Plans to house 450 students on the Winstanley Estate

Many residents will be aware of a recent planning application for the site of Griffon House and Lanner House.

The proposal is for: 'Redevelopment of site involving demolition of existing buildings and construction of new building between 9-11 storeys to provide 452 self-contained studio rooms for use as student accommodation together with associated car and cycle parking, landscape treatment, amenity space, access and servicing facilities.'

This is even more intense than the ten-storey residential block that has already been approved for the site. The proposal is likely to come before the planning committee of Wandsworth council in September. Your Labour councillors will be on the estate between now and then collecting signatures on a petition against the development. For more information, contact Latchmere Labour councillor Tony Belton at tonybelton@btconnect.com.

You can view details of the scheme and make your comments on it by going to the council's website (click here).

In pictures: The Winstanley Estate

There are some great pictures of the Winstanley on photo website Flickr - here is a selection. Check out the wonderful sixties shot with the car!

What's in a name? Ganley Court

Most of the blocks on the Winstanley Estate are named after prominent local people. You might be interested to learn about the impressive woman who lent her name to Ganley Court: thanks to wikipedia, here is the low-down on Caroline Ganley.

Caroline Selina Ganley, née Blumfield, CBE, JP (16 September 1879 – 3 August 1966) was an English Labour and Co-operative politician.

Ganley was born in Plymouth, the daughter of a tailor. She became politically active in 1906 in opposition to the Boer War, and joined the Social Democratic Federation that year. She actively supported women's suffrage and helped set up what would become the Women's Labour League branch in Battersea. She became involved in the British Committee of the International Congress for Peace and Freedom in 1914.

Ganley was a school manager and governor, becoming a Justice of the Peace (JP) in 1920, one of London's first female magistrates. She joined the Labour and Co-operative Parties and served on Battersea Council (1919-25, 1953-65) and the London County Council (1925-29 and 1934-37), and was a member of the London County Education Committee. She contested the Paddington North seat at the 1935 general election.

At the 1945 general election, Ganley was elected as Member of Parliament for Battersea South. She narrowly held the seat in 1950 but was defeated by Ernest Partridge in 1951.

Ganley was elected a director of the West London Co-operative Society in 1918 and served on the board of its successor, the London Co-operative Society for many years and as President 1942-46, its first woman president. She held national positions in the Women's Co-operative Guild and was one of the speakers at its diamond jubilee celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall in 1943.

She was awarded the CBE in 1953.

500 Wandsworth dogs chipped - most are Staffies

Dog control officers have chipped or registered more than 1,300 dogs since the start of the council’s new microchipping policy, figures reveal. This includes 340 Staffordshire bull terriers, or ‘Staffies’.

The figures have been released following the end of the council’s programme of dog chipping ‘roadshows’ at estates around the borough. The figures include dogs chipped at roadshows and at home visits by officers, as well as dogs that were already chipped, but have now been registered on Wandsworth’s borough-wide database.

The council launched its compulsory microchipping scheme in January. It is now a condition of all council tenancy and leasehold agreements that dog owners chip their pets and have their details held on the database.

The majority of the animals chipped or registered at roadshows were staffies, but other popular breeds include Border Collies, Jack Russells and Yorkshire Terriers. There were also 38 Rottweillers.

Any owner who fails to get their animal chipped will be in breach of their tenancy agreement and could face prosecution or even eviction. Now that the roadshows have finished, the onus will be on leaseholders and tenants to contact the dog control unit to get their animal chipped or registered, if they have not done so already. Chipping will be free until the end of this year.

Find out how to get your animal chipped at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/dogs, or call (020) 8871 7606.