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WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Friday 3 September 2021
Rumi's Cave created 'Memories for a Lifetime' over the summer
As children go back to school after the not very sunny summer it was lovely to receive a Newsletter from Rumi's Cave with the above video that they have given me permission to share.
They said:
Rumi's Summer Club ran in conjunction with the holiday activities and food programme Brent. It was really special to witness Rumi's Cave as a hub of creativity and local talent, sharing our Cave collective of artists, teachers, story tellers and poets with the local children of South Kilburn. Unlocking their inner creativity and potential during the holiday. We have took the children on two trips, one to the Science Museum and one to Southend-on-Sea to break their routine of being in the congested and busy city. It was a wonderful day where parents were invited to come and be amongst the children to enjoy those last few moments of the summer break.
Memories for a lifetime were created.
Summer Playscheme used to be a feature of children's lives in Brent before austerity hit. The additional funding available this Summer shows what can be achieved and the resulting positive impact on families and contribution to social cohesion.
I hope Brent Council will evaluate the schemes that ran this Summer and look at ways to provide support to all those amazing volunteers and organisations in the future.
After School Nature Activities this term for children aged 6-14 years
This is good news. I understand that Thames21 will have a short-term extension (6 months) to January 2022 on the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre, pending a longer term solution.
Thursday 2 September 2021
Jenrick's concerns over Wembley Park station TfL/Barratt development - Planning Inquiry opens later this month
As reported by Wembley Matters in June LINK Robert Jenrick, Communities Secretary has called in the development on the TfL car park next to Wembley Park station and referred it to the Planning Inspectorate.
Yesterday the Architects Journal LINK published an article about the call-in writing:
Brent Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the scheme at the end of last year after planning officers backed the proposal.
But Jenrick has now called in the scheme, telling Brent Council he particularly wants to hear about whether the plans will: create a nice place; be consistent with national housing policy; conserve the historic environment; and accord with the local development plan.
But adding:
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government declined to comment on Jenrick’s particular areas of concern, pointing out that its policy since 2019 has been not to comment on why applications are called-in.
Make of that what you will.
The Planning Inspector instructed by the Secretary of State is T Gilbert-Wooldridge MRTPI IHBC and the inquiry will open at 10.00am on 28 September 2021. Currently 6 sitting days have been scheduled (provisionally 28 Sept – 1 Oct and 4-5 October).
The joint developer with TfL is Barratt London who have come in for some criticism on social media this morning:
Wednesday 1 September 2021
Butt & Co approve talks with developer to amend covenant restrictions on building on Barham Park
The site in Barham park that could be developed as a result of today's Barham Park Trust Committee Decision
Thanks to Philip Grant for drawing this decision to my attention.
In articles by myself LINK and Gaynor Lloyd LINK and comments on the articles by local residents both on this blog and on social media attention has been drawn to the danger posed to Barham Park, and by implication other Brent parks, of development on the open space of 776 and 778 Harrow Road (above). A previous application to demolish the flats and build a block of flats had been withdrawn by the developer after local protests in what noew looks like a short-lived 'triumph' LINK.
Not withstanding these objections, a comprehensive email from Philip Grant to the Cabinet members who serve on the Barham Park Trust Committee has received no response. This morning the Committee, under the chairmanship of Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, approved the recommendation LINK:
To authorise the Operational Director for Environmental Services to enter into discussions with the owners of 776-778 Harrow Road to explore the possibilities of reaching agreement to amend the restricting covenants on that property for the benefit of the Trust.'
Councillor Stephens declared a personal interest as a Sudbury local ward councillor.
Councillor Krupa Sheth, Lead Member for the Environment, was elected Vice Chair of the Trust Committee. As mentioned in previous articles on this subject, all the Trust Committee members are also members of the Brent Cabinet.
Until the full minutes are released we will not know how much discussion, if any, there was on
this important point of principle, with potentially serious consequences for
future building development within Barham Park and other Brent parks.
Although this is not deemed to be a Key Decision, IT IS SUBJECT TO CALL-IN, see LINK
The decision will take effect on 9th September, if it is not "called-in" by Wednesday 8th September.
Let's hope some of our braver and more environmentally committed Councillors organise a call-in and challenge the developers' facilitators.
Parent activists Mums for Lungs call for a ‘diesel-free city’ to protect children’s lungs and highlight 'illegal' air pollution on North Circular
At the North Circular Road (IKEA) monitoring site (Photo Amandine Alexandre-Hughes)
A group of concerned parents have launched a pavement art campaign in areas of London with harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Mums for Lungs campaigners used eye-catching stencils stating, ‘illegal air pollution recorded here’ and demanding action to ‘protect children’s lungs.’ The stencils point to 15 air quality monitors that recorded illegal levels of NO2 in 2020 – a pollutant that can cause reduced lung function in children, as well as trigger asthma attacks and hospital admissions for children living with lung conditions.
Location of stencils at air quality monitoring stations
London has
never met its requirement to reduce pollution below legal limits(1) and the health impacts of pollution are
not equal. Previous research shows that NO2 pollution is on average
24-31% higher in areas where people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic
backgrounds are most likely to live. (2)
Environmental
Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) compiled readings from the city’s reference
air pollution monitors and used modelled data, produced by Cambridge
Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) for the Breathe London pilot project,
to estimate that approximately two-thirds (67%) of the NO2 pollution
at these locations came from diesel vehicles, such as cars, taxis, vans and
heavy goods vehicles. (3)
Most of the illegal sites are located outside of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), London’s measure to lower diesel pollution by charging more polluting vehicles to enter the city centre. The zone dramatically reduced air pollution in central London (4) and will be expanded to a much larger area on 25 October 2021. Some of the illegally polluted sites are beyond the ULEZ expansion, including in Kingston and Merton.
Nine of the
15 locations are on or adjacent to the city’s Red Routes – a network of major
roads managed by Transport for London. A recent health assessment has shown how
these roads create an unequal health burden in the city (5), leading to calls for action to make them significantly healthier and safer.
Around 47,500 primary school children study close to these major roads. (6) The Mayor of London has committed to
identifying ‘bespoke solutions’ for Red Route locations that are unlikely to
meet legal NO2 limits after the ULEZ expansion, but plans are yet to
be seen. (7)
Amandine Alexandre-Hughes, Mums for Lungs activist and Clean Air Ambassador for Harlesden Neighborhood Forum, (Brent Ikea site) told Wembley Matters:
The expansion of the ULEZ cannot happen soon enough in Harlesden. Our high street has the highest NO2 rating in the UK, so cleaning up the air in our area requires urgent action.
However, the ULEZ expansion won’t be sufficient for Harlesden children to breathe clean air and, also, it won’t cover Brent North. IKEA Wembley, for example, is on the ‘wrong side’ of the North circular. So, NO2 levels will remain extremely high there and that's a real worry for me, as I live close to IKEA Wembley with my husband and 4 year old son.
All children deserve clean air, whether they live in Brent North or Brent South. It’s the bare minimum we owe them as adults. Diesel vehicles need banning in London as soon as possible. The boom in diesel delivery vans in the capital is completely unsustainable. It has to be reversed at speed.
[1] Annual average pollution targets for NO2 were set in 2000 with an objective date to meet the target in 2005. In 2007, the target was updated to be in line with EU obligations to be achieved by 2010.
[2] EDF Europe analysis using Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) high-resolution modelled NO2 2019 annual averages produced as part of the Breathe London pilot project and census 2011 data from the Office for National Statistics.
[4] Greater London Authority: Central London ULEZ - Ten Month Report
[5] EDF Europe and Centric Lab: Rethinking London’s Red Routes
[6] EDF Europe: Parent and teen campaigners demand action after study reveals nearly 50,000 London school children exposed to dangerous pollution from Red Route roads
[7] Mayor of London: Improving London’s Red Routes
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