Wembley's frantic development: For better or worse?

Olympic Way. Public realm works are in  progress

Once in a while I like to give my Friends from the South (the south of Brent that is) a photographic update on the development around Wembley Stadium and now increasingly in Wembley High Road. It may also enable local Wembley people to keep track of these rapid developments.

Civic Centre/Olympic Way)

New blocks have narrowed the view of the Stadium

Once visible from Olympic Way, the Civic Centre is now only glimpsed between the blocks

The Pedway, soon to be replacd by steps, new build on right

The open space is now over-shadowed

Another block rises at the side of the stadium

The Civc Centre veranda used to have a view of the stadium...

Ever closer proximity

Near Wembley Stadium station

Mahatma Gandhi House, Wembley Hil Road, has been demolished. A 10/21 storey block is to be built here

Opposite, Cottrell House has been demolished, 9 storey block here

York House, Wembley Hill Road, an Ark primary free school to be built on the car park

Flats replacing Brent House on the High Road, stretch back to new Ark Elvin site

Playing fields at Ark Elvin, the academy  that replaced Copland High

Former green space set aside for Elsely Primary School expansion

The new Ark Elvin building. The old building on the High Road will be demolished & replaced with flats & retail

'Luxury' apartments on the High Road

Crane in place at junction of High Road and Park Lane. The 'Twin Towers' will be two and a half times as tall as the block to the left...

...and just three storeys short of the West Hendon tower that can be seen for miles

For relief, something on a human scale - Chalkhill Park

Why were Brent workers allowed to work in Paddington Cemetery without protective clothing when specialists deem it necessary?

Photographs taken at Paddington Cemetery on Wednesday April 4th

Councillor John Duffy has returned to the controversial issue of asbestos at Paddington Cemetery. He has written to Brent Council enclosing the above photographic evidence.

In an email to Brent Council officers and members he states:

You can see from the photo the contractors are working in the area Brent Council officers were conveniently unable to identify from the original photo (albeit the area was signed posted). Again i think this highlights the cover -up that has been taking place by Brent officers to extent of the contamination by builders' rubble containing asbestos and the cost to Brent residents to clear or remediate the site.

I hope your reply will concentrate on why members of the workforce (gravediggers , gardeners) were instructed to work on section 3D without protective clothing  following the discovery of the Asbestos on May 7th (including Monday 26th June 2017).Will you please ensure officers explain why specialists still believe  they should wear protective clothing  to work on the site, when the local workforce were not provide protective clothing or training.

I also hope you will ensure officers give a full explanation of why officers deliberately mislead members of the public at a public meeting, saying  that they were unable to identify the location  "Photographs were not conclusive works and precise location not identified " when they were fully aware of both the location and work that was carried out.

Eight fire engines called to fire in North Wembley close to railway line

Photo @Sonia_Shah3 via LFB

From London Fire Brigade
 

Around 60 firefighters and officers tackled a fire in an industrial estate on East Lane, Wembley yesterday evening.

The first three floors of a commercial building were alight and firefighters worked hard to stop the fire spreading. The building also contained cylinders which can explode when exposed to heat and so crews cooled them down with water.

Brigade control officers received over 35 calls to the fire which was very visible and close to a train track and local train services were disrupted for some time.

8 fire engines from stations including Wembley, Northolt, Stanmore and Park Royal fire stations were at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

The Brigade as called at 1849 and the fire was under control at 2248 although crews expect to  be damping down for a number of hours.

Easter Egg hunt brings Brent community together

Sheffield Tree Defenders' Stump Up Appeal has just reached its target

Guest post by Alan Story


The Stump Up Sheffield (SUS) crowdfunder, “Defend the Tree Defenders: Stump Up Sheffield” ended a few minutes ago. 

You did it. We all did it. 

We’ve been successful in meeting our target of raising £27,000 to pay the legal costs of two tree defenders that were levied against them by Sheffield City Council (SCC). 

Although the Crowdfunder states that we have raised £20,470, other funds are being pooled together and there is now sufficient money available for Calvin Payne and Alastair Wright to pay these legal costs. So it is a time for celebration.

“But of course it sticks in our craw that all of this funding will be going into the coffers of SCC and that these bills were so steep because Sheffield City Council chose some of the most expensive lawyers in the country to enforce a civil injunction,” said Alan Story, a spokesperson for SUS. 

In Calvin’s case, SCC brought in a £15,000-a-day Queen’s Counsel from London as its hired gun for a November 2017 hearing against Calvin and Green Party councillor Alison Teal. (In Alison’s case, the Labour-controlled council used dodgy evidence against a fellow councillor; this evidence and her case were thrown out of court.) But Calvin, who was defended by barrister Paul Powlesand working on a pro bono basis, was convicted of breaching the Council’s injunction and given a suspended prison sentence. 

Alan Story said:

SCC made a political decision to try and crush Calvin and Alastair financially as part of a wider strategy of trying to crush the entire Sheffield trees movement but we were not cowed. Tree campaigners in Sheffield and our many allies across the country --- and the world --- said with one voice: ‘an injury to one tree campaigner is an injury to all tree campaigners’ and have stumped up marvellously.

We think it showed true Yorkshire grit and financial sacrifice and sends the message that this chainsaw massacre of OUR street trees should be ended immediately. And that mediation with tree campaigners needs to be at the top of Julie Dore’s agenda.

Since the crowdfunding campaign began 28 days ago, a total of 796 supporters have contributed £20,470, plus more than £800 in donations via PayPal. If you scroll through the 343 comments listed on the SUScrowdfunding page , you will see both the passions (and intellect) this issue has aroused, as well as the geographic breadth of the support. Money was donated by people from places such as British Columbia, Missouri, Brussels and Australia as well as across the UK in locations such as the Shetland Islands, London, Dorset and beyond. 

A significant pot of additional money has come in to SUS from the recent benefit concert of well-known Sheffield musicians; it was quickly sold out and was attended by 800 people. As Pitsmoor-born Richard Hawley said in a SUS video shot at the concert, the Council needs to admit that it has “ f***ed up” over trees. A lifetime Labour voter, Hawley says he has backed away from supporting Labour only twice: once over the Iraq War and now over the local street trees crisis. 

The official accounting of all the funds raised by this campaign will be released next week.
But the fund-raising efforts of the SUS team have not ceased. On Sunday 22 April at the Crookes Social Club, we are hosting the “Let’s Hear it for the Trees!” benefit concert. 

More details Here’s a YouTube video of one of the talented musicians, Nancy Kerr, who will be performing that night. LINK  

Money raised from the benefit gig will go towards future legal costs associated with Sheffield tree defenders.And it may well be needed. In what is obvious harassment, South Yorkshire Police keep arresting tree campaigners on baseless charges. In the most recent shameful case, charges were dropped this week against a 73-year-old retired firefighter LINK. 

We think the campaign was successful because, first and foremost, we were working on a clear case of injustice that touched a lot of people. But, as well: 

•          We had excellent high-profile endorsers including Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot, Maxine Peake, and Ken Loach. (Many more endorsers joined later.)
•          We had a team of 17 people of many talents who worked together on a co-operative and democratic basis. (The copy for the crowdfunder went through five drafts!)
•          We produced two videos (still available for viewing) and reached out widely across various social media. For example, we posted our crowdfunding message on +50 Facebook groups, which also spread the Sheffield trees saga to tens of thousands of people. Twitter tweeted merrily. 

At a February 7th  Sheffield City Council meeting, SCC tree felling czar Bryan Lodge claimed: “I travel around to different places… and it (the Sheffield chainsaw massacre) is not a topic of conversation in Southampton.” Take another trip Bryan. 

The SUS team was pulled together by NO STUMP CITY. Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG) was also a listed sponsor.

On behalf of Stump Up Sheffield
Alan Story
no.stump.city@gmail.com

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Local Solutions to Hunger - House of Commons April 18th 2018

Wednesday April 18th 3.30-5pm Committee Room 9, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA

Food banks have become an increasingly prevalent feature in our communities over the last few years with the numbers of food bank referrals reaching record levels.

How are local councils and organisations responding to the changing nature of emergency provision and deprivation?

With demand for food banks expected to rise further as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, what practical steps are available to tackle poverty and hunger and how can councils take a leading role?

There are two local speakers at this event.

Chair: Emma Lewell-Buck MP

Speakers: 

Roxanne Mashari – Councillor, London Borough of Brent
Sabine Goodwin- Independent Food Aid Network
Robert Tinker - Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Deidre Woods - Granville Community Kitchen
Sarah Chapman - Wandsworth Foodbank

BOOK HERE

Foraging & Volunteering Special Event April 14th Welsh Harp Education Centre

The extensive grounds of the Centre

From Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre

April 14th 10am-12.30pm 

The Friends of Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre are a group of volunteers that meets one Saturday morning every month at the centre. They manage the habitats in the area and all activities focus on improving the natural habitat of the 15 acre woodland for biodiversity and ensuring that the outdoor teaching spaces are safe and exciting for the thousands of school children that attend the centre each year.
This month we are combining volunteering with a foraging walk where the urban forager, Michael Stuart, will be hosting a walk for our volunteers to discover edible woodland herbs. We will then continue with some practical work in the woodland.

At the upcoming event we will be working on the following tasks:

-          Gaining skills in foraging with Michael Stuart, the urban forager

-          Pathway clearance in the woodland

-          Moving a few small logs across the woodland if time permits

-          Other tasks as they come up

Booking is not essential but it would be good to have an idea of numbers for the walk.

All welcome! Under 16’s need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.  Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided.  Please meet inside the education centre.
If you are not on the mailing list and you wish to be, please email deb.frankiewicz@thames21.org.uk

The Centre is at the top of Birchen Grove, Kingsbury. Go through the big green gates and the Centre is ahead of you.

Tickets still left for Grunwick Strike play April 19th at CNWL

We Are The Lions, Mr. Manager!’ is the remarkable story of Jayaben Desai the inspirational leader of the 1976-78 Grunwick Strike that took place in Brent.

She brought the issue of workplace exploitation and racism to the fore and challenged the perception of Asian women being inherently passive and docile. She not only stood up for workers’ rights and against oppression with selfless dedication, but with her steadfast resolve, she turned the dispute into a national movement for human rights and dignity inspiring future generations.

4 stars ‘A powerful story, powerfully told’ – Clare Brennan. The Observer.

There are still a few tickets left. Don't miss it! BOOK HERE