Showing posts with label Brent and Harrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brent and Harrow. Show all posts

Monday 3 May 2021

Emma Wallace Green Candidate for Brent and Harrow interviewed: 'In a fairer electoral system your vote really counts - vote Green to get green'

 

Emma Wallace at Headstone Manor Park


Journalism student, Liam Moran, who studies at Kingston University, interviews Emma Wallace, Green Party candidate for the Brent and Harrow GLA constituency


How are you feeling in the run up to election day?  

 

I am really looking forward to it!  Greens are feeling really positive about the outcome of the London elections, with more and more people saying they are voting Green.   We are hoping to see a Green wave in London, as we have seen in many other European cities who now have Green mayors.

Our two Green Party Assembly members, Sian Berry and Caroline Russell, have made a big impact at City Hall over the last five years, holding the current Mayor to his promises and pushing him to act on a wide range of issues, repeatedly.   With a Green mayor and more Green members in City Hall we can do even more to ensure that London is the Greenest city in the world.  

 

How has your campaign been so far?

 

The campaign has been really good.  I've visited and met so many great people, both online and in real life in Brent and Harrow over the last six months and heard about many of the issues people are facing, from the destruction of local environment and trees, to housing concerns and transport issues.  I've been campaigning with residents to push TFL to change their trackside habitat management policies and I've visited many of our beautiful parks and nature reserves, including Bentley Priory and the Welsh Harp and heard about the ongoing, longstanding issues impacting them.  I've helped out at Harrow's foodbank, the London Community Kitchen, and learnt about the incredible work they are doing there to support zero waste, zero hunger in North London.  I have also met a number of community groups to hear about their concerns around new planning developments, which are being proposed on green spaces.   If elected, Sian Berry, as London Mayor, and I as Brent and Harrow Assembly Member, are committed to listening and bringing diverse voices into City Hall to make sure our policies work for everyone.  

 

The Green party is a grassroots party, which depends on its volunteer and it has been so heartening to see people come out and help leaflet and spread our message over the campaign.  I am so grateful to them.   Sian Berry and the London Green Party have put together an incredibly comprehensive manifesto, including radical ideas to make London a healthier, fairer and greener city and it has been a pleasure talking about these policies on the doorstep and at hustings, seeing resident’s positive response to them.  

 

What is the main issue you will be focused on if you are elected?  

 

Whilst the impact of the pandemic is still being felt around the world, the Climate Emergency is not going away and must urgently be addressed if we are to avoid going over a 1.5C rise in global temperatures.  We are the only party that has a clear plan to tackle the climate crisis, setting urgent targets to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.  The Green Party will take action through a holistic response, focusing on creating sustainable and insulated housing, developing a joined up and green public transport system, investing in walking and cycling, protecting and preserving our green spaces and trees and creating green jobs to transform our economy post Covid.  

 

What would you say to people who might be unsure about going out to vote in local elections as they do not believe that they are important? 

 

The London Elections have a much fairer voting system than other elections and consequently, your vote really counts!  The mayoral and general Assembly Member votes are a form of proportional representation, so if you vote Green, you get Green.    I encourage everyone to put Sian Berry as your first choice for Mayor, the Green Party as their London wide London Assembly vote and Emma Wallace as your Brent and Harrow London Assembly candidate.  Friends of the Earth have also just ranked Sian Berry's manifesto as the most climate-friendly and so it's clear.  If you want green, you have to vote Green!

 

Monday 5 April 2021

Hear from local London Assembly candidates on Wednesday and ask them a question 7-9pm


 From Brent Friends of the Earth

Join the Brent Friends of the Earth and London Assembly candidates to hear how they plan to tackle the climate crisis. Wednesday 7-9pm

About this Event

An opportunity to hear from the local London Assembly candidates about how they will address the Climate Emergency and other environmental challenges. The candidates will outline their existing proposals and respond to questions from local groups as well as the wider community.

REGISTER HERE

Note - due to a glitch you cannot register if you leave the question box blank. If you do not wish to ask a question just type 'No question' in the box and you will be able to register. 

Wednesday 23 December 2020

Plymouth Brethren's Destruction of Tree Belt and Damage to Green Corridor at 265 The Ridgeway, Harrow

Guest post by Emma Wallace, Green Party GLA candidate for Brent and Harrow 

 






After the destruction
 
The proposed development

 Brethren

 

On the morning of Saturday 19th December 2020, a team of volunteers arrived at the Pavilion site, 265 The Ridgeway, adjacent to West Harrow Allotments with chainsaws and chopped down the trees and foliage in the green corridor running North of the site boundary.  The group of volunteers behind this were Harrow Gospel Hall Trust, otherwise known as the Brethren, part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.  LINK  

 

 Whilst their website states that their values are “caring and respectful of others and we recognise the rights of all humanity within society”, the Brethren volunteers ignored requests from both Adam Swersky, West Harrow Councillor and Dave Corby, Community Engagement manager at Harrow Council, to stop.  Adam Swersky has tweeted since that it’s the “Worst thing I’ve seen in 6 years as a cllr.”  The tweet includes video of the destruction in progress.  LINK   

 


 

Indeed, the Brethren have shown contempt for the Council by removing the tree belt against their wishes.

 

The Covenant

 

The swift decimation of this tree belt green corridor by the Brethren on Saturday can perhaps be seen in response to a request from Harrow Council to carry out a second Ecological report of the biodiversity found here.  The Brethren have instead damaged the wildlife potential of the Green Corridor and of the Pavilion site, hoping to push through their major planning application to build a seven-storey tower block, including 178 residential units on this site. 

 

The land was originally sold to the Brethren over twenty years ago for limited use as a place of worship, under the terms of a covenant made with Harrow Council.  The issue of the covenant was discussed at a Harrow Council meeting in the summer, where Harrow Council leader Cllr Graham Henson stated “it would not, at this stage, enforce a covenant at the site in The Ridgeway, West Harrow, that only permits non-residential use.”  LINK  

 

Both the Brethren and Harrow Council appear to not be honouring the original covenant agreement, with the Brethren looking to sell the land to property developers for huge financial gain, part of the 265 The Ridgeway development: LINK  .

 

Birds eye view of the site and its trees

 

The Tree Belt and Tree Protection Orders (TPOs)

 

This is wanton destruction of part of an extensive wildlife corridor, one that links the green spaces of West Harrow allotments to the West Harrow Recreation Ground.  It will also affect the wider Green Corridor that extends from Rayners Lane to West Harrow.  The habitats here were a belt of young trees including Sycamore, Oak, Ash and Elm.  A Tree Protection Order (TPO) had been requested by the West Harrow allotment holders on some of these trees, believing they had landscape value, contribute to the character of a conservation area and/or have historical importance.  Unfortunately, Harrow Council’s TPO officer Rebecca Farrar visited the site independently in October and found that the trees were not of TPO value, because the individual trees did not constitute protection and that the tree belt was not visible from the highway or other public open space.  Campaigners believe that the tree belt was TPO worthy because the allotments do include public open space and are accessible to the public, as a result of the footpath through it.  For anyone walking through the allotment now, they will notice the loss of privacy, countryside and shelter belt effect that was afforded by the tree belt. 

  

The tree belt had also hidden the Brethren’s prayer hall, which is now fully exposed

 

 



The allotments are now exposed

 

Ecological Report

 

The Brethren had been asked by Harrow Council to carry out a revised ecological report to their 2018 one (see here LINK ).  This was seen as necessary as the 2018 information is now out of date, and as Simon Braidman from Harrow Nature Conservation Forum has stated, the initial report was inadequate as it failed to identify any SINC (Site of Nature Conservation Importance) land was part of the Pavilion site.  Whilst the SINC land, located to the West of the Pavilion site, was not destroyed on Saturday, the action carried by the Brethren provides no confidence in them preserving such an important and legally protected area of biodiversity.  

 

The Wildlife and Biodiversity

 

A diverse range of native species have been found in this area, including seven different species of bat, which have been recorded in the vicinity.  Other wildlife recorded foraging, nesting, breeding and travelling through this corridor, include:

  • Badgers (a set had been previously, illegally blocked
  •  Song Thrush (red listed) were recorded from the trees destroyed 
  • Tawny Owl and Bullfinch recorded from the SINC land to the West of the site 
  • Slow Worm from both the allotment site and the SINC land on West Harrow Recreation Ground  to the South of the Pavilion site
  •  Green woodpeckers, Starlings and House Sparrows

 

If this building goes ahead it will be an ecological disaster for the area and the neighbouring park. The threats to wildlife and habitat include:

 

  •   Increased light levels and lighting in public access from the resultant development to West Harrow Tube Station. Two bat species: Brown-Long Eared Bat and Daubenton’s Bat will be detrimentally affected in terms of foraging and transit from roost to feeding grounds – they will not cross brightly lit spaces and in the case of Brown Long-eared Bat, will not cross areas where there is no continuous or nearly continuous vegetation  
  • Any increased lighting will cause insect distribution disturbance from natural patterns. Bright reflective metal will mimic water under artificial light and insect with aquatic life stages will lay their eggs on the metal, thinking it is water.
  •  The high-density development will cast shade onto the gardens of the town houses and intruder lighting will disturb circadian patterns of amphibians.  The increase in domestic animals will mean an increase in predation of birds, reptiles and small mammals.
  • There is a threat of tree thinning directly to trees in the SINC land, reducing habitat for birds to forage and nest
  • There will be a high possibility of increased flooding to the allotment plots. The area is a flood plain and the allotments already flood.  Hard surface standing especially the town houses could increase flooding and make plots untenable.
  • Most of all the threat is to the landscape and how the local people view the area.  Anyone visiting the allotment will be aware of how beautiful and well set it is, providing great views to Harrow on the Hill and a place for people to relax, away from the pressures of the town.

 

Campaign against the development

 

West Harrow residents, West Harrow Allotment and Garden Association, Harrow in Leaf and Harrow Beekeepers have been campaigning against the proposed Ridgeway development since 2019, launching a Change.org petition, which has garnered nearly 3000 signatures: LINK .  The local campaigners have been calling on Harrow Council’s Planning Group to reject the planning application submitted in April 2020 (view here: LINK ) , citing that the tower block is not in keeping with the local area, will have a detrimental impact on the local neighbourhood, park and allotments and also impact local infrastructure.  Whilst a decision by the Council’s Planning Group has been delayed until early 2021, Harrow Council have not seemingly been supportive of local campaigners.  Indeed, when Harrow Council were asked for comment after the act of wildlife vandalism on Saturday, their response was that Brethren were in their legal right: “Officers have looked into this matter and it is not considered that the developer has conducted any illegal or authorised activity.…Provided no harm is caused either directly or indirectly to protected sites, species or habitats nor works that would otherwise require a license or consent from the relevant authority undertaken without approval, a landowner is within their right to conduct such operations on their land as they choose, with the proviso that this does not amount to a change of use in planning terms nor cause nuisance to others.”  

 

I am calling on Harrow Council to do the right thing and reject this short-sighted and hugely detrimental development in West Harrow.  It is completely out-of-keeping with the rest of the low-level area and will have a negative impact on local wildlife, surrounding green spaces, local residents, as well as the roads and local infrastructure.  Harrow Council must do all it can to preserve green spaces in borough, in line with its Climate Change Strategy, which states: “We will ensure that our natural environment is protected from and helps to protect us, from the adverse effects of climate change.  We take care to preserve our community’s many green spaces and trees, and to protect its biodiversity.” Harrow Council must stand by their words. LINK

 

Please contact the local MP Gareth Thomas or the West Harrow councillors to express your concern about what is happening and request the rejection of the 285 The Ridgeway planning application:

 

Gareth Thomas gareth.thomas.mp@parliament.uk

West Harrow Councillor Kairul Kareema Marikar kairul.marikar@harrow.gov.uk

West Harrow Councillor Christine Robson christine.robson@harrow.gov.uk

West Harrow Councillor Adam Swersky adam.swersky@harrow.gov.uk

 

Related articles:

https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/18043607.protestors-proposed-195-homes-harrow/

https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/18590072.harrow-council-responds-ridgeway-covenant-concerns/

https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/18584406.west-harrow-residents-oppose-ridgeway-housing-plans/

 

Sunday 31 March 2019

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt joins Momentum





It was a bit of a surprise to local Momentum members when Muhammed Butt turned up at their meeting to discuss who to nominate for the Brent and Harrow Assembly Member election.

It became apparent that Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, had become a national member of Momentum. It must have been rather disconcerting to have 'The Leader' in the meeting, particularly when he is thought to support the nomination of his fellow Cabinet member Cllr Krupesh Hirani.

Cllr Butt is not well known for his red-blooded socialism, militancy over academisation or refusal to implement cuts. Hitherto, he has been more pro-Sadiq than Jeremy, so people were rather stunned by his apparent conversion to the cause.

As if to confirm his new status and silence the doubters, Butt turned up at the Momentum protest outside the Willesden Green branch of Barclays Bank on Saturday, part of a very worthwhile nationwide campaign by Momentum against the bank investing in fossil fuels and thus contributing to climate change.  His presence attracted many tweets and re-tweets.

So has he been converted to the cause by Graham Durham and co, or is there more to it? When his party commanded 57 of the 63 seats on the Council he was successful in seducing the three Tory councillors from Kenton into what amounted to an alliance against the Brondesbury Park conservatives.

Perhaps Butt's move is a sort of reverse entryism:  Uncle Mo keeping a wary eye on the combination of  Old Campaigners and Young Turks.

Friday 6 May 2016

How Brent and Harrow voted on the GLA London List


Party Votes Percentage
Animal Welfare Party 1570 0.90
Britain First 2560 1.47
British National Party 1254 0.72
Liberal Democrat 8538 4.89
Christian Peoples Alliance 2154 1.23
Conservative Party 58219 33.34
Green Party 9151 5.24
Labour Party 74028 42.39
Respect 4213 2.41
House Party 765 0.44
UKIP 7151 4.09
Women's Equality Party 5039 2.89
Total 174642 100.00



Rejected votes 2565



Turnout
43%

Breakdown of Mayoral votes in Brent and Harrow constituency

These are the first and second preferences for the London Mayoral vote recorded in the Brent and Harrow GLA constituency


Candidate  Party 1st pref 2nd Pref Total Order
Sian Berry Green Party 7432 24333 31765 3
David Furness Britsih National Party 1113 2208 3321
George Galloway Respect 3787 9980 13767
Paul Golding Britain First 2206 4789 6995
Zac Goldsmith Conservative 67131 21125 88256 2
Lee Harris  Canabis Safer than Alcohol 1669 4291 5960
Sadiq Khan Labour Party 75260 28821 104081 1
Ankit Love One Love Party 777 3034 3811
Caroline Pidgeon Liberal Democrat 6552 20492 27044 4
Sophie Walker Women's Equality Party 2923 11419 14342
Peter Whittle  UKIP 3742 11498 15240
Prince Zylinski Independent* 1185 1690 2875

Total of good votes 173777 143680








Rejected votes

2565







Total Ballot Papers counted 177207


Wednesday 27 April 2016

Green Brent and Harrow GLA candidate pledges support for 'Save the Bridge' campaign






The Green Party's candidate for the Brent and Harrow GLA constituency, Jafar Hassan, today put his party's weight behind the 'Save the Bridge' campaign.

  Jafar said:
As Green Party GLA candidate for Brent and Harrow I am strongly opposed to the closure of The Bridge in Harrow.  It is a vital service, one that is  a lifeline to many in the Harrow community.  Mental health problems are common and rising, often as a result of current widening inequality and economic uncertainty and we should therefore be protecting these professional services rather than cutting back. Greens support the 38degrees petition, calling on Harrow Council to reconsider the decision to withdraw this service.  We hope that the council acknowledges the strong public opposition and act accordingly.
The petition can be found HERE

This is what it says:

To: David Perry, Leader of Harrow Council 

Please don't close 'The Bridge', next to the Harrow Leisure Centre, in Christchurch Avenue, Harrow.

Why is this important?
The Bridge is a purpose built place for the Mentally ill people. It's an activity centre and a drop in centre with a cafe. The building is all on ground floor. There are gardens at the back and side for people to relax.

The activities include Arts and Craft, Music Learning, Guitar Learning group - 'Dont Fret', Tabla (Indian drums) learning, Library, Choir meeting -- 'More than Just a Choir', WhyFI - for Paranoia, Pilates, Yoga, 30 Clients with Personal Independence Budgets attend for therapy. People with depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia etc. etc. attend with great benefits to their daily life. The Northwick Park Hospital's Mental Heath Unit refers clients for further support from the services available at The Bridge.

I had asked my family, two years ago, to take me to the Switzerland clinic to 'have me put down'. Then I heard of 'The Bridge' and attended the Choir -- ''More Than Just A Choir'' every Tuesday evening. This has turned my life around.

The people receiving a great deal of therapeutic benefits will have to revert back to the overloaded GP services and the NHS -- waiting list. The attempt to close The Bridge will end up costing the community far greater!

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Video: Brent & Harrow GLA candidates make their pitch at Mapesbury Hustings



As I am the Green Party election agent for Jafar Hassan I will let the video speak for itself. The six Brent and Harrow GLA candidates were granted roughly equal time at the beginning and end of the Mapra hustings.

The Q&A went a little awry in terms of fairness as the candidates were asked to answer each question in the same speaking order.  This meant that the first candidates to answer had little thinking time for often quite complex questions that were displayed to them on a laptop screen.

In the summing up period Shahrar Ali, Green Party list candidate, intervened when Tories began a concerted and crude chant of 'Who are you?' during Navin Shah's  contribution.

Ali, to applause, called for respect for Shah.


Friday 1 April 2016

Brent and Harrow GLA Candidates named

The £1,000 deposit appears to have kept out any minor independent candidates in the Brent and Harrow GLA Constituency. The candidates announced today (in alphabetical order) are:

Rathy Alagaratnam UK - Independence Party UKIP
Joel Davison Conservative- The Conservative Party Candidate
Anton Georgiou - London Liberal Democrats
Jafar Hassan -  Green Party
Mahmood Akib - Respect (George Galloway)
Navin Shah - Labour Party

Friday 16 October 2015

Controversial Tory choice for Brent and Harrow GLA seat

The Conservatives have selected Joel Davidson as their constituency candidate for the Brent and Harrow GLA constituency. Davidson is a Brondesbury Park councillor and belongs to one of the two Conservative groups on Brent Council.

Davidson is often controversial. Apart from his campaign against a homeless hostel in Brondesbury Park he called for Brent Council to stop funding the Tricycle Theatre as a result of their decision not to accept Israeli Embassy funds for the Jewish Film Festival (a decision later reversed) LINK

He is a contributor to Conservative Home and as a newly elected councillor turned down the ipad and iphone distributed to all councillors. LINK

I have not heard whether he will resign as a councillor as he is standing for the GLA. Meanwhile Twitter warned  me that a tweet about Davidson contained 'sensitive material'.

 


Thursday 25 July 2013

Navin Shah: Home Office 'Propaganda' vans will cause harm and raise tension

The Labour London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow  condemned the 'racist van' campaign by the Home Office in Brent and five other London boroughs.

He said: 
I know that immigration in the UK needs to be tackled, but I am shocked to see plans to drive vans around Brent and five other boroughs in London. This will have a detrimental impact on the hugely diverse and harmonious community in Brent. The problem of illegal immigration has to be tackled properly and a campaign like this will only divide and discriminate communities.

We have worked very hard to have a borough which is an outstanding example of a multi-cultural community and this discriminatory propaganda by the Home Office will cause serious harm and raise tension in the community.

Saturday 23 June 2012

Navin Shah opposes Brent Labour's library demolition


Last month Navin Shah, Labour London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow wrote to Andy Bates, the planning officer for the Galliford Try planning application, regarding the demolition of the old Willesden library building.. This is what he wrote:

Dear Mr. Bates,

Application for Conservation Area Consent for the demolition of the old library building. Willesden Green Library Centre, 95 High Road, London NW10 2SF

I am writing to you about the conservation area consent application for the proposed demolition of Willesden Green Library. I strongly object to the proposal for demolition on the following grounds.

As the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow I have been contacted by a number of residents in Brent who are extremely dismayed at the proposals to demolish the library. I fully share their dismay as I feel that this is a historically important building of local interest and importance which should be preserved.

As an architect by profession with special interest in listed buildings of architectural and heritage value I feel preserving Willesden Green Library is extremely important. The old building of ‘Arts and Crafts’ design contributes greatly to character of the area and should be celebrated as an iconic building, rather than be demolished.

This library building is a social and cultural tool and knocking it down would destroy the historical and architectural contribution it makes to the Borough of Brent and its special significance to the character of the area. This is a much loved building making positive contribution to the surrounding areas which is recognised by its local listing by Brent council and local people love it, as do I. So why destroy local heritage?

I’m not against the principle of regeneration for the site but there are other options available to the Council without destroying this cute little local landmark. Once a building of this character is destroyed, you will never get it back. I urge the members of planning committee to save Brent’s heritage by refusing the consent for demolition

Saturday 5 May 2012

Mayoral Election Results for Brent and Harrow


Candidate
Party
1st pref votes

2nd pref votes
Siobhan Benita
Independent
5,152

13,691
Carlos Cortiglia
BNP
1,405

3,367
Boris Johnson
Conservative
58,777

20,466
Jenny Jones
Green
4,370

19,835
Ken Livingstone
Labour
67,083

26,961
Brian Paddick
Liberal Democrats
5,810

23,554
Lawrence Webb
UKIP
2,231

8,915

Brent and Harrow GLA Election Result

Lab Maj: 29796 (20.54%)

Navin ShahLabour70,400 (48.53%)
Sachin RajputConservative40,604 (27.99%)
Charlotte HenryLiberal Democrat15,690 (10.82%)
Shahrar AliGreen10,546 (7.27%)
Mick McGoughUK Independence Party7,830 (5.40%)    
Turnout: 37.06% (change: -5.09%)
2008
Navin ShahLab57,716 (37.27%)
Bob BlackmanC56,067 (36.21%)
James AllieLD19,299 (12.46%)
Shahrar AliGreen10,129 (6.54%)
Zena ShermanCPA4,180 (2.70%)
Sunita WebbUKIP3,021 (1.95%)
Pat McManusLeft List2,287 (1.48%)
Arvind TailorEng Dem2,150 (1.39%)