Brent Planning Committee tonight approved the planning application for the Lidding Road Garages site in Kenton by four votes in favour, 3 abstentions and one against.
Cllrs Butt, Kennelly and Johnson abstained because they were not convinced by assurances from Thames Water over the flooding and sewage sitution which has been going on for some time and worsened considerably over the weekend. Thames Water attributed the problems to 'misconnections' when foul water is wrongly connected and flows into Wealdstone Brook.
Cllr Michael Maurice who voted against said he had no confidence at all in Thames Water's ability to deal with this situation and said he needed assurances that there was no risk to the propsoed development and to neighbouring properties.
Evidence was given by John Poole demonstrating that there had been surface water flooding despite Thames Water claiming that there had been no incidents.
Agents for the developer said they has satisfied Thames Water with their plans for sustainable drainage. They insisted that their plans would not worsen the current situation and perhaps make it better.
This is John Poole's excellent illustrated presentation:
This is a map produced by Thames Water showing the known misconnections – the red dots and lots of them – of foul surface water and foul sewage water in the Brent and Harrow Kenton areas.
This is a map produced by the Environment Agency showing who they believe are the riparian owners with regards to the Wealdstone Brook in the Kenton area of Brent. Note that Brent Council is assumed to be the riparian owner of large sections of the Wealdstone Brook and its banks – this includes council owned land as well as council owned properties.
Last week the Wealdstone Brook was at its worst ever. Human excrement was seen floating in the shallow waters of the brook through Woodcock Park. The smell from the brook was vile. The water was more than polluted – it was toxic. In 50 years living in Brent close to the brook I have never known it as bad.
This isn’t an issue of house values but it is an issue of health values
The drainage map shows the foul surface and foul sewage pipes that run across the proposed development at the end of Lidding Road. The red dot on plot is the manhole cover which overflowed on October 5th last year.
Brent Council has produced a number of climate emergency documents. I have produced copies of two of them for you. One covers biodiversity and the other is about tackling the climate emergency. Both make it a central point that we need to protect and improve our remaining green spaces by making them greener.
We in Kenton are working with the council to green up our area and make a big contribution to brent council’s target of being carbon neutral by 2030.
Both proposed planning applications run counter to these green policies of Brent Council. I therefore urge you to request from Oliver Myers, the Brent Council sustainability officer, a report on the impact of both proposed developments before you make a final decision. This would also coincide with the final report of the London Flood Review which is looking into the causes of the serious flooding events which hit London on the 12th and 25th July 2021. The final report is due out this summer.
I have highlighted the problems of the serious pollution of the Wealdstone Brook which is close to the proposed Lidding Road development. until an independent water analysis shows that the water quality in the brook is a least close to safe, then any and all proposed housing developments should be suspended pending works by Thames Water and the Environment Agency to improve the situation.
I understand that Brent planners have to take the word of Thames Water with regards to drainage systems in the area and that they are safe for further connections. I have to say that the experiences of local residents and the words from various engineers from Thames Water and Lanes for Drains that this is not the case.
I urge you to delay a decision on the proposed planning applications until the London Flood Review has completed its work and published its findings and that you have received a report from your sustainability officer.
We don’t need chemical warfare in the Kenton area of Brent – we already have it on a daily basis from the highly toxic and polluted water in the Wealdstone Brook. There are trace levels of oxygen in the water – then there are trace levels of oxygen on Mars.
13 comments:
I don't understand....why abstain? Couldn't they vote against? Makes no sense.
Totally agree with G Lee, they might as well have voted for it, fact they did. What Twits. Many marginal Planning Applications have got through over the years because of councillors abstaining when they should have taken their responsibility as expected by residents.
Perhaps abstention puts you in less danger of removal from the committee after the Group AGM than voting against.
Developers live in de-growth hyper protected resilience zones where flood defences matter.
This here is another happy day for building insurance companies.
Regarding Thames Water have a look at how risk hungry inaccurate their map is in the new London Plan p360 Figure 9.4 'Spatial illustration of wastewater drainage capacity across London'. London's combined sewer system is way larger spatially than TW chooses to' illustrate,' while the much of Brent excellent flow capacity 'illustrated' is contradicted by facts and other boroughs opposing 'illustrations'- Environmental denial is London development practice.
Its La La London for bonuses-led development (revenue farm zones by any means fair and foul) and very much as with Covid its pretend sewage flooding risk doesn't exist outside of protected resilience de-growth zones that is.
I'm sure that's why they abstain, to avoid attracting Butt's playground bully persona
Vote out those who keep abstaining on 5th May!!!
They are elected to support local residents - if not convinced by something they should vote against it!
Is it acceptable that Cllr Mo Butt's brother is on the planning committee?
And why were these councillors allowed to vote on this duying purdah? Local election is just 2 weeks away!
Why has the Wealdstone Brook been allowed to get in to such a disgraceful state in the first place is beyond me? This is a major health hazard and a thorough investigation as to who/how and when this pollution is getting into the brook. No planning applications in this area should be allowed until the issue is properly resolved. All parties should make it a priority to clean it up immediately and stop passing the buck and playing the blame game.
Does the condition of the Brook reflect what Butt and Co have turned Brent into?
No mention of Lead member of the Environment Cllr Krupa Sheth why is she not a forefront and doing about this? At least get her and Butt to take a picture with the stinking mess to show they are supportive of the residents getting this cleared. Great photo op.
With gross misrepresentations like London Plan p360 Figure 9.4 'Spatial illustration of wastewater drainage capacity across London' passing the political consensus, its clear that environment and climate denial is core London re-development business especially inside its diverse revenue farm only zones.
Right to call out the Labour councillors who abstained, but the ones who rubber stamped the application despite the facts given to them by John Poole (and because Mo Butt told them to?) are the real villains!!!
Too costly to shareholders to solve, so patiently waiting for the rain gods to wash this pollution away downstream is the plan?
Replying to David (27 April at 11:09)
I saw the weather forecast this lunchtime, and there is unlikely to be any rain for London and the South East for at least the next ten days!
Environment Agency / Thames Water / Brent Council need to get their heads together and sort this out urgently, not wait and hope that nature will clear up the mess which their neglect has allowed to build up.
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