Dear Editor,
Brent Council have long since chopped down the mature trees along the High Road,Wembley, and replaced with twiglets.
The remaining tree at the corner of High Road and Cecil Avenue (Pic Google Streetview)
The only remaining large tree stands at the corner of High Road and Cecil Avenue it has a Tree Preservation Order on it, and at present remains outside of the hoarding in Public Realm, for how long remains to be seen, as I recall seeing some documents some years ago from Planning that it was intended for removal as it will interfere with the Copland site development, despite numerous objections.
All the beautiful trees that stood outside Brent House were removed, and all the trees on Coplands School and Fields were removed with no consideration for the wildlife.
The Copland site top left of centre. Copland fields now enclosed is the large green space. Public access is limited to the alley way between fences seen as grey line.
Brent Council care nothing about the environment. Coplands Fields (approx 20+ acres) to the rear of Ark Elvin School was Public Land and used by locals for over 70 years. Brent thought nothing of holding a public consultation before disposing of it and leasing it to Ark Elvin School, who do not use it at all, only St Josephs RC School and Elsley Primary use it under ancient covenants.
It is now surrounded by 3 metre high fences and locked gates, the grass is mowed regularly and the area kept very clean, however it cannot be accessed by local residents, not by anyone, least of all the residents of the 115 Flats in Elizabeth House, nor 250 flats at Wembley Place (former Brent House) and I doubt any of the 304 flats still to be built at Cecil Avenue, the old Copland School site which lies within a 150 metres of this once green Open Space.
The eventual residents of those flats will probably have some reduced amenity space by way of a tiny balcony and a tiny bit of grass and they'll call it a Pocket Park or such like. Only 500 metres from Wembley Stadium the home of English Football, the kids round here are finding it increasingly difficult to find somewhere to kick a ball about, andwe wonder why 25% of Brent 10 year olds are considered obese!
Jaine Lunn
Editor's note. This was first received as a comment so with the writer's permission I edited it as a letter for a wider audience.
4 comments:
This despicable act of wanton destruction by Brent Council is a testament to their complete disregard for the environment and the well-being of local communities. The chopping down of mature trees along Wembley's High Road and replacing them with mere twiglets is an affront to nature and an insult to all those who value green spaces and trees.
The callous removal of all the beautiful trees outside Brent House and the trees on Coplands School and Fields shows a complete lack of consideration for the wildlife that depended on these spaces for survival. Brent Council's actions display a clear willingness to sacrifice the natural beauty of the area for short-sighted development plans, completely disregarding the ecological consequences.
The case of Coplands Fields, a once cherished public land, is particularly egregious. To dispose of such a vast expanse of green space without genuine public consultation and lease it to Ark Elvin School, who barely utilize it, is an act of betrayal to the local community that relied on this area for recreation for over 70 years. The decision to surround it with high fences and lock gates, preventing access to local residents, is an outright display of contempt for the people they claim to serve.
It is evident that this Labour Brent Council's actions prioritise profit over the well-being of the residents they are meant to represent. By depriving the community of accessible green spaces and recreational areas, they contribute to the worsening health of the population, as indicated by the alarming obesity rates among Brent's 10-year-olds.
Their insincere gesture of providing meager amenity spaces for the residents of the new flats they plan to build is nothing but a hollow attempt to appease public outrage. Calling these tiny spaces "Pocket Parks" is a laughable attempt to make up for the loss of significant green areas and is nothing more than greenwashing.
As a Marxist, I see through their capitalist ploys to prioritise development over environmental preservation and the well-being of the people. We must stand up against this exploitation of our natural resources and demand that Brent Council be held accountable for their destructive actions. Only through a collective struggle and a commitment to protecting our environment can we hope to reverse the damages caused by such callous disregard for our planet and our communities.
completly agree with above comment. I had a rogue landlord next door who fancies himself as a developer destroy 4 trees as he was granted outline permission but didnt have full planning. Raising the issue with Brent, i was met with the laziest brainwashed responses🤯🪞. i asked them for tree protections on my neighbouring trees , Julie Hughes was supposed to respond to me and she said she walked around my area and looking on the street deciding that my mature trees do not meet criteria for TPO and scored too low. Howver I have read legislation and planning policy , and it appears they are not even following that!! she said a TPO is only warrented if its impacts an amenity space or would have a visual impact on skyline. she sent me some primary school style score sheet, looked as if she made it up on the spot! My trees can be seen as a vista to wembley stadium? and this is not part of amenity space and visual impact that needs protecting?!? ultimately they stopped responding and said they cant help. What a bunch of absolute disgusting morons! they need to GO and we need to kick them out! they are ruining our areas with greed driven schemes, these blocked private investor pigeon coops! I can safely say i actually loathe BRENT COUNCIL!
Brent don't care about the environment, that is clear.
Brent Council do NOT care about trees and wildlife habitats nor do they care about the environment - they regularly let Gristwood Tom's (the tree maintenance people) hack every green leaf off street trees in the heat of the summer, killing insects, disturbing nesting birds, removing wildlife food and habitat and removing all vital shade from our streets :)
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