January 2012 Archives

REPORTS that RAF Northolt could be sold for redevelopment have been denounced this week as a 'non-starter'.

The strategic importance of the air base - underlined by its designation as a home for Eurofighter Typhoons during the Olympic Games - make it an unlikely candidate for the chop by the Ministry of Defence.

While the government demands the department cuts £2billion, MoD officials have scrambled to find savings. A spokesman confirmed RAF Northolt was considered, but only as one of many options.

Ruislip Country Market, at Manor Farm Hall, in Bury Street, every Friday between 10-11.30am.

Selling home produce, flowers, and arts and crafts.

Free parking available in St Martins Approach.

Run by the Ruislip Women's Institute (WI).

DEVELOPERS planning up to 285 new homes in Ruislip said the prospect of a HS2 tunnel shaft being built on the site would not deter them.

The former Express Dairy site in Victoria Road was highlighted by HS2 Ltd as the location for a possible shaft needed to service the HS2 tunnel under Ruislip in new maps published by the Department for Transport earlier this month.

THOUSANDS of local opponents to the construction of a new artificial pitch on park land in Ruislip could be on the verge of victory.

The second floodlit hockey pitch on King's College Playing Fields has been dismissed in a report by Hillingdon Council planners, over concerns for traffic and parking.

If councillors agree the recommendations, it would be a triumph for the more than 4,000 residents who signed a mammoth petition late last year.

Gazette reporter James Cracknell describes the highs and lows of training for his first London Marathon.

I'VE got new running shoes, new running tights (not that I had any before) and a new running vest.

All that's left to do is to get my body into the kind of shape that will cope with a 26.2-mile jog around the capital without keeling over on the Isle of Dogs.

AS THE fervour over the HS2 announcement calms down, local campaigners are taking stock and deciding how to move forward.

In Ruislip, residents are still assessing how the newly proposed 2.75-mile tunnel will affect their community, while in neighbouring Ickenham there are growing fears about the noise from 200mph trains shooting out of it.

Lottie Jones, chairwoman of Ruislip Against HS2, has barely had time to sleep in the last two weeks.

A WORKING mum of three young children hopes a treadmill in her living room will help her get in shape for the London Marathon.

Despite already balancing a full-time job in the City and caring for her primary school age children, Jo Harling, from North View, Eastcote, leapt at the chance to run 26.2 miles for her company's chosen charity on April 22.

TRAVELLERS on the Metropolitan line have suffered more delays, overcrowded trains and closures in the last week.

It was closed on Saturday and Sunday between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate for planned engineering works.

AFTER two years Hillingdon Council has finally been given safety clearance to proceed with its Ruislip Lido Improvement Programme - including a new car park.

A timetable detailing the proposed enhancements - costing up to £2million - will be published shortly and sent to local residents' associations for comment.

Among the most contentious is a new car park at Willow Lawn, the planning application for which was stalled by the council in December 2010 because the Environment Agency had not yet given consent.

STARTLED residents living near RAF Northolt feared "the country had gone to war" when they heard the thunderous noise of Eurofighter Typhoon jets flying overhead on Saturday.

The supersonic aircraft did not land at the base but flew directly over the borough in preparation for when they will be based here during the London 2012 Olympic Games.