UNPRECEDENTED RESIDENTS' COALITION OF 18 GROUPS CALL ON MUHAMMED BUTT TO TAKE CLIMATE EMERGENCY ACTION ON ASPHALT

 

From Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements

 

Brent’s new and unprecedented coalition – Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements – has called on the Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, to reverse the current policy of asphalting pavements instead of repairing broken slabs.

 

Now representing eighteen (18) residents associations and groups right across the Borough, BRAAP is pointing out that covering the many miles of pavements in the Council’s current renewal programme with asphalt involves thousands of trips by diesel-engined heavy lorries. These emit both pollutants of the air we breathe and global warming CO2. This is in direct conflict with Brent’s recently adopted Climate Emergency Strategy. 

 

BRAAP’s letter to Cllr Butt supports the just-published report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and welcomes his article in the Kilburn Times about it. There he says “This is a climate emergency. We must act now.”

 

BRAAP joint-coordinator, Robin Sharp, says:

 

Why is Brent not taking the simple option of reversing its policy on asphalting pavements? This would save hundreds of tons of CO2, unnecessarily spewed into the atmosphere, and be widely popular across the Borough? It would produce a win-win outcome.

 

BRAAP is also asking for an explanation of why Brent councillors voted against a motion at Full Council on 21 July to have the asphalting policy referred to the Public Realm Scrutiny Committee. Cllr Mashari promised in the debate to write to BRAAP the next day with an explanation but no letter has been received.

 

In the light of the IPCC’s report last week, BRAAP is more determined than ever to see an end to Brent’s environmentally disastrous policy to asphalt pavements.

Background

This month’s report by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change makes it unequivocally clear that the catastrophic floods and fires we are seeing across the world are caused by man-made activities producing greenhouse gases.  The evidence is clear that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main driver of climate change -  carbon dioxide from diesel lorries for example.  

 

BRAAP Background

Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements is a new coalition of 18 (and rising) residents’ groups across the borough representing opposition to Brent Council’s policy to asphalt pavements.   It was formed in spring 2021.

Letter to the Leader of Brent Council

BRAAP’s letter to the Leader of Brent dated 23 August 2021 is below.

 

BRENT RESIDENTS AGAINST ASPHALT PAVEMENTS

 

23rd August 2021

Cllr Muhammed Butt

Leader of Brent Council

Civic Centre

Engineer’s Way HA9 0FJ

 

Dear Councillor Butt

 

Residents against Brent’s Climate-unfriendly asphalting policy

We would like to begin by introducing you to BRAAP – Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements. We are now an unprecedented coalition of eighteen, yes eighteen, residents’ associations and residents’ groups across the whole of the borough. We do what it says on the tin. We don’t know of any similar voluntary grouping in Brent on this scale on any other topic of concern to the citizens of our community. We are asking you and your colleagues to hear what we have to say.

 

IPCC

This month’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report makes it crystal clear that the catastrophic floods and fires we are seeing across the world are caused by human-controlled activities producing greenhouse gases. This epoch- making document serves to reinforce Brent’s own Climate Emergency Strategy which we support, as far as it goes. Among other things that says: „We will develop and implement a sustainable procurement policy that requires sustainable practices to be considered throughout our procurement and contract management procedures.”

 

We agree with your article in the current Kilburn Times where you state‚’This is a climate emergency, we must act now.’

 

Brent’s Strategy explains that there are many actions that individuals can take towards the UK’s net zero carbon goal – and that the Council must make every effort to adapt its own policies to the same end. There is a simple cheap option that the Council could take very quickly – but it is not listed either for short- or longer term action.

 

This is to reverse the policy of replacing footway paving slabs with asphalting throughout the Borough and not to start any new asphalting contracts from now on.

 

The rationale is really a no-brainer. Asphalting the many miles of footway in the Council’s current programme is requiring thousands of journeys by diesel-engined HGVs which emit both global warming CO2 and pollutants of the air we breathe. In addition asphalt when laid down contributes to warming of the ambient air temperature, needing alleviation through planting. By contrast replacing broken paving slabs consumes minimal resources and very few HGV miles, while pulverising good slabs to make way for asphalt burns up yet more energy.

 

Voting against Brent Scrutiny of asphalting policies

This being the case we are at a loss to understand why the Council has rejected BRAAP’s fully reasoned request for the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee to examine policies involved in asphalting pavements by voting against the motion put forward by Cllr Kansagra at the Full Council on 21 July. Moreover we are dismayed that Cllr Mashari, Chair of Scrutiny, did not honour her promise to write to BRAAP the next day to explain why you and colleagues voted against scrutiny of a policy which is opposed by so many residents’ groups.

 

We look forward to your response. Could you please let us know by 31st August if you are ready to consider our proposal and include it in the Climate Emergency Strategy? We are also writing to other Councillors.

 

Best wishes

 

BRAAP Co-ordinators

 

Contacts:

 

Flavia Rittner - administrator & co-ordinator: frittner7@gmail.com

Robin Sharp - co-ordinator: robisharp@googlemail.com 

 

Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements

 

Aylestone Park Residents’ & Tenants’ Association 

Barn Hill Residents’ Association

Brent Eleven Streets

Brent Parks Forum

Brondesbury Residents’ & Tenants’ Association

Brondesbury Road Group

Chandos Road Group

Clifford Gardens Group

Harlesden Area Action

Kensal Rise Residents Association

Kensal Triangle Residents Association

Kilburn Village Residents Association

Mapesbury Pavements Action Group

Queens Park Area Residents Association

Roe Green Village Residents Association

Sudbury Town Residents Association

Wembley Central & Alperton Residents Association

Willesden Green Residents Association