deaths and marriages will move to ‘The Pavilion’ – offices next door to Greenhill Library. Civil marriage and citizenship ceremonies will also be performed at The Pavilion.

The Mayors Parlour will relocate to Harrow Arts Centre and Council and committee meetings have already been relocated to new venues.

Most Council staff, including those who manage the thousands of digital interactions from residents, now use an office building at the Council’s depot on Forward Drive as their base.

For further information go to:  https://www.harrow.gov.uk/council/closing-harrow-civic-centre 

The Pinner Association, and a great many local residents, wrote objection letters regarding two “Prior Approval” planning applications for the installation of new telecom masts and associated equipment cabinets on sites in North Way Pinner and Moss Lane Pinner.

We can now report that both these applications have been refused by Harrow Council’s Planning Officers, on the grounds of “The proposed telecommunications mast by reason of its siting and excessive height and prominent location would be visually obtrusive in the streetscene, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the area,” and “The proposed telecoms cabinets, by reason of quantity, height and siting would result in visual clutter and be visually obtrusive in the streetscene, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the area,”

The Pinner Association has sent an objection letter to the current “Prior Approval” planning application for the installation of new telecom mast and associated equipment cabinets on a site in Albury Drive on a designated open space within the Pinnerwood Park Conservation Area.

The Pinner Association is aware of the planning application for new a new 20 metre high 5G telecom mast and three accompanying cabinets on the grass verge alongside the green open space in Albury Drive.  We are examining this “prior approval” application and will submit our comments to the Harrow Planning Services department.

Link t:o the Harrow Council Planning webpage for this application:

https://planningsearch.harrow.gov.uk/planning/search-applications#VIEW?RefType=GFPlanning&KeyNo=988492&KeyText=Subject

 

The Pinner Association has received this information from Post Office Ltd. about the currently closed Post Office branch at Pinner Green:

Pinner Green HA5 2AF – Updated Information Letter October 2022

Harrow Council’s Electoral Services are conducting the Annual Canvass of households to update the electoral role of voters.  As part of the Annual Canvass they are currently emailing residential properties in the borough where they hold an email address for an occupant.

The title of the email is:   Harrow Electoral Register 2022 – Action Required

and it is sent from [email protected] email address.

Some residents may be concerned to receive an unsolicited email asking them to click on a link, but this is a genuine email sent out on behalf of the Council and is not spam.

If a resident has any queries they can email Harrow Council at [email protected]

 

PADCA, the charity which runs The Pinner Village Hall, has brought to our attention that scammers are targeting those who pay for parking in the Chapel Lane Car Park using their credit/debit card.  Scammers may appear like other motorists waiting to pay.  The machines are retaining credit/debit cards, whilst the scammers are attempting to obtain the PIN number.

Please see this article in the March 25th 2022 News at Harrow Online:  Scammers target Harrow motorists that visit Chapel Lane car park in Pinner – Harrow Online

Please stay vigilant and where possible pay by cash or using the PayByPhone App:  Parking mobile app & payment solution | PayByPhone