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WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
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
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.
 | |
| Shahrar Ali, Muhammed Butt, Roxanne Mishari and Navin Shah |
 |
| The audience |
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.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Save Our Welsh Harp - Public Meeting May 4th
SAVE OUR WELSH HARP
PUBLIC MEETING SATURDAY MAY 4TH
5-7pm BRENT TOWN HALL
The new Chalkhill Park opens in time for the Bank Holiday weekend
Chalkhill Park
Builders' fences were removed from Chalkhill Park today after a final surge of activity to get the park ready for the Bank Holiday.
News reached Chalkhill Primary School at lunchtime and spread like wildfire around the playground to cheers from the children.
The weekly School Walking Club were the first to officially use the new facility. A landscape gardener, stripped to the waist and pushing a laden wheelbarrow, stopped me and said, 'This makes it all worthwhile. The children's faces as they swarmed into the park were wonderful. It was amazing It was worth all the work.'
Parents and children rushed to the park after school and there was widespread praise from the former for the design. Children were too overcome with excitement and breathless from trying everything out to say very much but their big smiles told their own story.
Battle likely at Copland following critical Ofsted report
Following Ofsted's designation of Copland High School as Grade 4 Inadequate and requiring special measures battle lines are being drawn over the possibility that the DfE will attempt to force the school to become an academy.
Unions representing teaching staff are overwhelming in favour of industrial action against any such move. School support staff have still to reach a decision but they are the group of workers most likely to suffer a deterioration in conditions of service on academisation.
There are reports that Ark Schools, already running the Ark Academy in Wembley and negotiating to take over Kensal Rise Primary, have their eyes on Copland which is the last remaining secondary school in Brent which is neither an academy or faith school.
Copland governors are unlikely to favour Ark as a sponsor.
The views of parents are mentioned but only 11 parents completed the on-line Parent View and there are 1,487 pupils in the school.
The report LINK gives an Inadequate grade to achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management and a Requires Improvement grade to behaviour and safety of pupils. In summary it states:
Unions representing teaching staff are overwhelming in favour of industrial action against any such move. School support staff have still to reach a decision but they are the group of workers most likely to suffer a deterioration in conditions of service on academisation.
There are reports that Ark Schools, already running the Ark Academy in Wembley and negotiating to take over Kensal Rise Primary, have their eyes on Copland which is the last remaining secondary school in Brent which is neither an academy or faith school.
Copland governors are unlikely to favour Ark as a sponsor.
The views of parents are mentioned but only 11 parents completed the on-line Parent View and there are 1,487 pupils in the school.
The report LINK gives an Inadequate grade to achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management and a Requires Improvement grade to behaviour and safety of pupils. In summary it states:
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.Ofsted acknowledge the difficulties the school has been through following the allegations of financial mismanagement against the previous headteacher, deputy head and other staff and terms it 'an extraordinary turbulence in leadership.'
Significant weaknesses in the quality of senior and middle management remain. A number of senior staff, subject leaders and pastoral managers are currently absent or subject to capability.Other background factors have not helped the school including the scandal of its poor buildings:
The building remains in very poor condition. This was also reported in the 2006, 2009 and 2010 inspection reports. Some classrooms provide a completely unacceptable environment in which to teach and learn. The budget deficit has been reduced significantly over the past two years, but still stands at around £1 million. The reduction in student numbers has meant that further budget cuts are necessary. The building and the budget are adversely affecting the school’s capacity to provide an adequate education for students.Significantly, apart from eliminating the budget deficit and action on the building, the role of the local authority is scarcely mentioned.The local authority's response to the Ofsted report and any support and improvement plan it puts into place will be of vital importance in resisting forced academy status
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
A photo-tour of the new Chalkhill Park
I had a tour of the new Chalkhill Park this morning. I wonder if it will get called Chalkhenge? Although not yet open the park is being used by local residents after school and at weekends. The ceremonial opening is on June 8th but the builders' fencing around the site is likely to be removed on Friday May 10th.
Supreme Court rules UK failing to protect people from air pollution
The Supreme Court has declared that the UK Government is failing to protect people from dangerous levels of air pollution. This decision paves the way for the European Commission to take legal action against the UK.
Air pollution causes 4,000 early deaths each year in London alone and poses a particular danger to children and those with existing health conditions.
The court case, brought by environmental lawyers at Client Earth, concerns 16 cities and regions which government plans show will suffer from illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas - until as late as 2020 or 2025.
The Supreme Court confirmed that because the Government is in breach of the EU Air Quality Directive “the way is open to immediate enforcement action at national or European level”. However, before deciding whether to take further action to enforce the law, it has referred a number of legal questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Jean Lambert, Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London and an honorary founder member of Clean Air London said:
This ruling confirms what many of us have been saying for a long time:The UK Government must do more to protect the population from harmful levels of air pollution.
For too long we’ve seen action on air pollution happening at a snail’space. The government must take heed of this ruling and get to work on drastically reducing the levels of pollution in our towns and cities.
James Thornton, ClientEarth CEO, said
This historic ruling marks a turning point in the fight for clean air and will pile the pressure on Owen Paterson. Faced with court action on two fronts, he must now come up with an ambitious plan to protect people from carcinogenic diesel fumes. Until now, his only policy has been lobbying in Europe to try and weaken air pollution laws.
The Supreme Court recognised that this case has broader implications for EU environmental law: The Government can’t flout environmental law with impunity. If the Government breaks the law, citizens can demand justice and the courts must act.”
Michaela Free School bid foundering?
Last week Brent officials met with proponents of the Michaela Free School about their bid to open a four form entry secondary school at Arena House, the old College of North West London building opposite Wembley Park station.
Although Katharine Birbalsingh, infamous for her intervention at the Tory Party Conference, and her disciples were keen to assure Brent Council that they could comply with all the criteria for free school partnerships set out by the council (see below) there were doubts that they were compatible with the school's aims as set out on its website.
Additionally there are doubts about how many local parents have actually signed up to say that they are interested in sending the children to Michaela, especially as only eight people in total turned up to their consultation - very few, if any, of whom were parents of prospective students.
Well informed sources also say that the building itself is in poor condition and has an asbestos problem.
The Council's criteria for partnership are:
Although Katharine Birbalsingh, infamous for her intervention at the Tory Party Conference, and her disciples were keen to assure Brent Council that they could comply with all the criteria for free school partnerships set out by the council (see below) there were doubts that they were compatible with the school's aims as set out on its website.
Additionally there are doubts about how many local parents have actually signed up to say that they are interested in sending the children to Michaela, especially as only eight people in total turned up to their consultation - very few, if any, of whom were parents of prospective students.
Well informed sources also say that the building itself is in poor condition and has an asbestos problem.
The Council's criteria for partnership are:
Academies and free school providers working with the Council will be expected to demonstrate:1. An absolute commitment to the ethos and values of inclusive education for all Brent’s children and recognition of the positive role schools should play in the wider community.2. A commitment to a close working relationship with the local authority in order to maintain an appropriate focus on borough-wide priorities, including local authority nomination of a member of the governing body and a commitment to sharing performance information.3. The ability to deliver school improvement in an urban context.4. That the establishment of the proposed education provision would be supported by demonstrable parental demand and with a genuine commitment to providing school places for local children.5. Appropriate staffing arrangements to ensure high quality teaching and learning from qualified staff and good employment practices, including in relation to support and contracted staff.6. A commitment to meeting the needs of Brent’s diverse community.7. A commitment to ensuring the future employability of young people (in particular in secondary and 16 to 19) through links with business, industry and higher education.8. A commitment to community access and use of facilities through agreed extended opening and lettings policy.9. A commitment to good pupil nutrition and healthy eating.10. A commitment to inclusive practice and fair access to the school for all pupils as governed by the Admission Code of Practice and the Authority’s Fair Access Protocols.
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