Community Code
This Code is intended to be helpful to those newly arrived in our community. Too often we arrive somewhere and no helpful guidance is either provided or available. This Code is intended to provide just that.
It will from time to time be amended, adjusted and expanded and relies on the input of all residents. So if you wish to add anything or have ideas on how we can make this more useful, please be in touch. In due course the Community Code will be available here for landlords to be able to print off and give to their newly arrived tenants.
The Ethelburga Community Code
[version May-2011]
Click here to access a downloadable copy – The Ethelburga Community Code May-2011
1. Introduction
1.1 The Ethelburga Community strives to be harmonious and cohesive, with neighbours looking out for one another. Try and get to know at least your immediate neighbours and see whether any of them might welcome any form of help.
1.2 Get to know the whole area, walk around it and through it. This is your community. Find the 2 children’s playgrounds, and if you have small children, use them, they are there for you. If there are any problems with access or anything else please tell the Estates manager and NERA.
2. Residents’ Representation
2.1 All residents of Ethelburga are eligible for membership of their Residents’ Association, which acts as their intermediary with the Council and seeks to promote and suggest ongoing improvements at Ethelburga. Only the residents of Ethelburga Tower have opted for their own Residents Association, which takes care of requirements specific to them. The rest of Ethelburga are represented by NERA, the New Ethelburga Residents’ Association. NERA maintains this website and blog. Please note that a Residents’ Association does not reduce a resident’s democratic rights as the Council will always consult before agreeing to any changes put forward by the Association.
3. Contacts with Council
3.1 If anything goes wrong, your first point of call is the Council’s Estates Manager, Mrs. Bola Oyaboya, tel. 020 8871 7421, e-mail boyabayo@wandsworth.gov.uk We suggest you send a copy of your concern / complaint to NERA so that we can help monitor progress.
3.2 The Area Manager, Eastern Area, with responsibility for Ethelburga, is Marc Howell, tel. 020 8871 7441 e-mail MHowell2@wandsworth.gov.uk his Deputy is Tom Crawley tel. 020 8871 8910 e-mail tcrawley@wandsworth.gov.uk.
3.3 In the event of an emergency affecting your flat, call the switchboard 020 8871 6000.
3.4 For noise and nuisance and similar complaints, call 020 8871 7490.
4. Rubbish Collection
4.1 Rubbish Collection is twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, across the entire community. Rubbish is expected to be separated into recyclables and other.
4.2 Rubbish shutes in High Rises will deliver rubbish into large bins at the bottom of the buildings, please be sure that you do not place items that are too big of these shutes, if in doubt, take your items down in the lift and place them in the bins. Too often large items clog the shutes, causing avoidable inconvenience to everybody.
4.3 Recyclable rubbish needs to be placed in the special orange containers dotted around Ethelburga. Everything for recycling needs to be placed loose in these containers, do not place full plastic bags in them or around them. Empty your bags into this containers, taking care that you only include items that are recyclable. If your cardboard box or other items are too large to fit in, please crush them or cut them up.
4.4 If you have large bulky items, you can make special arrangements with the Council to collect. There are also one or two unofficial collection points on Ethelburga which we can not identify, but with observation you will be able to identify. They are usually clear every morning. Do not leave any items alongside the orange recycling bins.
5. Noise & Loud Music
5.1 Please appreciate that not everybody has the same taste in music, so please keep the volume down, or your windows closed when you to give your body a musical blast.
5.2 Typically we would expect a noise to have stopped around 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 12 midnight on Friday and Saturday. If you are planning party they might go on a bit longer, please advise your neighbours, although we live so close to one another that all loud music carries across the entire community making everybody your neighbour.
5.3 Please note that a large number of residents in this community work from home, so the need to be noise-considerate applies throughout the day.
6. Gardening
6.1 Near or outside your flat, or High Rise, will be some green spaces and flower beds. NERA is in the process of taking on responsibility for these and would like residents living close by each space to take responsibility for them, under the general guidance of the Garden Club. Please advise us whether you would be willing to adopt a green space for purposes of weeding, watering and general maintenance. The Garden Club will help and advise you and will handle (or teach you) the technical stuff, like pruning, dead ending, etc. There is a plan of numbered green spaces in the Gardening Club, just provide us with the number(s) you wish to adopt.
6.2 There is also an initiative to grow food in a special area just off Ethelburga; if you are interested, please let the Garden Club know and they will brief you and get you involved.
7. Community Centre
7.1 Our Community Centre, alongside the Tower, represents a wonderful facility available for hire on advantageous terms. Do use it and suggest any activities to NERA that you believe could be of interest to residents – lectures, theatre or musical groups, dance and exercise instruction. If you have any thoughts or ideas for something, discuss it with one of us on NERA’s Committee.
7.2 Adjoining the Community Centre is a Day Nursery, run by an independent charity but a firm part of the Council’s early year learning provision for this area. If you have very young children, to investigate this fine little facility.
8. Improvements
8.1 If there is anything that either the Council or NERA could improve on, please let us know and we shall take it up with the Council.
8.2 You will see from elsewhere on this site that we have an awful lot of goodwill and support we can draw on in realising good ideas and suggestions that residents make or we come up with.
9. Being Considerate
There are so many ways in which little things can make living in community so much more pleasant and easy for all –
9.1 If you have a pet, particularly a dog, please keep it on a lead and make sure you clean up and “doggy mess”. And please dispose of this by placing it in one of the household rubbish bins and not in the orange recycle bins! The Council requires that you have your pets chipped.
9.2 While this is a safe neighbourhood, it always pays to be just that little bit safer – mark our personal possessions, particularly bicycles. The neighbourhood team of the Metropolitan Police have some solid advice to offer.
9.3 If you have burglar alarm installed, be sure you have it checked periodically (to see whether it cuts out after a few minutes) and be sure a good neighbour has a set of keys to your flat in the event you are away and the alarm goes of, or some other emergency occurs. There is nothing worse than an alarm that goes off and stays on all day – the Council have the right enter any premises in which the alarm is on for too long.
9.4 The same applies to car alarms.
9.5 Car Parking : you require a resident’s permit to park on Ethelburga. NERA and the Council retain a close watch on the adherence to parking rules, after all, space is limited. Please park carefully and only where authorised. Be warned. Ethelburga Street is currently not covered by Ethelburga parking rules as it is considered to be part of the public highway system. Warn visitors of this, too many people have found this out the costly way.
