Supporting Immigrants in London-Public Meetings

A summer to remember on Chalkhill

Chalkhill Park earlier this year

It was good  today to see Chalkhill residents enjoying their first summer in the new park. The Chalkhill Champions' Summer Camp was in session with children learning how to put up a tent. The Camp for children on the estate takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 1-4pm. It will culminate with an entertainment put on by the young people on Friday August 30th.

Chalkhill Residents' Association have organised a Family Summer Trip to Littlehampton later in the holiday.

Future 'Happy Dayz Family Fun' activities  in the park for Chalkhill residents include:
August 10th  3pm Scavenger Hunt
August 11th 3pm Family Rounders
August 17th 3pm Family Beat the Goalie
August 18th 3pm  Family Picnic/Campsite
August 24th 3pm Family Treasure Hunt
Look for the Green Tent in the park this weekend and sign up.

The new park is having a really positive impact on the local community according to one resident I spoke to. He lives opposite the park and apart from some occasional late night rowdiness, he described a friendly atmosphere where adults accompanying their children and others using the park for chilling out or exercising on the outdoor gym, are getting to know each other, chatting and then greeting each other in Asda or elsewhere in Wembley.

For me it underlines the importance of safe and beautiful public spaces which everyone can enjoy at no cost and where informal social contact can develop in a natural way. With increasing development and the privatisation of existing public spaces it is important to safeguard such neutral free spaces.

Bid for a 'University' of Wembley Stadium

The UCFB College of Football Business which works in partnership with  Buckinghamshire New University has submitted a planning application to run university degree and short management courses at Wembley Stadium.

The UCFB currently runs courses at Burnley FC. They are applying to be on site by April 2014 with courses starting in September 2014. The courses will run in existing areas of the stadium which are unused on non-event days with some dual-use rooms. UCFB use would be subordinate to the main Wembley Stadium  function.

They envisage 325 students in Year 1, 1,000 in Year 2, 1,600 in Year 3 and 2,000 in Year 4 with a limit of 3,000, but state that there 'may be an opportunity for an increase in numbers by application to vary the conditions'.

UCFB's agents argue that the business would contribute to all-round year use of the stadium and nearby facilities as envisaged by Brent Council and would employ about 40 full-time and part-time staff.

Details: LINK

Harlesden Incinerator: Action Tomorrow and Wednesday

Local residents are being urged to get down to Channel Gate Road in Park Royal LOCATION for 11am tomorrow (Saturday) morning when there is a visit to the proposed Harlesden Incinerator site by Ealing Planning Committee. Opponents of the incinerator want a massive turnout to show councillors the strength of feeling in the area.

This will be followed by a demonstration and lobby outside Ealing Town Hall LOCATION at 6.15pm on Wednesday August 14th before the Planning Committee meets to make its decision.

Details of the planning application Reference PP/2012/3267 can be found HERE

The campaign can be followed on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

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’’.  

 

Natalie Bennett speaks out on current issues

Get out there and celebrate Playday today

Today is National Playday organised by Play England and the weather has turned out just right for children to get out into the fresh air.  Here is Play England's message about today:

Playday has gone from strength-to-strength since its inception in London in 1987, when the first events were held to raise awareness about the effects of cuts to local play services. Today, over 600 celebrations are happening across the UK to give children and young people a fun-filled day, and to continue to demonstrate the importance of play for children, families and whole communities. 

A survey commissioned to support the Playday 2013 Playful places campaign has revealed that traffic, fear of strangers and intolerant neighbours are preventing children from playing outdoors. Additionally, over 50% of adults reported playing out at least seven times a week when they were growing up, compared to less than a quarter of children (23%) today, with 40% of children saying they want to play out more. 

However, the survey shows that play has the power to bring communities together; with 40% of adults saying that children playing out where they live improves community spirit, and almost half (45%) saying it helps families to get to know each other. All it takes is one or two families to take the first step; with 60% of parents saying they would feel confident to let their kids play out if others were playing too.

So for Playday 2013, we're calling on everyone to help make sure that children have the freedom and space to play out where they live by:

• Spreading the word about the campaign - tell everyone you know about Playday - Facebook it, Tweet it (#Playday2013) and talk about it!
• Getting involved locally - get together with others in your community to think about how you can make the places where you live great places for kids to play.
• Encouraging decision-makers to commit to play - contact your local MP and Councillors and encourage them to take account of children's play needs when making decisions about your local area.

The Playful places campaign is calling on everyone to help make sure that the places where children play and hang out are great places to play.

The campaign recognises that:

• Children should feel welcomed where they live and feel part of their communities.
• Parents want their children to be able to play outside.
• Public space should be designed and managed with children's play in mind.
• Children and young people need to be involved in planning the places and spaces where they play.

Cross-party appeal to Boris as he makes decision today on the Welsh Harp

Future generations will need the Welsh Harp

Today Boris Johnson will meet with GLA planners to decide what action to take on the Barnet Council-Barratt Homes West Hendon development on the banks of the Welsh Harp nature reserve and SSSI.

The cross-party campaign sent the following joint letter asking him to refuse the development. He can decide to refer it back to Barnet Council to make the decision, reject it or take over the planning application as the planning authority.

                                                                                                          

Dear Mr Mayor,

Ref: Application No. 13/0938. West Hendon Estate, NW9

We, the undersigned, have considered the above application and wish to confirm our objection on the following grounds:

Site Considerations

This is an exceptional and most significant site located in a conservation area enjoyed and cherished by the people of Brent and Barnet and is of a remarkable value to Londoners and visitors as a whole. The site is rich in its heritage and unique given that it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); accommodating a Reservoir; unique ecological heritage and green un-spoilt environment with leisure and recreational facilities. The proposed development will see some four-fold increase in the current population. This proposal amounts to gross overdevelopment on this site and will destroy the heritage and value the site provides locally as well as strategically.

Scale of the Development

The scale of the development with 2,000 residential units, commercial and community facilities including a two form entry primary school is wholly inappropriate for this sensitive site. The built environment with tower blocks and the resultant bulk dominating the skyline will not be in keeping with the character of the area, will have a serious detrimental impact on local views and set a precedent destroying permanently the outstanding character and the natural beauty the area provides as well as jeopardising the maintenance of the Welsh Harp SSSI status into the future.

Conservation and Impact on Environmental Amenities

The applicant’s design and access statement refers to the Brent Reservoir SSSI, primarily notified for its wetland breeding birds, wintering water fowl and botanical interests. According to this document, studies undertaken for 2004 ES identified ‘the existing ecological value of the site to be low’. We challenge this statement as the conclusion in this document is not backed up by clear evidence and is in direct contradiction to the assessment of this site by many professional organisations and individuals. The influx of some 5,000+ residents together with the massive development itself within the 20M ‘No build zone’ would threaten the ecological amenity. The site is of London and National ecological importance and the development in question lacks adequate research and evidence to demonstrate that the scale and design of the development can sustain and enhance the quality of nature conservation aspects. We would like to draw attention to the specific environmental concerns raised by Brent Council Environmental Officers which  ‘remain’ despite assurances from the developer:

It is considered that the edge of the Welsh Harp Reservoir, marshland and tree line will be affected as a result of the development for the following reasons:

·        The new buildings are planned to be considerably closer to the water’s edge than the buildings of the existing development. This reduces further the belt of green-space between the development and the reservoir.

·        The two new footbridges that are proposed across the Reservoir and SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) to link to play-areas and park at West Hendon is likely to affect the reservoir by introducing infrastructure into the reservoir and disturbance by users.

·        Apparent lack of improvements to enhance the natural environment of the reservoir – There is mention of ‘linear woodland’ but it is unclear where this will be provided as there is insufficient space between the development and the water’s edge to create woodland.

·        The proposed felling of trees that contain features conducive for roosting by bats.

·        Lighting: the impact of lighting on bats is likely to be a direct impact. (The Environment Statement: non-technical summary, suggests that lighting is likely to be an ‘indirect’ impact).

·         Insufficient research into existing fauna and flora and underestimating its national and local importance.

·        The applicant's report mentions wildlife but seems to play down its national and London wide importance. A GiGL search of the area has revealed that the reservoir supports the country’s largest breeding group of great crested grebe whilst in winter it supports nationally important numbers of waterfowl as well as over 40 nationally rare species. The applicant is advised to contact GiGL for accurate info.

We believe that whilst the above environmental concerns remain unaddressed by the developer that the proposals cannot legitimately be granted planning permission in their current form.

High Rise Blocks

The site is designated (Barnet’s Core Strategy: Tall Buildings policy CS5) as appropriate in some strategic locations for tall buildings of 8 – 20 storey but the proposed tower blocks of 29, 27 and 21 storey height are contrary to Barnet’s policies and will completely destroy the physical character of this site. Equally, the high-rise blocks fail to comply with the stringent policies set out in the London Plan. The London Plan policy 7.7 (Location and Design of Tall Buildings) requires tall buildings to be located in town centres and major zones of economic development and can be considered only ‘in areas whose character would not be affected adversely by the scale, mass or bulk of a tall or large building’. Section 7.7E of the London Plan also states “a matter for particular consideration is the setting of tall buildings on the edge of Metropolitan Open Land”. The applicant has not submitted the necessary information to do this, and therefore does not comply with the criteria for assessment set out in London Plan policy 7.7E

Residential Proposal

Provision of ‘Homes’: Barnet’s Core Strategy states (clause 9.2 for homes of

different sizes) that the majority of units are houses which account for 62% of the stock. ‘Design And Access Statement’ of the applicant claims “The mixture of typologies provides opportunities to accommodate people’s preferences for housing” but this is not backed up in the scheme offered in the application. In reality, the proposal is driven by a commercial scheme with no relevance to the preferences of Barnet’s residents. Woefully small provision of 20 ‘houses’ (only 1% of total) fails to provide an acceptable mix of residential accommodation to reflect the character of Barnet’s existing residential stock and preferences of residents to live in traditional homes and not flatted accommodation in towers as tall as 29 storey high.

Inadequate Affordable Housing: Provision of a meagre 25% Affordable Housing is market driven to maximise the return at the cost of much needed affordable socially rented housing. For a scheme of this scale a minimum of 35% stock of housing for socially rented housing is required and the deficiency is serious enough to demand refusal of the scheme.

Dearth of Family Size Housing: Barnet’s Core Strategy says 33% of all Barnet households contain children, the majority of these comprising an adult couple with children. Barnet’s specialist Housing Strategy sets out housing priorities and delivery by 2025 with overarching objective of ‘providing housing choices that meet the needs and aspirations of Barnet residents’. The Core Strategy further states ‘to improve choice we need to increase housing supply including family sized homes.’  ‘Our dwelling size priorities are for family accommodation across all tenures.’ (3 Bedrooms higher and 4 bed rm medium priority). The Mayor of London’s Housing Strategy for affordable housing (Policy 1.1C) specifies the requirement for more family-sized homes, with 42 per cent of social rented and, by 2011,16 per cent of intermediate homes having three bedrooms or more. A meagre provision of 20 houses (8 no. 3 bedroom houses and 12 number 4 bedroom houses) and 290 (14.5%) duplex apartments completely undermines Barnet’s Core Strategy, Specialist Housing Strategy and the Mayor’s Housing Strategy.

Social Infrastructure

We do not believe that Barnet Council has demonstrated a robust assessment of the proposed community amenities such as the 2 form entry primary school, nursery and community centre in order to gauge the adequacy of these facilities to support the scale and size of the scheme. Significantly, the scheme contains no provision for a GP surgery or medical centre facilities for the new occupants. There already exists an acute shortage of medical facilities locally and the absence of this provision in the proposals is a serious omission which must be incorporated to provide adequate social infrastructure. There appears to be an overall lack of long-term vision for the plans, particularly from a health and safety and emergency perspective.

Transport, Parking and Congestion

Bus Priority Lanes & Cool Oak Lane

Serious concerns exist with regards to the acute traffic and congestion problems resulting from this massive development on the already busy A5, local road network and junctions. We disagree with the proposal of deleting sections of priority bus lanes on the A5 as part of the new proposal as this will remove the ‘multi – modal’ aspect agreed with TfL to provide non-car sustainable transport and the objectives agreed for A5. In addition, there are concerns about capacity of junctions, trip generation and increase in flow of traffic on the A5. The objectives for the A5 have been split into two groups, one set for the north, one set for the southern section. These are set down in the North London sub-regional transport plan 2012, and the objectives for the northern section (which this site adjoins) are –

• To encourage longer distance traffic to exit the A5 at appropriate points
• To minimise the impact of developments on the performance of the A5 corridor
• To further improve highway performance by tackling issues at identified delay hotspots
• To protect the status of local and district centres through environmental, public realm and active mode initiatives
• To encourage greater use of public transport from local neighbourhoods to facilities along the A5
• To accommodate longer distance freight and facilitate deliveries and servicing whilst minimising its impact on residents, congestion and air quality.

Assessments to accompany developments should illustrate how these objectives are being worked towards, or at least not acted against.

Furthermore, the adjacent Cool Oak Lane which cuts through the Welsh Harp itself is a narrow, winding and picturesque road which is simply not designed to cope with a four-fold increase in the local population.

Trip Generation Levels

The tables showing the levels of trip generation have been reviewed. Whilst the levels of junction saturation are stated, the developer does not  illustrate the overall level of increase in flow on the A5 (current and future flows) as a result of the development. The junction looks to be very close to capacity already – the assessment states that where development traffic is factored up by 10% to provide a robust assessment, this makes little difference to the operation

of the junction, and that queue lengths only increase by a maximum of 2 pcus. This seems very low and Brent Council has asked that this figure be re-checked.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the application drives a coach and horses through all significant planning policy justifications. The applicant has given inadequate consideration to the local, London-wide and national significance of this unique site and the proposed development would seriously threaten the SSSI status of the Welsh Harp (The only SSSI in Brent or Barnet).

We believe that there are a great number of important factors which remain unaddressed by the developer and if approved, the decision would be tantamount to an act of vandalism.

We, as a cross party alliance in addition to the 800+ Brent Residents who have formally objected to this scheme, urge your good offices to refuse this development in light of the breadth and scale of the concerns outlined above.

Yours sincerely,

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent & Harrow	Cllr Muhammed Butt Leader of Brent Council
Cllr Roxanne Mashari Labour Councillor for Welsh Harp Ward Lead Member for Environment & Neighbourhoods	Cllr Alison Hopkins Liberal Democrat Councillor for Dollis Hill Ward Chair, Welsh Harp JCC
Cllr Suresh Kansagra Leader of the Conservative Group Brent Council	Brian Orr Chair, Brent Green Party
Martin Francis Chair, Brent Campaign against Climate Change	Cllr Javaid Ashraf Liberal Democrat Councillor for Dollis Hill Chair, Brent One Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Viv Stein Transition Willesden Brent Friends of the Earth	Maurice Hearn Chair, Dors Close and Doreen Avenue Neighbourhood Watch Former Conservative Councillor
Roland Santos Chair, Wood Close Neighbourhood Watch	Alexander Melia Chair, Comber Close Residents Association