Private sector backed - public sector hacked

A monster, squatting in the north west London suburbs, spewing out pollution and noxious fumes... the proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan gets the government go ahead. Simultaneously the same government announces cuts to hospitals and schools and thousands face unemployment and wage reductions.

Welcome to the Land of the ConDems!

Eric Pickles, Communities Secretary, has announced via the doomed Government Office for London, that he is not going to call in the Brent Cross Development for a Public Inquiry. Having considered the matter he believes that despite the massive opposition locally, increased traffic pollution,  the impact on neighbouring boroughs, the health threat posed by unproven incinerator technology, and the fact that the Westfield Shopping Centre has been built since the initial application, that his 'intervention would not be justified'!

Co-ordinator Lia Colacicco of the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plans spoke for many of us when she said, "This ill-conceived decision by the secretary of state does not bode well for future planning decisions, and is completely at odds with new Conservative Party policies on planning, and the recent Coalition Government planning statement.

"We will continue to fight this regressive, unpopular scheme, to replace it with a sustainable development that meets both 21st century standards and the needs and aspirations of the whole community."