LETTER: ‘The pollution of the Wealdstone Brook with untreated human sewage is a clear and present danger.’

 Dear Editor,

‘A clear and present danger’ said President Biden recently with regards to the Climate Emergency,.

 

A clear and present danger says the various Brent Council documents and press releases with regards to the Climate Emergency.

 

So why is the presence of untreated human sewage in the Wealdstone Brook as it runs through Brent on its way to the River Brent and then onto the River Thames not declared Code Red for the local residents? Why was a ‘Major Incident’ not declared by Brent Council using its Formal Executive Powers?

 

The presence of untreated human sewage along with unknown toxic gases vaporising at low temperatures from the water surface would surely be regarded as a ‘clear and present danger’ to all but the ignorant.

 

As a retired Brent Secondary School teacher I will have a worksheet available for every Brent Councillor at the next full Brent Council meeting (absentees will be set it as homework).

 

Write out 100 times;

 

‘The pollution of the Wealdstone Brook with untreated human sewage is a clear and present danger.’

 

John Poole

Brent Council answers WM's questions on Fryent Country Park use as a car park and the July 31st road closures for a procession

Brent Council has responded to questions from  Wembley Matters on the event day car parking in Fryent Country Park. SEE LINK

The questions:

1. Was this arranged as a consequence of the RMT rail strikes?

2. If not when was it decided to use the park for this purpose?

3. What was the reason for installing a car park on Fryent Country Park open space?

 4. Is it intended to do this again and on what basis?

5. Where will the revenue (£25 per car) go?

The answers:

The event field at Fryent Country Park is available for commercial hire and events are very common there. Wembley Stadium approached the council to rent it on the basis the rail strike would create additional parking and traffic pressures in the Wembley area. The council agreed to its rental on the basis this would provide sensible relief across the wider area.

 

As well as a rental income to the council, the parking revenue was agreed to be ring-fenced to improve future event day management arrangements in the Wembley area, for example, more council enforcement, toilets and better fencing.

 

This is unlikely to be a regular occurrence, but the field is available for commercial hire as has always been the case.

 

Organisers make a deposit that can used to reinstate grounds in the event of any damage.

 

 We also asked about the notice of road closures in Wembley Park on July 31st for a 'procession'. SEE LINK

 

 

 

The questions:

 

1. Can you give further information on the nature of the procession and its duration?

2. What will be the hours of the road closure?

3. Will Fryent Way or the Country Park be used for car or coach parking on that day?

 

The answers:

 

The July road closures are to facilitate a fan march on the day of the Women’s Euros Final. It will be a rolling closure to minimise any disruption and is very dependent on which teams compete in the Final. Only two nations have indicated their fans will want to march. It is intended to be a fun and colourful pageant ahead of an important sporting event.

 

As always readers can decide for themselves if the questions have been satisfactorily answered.

Wembley Fire - 50 people evacuated before Fire Brigade arrived

 From London Fire Brigade

 

Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters tackled a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.

Half of the ground floor of a shop with flats above was alight. Part of the ground floor of a neighbouring shop was also alight, along with outbuildings at the rear of the properties. Around 50 people were evacuated before the Brigade arrived.

Seventeen gas cylinders were cooled and removed as a precaution as some can explode when exposed to heat.

The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took more than 40 calls to the blaze.

The Brigade was called at 1409 and the fire was under control by 1823. Fire crews from Ealing, Wandsworth, Poplar, Mill Hill, Tooting and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

Islamia Primary parents petition for the school to be allocated the planned 2 form entry South Kilburn school site

Following the unsuccessful but hard fought campaign to keep the Roe Green Strathcona site open LINK, including suggestions for additional educational use, there was speculation about the future use of the site.  Recently Islamia Primary parents were told  it would be offered to Islamia, a voluntary aided school which is due to leave its present Queen's Park site and requires larger accommodation to meet a strong demand for places.

Islamia parents have launched a petition to have the new two form entry primary school planned for South Kilburn to them, citing low pupils numbers at Carlton Vale Infants and Kilburn Park Juniors as not justifying their occupation of the site.   They argue that Strathcona in Kingsbury is too far away from Islamia's present site in Queen's Park and the move and travel involved will impact on less well-off families.

Brent Council will point to an anticipated increase in pupil numbers in the future as the redevelopment of the South Kilburn estate continues. as justifying allocation to Carlton Vale and Kilburn Park. It would be an estate school serving the whole local community and minimise the need to travel, thus addressing climate emergency goals.

This is the petition LINK:

We the undersigned petition the council to Allocate the brand new 2FE school (that will be built as part of South Kilburn's regeneration area) to Islamia Primary School. There is no shortage of mainstream primary school places in the area, most primary schools in the area are operating well below capacity. However, Islamia is oversubscribed and needs a permanent new building to house its 420 children.

Islamia Primary School (established in 1983) is a two form entry faith based voluntary-aided school situated in Queen's Park, North West London.

Islamia Primary school's children have been served with an eviction notice from the Yusuf Islam Foundation. The school is at risk of closing down if a new site is not found soon.

Islamia's parents feel extremely anxious and have already outlined how the current proposal to use the former Roe Green Strathcona school site (which is over 6 miles away from the school's current location) to house Islamia's children is highly unsuitable, unaffordable, unsafe and impractical for current families. It will sadly leave behind the most disadvantaged and vulnerable families.

Brent Council has informed Islamia families that there are no options at the moment due to the shortage of land in the area.

Nevertheless, the council is in the process of delivering a brand new 2 Form Entry school as part of the current regeneration scheme in South Kilburn.

The future school is currently earmarked for Carlton Vale infants school and Kilburn Park school.Government data shows that these split site 2FE schools are currently operating well below their full capacity:

Kilburn Park ( NW6) currently has 110 pupils enrolled although it can accommodate 240 and Carlton Vale (NW6) has a capacity of 230 spaces, currently only 78 of those are filled.

Moreover, most neighbouring Brent schools are also operating well below their full capacity and can easily accommodate children from the demolished schools.

On the other hand, Islamia is a heavily oversubscribed and popular faith school and the hardest primary school to get into in Brent. There are currently 420 pupils enrolled and the school also has to manage a long waiting list.

Islamia is the only state funded Muslim denomination school in the area therefore, if the school closes down, this will have a detrimental impact on the lives of the Muslim children currently attending.

For these reasons, it is utterly incomprehensible why Islamia, an oversubscribed Brent school is not being considered for the new school.

Please secure the future of Islamia

Started by: Jamad Guled

This ePetition runs from 07/07/2022 to 18/08/2022.

395 people have signed this ePetition.

 

Historic High Court ruling finds UK government’s climate strategy ‘unlawful’

In a landmark victory for climate justice that comes as the UK faces its hottest day on record, the High Court has ruled that the government’s Net Zero Strategy breaches the Climate Change Act.

 

The three legal challenges brought by Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth, Good Law Project and environmental campaigner Jo Wheatley, were heard together at the Royal Courts of Justice in June.

 

In a judgment published today – amid the Met Office’s first ever red alert for extreme heat – Mr Justice Holgate finds that the Net Zero Strategy, which sets out plans to decarbonise the economy, doesn’t meet the government’s obligations under the Climate Change Act to produce detailed climate policies that show how the UK’s legally-binding carbon budgets will be met. 

 

It also finds that parliament and the public were effectively kept in the dark about a shortfall in meeting a key target to cut emissions.

 

The ruling states that Greg Hands, the minister for business, energy and industrial strategy, who was responsible for signing off the Net Zero Strategy, didn’t have the legally required information on how carbon budgets would be met. However, he nevertheless approved the strategy.

 

Now that it’s been found unlawful, the government will have to update its climate strategy to include a quantified account of how its policies will achieve climate targets, based on a realistic assessment of what it actually expects them to deliver. The updated strategy will have to be presented to parliament for scrutiny by MPs.

 

The refreshed plan should include sound policies that stand up to the scrutiny of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which recently found that credible plans exist for just two fifths of the government’s required emissions reductions. The judgment strengthens the critical expert role of the committee by stating that their advice must be given “considerable weight”.

 

During the court proceedings, it emerged that behind-the-scenes calculations by civil servants to quantify the impact of emissions cuts from policies in the government’s Net Zero Strategy did not add up to the reductions necessary to meet the sixth carbon budget – the volume of greenhouse gases the UK can emit during the period 2033-37.

 

This 5% shortfall over the sixth carbon budget is significant in climate terms and totals around 75 million tonnes of CO₂e – equivalent to almost the total annual emissions from all car travel in the UK*. It’s also possible that a realistic estimate of the shortfall would be much greater than 5%, given concerns raised at the hearing about the robustness of the methodology used for the calculation. 

 

These figures were not shared with parliament, or made available for public scrutiny. The judgment stresses the importance of government transparency and the essential role of parliamentary accountability in efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

 

Friends of the Earth lawyer Katie de Kauwe said:

 

“We’re proud to have worked on this historic case. Taking strong action to cut carbon emissions is a win-win. Not only is it essential to preventing climate breakdown, but we can also tackle the cost of living crisis with cheap, renewable energy.

 

“This landmark ruling is a huge victory for climate justice and government transparency. It shows that the Climate Change Act is a piece of legislation which has teeth, and can, if necessary, be enforced through our court system if the government does not comply with its legal duties. 

 

“More than a decade ago, Friends of the Earth spearheaded the grassroots campaign that led to this vital piece of legislation. Today, we have strengthened its enforcement, which is so crucial to our country’s ability to tackle the climate crisis.”

 

Sam Hunter Jones, senior lawyer at ClientEarth, said: 

 

“This decision is a breakthrough moment in the fight against climate delay and inaction. It forces the Government to put in place climate plans that will actually address the crisis.

 

“The court has emphasised that the risks to delivery of the UK’s climate targets are “all- important” – the Government must now address those risks when it prepares a revised strategy that meets the requirements of the Climate Change Act. 

 

“This is also an opportunity to move further and faster away from the expensive fossil fuels that are adding to the crippling cost of living crisis people are facing.  

 

“The decision confirms that the government must show how its plans will deliver the carbon budget targets in full. 

 

“Its approach must also be realistic and based on what it actually expects its plans to achieve. And the Government must set out the emissions reductions expected from its individual policies so that the public and parliament can properly hold it to account. This is a huge win for climate justice and accountability.”

 

Jolyon Maugham, Director of Good Law Project said:

 

“The illegality of its flagship climate change strategy is a huge political embarrassment to the Government. The Net Zero target must be a road map to a sustainable future - not a lie we tell our children.  

 

“We are thrilled to have worked alongside our friends at ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth to deliver this landmark victory.”

 

 

LETTER: Windmill Court residents join others in pinpointing flaws in Brent Council's infill proposals

 

The site in context. Red rectangles are the development areas

 Brent Council's Key Plan

Dear Editor,

In your earlier article on controversies over Brent Council infill proposals, Common threads emerging as council tenants rebel over Brent's infill plans, you missed out Windmill Court on Shoot-Up Hill which is close to Watling Gardens.  We are one of the three in the Cooperation Agreement with Network Homes alongside Watling Gardens and Kilburn Square.

The Windmill Court application went before the planning committee on the same night as Watling Gardens.

One councillor objected to the application and one, Cllr Kennelly abstained on fire safety grounds (he’s no longer on the committee).

The head of planning, Mr Ansell, chose to ignore the legislative requirements under land use planning for fire safety and even directed the committee members that it was not a matter for them and could be dealt with at building control.(See video  below)

This is against the current fire safety requirements and a breach of the legislation on fire safety in high rise buildings that came into force on 1st August 2021. 

The legislation, Planning Gateway One, came from the Dame Judith Hackett recommendations to ensure that fire safety and access is dealt with at the earliest possible stage. 

Under Planning Gateway One Windmill Court tower block at 17 storeys with 120 households is a relevant building. The legislation requires a change in culture in that the existing building and the land around it has to be part of the planning process and taken into proper consideration regarding fire safety and access. This should be done at planning committee but Brent have clearly not incorporated the necessary change in culture to take proper account of the legislative requirements. 

You would be aware that planning would usually have been concerned only with what was being proposed and not the existing buildings and residents. I am unsure whether they deliberately chose to overlook the legislation on a proposal where the design concept being put forward is fundamentally flawed.

I noticed you picked up on the sale of some of the properties at Watling Gardens. Under the Mayor’s affordable housing this does allow for shared ownership to be included under the banner of affordable housing.

Windmill Court is financially unviable to the tune of millions and we did notice in an early Cabinet document where they included us along with Watling Gardens in a mention about increasing sales!

Whilst this is all being done under the banner of new council homes the chance is that they will be offloaded onto another housing organisation and a large number will be sold.

As for the affordable rent and local lettings policy. This is problematic for existing residents wanting to downsize or requiring a larger property. The council quite recently produced a document showing council rent’s for all sizes of homes with regards this year’s increase of 4.1%. 

 

When you compare this to the Mayors affordable housing rent benchmarks and include the service charge the differences are quite stark. Someone downsizing from a two bedroom property to a one bedroom property would be paying an extra £60 per week. Someone here at Windmill Court in a one bedroom flat with a child or children requiring a two bedroom flat would have an increase above an extra £60 a week and would lose having a separate kitchen and lounge. The option to consider staying in their one bedroom property with a kitchen that is large enough for a table and chairs and utilising the lounge as the parental bedroom would save them over £60 per week.

This is creating a two tier system on Brent estates where existing residents are having amenities removed to allow for new residents at higher rents being given what was previously shared communal space as private outdoor space as per GLA requirements.

We have had the same shoddy work with misrepresentations and misinformation and lack of communication. The submitted documents for planning also have misrepresentations and misinformation.

 

The submitted fire statement contains erroneous information and this has to be the most concerning. 

Our committee members have been researching every area including the council submitting the Lambeth Methodology Survey on available alternative parking spaces which includes 37 spaces on the A5 Shoot Up Hill that have 0% stress! That’s because they don’t exist! And listing CPZ’s in Camden as being available to Brent residents!

An anonymous consultant appears to have been paid  £43,340:00, mostly in £1,750:00 amounts, according to the Windmill Court submitted invoices.

I am attaching the video from the planning committee where fire safety is discussed. The first part with Mr Ansell explaining the change in legislation and stating this is a genuine serious concern then proceeding to direct members that it’s not a matter for them which is advice that is against the law. The second is Clr Kennelly expressing dissatisfaction with the reply and suggesting deferral of the application.

Yours sincerely,

A Concerned Windmill Court Resident

(Name supplied)

TfL 'strongly advise' not to travel on Monday and Tuesday unless essential

 We’re strongly encouraging customers not to travel on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July unless your travel is essential. Our services are likely to be impacted by the predicted extreme hot weather conditions and we expect delays, cancellations and short notice changes to all our services.

During periods of extreme hot weather:

• Rails, overhead power lines and signalling equipment may be affected
• We might need to introduce temporary speed restrictions on some services as a precaution, which may mean journeys take longer than usual
• Track temperature checks are regularly carried out across the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and Tram networks to ensure they remain safe and the track is not at risk of bending or buckling

We will work hard to keep as many services running as possible. If you must travel, please check before you travel and carry water with you. Don’t board a train or bus if you feel unwell. If you feel unwell, please get off at the next stop and contact a member of staff or speak to the bus driver. Where possible, consider retiming your journey to less busy times.
 
You can find more advice about coping in hot weather on the NHS website.

Brent youth are the champions - and they rock! Brent Makes Music 2022

 

 The Finale of Brent Makes Music 2022 takes the roof off

 Brent's young musicians and choirs returned after a covid forced absence to the Arena on Wednesday and dazzled the audience with an amazing display of musical virtuosity and an energy, if it could be tapped.  would end the current energy in an instant.

The music was as diverse as the participants and the overall them of  'There's a Place for Us' reflected the borough's values - there's a place for everyone in Brent.

Congratulations to Brent Music Service, teachers, parents and especially the children. This will be an evening that will stay in the memory of thousands throughout the borough.