Wembley Matters is taking a break

Wembley Matters is taking an Easter break for  a couple of days

Its break will only be interrupted by major news such as Cllr Muhammed Butt joining the SWP, Francis Henry ousting Paul Lorber as leader of  Brent Liberal Democrats, Brent Conservative councillors becoming coherent, Brent Greens supporting Quintain's plans for a nuclear power station in the Civic Centre car park or Lorraine King organising a 'no shopping'  boycott of the London Designer Outlet.

The break will also provide a ceasefire in the Kensal Rise 'Comment Wars' taking place on this blog. Time for reflection and relaxation...

Not Guilty Lucas vows to continue anti-fracking campaign

All five of the Balcombe anti-fracking campaigners on trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court were today found not guilty of obstructing the public highway and failing to comply with conditions imposed by a senior police officer.

The five, Josef Dobraszczyk, Ruth Jarman, Caroline Lucas, Sheila Menon and Ruth Potts, were amongst hundreds of people who were peacefully protesting against Cuadrilla’s plans to start fracking at Balcombe in Sussex last August.

All five vowed to continue their campaign against fracking and to stop the exploitation of shale gas and oil.
The peaceful protest highlighted widespread opposition to fracking - a controversial process where a mixture of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground, under high pressure, to force gas and oil from rock layers.

Cuadrilla has been carrying on exploratory drilling at Balcombe to see if the area has oil and gas bearing rocks.

Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion said:

We were peacefully protesting outside Cuadrilla’s site in Balcombe to highlight the environmental impact of fracking, particularly its role in accelerating climate change.

We are pleased that the court upheld our right to peacefully protest against fracking, but this judgement is not a victory or cause for celebration.

We will continue to campaign to end fracking and will only celebrate when that has been achieved.

In the light of the UN’s latest report on climate change, it is clearer than ever that exploiting new sources of fossil fuels such as shale gas is fatally undermining the Government’s stated ambition to protect Britain from the worst impacts of climate change.  The only safe and responsible thing to do with shale gas is to leave it in the ground.

Drilling for shale gas could also cause severe harm to our water resources, countryside and wildlife. The current regulatory framework is simply not fit for purpose - putting communities and our environment at serious risk.

Now, more than ever, the government must show some leadership.

As a first step, David Cameron must announce an immediate end to fracking and redouble efforts to make the most of the UK’s rich renewable energy resources.

Public support for shale gas drilling is falling, whilst support for clean energy such as wind and solar is growing. The Government should listen to the public and to climate scientists and stop letting oil and gas industry lobbyists dictate UK energy policy.

The trial coincided with the release of two major UN studies on climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC)  latest report  warned that greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels were rising faster than ever and highlighted that we can still avoid the worst impacts of climate change but only by urgently switching to renewable energy, reducing energy demand  and phasing out our use of fossil fuels.

An earlier IPCC report concluded that climate change is already happening and examined the impacts of climate change such as storms, droughts and flooding as well as the risks of inaction on health, food security and water supplies.

Climate scientists agree that delaying action to cut carbon emissions is dangerous and will increase the costs of tackling climate change significantly. Experts are clear that around 80 per cent of unexploited fossil fuels will have to remain in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change .

Caroline Lucas said that the way forward was being shown by initiatives like REPOWER Balcombe, a new community cooperative set up by local residents with the aim to generate the equivalent of 100% of the village’s electricity usage from clean, renewable energy sources.

REPOWER Balcombe’s spokesperson Joe Nixon said:

We all need energy, but buying dirty fossil power from giant utilities is no longer the only option.

Advances in renewable technology mean that communities like ours can now generate the energy we need ourselves, locally, in a way that benefits us directly instead of big power companies - and helps the environment instead of harming it. This is win-win for Balcombe and for the planet.

Caroline concluded:

I know that this is very important to a large number of my constituents, because so many of them have written to me about the environmental risks posed by fracking, and the urgency of tackling climate change.

All five of us would like to thank all of the supporters who have turned up to support us today and thank the thousands of people who have sent letters, emails and tweets to express their support.

Caroline Lucas did not have any recourse to public funds in order to fight her case.

Horses to return to Bush Farm, Kingsbury

I am able to reassure the children who are regular visitors to the donkey, Shetland pony, ponies and horses at Bush Farm in Kingsbury that they have not disappeared for good.

The animals who graze the paddocks on the edge of Fryent Country Park have been missing for some time. Kellie, who rents the fields from Brent Council told me this morning that they were moved to other grazing when the paddocks deteriorated during the record wet weather in the winter and became extremely muddy and bare of grass..

The fields which were left to recover are now drying out and there is a healthy crop of grass. Kellie told me that the popular animals will return later in the year.

Both Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas to speak at NUT fringes this weekend

With a radical revised Green education policy ready to discuss both Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, and Green MP, Caroline Lucas, will be speaking at fringes at this weekend's NUT Conference in Brighton.

Blunt speaking in favour of Friends of Kensal Rise Library

Guest post by Gaynor Lloyd
 

OK, I had decided to hold back from comment on this. I am "just" a Brent SOS library campaigner from the other end of the Borough. I have  been involved more or less from the beginning but "my" library is Barham - which Brent Council and its Labour councillors treat somewhat differently from Kensal Rise. However, I am not bitter! I rejoice at the return of ANY library to the Brent library circuit and look forward to Kensal Rise re-opening even if it is “only” on the ground floor. I apologise if that offends some people and can take being told to butt out..

But I claim some right to comment from a position of knowledge. In my working life up to retirement last year, I was a commercial  property lawyer, experienced in development, sales and landlord and tenant matters in a Central London firm for over 33 years – including “against” the solicitors All Souls use – Farrers. I acted for P&O, Chelsfield, Laing, Sun Life Assurance and many developers and investors small and large. 

I was “lucky” enough to be allowed to go to some of Cricklewood ‘s meetings - including at Savills with the Cricklewood team, where I met the (in)famous Mr Seaman and his advisers, and also – in a  separate meeting – the legendary Mr Gillick.

The day that All Souls exchanged contracts with Andrew Gillick’s property company in respect of the Kensal Rise Library, the die was cast in terms of what bargain could be made for the library. People may not like it but that is the position at law. Nobody at Kensal Rise – the Friends of Kensal Rise (FKRL) or otherwise – nor at Brent Council had any control whatsoever. The legal position is what it is. All Souls sold to Andrew Gillick’s company. The contract was not subject to planning, and Gillick could buy, with the only protection for the library as set out in the Option Agreement. Thanks to the campaigners’ persistence, that Option Agreement has become public – but only just. FKRL had no knowledge of what protective provisions there might be to preserve their beloved library. They had no power whatsoever to impose anything, or change what All Souls  and Gillick had agreed.

However, thanks, in my view, to the fantastic campaigning by FKRL, through its Trustees and the community– it turns out that – All Souls kept back a provision for community space in that Option Agreement – essentially the binding contract for the disposal (as Gillick exercised his option). The Trustees – from the sight I have had as a member of Brent SOS steering group from the beginning have, in my opinion,  played an absolute blinder with constant risks and with essentially a blooming awful hand once Brent was daft enough to trigger the reverter. What they have achieved thus far was  against impossible odds 

 The provisions as to space and terms on which it can be obtained for community are set in the contract. It simply was not possible for anyone to improve on that position. All Souls and Gillick entered into their Option Agreement . FKRL was not and could not be at the table for that agreement. Essentially, that was that. All that hard work to get Kensal Rise classified as an Asset of Community Value was defeated. FKRL had no position from which legally to negotiate.

So – sorry for my bluntness – but the Trustees of FKRL couldn’t change that. Anyone who thinks that  it was in the legal control of FKRL to get any better position is plainly wrong. The contract between All Souls and  Gillick’s company is enforceable in law, and FKRL has no standing in that contract.

If people want to object to the planning application, that is up to them. There may be tactical considerations but it is hardly my place to comment on that – I don’t know all the facts nor am I a Kensal Rise campaigner nor resident in Kensal Rise. But – from the (involved and caring) outsider’s position, forgive me for saying this. The Brent SOS campaign has brought so many magnificent hard working people together, forged alliances across party lines and worked very hard for the public of Brent . Because of that, Kensal Rise MAY well actually get a library. Can people celebrate that? I am sure that they will work together to ensure that will happen.

But may I personally pay a huge tribute to my chief contacts – firstly, the truly magnificent, totally committed, fearsome and fearless - and hard working beyond all measure - Margaret Bailey   Apart from all her physical work  along with others “manning” the much lamented and iconic pop-up library, I have been in contact with her, as she sat up all night for days getting documents drafted and  in , e.g. on the planning) .And  - let us not forget – it was Margaret. who took the risk on the court case in her name. As a lawyer, I understand the courage and genuine risk  of that - however much she may minimise it, in her inimitable fashion.   And, of course, Laura Collignon , who has  in addition to all her work in the complex, lengthy and multi-layered campaign for Kensal Rise, marshalled the mixed , feisty and totally committed  members of the Brent SOS  overall  steering group in some of the best run meetings I have ever witnessed .  

Two women who truly deserve accolades for the extraordinary position that FKRL has got itself to. (With many apologies to those who have doubtless also worked very hard in the campaign!)

An eyesore at one of Brent's hidden gems

 

Old St Andrew's Church in Kingsbury dates from the 12th century but a church is believed to have been on the site since Saxon times.  It is Brent's only Grade 1 listed building and has recently bee brought back into use as a place of worship by Brent's Romanian Community. A new tarmac path to the church from Old Church Lane was completed a couple of days ago.

The church yard around the old church is overgrown but kept in check by regular visits from Community Payback. It is quite a nature reserve noted in the Spring for its snowdrops, violets and bluebells. It still has the air of a country church yard in the middle of suburbia.

A long established footpath leads from the church, behind St Andrew's nursery, to St Andrew's Road.

It is as the path wends towards St Andrew's Road that the beguiled visitor is jolted by the sight of a regular fly tip, adjacent to the public right of way, behind the nursery.  Brent Council has been informed about this frequently but the fly tipping continues. It appears to be in 'no man's land' with nobody owning up to responsibility for clearing it up.

A pity, because it spoils one of Brent's hidden gems.

Time for a public debate on Kensal Rise Library issues

At the beginning of this month I carried a 'Guest Blog'  LINK from trustees of the Friends of Kensal Rise Library on why they had reached an agreement with the developer, Andrew Gillick. This has attracted many comments with the debate becoming quite heated at times. I posted an update on the planning application for the redevelopment of the library building on Saturday LINK which has also attracted debate.  The revelation of the option agreemment between All Souls and Andrew Gillick LINK added another dimension to the discussion.

There are three main questions arising from the debate as far as I can see:

1. Is the agreement the best deal possible for the campaign to safeguard a community library space in the building, is it secure and will the Friends be able to raise the necessary funds for the upkeep and running of the space?
2. Should the police investigation into the fraudulent emails supporting Andrew Gillick's first planning application be concluded before the Brent Planning Committee considers this planning application and would a delay put the acquisition of the community space in jeopardy?
3. What are the ramifications of the option agreement and should it be submitted as evidence to the Planning Committee?

Having hosted this debate on Wembly Matters I do recognise that it has reached only a small number of people but concerns a whole local community.

As the issue is clearly controversial with strong opinions voiced on both sides, I wonder of there should be a public meeting where some of these matters can be thrashed out, starting from the assumption that everyone wants to retain a library presence in the building?

The consultation closes on April 28th and there is a possibility that the application will go to the May 14th Planning Committee, a week before the local elections.

Barham Library Campaign calls for support on planning appeal

Paul Lorber, leader of Brent Liberal Democrats has written to local library campaigners on behalf of the Barham Library Campaign about the former Barham Library. He tells them that  despite all the opposition from local people...

Labour Councillors have decided to spend £10,000 of Brent taxpayers money to Appeal a decision made by Brent's Planning Committee to REFUSE the Planning application to change of use of the Barham Park Buildings (including the library space) from D1 community uses.

A Planning Inspector has been appointed to deal with the Apeal and we now need YOUR help again. We need as many local people as posible to send objections to the Inspector as possible.

We will help draft objections and will meet from 7p.m. on Wednesday 16 April at the Barham Lounge 660 Harrow Road Wembley (this is the building at the front and on the left of the Barham Buildings on the edge of Harrow Road as you face it - opposite Chaplin Road) Buses 18, 92, 182 stop nearby.

If you cannot come you can also send your appeal by email to teamp13@pins.gsi.gov.uk
 or in writing to:

Planning Inspectorate Temple Quay House 2 The Square Bristol BS1 6PN

In both cases you must quote reference: APP/T5150/A/14/2216244

A simple objection could be as follows (although please use your own words):

 Dear Inspector

Barham Buildings - APP/T5150/A/14/2216244

I object and oppose the Appeal against the decision to REFUSE the planning application for the Barham Park buildings in London Borough of Brent on the grounds of material loss of access to the buldings by the local community.

The buildings and the park were a gift to local people for their enjoyment. Local people have had access since 1937 and for most of the time (almost 60 years) there was a public library which received around 60,000 visist from local people each year.

The change of use from D1 to B1 to allow a takeover of large parts of the building by one organisation will deprive the local community of much needed general access. The suggestion that 2 open days a year compensates for the loss of the general access is laughable.

(IF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL and SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE OF USING THE BUILDINGS - BECAUSE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY USED TO VISIT PLEASE ADD IT HERE).

The local library provided a much needed community space for the local diverse community. It was used by people of all ages. Young people especially lost because their libray closed as they were deprived of study space and in case of younger children access to books. Older people lost a safe meeting place.

I support the campaign by Friends of Barham Library to reopen the Library for the benefit of local people. Friends of barham Library already operate volunteer libraries in temporary (and far too small) premises in Sudbury and Wembley proving the need for such a facility.

The Planning Committee received representations from local people who argued strongly for the protection of the Barham Buildings for general community use. By a large majority the Brent Planning Committee supported that call and REFUSED the application.

By pursuing the appeal Brent Council is going against the wishes of local people and I urge you to REJECT the Appeal.

Yours faithfully

 Your signature"
 
 If you cannot come on the 16th please come to either our Sudbury Town Underground Station or 428 Wembley High Road volunteer libraries where we can help you with a letter or email.

The site had been suggested for a secondary special school by a charity set up by Brent parents LINK