People

PLANNING policies and procedures went under the spotlight at Northwood Residents Association's half yearly forum.

Nearly every seat at Northwood Methodist Church, Oaklands Gate, was filled on Tuesday night (1) as neighbours gathered to hear James Rodger, head of planning at Hillingdon Council, give a talk on how his department works.

He covered issues such as retrospective planning permission, when permission is needed for a building and the length of time it can take for a final decision to be made.

He also cleared up some common misconceptions about the planning process, such as why it can sometimes take so long for an application or an appeal to be heard and why some rejected applications are later overturned by government body The Planning Inspectorate.

NEIGHBOURS who have complained of 'selfish parkers' clogging up their Northwood street are still waiting for a solution 10 months after turning to Hillingdon Council for help.

Residents of Dormans Close were at their wits end when they spoke to the Gazette about the problems in March this year.

They claimed parents picking up and dropping off students from Northwood College in nearby Maxwell Road were causing chaos by clogging up the street and some were becoming verbally abusive when challenged.

A CAT owner whose beloved tabby was shot with an airgun fears the attacker will strike again.

Three-year-old Toby was shot from above as he strolled in gardens near his home in Hilliard Road, Northwood.

The lead pellet became lodged behind his knee cap and the moggy had to have an operation to remove it. Owner Justin Darbon said it was lucky Toby was not killed.

A FORMER bus driver recovering from brain surgery is furious that he was barred from travelling on the route he used to work because his daughter had her bicycle with her.

Richard Taylor, who had an operation to remove a tumour in August and now has to use a walking stick,went to catch the H13 from Northwood Way, Northwood Hills, on Wednesday last week with his daughter Rianna, aged seven.

The bus driver opened the doors, saw the bike and waved the pair away before driving off.

A 97-YEAR-OLD Northwood woman recounted to a synagogue audience how she joined the effort to help Jews who had fled Nazi persecution.

Alison Wood, who lives at Pocklington House, Eastbury Avenue, Northwood, spoke at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, Oaklands Gate, as part of its Desert Island Discs series.

Interweaving her life story with her passion for music, she told how, at the age of 15, she encountered an orchestra from Prague while travelling on holiday with her family in 1938.

THE WAR Memorial Trust has backed a call by Northwood residents to bring a neglected memorial hospital back to life.

Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital, in Pinner Road, closed in 2008 after Hillingdon Primary Care Trust declared it not fit for purpose.

A later announcement that it could wither for the next 10 years sparked outcry among residents.

The Trust said that making the necessary repairs, including asbestos removal and other vital works, were not a priority.

A NORTHWOOD musician who feared she might never play the violin again after being diagnosed with a crippling spinal condition is celebrating her recovery.

Twelve-year-old Jasmine Turner was left devastated when doctors broke the news to her in October last year that she suffered from scoliosis, a condition which causes the spine to excessively curve sideways.

Within six months her condition had deteoriated so rapidly that she was told she would need a major operation.

A YOUNG Northwood dancer is reaching new heights after being selected to take part in an English Youth Ballet performance for the second time in a year.

Saira Mashru, 13, of the Fairview, Northwood, was chosen to to dance in a professional production of Copellia this weekend (2 and 3).

She battled off fierce competition to secure her place in the production at auditions.

A DRUNK DRIVER who mowed down and killed a couple from a Northwood synagogue has been jailed for seven years.

Jonathan Knowles, 33, was travelling at about 60 miles an hour when he ploughed into Alan and Rochelle Bernard as they walked along the pavement of a road in the exclusive Sandbanks peninsular in Poole last September.

IT HAS taken about 40 volunteers several hours of their free time but finally the last strokes were added to Northwood's first ever piece of community artwork on Saturday (30).

Northwood Community Arts launched the project earlier this month after scooping funding from the Heathrow Community and Environment Awards 2011.

It was designed to bring together the many different organisations the group works with, as well as residents who wanted to brighten up their area.