Balham residents' views on town centre improvements have directly shaped plans for the area, with a new Neighbourhood Wardens pilot set to be launched.
Wandsworth Council's Balham Forum initiative, designed to gather residents' feedback on the town centre, has highlighted key themes including the street scene, community safety, support for the homeless, and the need for more community and cultural spaces. The findings of the Balham Forum are detailed in an interim report to cabinet 26-70 Balham Forum - Interim report to cabinet.
The Balham Forum, which has involved extensive engagement through events like the 'Balham Brunch', online platforms, focus groups, and facilitated walks, revealed that while residents value the area's independent businesses, transport links, and sense of community, they also expressed concerns about overcrowding, pavement clutter, and inconsistent street cleaning.
In response to these concerns, a pilot scheme for Neighbourhood Wardens is set to be launched in Balham, Trinity, and South Balham wards. This initiative, funded by £170,000 from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL), will see uniformed patrols engaging with residents and businesses, providing education, and enforcing regulations to tackle anti-social behaviour and improve community safety. The Neighbourhood Wardens are tasked with rapidly addressing things like graffiti, fly-tipping, and damaged pavements. The pilot is planned for a six-month trial, with its success to be assessed using KPIs that are currently in development but will likely include a mix of resident feedback, recorded interventions for PSPO breaches, enhanced referrals to support services, and fewer incidences of shoplifting and fly-tipping.
Further measures to enhance safety include increased CCTV coverage, with both fixed cameras and mobile units being deployed in response to resident reports of crime and anti-social behaviour. The council is also working with local businesses to address issues around delivery drivers and commercial waste in areas like Hildreth Street Mews. Regarding delivery drivers, the Council is exploring the development of a pilot program in Balham town centre to identify the right amount of space in the right location for drivers, ensure compliance with regulations, and provide broader facilities. For commercial waste, the Council is exploring the potential for bringing local businesses together in partnership to work on a solution for commercial waste collection that minimizes disruption and tidies up the area. The expected outcomes are improved management of delivery drivers and more coordinated commercial waste collection.
Improvements are also planned for Balham Library, with refurbishment of the children's and teen areas to create more community space. Beyond the refurbishment of the children's and teen areas, the Council will consider other ways to improve the library's capacity
and explore options for both the Library and wider uses of public space for youth activities across age ranges.
The council is exploring options for wider urban realm enhancements, informed by resident feedback on green space and pavement congestion.
The Neighbourhood Wardens pilot is intended to be refined and adapted throughout the trial based on ongoing engagement through the Balham Forum, which aims to gather feedback from residents, organisations, and local businesses. The EINA for the pilot also aims to ensure that all residents are treated equally and fairly, and that identified risks or negative impacts are mitigated.
The Balham Forum's findings will continue to inform future actions, with a second phase of engagement planned to refine solutions and develop a comprehensive action plan. This will include further online and physical engagement to gather detailed input on proposed improvements.
