News on the Mews 2006

With a property of this age, problems do occur from time to time. Connaught Mews being a grade II listed building does sometimes require maintenance. We aim to ensure that problems are dealt as quickly as possible before they get out of hand. Please let us know as soon as possible if you find a problem.

News from past years are also still available: News from 2004, News from 2005.

January 2006
Service charge 5/1/2006	As you are all probably aware, the service charge has gone out for the year 2006. Again, this year there are no major works as such requiring section 20 notices but as mentioned in the December newsletter there are some planned maintenance items. We have again been able to make a small reduction in this year's demand even though certain items have increased. Cheques should be made payable to Labyrinth as stated in the demand. Ground rent this year has again been waived for freeholders.
Mouse poison 7/1/2006	Following on from the letter sent out in December, Mouse poison has been provided for all residents of all blocks. Please take as much poison as you require and one bait tray each for your flat. Refill tubs of poison will be provided. Update: 17/1/2006 - We have been informed by Biochem that their guarantee is only valid for 3 months after their initial callout. The cost per call out though has been reduced to £47 from £68 if it is arranged via Labyrinth, should you wish to use their services on an individual basis. Update: Questionnaires were sent out asking Lantern House residents if they are effected, only 5 replies were received and not all these were experiencing problems. A recent meeting to discuss the issue was only attended by two residents. Please make sure your bait trays are always full. Poison refils are available in the entrance halls. Please let us know if you are still experiencing a problem within your flat, we need to be aware of the extent of the problem.
Carpets 9/1/2006	Work on the new carpets has finally commenced, starting with the rear side of Artillery House. Update: 13/2/2006 - Carpeting in all three blocks has now been completed.
February 2006
Lights 1/2/2006	The light to the side of Nightingale House and the lights to the rear of Lantern House have now been fixed.
LH Back Door 20/2/2006	The back door on Lantern House was not closing correctly. This has now been fixed. At the same time a motion sensor light switch was fitted in the hallway adjacent to it and a timer switch fitted to the meter cupboard room as the light was being left on by some residents.
Motor bikes 20/2/2006	A metal bar has now been installed adjacent to the Nightingale House bin enclosure for the more secure parking of motor bikes.
Railings 20/2/2006	Two of the railings in front of Nightingale House have now been rewelded. This was a result of a car hitting them.
Drain Cover 20/2/2006	A drain cover has now been fitted to the drain in front of Nightingale House, this is hoped to help stop leaves from blocking it.
Pedestrian Gate 21/2/2006	The lock and cylinder on the Grand Depot Road pedestrian gate have been damaged. A replacement has cylinder has been fitted and the old lock has been repaired. Update 13/3/2006: the replacement cylinder was not working with all keys, the cylinder has now been modified. Please let us know if you are still having a problem with your key.
Love Lane 22/2/2006	A meeting was attended regarding the Love Lane development (very short notice was given), it would seem our concerns are being acknowledged and changes have been made to the original proposals. See also the Love Lane page.
March 2006
Telguard 13/3/2006	The Telguard system had stopped working. This has now been rectified.
Drain repair 14/3/2006	The drain to the side of Nightingale House has been modified to help stop water pooling by the building. More works are planned.
Access Panel 14/3/2006	Works have started to install access panels into the Lantern House ground floor. Proofing works have also been carried out including the meter room.
May 2006
North Pedestrian Gate 1/5/2006	The north pedestrian gate still has problems with being closed. We are currently looking into possible ways to improve this.
Bin Lighting 4/5/2006	A night time light has been installed into the Artillery House bin enclosure. This appears to be working quite successfully and so two further lights will soon be installed on the Nightingale enclosure.
Proofing 4/5/2006	Works have started to proof some holes around Artillery House. More works are planned shortly.
Guttering repair 9/5/2006	The down pipe to the rear of Artillery House has now been reattached.
Electric Gate 12/5/2006	The electric gate has been vandalized sometime around dawn. The electrics have been tampered by youths attempting to thieve a motorbike. Update 15/5/2006: There has been a second attempt to break the gates, this time the motor box and antenna has been damaged. Markham's have fixed the motor but there appears to still be a problem with the Telguard system which is being dealt with.
June 2006
Bin Lighting 4/6/2006	Night time motion sensor lighting has now also been installed into the Nightingale bin enclosure making it easier to use the bins when it is dark.
Lantern House TV 17/6/2006	There is currently a problem with the aerial amplifier in Lantern House, Community Vision are being contacted. Update 19/6/2006: CV were scheduled for 19/6/2006 but will now be on site 20/6/2006. Update 21/6/2006: Works were carried out and TV reception has now been restored.
July 2006
Flash Flooding 4/7/2006	Today's heavy flash flood has resulted in Nightingale's basement becoming flooded. We are currently trying to arrange for someone to come and dry the carpets out. The drain covers around Nightingale unfortunately became blocked during the down pour resulting in too much water making it to the gully resulting in water entering the house. Please, as a resident, if you are at home when there is such a down pour, please go outside to move aside any debris that has been swept over the covers by the rain. Update 6/7/2006: The carpets have now been dried and cleaned. One of the drains in the gully has also been unblocked. Note, the planned damp related works will still be going ahead.
Thames Water 9/7/2006	Thames Water have replaced the "man-hole" covers for the Nightingale House water meters. These are found about 20m down from the entrance gate on Woolwich New road. You should be able to see two covers with new tarmac. Click to see locations.
Gate 10/7/2006	The front security gate is now running more smoothly. A fault on the cog rail has now been fixed.
Damaged Trees 11/7/2006	The two trees damaged by the recent flash flood have now been dealt with. One was covering the entrance to the tennis court and the other was in Artillery House garden.
Tennis Court 12/7/2006	The tennis court now has new net posts and a new net. We are currently obtaining quotes to have the lines repainted on the court.
Love Lane Exhibition 20/7/2006	Take a look at the latest photographs from the exhibition.
August 2006
Love Lane 3/8/2006	A meeting was held in Lantern House with the developers who gave a presentation on the current proposals. The website has also been updated with full details of the current situation.
Flood Works 4/8/2006	A number of works have been carried out to reduce the impact of flash flooding in Nightingale House. This includes diverting flash flood water away from the building (so it does not enter the gully) and better drainage arrangements at the front. A new raised door threshold has also been fitted to the the fire escape.
Water Butts 28/8/2006	With the hose pipe ban in force from Thames Water, two water butts have been installed, connected to the two bin enclosures. This is hoped to help reduce our water requirements and do our bit for water conservation.
September 2006
Sand Bags 1/9/2006	In the event of another flash flood resulting in water entering the Nightingale House basement, there are now sandbags available for everyone to use. These are located in the meter room in the basement. Note, the recent flood works appear to have been extremely effective and so it is hoped they will never be needed.
Gate Lighting 13/9/2006	Additional lighting has been added to the Woolwich New Road gate making it easier to read the gate instructions and also to locate the lock for the pedestrian side.
Damaged Trees 14/9/2006	The remaining portion of the broken branch by the tennis court has now been removed. This had fallen during a recent heavy downpour.
Tennis Courts 20/9/2006	The tennis court has now been completely jet washed and relined.
Nightingale House Entrance 22/9/2006	Works have started to replace the old concrete entrance to Nightingale House with a more in keeping "heritage style" paving. This is also hoped to solve damp problems inside the entrance. Please could you use the courtyard side entrance to the building whilst the works are underway, your normal front door key can be used.
Lock Jam 23/9/2006	The lock on the Woolwich New Road pedestrian gate had jammed with a key snapped off inside it. This has now been fixed.
October 2006
Nightingale Entrance 2/10/2006	Works on Nightingale's entrance have now been completed. The old broken concrete has been removed and replaced with Heritage paving. The new paving has been designed to slope away from the building. The sides have had lead flashing added, the flagstones have also been repointed.
December 2006
Nightingale Bin Enclosure 10/12/2006	The guttering around the bin enclosure has been cleared out and the loose section has been fixed.
Gate 10/12/2006	Remote controls should now work again. The aerial enclosure had become water logged following recent rain, this has now been resealed.
AGM 14/12/2006	The freeholder AGM was held.