Showing posts with label Save Our Welsh Harp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Save Our Welsh Harp. Show all posts

Thursday 8 August 2013

Boris Johnson gives Barnet Council the go-ahead for destruction of Welsh Harp

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has ignored the concerns of local residents regarding Barnet Council’s West Hendon Planning Application, despite strong objections. The development launched by Barrett Homes is set to build 2000 new dwelling units, including four large tower blocks next door to Welsh Harp, one of London’s biggest and most significant nature reserves. Residents and campaigners are concerned that this development will destroy permanently the natural landscape which contains a wildfowl reserve and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).



A cross party joint letter from Brent and Barnet campaigners was issued to the Mayor detailing their concerns regarding the planning application asking him to reject the application. 

The Mayor has decided that he is content to let Barnet Council decide the application, subject to any action the Secretary of State may take,  and does not want to exercise his right to refuse the application or take over as the planning authority.



Local London Assembly Navin Shah AM said:

‘’This is an outrageous decision by the Mayor of London which will obliterate the beautiful landscape, tranquility and ecological values of a site which should be protected for its special scientific interest. The Mayor has ignored the policies of his own London Plan and given Barnet Council the green light to vandalise this site of  great value.



‘’340 people have written to the Mayor asking him to refuse this application. Furthermore, there has also been a submission of two petitions that have been signed by 987 people. It is disgraceful that the Mayor has yet again refused to listen to local communities in Brent and Barnet. People will never forgive him for signing off the destruction of this site’’.  
 

Monday 13 May 2013

Battling Barratts in Barnet - Save Our Welsh Harp

It's their future environment that is under threat
The petition is unrolled to the Town Hall steps
Cllr Mashari presents the petition at reception
I joined Cllr Alison Hopkins (Lib Dem) and Cllr Mashari (Labour) other Brent and Barnet councillor and party activists, West Hendon and Brent residents and environmentalists at Hendon Town Hall this morning. We were presenting a petition to Barnet Council signed by more than 850 people opposing Barratt Homes' plan for a 'city of skyscrapers' on the banks of the Welsh Harp reservoir.

I was at the Welsh Harp yesterday afternoon speaking to the walkers, joggers, cyclists and families enjoying the open space and they were flabbergasted that such a development could be allowed on such a unique beauty spot and nature reserve. Many said that once one section received approval more applications would follow and it appears that already an application has gone in again for the Woodfield Nursery site in Cool Oak Lane - these plans along with an application for housing on the Greenhouse site in Birchen Grove, Brent were defeated in 2009

There is still time to get your objections to the scheme in to Barnet Council. Go to www.saveourwelshharp.blogspot.co.uk for details or email thomas.wyld@barnet.gov.uk by 9am tomorrow morning. Don't forget to include your name and address to receive an acknowledgement and chase them up if you don't get one.

Saturday 11 May 2013

Don't let Barratt's wreck the Welsh Harp - act this weekend

3-4  tower blocks twice the height of the one on the right are planned
If you do just ONE thing this weekend apart from football, gardening, clubbing, drinking, eating and amusing the kids THEN make it submitting an objection to the Barratt Homes planning application to vandalise the wonderful Welsh Harp SSSI, nature reserve and bird sanctuary.

See the Save Our Welsh Harp blog LINK for ideas on what to say but make it personal - what does this development mean to YOU?


ONLINE
Go to the Barnet Planning site LINK and type H/01054/13 into the Search Box. Make sure you give a name and postal address and email address to get an acknowledgement.

E-MAIL
email the Barnet Planning Officer dealing with this application quoting the above reference number:

tom.wyld@barnet.gov.uk  Make sure you give your name and postal address and email address to get an acknowledgement. 

CLOSING DATE MAY 14TH

Sunday 5 May 2013

Brent unites against Barratt Homes' 'vandalism' of the Welsh Harp

This was first published on the Save Our Welsh Harp' blog LINK

Shahrar Ali, Muhammed Butt, Roxanne Mishari and Navin Shah
The audience
A meeting held at short notice about the regeneration of the West Hendon Estate on the banks of the Welsh Harp was well attended this afternoon.

Cllr Roxanne Mishari, Labour councillor for Welsh Harp,  introducing the meeting,  outlined the main aspects of the scheme, its height, high density, its closeness to the wildfowl reserve, lack of infrastructure and impact on Brent.

Navin Shah,Labour London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow spoke about the planning aspects and the role of the Major of London. He said he had arranged a delegation to the Barnet Planning Committee which would consider the application which breached the Council's own planning guidelines. He described the plans as 'no more than vandalism of a critical site. Only 20 of the 2,000 homes would be 3 or 4 bedrooms when the need was for family housing. Only 25% would be social housing.

Shahrar Ali of Brent Green Party and a local resident showed a video taken this morning at Barratt's marketing office for the 'Hendon Waterside' development. The sales team clearly expected the development to go ahead and described it as a partnership with Barnet Council. The remaining 8th floor two bedroom property in the recently completed 12 storey development was offered at £340,000 plus £1,700 service charge and an agreement with the water and energy supplier of Barratt's choice. It was clear that the private flats were on the waterfront and the social housing behind close to the A5.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Labour leader of Brent Council, said that he was 100% behind the campaign which he described as 'over-excessive'. He read out the main objections submitted by the Brent Council planners and said these would be made available on this site. The proposed 2 form entry primary school would not be big enough and Barnet Council was riding rough-shod over its own planning policies which stated that buildings should be no more than between 8 and 20 storeys high.. School provision, wildlife and transport would all be affected with repercussions for Brent residents.

Cllr Alison Hopkins and her fellow Lib Dem councillor Javaid Ashraf sent the message which Martin Francis conveyed to the meeting, which appears on the Welsh Harp blog in full.  LINK They  particularly drew attention to the social housing tenants being placed alongside the traffic pollution of the A5. They had opposed the development in their roles on the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee which includes Barnet representatives. Attempts to arrange a site visit had not been successful.

There were many contributions from the floor and among the issues raised were:

1, Why does Barnet keep developing on the borders with Brent which affects our own infrastructure (while they collect the Council Tax from the developments)
2. A youth officer from the West Hendon Estate said they had collected 500residents'  signatures on a petition against the development and the loss of their green space andwere going to protest at the planning meeting.
3. Barnet Council should declare their relationship with Barratt Homes.
4. We should see if Euoropean legislation can be used to oppose the development.
5. We should examine the public health repercussions for people, and particularly children, in the area.
6. The high-cost luxury flats gained a beautiful view across the Welsh Harp to the opposite bank but people on that bank would see a hideous new high-rise development.
7. The West Hendon Estate had been run down for years but the tenants would be unlikely to be able to afford the rents in the new development.
8. We should get someone like Bill Oddie to champion our cause for the bird life, the waterfowl refuge and the SSSI.