There's an article on the home page - and no doubt will be in today's newsletter - explaining the council's policy.There isn't a register of roads where residents have opted out of glyphosate spraying. It will be sprayed where there are weeds. If you don't want it to be sprayed outside your home, or along your road - you need to remove the weeds. I provided chiswickw4.com with answers to questions i had been asked by residents. It hasn't used the info though the points are covered in the article. I have copied the Q&A below.https://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=https://neighbournet.com/server/common/hounscoun770.htmQ&AAs the discussion at the Chiswick Area Forum about weeds and glyphosate left several residents confused about what would be done - and, in particular, how to opt out of having glyphosate sprayed in front of or near their garden/home - I followed up with some questions and have now had answers. Here is the Q&A:Q: Glyphosate - how and in what way can residents opt out of it being used in their roads?A: Residents cannot specifically opt out of the programme. However, roads will only be treated with glyphosate if weeds are present. If a resident removes the weeds before the spraying teams arrive then there will be nothing to spray.Q: Which roads are on the proactive weeding list?A: All roads in the borough are on the spraying list. Two weeks after spraying, the roads in each ward will be inspected and the top 20 roads per ward will be prioritised for attendance by one of the dedicated clearance teams. The clearance teams will spend 4 days in each ward after the spraying before moving onto the next ward in the programme, to remove weeds where the spray has not been effective. The top 20 roads will be prioritised by weed frequency, volume and obstructiveness. Any roads not treated for weed removal in the first cycle will be attended by one of the routine cleansing operatives or attended in the second cycle where possible. There is no other ‘proactive weeding list’ as this is the plan for this year.Q: Can all roads on the proactive weeding list expect glyphosate to be used along their roads?A: All roads in the borough are on the spraying list. But roads or sections of roads that have no weeds present will not be sprayed.Q: Is the proactive weeding list the same as the proactive leaf fall list? If not, where is the proactive weeding list kept so councillors can refer to it when asked by residents if their road is on the list?A: Proactive weeding and proactive leaf fall are not the same. If proactive weeding is interpreted as roads identified for attendance by dedicated crews then the roads will be identified two weeks after each spray on a ward-by-ward basis and so are not currently known. Other roads may appear through enquiries and ad hoc inspections by stewards identifying roads that may also require priority attendance by one of the two additional crews; however, these will be inspected by Network Stewards to understand the priority before allocating for a reactive attendance.Q: The residents of xxx, W4 would like to be added to the proactive weeding list as parts of xxx are significantly overrun by weeds (see attached three photos). Can xxx be added?A: xxx will be inspected by a steward in the next 5 business days and a determination as to whether it should be prioritised will be made accordingly.Q: Can other residents ask for their road to be added to the proactive weeding list and, if so, how?A: As advised, roads requiring a clearance following the spray, will be identified following the two-week inspections. Enquiries received through the FMS website will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is vital that we direct the resource for clearance on a needs basis and so we urge residents to be patient and wait for attendance in accordance with the plan unless it is felt that the weeds are obstructive/ hazardous.Q: Can a house opt out of having glyphosate sprayed by the council outside their house or does the whole street have to opt out?A: No road/ house can opt out of the programme. However, if residents clear the weeds from outside their properties before the crews are expected to arrive, then spraying will not be undertaken as there will be nothing to spray.Q: If a house opts out, do they have to show evidence to the council that they have removed any weeds?A: No, if the crew see that weeds are not present when they arrive to spray, then they will continue on to the next section or road in line with the programme.Q: Some residents are concerned about the toxicity of glyphosate. A definitive statement might be useful across the borough but most definitely would be useful for Chiswick Gunnersbury ward.A: This statement will be requested of the Authority who conducted an independent review, although its use has been approved in the EU and UK.
Joanna Biddolph ● 13d