London MPs' Expenses revealed

Last minute deferral of Harrow School's application to build on Metropolitan Open Land

At yesterday's Harrow Planning Committee it at first appeared that the Harrow School's Planning Application to build on Metropolitan Open Land had been successful.

The Committee was tied 3-3 on a motion refusing the planning application and then the Chair, Keith Ferry, used his casting vote against the motion.  The Committee had received a petition from Harrow Hill Trust of 1,500 signatories against the proposal and a letter from Gareth Thomas MP.

Then in a surprise move Labour councillor Barry Kendler, who had opposed aspects of this particular build but was not against building on Metropolitan Open Land as such, moved a motion to defer.

Kendler had not liked the design and raised issues including the colour scheme of bricks, style, position (ie red brick, not grey slabs, on to brown site or slightly moved to see more of skyline views, etc).  The chair had indicated that would be a matter of negotiation later and not part of this decision.  Cllr Kendler said that if resolution of these planning aspects were not included in the planning decision he was not certain he could rely on Harrow School's goodwill.  He moved the motion to defer and all six councillors voted for it with the Chair against.

The Harrow School representatives, who were by far the biggest group at the meeting, conferred outside and were described by one onlooker as 'looking very serious'.

An opponent of the scheme said after the meeting:

So we live to partly fight another day, especially if Sadiq Khan makes more of the fact that Metropolitan Open Land (ie like green belt) is still allowed to be exchanged for a piece of school land they don't want to use!  The large new build will certainly make a major difference to the historic view of Harrow Church/School. 

A spokesperson for Harrow Hill Trust said:

The Harrow Hill Trust was not happy with the content of the planning officer's report on the scheme and they will continue to fight the case and to promote a brownfield option instead. Interested parties can go to www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk and click through to the petition where a wealth of information is provided including contact emails and phone numbers for the Labour Councillors who are all that is stopping this application from being refused. Lobbying would be appreciated.

Author's talk 'Are my roots showing?' Friday at Preston Community Library

Further response from Brent Council on Ealing Road Library consultation complaints

The proposed design

Alice Lester, Brent Council's Head of Planning, Transport and Licensing, Regeneration and Environment, has responded to the resident's request for wider consultation posted earlier LINK

I can see that this application is generating a lot of local interest. We do want people to have the chance to comment, so although we have already written to 35 properties around the library about the proposals, we will send out more letters to the streets outlined in your email. This date on the site notice has also been amended (although as I said, comments will be taken into account and reported to committee if they are received beforehand).

My colleagues who are responsible for submitting the planning application are going to arrange a local meeting to explain the proposals. A date is just being arranged; if the details aren’t included in the notification letter mentioned above, then you will be notified separately.

The impact of the proposal on parking/traffic will be part of the assessment of the application but clearly any comments you and others have on this as part of your responses will be helpful.

DEMO FRIDAY EVENING: 'Trump wrecking global climate action' US Embassy 6pm

From Climate Defence

Date: THIS FRIDAY, 18th November
Time: 6:00pm
Location: US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, W1A 2LQ. Map HERE

As the UN COP22 climate talks in Marrakesh draw to a close, a new dawn for climate policy is breaking with the election of Donald Trump as the President of the USA.

Environmental campaigners' worst fears look to be justified, as Presdent-elect Trump has already announced the appointment of Myron Ebell, a prominent climate change denier with strong links to the fossil fuel industry, as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Earlier this week, the World Meteorological Organization predicted that 2016 is almost certainly going to be the hottest year on record, surpassing last year's record. Trump has called climate change a "hoax". The disconnect between the climate crisis and those holding power has never been starker. Now only the most wildly optimistic have any hope that the world won't pass 2°C.

This time last year the world's leaders came together in Paris to agree the historic Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit the increase in temperature to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It came into earlier at the beginning of the month. America is responsible for almost 20% of global carbon emissions and is the world's highest per capita polluter.

Trump has made it clear that he wants to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and his staff are already looking for ways to do so. There are real fears that this could pave the way for similar moves from other countries looking for a way to appease those with vested interests.

So, join us outside the American Embassy in Mayfair at 6pm on Friday to send a clear message: Trump's climate policies are nothing short of genocidal and will seal the fate of the millions, if not billions of people who are set to lose their lives as the planet warms irreversibly.

Please join and share our Facebook event with all the latest information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/333429317036859

Residents not happy with Brent Council's response to complaint about Ealing Road Library consultation process

Brent Council has responded to residents' complaints about the lack of consultation on the plans for the Ealing Road Library site. LINK

They have put up a second site notice which they claim should be more visible to passers by and a set of plans have been left in the library.

The planning application is due to go to the Planning Committee on December 14th and the Council have said that comments receievd up tp the day before the meeting will be taken int account when the decision is made.  The Council say that this gives more than 21 days for people to comment but advise that comments should be submitted as early as possible.

Furthermore they say that, within the normal rules, members iof the public can apply to speak at the Planning Committee meeting.

A resident has responded,

Thank you for confirming this though I believe Brent Council have a ‘duty of care’ to properly and fairly consult local residents so I’m afraid I do not think your response is really acceptable.

Can you please confirm that you will be altering the planning notice(s) to advise that comments can be made up until 13th December with the name and address of who residents can write to in Brent Council’s Planning Department if they do not have internet access?

Can you please confirm that you will be fully publicising this planning application to local residents by leafleting all houses in the roads surrounding Ealing Road Library (Ealing Road, Lyon Park Avenue, The Close, Union Road, Park Road, Copland Road, Station Grove, Montrose Crescent, Chaplin Road, Swinderby Road, Ranelagh Road) with the relevant information and confirming in those leaflets that residents can view plans at Ealing Road Library and that they have until 13th December to comment, again with the name and address of who they should write to in Brent Council’s Planning Department if they do not have internet access?

This is a major alteration to our area and we deserve to be properly consulted and with full details of how to respond - some properties in Park Road, Lyon Park Avenue and Union Road back onto the library/or are adjacent to the side boundary of the library and will potentially be most affected by noise pollution from a ‘performance space’ or an ‘outdoor cinema’ yet they have not received letters re the consultation for this development.

Any development of the Ealing Road Library space should have been drawn up in full conjunction with neighbouring residents before detailed planning applications were submitted.   The Brent Council planning department used to advise that you talked to your neighbours before applying for any planning permission to try and iron out any issues/disagreements beforehand yet local council tax-paying residents have heard nothing from their council re this matter.

So that we can fully consider the pros and cons of this planning application can you please advise what exact plans have been drafted by Brent Council for easing traffic congestion in Ealing Road, which is usually grid locked both ways at the weekend, and where all the extra visitors you want to attract to Ealing Road going to park?  Shoppers coming to buy in bulk, buy gold or buy expensive clothing will want to come by car, they will not want to come by bus or train, yet the larger Montrose Crescent Car Park is being closed to build flats and you plan to close the small Ealing Road library car park and also remove around 10 parking bays from the street/slip road outside the library?

Whether residents are in favour or against this plan a proper consultation needs to be carried out and further information re the traffic issues and parking problems needs to be supplied.

Brent Council celebrates itself in 'Our Day' tweetathon

Never let it be said that I am unfair to Brent Council! 'Our Day' is an annual tweetathon showcasing local government. This is a window into how Brent Council sees itself:

Brent Carers Rights Day event November 25th