A team of HCRA volunteers shifted four tons of soil as part of a revamp of our popular community garden.

Helpers of all ages came out in force on Saturday, February 21 to top up the garden beds with compost.

The event was the latest phase of a major project to restore the garden, which is outside the convenience on the corner of Station Road and Rosslyn Crescent.

The garden was created in 2015 by HCRA with support from the local community. Work to rebuild the garden beds and restore the garden has been funded by grants from Harrow Council, Harrow in LEAF and the Municipal Public Gardens Association as well as donations from local residents, businesses and worshippers at Harrow Central Mosque.

The final phase of the project will involve planting new plants later in the Spring. HCRA is continuing to raise money to buy plants.

If you can help or would like to make a donation please email garden committee chair Jo Stephenson at jo@jostephenson.com

HCRA is seeking volunteers to help with the next phase of a project to revitalise its much-loved community garden.

We need people to help us shift four tons of compost to help top up the newly-refurbished garden beds on Saturday, February 20.

Compost Day will get under way at around 10am at the garden, which is on the corner of Station Road and Rosslyn Crescent outside the Stop and Shop Convenience Store. The event is expected to finish by 1pm.

Volunteers can join us for the whole session or just half an hour or so. No gardening experience is needed and we will supply equipment. Do bring gloves and a shovel if you have them.

If you would like to get involved then please email HCRA gardening group chair Jo Stephenson at jo@jostephenson.com or call or message her at 07980 854097.

The garden was created in 2015 by a team of volunteers, supported by Harrow Council and many other local organisations and businesses.

Last year the association embarked on a major project to renew the wooden beds and refresh the planting thanks to grants from Harrow Council, Harrow in LEAF and the Municipal Public Gardens Association and donations from local people.

Topping up the beds with compost will ensure the beds are ready for planting, which will happen some time in the Spring.

HCRA’s community garden has a whole new look thanks to a major restoration project.

The revamp has so far seen almost all of the rotten wooden raised beds removed and entirely rebuilt using long-lasting composite boards.

The work, which was carried out by a team of workers and volunteers, was made possible through a fundraising campaign that has seen many local people, shops, businesses and community organisations donate money.

The project has been funded through grants from Harrow Council, Harrow in LEAF and the Municipal Public Gardens Association.

It has also been supported by worshippers at the nearby Harrow Central Mosque who gave generously to a collection after Friday prayers.

The first phase of the work has now been completed but there is still a lot of work to do including planting new plants and topping up beds with compost.

HCRA has raised more than £3,700 to date but is still seeking funding towards the second phase of the project.

The hope is the garden revamp will be finished by the end of this year.

If you would like to make a donation then please contact HCRA Garden Sub-committee chair Jo Stephenson by emailing jo@jostephenson.com or call 07980 854097.

HCRA is embarking on a major project to restore its community garden, which has delighted residents and passers-by with displays of flowers and plants for 10 years.

The garden on the corner of Rosslyn Crescent and Station Road was created in 2015 by HCRA volunteers with support and funding from many local people and organisations.

It is now urgently in need of repair and the association is seeking to raise £3,000 to renew the wooden beds and refresh the planting.

HCRA’s garden group has launched a fundraising campaign and is asking for grant-funding, donations and sponsorship from local residents, organisations and businesses.

“The garden outside the Stop and Shop convenience store is a much-needed oasis of greenery next to a busy main road,” said HCRA chair Brett Lake-Benson.

“It has thrived for 10 years but now the wooden beds are starting to deteriorate so we’re asking for help to restore the garden and secure its future for many years to come.”

If you would like to make a donation please email garden group chair Jo Stephenson at jo@jostephenson.com or call her on 07980 854097.

A hostel and new industrial units could be built on the site of the former probation officer in Rosslyn Crescent under plans for developing Harrow.

The site has been earmarked for development in the new Local Plan for Harrow, which will guide development in the borough up to 2041.

Under the plan, the site, which is owned by Harrow Council and is currently vacant, would be used to provide a mix of hostel accommodation and industrial units.

The plan does not specify the type of hostel but it is earmarked for Class 2 residential accommodation, which means it would be for people with care needs.

This could include those with disabilities, mental health problems or drug and alcohol issues.

The plan also sets out housing targets for other nearby sites, including the former Civic Centre (1,139 new homes) and Tesco supermarket (500 new homes).

Residents are being urged to have their say on the overall plans and plans for individual sites as part of a public consultation that runs until December 17.

You can find out more and comment here.

HCRA will be carrying out its annual community clean-up on Saturday, April 27.

The association will once again hire a tipper truck to ferry junk to the local refuse centre as part of the popular Dump Run event.

The event is a chance for residents in HCRA’s three roads – Rosslyn Crescent, Frognal Avenue and Woodlands Road – to dispose of bulky items and other waste for free.

Householders are encouraged to mark the date on calendars and in diaries.

The event is run by volunteers and we need as many people as possible to lend a hand on the day.

We will be collecting annual subscriptions to HCRA during the event as well as donations towards the hire of the vehicle.

Look out for more details to be posted through your door.

A team of HCRA volunteers shifted more than seven tonnes of junk at the association’s annual Dump Run event.

The event on Saturday, June 24, saw truckloads of rubbish, including mattresses, fridges and sackfuls of garden waste ferried to the town dump.

The team also picked up litter and weeded around street trees as part of the popular community clear-up supported by Harrow Council.

Tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish were removed from local alleyways including the passage that runs between homes in Rosslyn Crescent and Woodlands Road.

A total of 7.21 tonnes of rubbish were taken to the dump.

Residents came out in force to support the event, including providing refreshments and making donations toward the cost of hiring the van. Rosslyn resident Priti cooked a delicious lunch for the volunteers.

Gloves, tabards and litter pickers were supplied by Harrow Council, which also gave permission to use the dump.

HCRA chair Brett Lake-Benson said: ‘This year’s Dump Run was a big success. It’s an example of what a community can achieve when it comes to together.

‘I’d like to thank everyone who helped organise the event including designing and delivering flyers and sorting out the hire of the van.

‘Thanks to all the helpers who shifted huge amounts of rubbish and those who donated money. Donations will go towards the hire of the van and help fund future HCRA events and activities.’

Residents in HCRA’s three roads can dispose of unwanted junk at our Dump Run event on Saturday, June 24.

The popular annual event is a chance to have a clearout with HCRA offering to take away your rubbish for free.

This year’s event will run from 9am to 3pm, starting in Woodlands Road.

Residents are asked to leave out unwanted items for collection first thing on Saturday morning from 7am to 9am.

Please note: we cannot take commercial waste, rubble, car tyres, batteries, hazardous materials or engine oil.

We will also be taking away fly-tipped rubbish cleared from the passageway between Rosslyn Crescent and Woodlands Road by HCRA volunteers.

All residents from Rosslyn, Woodlands and Frognal Avenue are welcome to join in the clear-up so please do come along and help out.

We will remove rubbish for free. However, we do ask those who can afford it to make a voluntary donation towards the cost of hiring the tipper truck.

If you have any questions please email chair@hcra.org.uk or text Sonia on 07516 402025.

Volunteers spent two days clearing fly-tipped rubbish from a local passageway as part of efforts to make our neighbourhood greener and cleaner.

The action days on Saturday 15th and 22nd of May saw HCRA members turn out to shift piles of junk, rubble and green waste that had been dumped in the passage that runs between homes in Rosslyn Crescent and Woodlands Road.

The area has been cleared many times by local residents but continues to be used illegally as a dumping ground.

Items cleared included a mouldy mattress, bottles, cans, old toys, car parts and other pieces of rusty metal, broken garden furniture and ornaments, and car tyres

HCRA hired a chipper to help reduce dumped garden waste to mulch.

Rubbish collected at the top of the passage will be removed on June 24th when HCRA’s annual Dump Run event takes place.

“Everyone worked really hard and made a huge difference and I’d like to thank all those who took part,” said HCRA chair Brett Lake-Benson.

“There are many ways to dispose of rubbish legally in Harrow. The council will collect items of bulky waste for free and we are close to the town dump.

“We urge local residents not to dump more rubbish in this or any other local passageway – or in the street.”

To help combat fly-tipping and support those without their own transport, HCRA takes junk to the local dump for free once a year.

Look out for more details on how you can get involved in this year’s Dump Run.

Hundreds of Harrow residents have signed a petition objecting to plans to build a tower block on top of a new Tesco store in Station Road.

The development – known as Greenmead Place – would create about 560 new homes on the site of the current Tesco store.

However, residents have raised concerns about the scale of the development, which will include a 15-storey tower block.

The proposals would see the size of Tesco shrink by 20% with the store spread over two floors. The amount of parking spaces for customers would reduce by 33%.

Local residents associations – including HCRA – have joined forces to protest against the plans.

Key concerns include the lack of truly affordable housing and the impact on local infrastructure, such as roads, public transport, schools and health services.

Nearly 1,500 people have so far signed a petition on the website change.org objecting to the development.

Tesco and developers Notting Hill Genesis have yet to submit a formal planning application to Harrow Council but this is expected to happen in early 2023.