Brent Council explains tree work in Northwick Park

 

 Two sections of the line of trees that have been worked on

 

Following publicity about the felled oak tree on Barn Hill, a Wembley Matters reader drew my attention to the cutting back of trees in Northwick Park along the border with the Bakerloo line. They were a good distance from any houses that might have been threatened by roots. The trees provided screening and reduction of noise from the tube trains.

Brent Council promised to investigate and today offered an explanation:

Brent Council Parks service had commissioned a tree survey to identify trees that may have risks, particularly if near to the railway line, paths and desire lines. A contractor has been commissioned to conduct the tree works. 

 

Following a site visit on 27^th August 2024, we can confirm that the trees in the photographs are included in the ‘Urgent’ list for works. Many of these trees are White Willows that had wounds, cavities, or other damage at height. White Willow also tends to have relatively brittle wood.

 

However, the good news is that most of these trees are being pollarded at around 2 metres in height. In some cases the trees are being coppiced, which is practically the same treatment, but at a lower height. The live wood below the cut is retained, as are the roots. These trees should re-grow and the new shoots should be visible by the spring of next year.

 

Only a small proportion of the trees are being felled to the base.

 

Unfortunately, there are a number of other trees that also require works in Northwick Park, so this is work in progress and continuing.

 

Readers may remember a controversy years ago when residents in Harlesden came out to defend trees in the January cold that they thought were being felled without notice or reason A public meeting with councillors and council officers stressed the important of communication LINK.

The reader remarked:

Thank you for finding out and sharing Martin. I wish Brent would use the community notice boards in the park to show information like this, it would improve residents understanding of what the Council is doing a lot more.

I agree. Fairly recent works on restoration of acid grass areas on Barn Hill were accompanied by useful explanatory notices.

Despite a difficult first year Brent Council concludes that Continental Landscapes are up to the job. Will Scrutiny Commitee agree?

My article on Monday LINK asked if Continental Landscapes were up to the job of looking after Brent's parks, open spaces, estates and grass verges. The officers' report to be discussed at the Scrutiny Meeting on September 4th concludes that despite a difficult first year that they are up to the job:

The challenges of the first year have been recognised and acknowledged by the Council and the contractor. These were mainly related to the adverse weather, challenges with electric equipment and the usual (and expected) challenges in implementing a new contract and a new contractor. Nevertheless, Continental have been quick to work with us and resolve issues and to identify positive solutions. The work that is being undertaken by the teams is of high quality and a good standard and is meeting the requirements of the contract.

 

There is a very strong partnership ethos between the Council and Continental and when issues have been experienced, both have worked together to develop a practical, deliverable solution. The Parks Service and Housing Service have developed a much closer working relationship throughout this first year and the shared experiences with all parties this year have made that relationship stronger and better able to deliver a comprehensive, quality service for the next seven years.

 

Many of the difficulties are attributed to bad weather and the failure of electrical tools to cope adequately with the resulting heavy work and IT issues affecting completion of the work schedule. There is only a brief reference to staffing difficulties  that Scrutiny members are expected to investigate further. The monitoring of the contract is seen as a success.

These are some of the key points in the report and I embed the full report at the end of this article:

Whilst the contract mobilised in August (and there were a few weeks of grass cutting across parks and housing sites by the start of October) the weather worsened and by November there was frequent heavy rain. The contractor was able to cut and collect all wildflower meadows, verges and roundabouts and continue to work on general maintenance. But by January, there were three consecutive high-pressure storms, which led to the water table being so high that the ground was completely saturated and many areas were flooded. Verge cutting was attempted in line with the intended schedule in March, but the heavy machinery was causing more damage to the verges and it was not physically possible to mow the grass. A delayed start to verge cutting was agreed with officers. As the weather got warmer and the rain continued, grass grew at a rapid speed and grass cutting across all aspects of the contract were adversely impacted by the weather and some issues with electric machinery.

 

The ‘perfect storm’ of conditions ensued from early 2024, which impacted service delivery in the first year. When grass cutting on verges and housing estates commenced, the electric machinery struggled to cope with longer wet grass. The actual battery run times were proving to be shorter than expected, as the much longer grass, which was also still wet, put additional strain on batteries which would last 1.5 hours compared to 4 or 5 hours. This led to less grass being cut in a day than expected. Whilst additional batteries were provided, the duration was still far short of the expected run time. This meant that verges and estates would be half completed, and the team would move onto the next location trying not to fall behind the schedule. The visual aspect of this led to complaints and teams having to return to cut areas, again delaying the cuts for other sites, which led to additional complaints. There were also some staffing issues which further compounded the issue although Continental worked quickly to seek additional staff.

 

Continental Landscapes advised that they were in discussion with the manufacturers of the electric equipment, to work with them to find a long-term solution to avoid a repeat of the issues in future years. They also arranged for the delivery of replacement mowers and handheld tools that would run on an environmentally friendly fuel (Aspen) which produces 99% less emissions than fossil fuels. This machinery was implemented mid-July and allowed for a faster catch up on the backlog of work.

 

On occasion, some litter was missed and a small number of enquiries were received about shredded litter on verges after a cut. When these reports were received, such as in Harrowdene Road, officers raised it with the contractor and an inspection carried out. The issue was not highlighted again in any successive verge cut, showing that concerns were taken seriously by the contractor and raised with the team on the ground

 

Parks did not fare as badly during this time as the grass in these sites can be cut by tractors; however, there were still times during June where tractors were getting stuck because the ground had not dried out sufficiently in certain locations within parks such as Roe Green and One Tree Hill.

 

Wembley Mela, Sunday September 1st, King Edward VII Park 11am-9pm

 

Mela: an Asian cultural or religious fair or festival especially one held outdoors. 19C Hindi  from Sanskrit mēlā an assembly, from mil to meet

 

Fire Brigade statement on Dagenham flats fire

 Fire Brigade Union Video

 

I am publishing the statement below as many buildings with fire safety issues are still awaiting remediation.

From London Fire Brigade

40 fire engines and around 225 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of flats on Freshwater Road in Dagenham. 

The whole of the building was affected by the fire, including scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof.  

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “We were called to the incident at 0244 this morning.  

“The first crew arrived within five minutes and the second crew arrived within six minutes. An aerial appliance also arrived in under six minutes. To allow us to focus our resources on the incident, we declared a major incident, which has now been stood down. I am immensely grateful to the crews and officers who have operated in the most dangerous conditions to both rescue people and bring the incident under control despite being faced with a significant building failure. 

"The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade. A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation took place.  

“I am pleased to confirm that everyone has been accounted for. More than 80 people were evacuated with firefighters leading residents out to safety and carrying out 20 rescues. This included using fire escape hoods, which can provide 15 minutes of clean, filtered air in smoke-filled environments, helping individuals stay safe until they can be rescued or reach safety.  Four people were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews, with two taken to hospital.  

“The Brigade’s Control Officers took 16 calls to the fire, including successfully giving vital fire survival guidance to a number of people using our Fire Survival Guidance App, which allows information to be exchanged between Control and the incident ground in a timely, accurate and consistent manner. They are also to be commended for their calm professionalism as the building began to fail. 

“We also used new equipment such as drones and our 64-metre and 32-metre turntable ladders to provide incident commanders with a vantage point for assessing the scene. They were also used as water towers to deliver water on to the fire from above. 

“The Brigade stood up full strategic arrangements to deal with the incident and a rest centre has been set up at Beacontree Health and Leisure Centre. London Fire Brigade officers and members of our dedicated community support team are stationed at the rest centre to support residents alongside partners. Crews will also remain on scene into tomorrow carrying out further operations. 

"We will now begin a full investigation into the fire and its cause. This was a very dynamic and challenging incident, and we know there will undoubtedly be concerns around the fire safety issues present within the building and this will form part of our report.  

“Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected and we will remain present in the local community throughout the coming days to provide support where needed.  

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our crews, Control Officers, fire safety officers and support staff who worked incredibly hard to resolve the incident and to ensure everyone was safe. I would also like to thank our partners for their support.” 

Campaigners launch petition to ask Brent Council to divest for Palestine

 Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign have launched a petition to ask Brent Council to divest from companies complicit in arming Israel or enabling illegal occupation.

The petition should be signed only by people who live, work or study in Brent.

 

THE PETITION

 

We ask Brent Council to stand on the right side of history and join the growing number of councils and other public bodies and institutions divesting for Palestine.

We, the undersigned, call on Brent Council to:

1. Divest all funds administered by the Council, including Local Government Pension Scheme funds, from companies complicit in Israel’s genocide and apartheid against Palestinians. This includes arms companies supplying Israel with weapons and military technology; companies providing infrastructure for Israel’s unlawful military occupation of Palestinian land; and companies conducting business activity in Israel’s illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land.
2. Use its influence as part of London Collective Investment Vehicle (CIV) to publicly lobby it to divest from companies enabling Israel's human rights abuses. 
3. Commit to end procurement contracts with companies complicit in Israel’s attacks. For example, end any banking arrangements with Barclays, which provides substantial financing to companies supplying Israel with weapons used in its attacks on Palestinians.

 

Here's why:

 

Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians - almost half of them children. 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many of whom multiple times. Nowhere in Gaza is safe: entire residential neighbourhoods have been levelled, UN schools sheltering the displaced, and hospitals treating the wounded, have been repeatedly targeted.  

 

Palestinians in Gaza are facing famine due to Israel's blockade and its targeting of life-sustaining infrastructure. In June 2024, UN experts declared that “Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza.”

 

We all have a responsibility to stand with Palestinians in the face of such catastrophic violence and do everything in our power to bring such suffering to an end.   

• In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world court, handed down an interim ruling affirming there is plausible evidence Israel is committing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. As a State Party to the Genocide Convention, the UK has a binding obligation to employ all means reasonably available to prevent and deter further genocidal acts.
• In June, UN experts issued a statement demanding that both states and companies stop all arms transfers to Israel. In issuing their call, they outlined that financial institutions, such as banks and pension funds, investing in arms companies supplying Israel must cease, writing that financial institutions “failure to prevent or mitigate their business relationships with these arms manufacturers transferring arms to Israel could move from being directly linked to human rights abuses to contributing to them, with repercussions for complicity in potential atrocity crimes.” The council must heed this call.
• In July, the ICJ confirmed that Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and treatment of Palestinians is illegal and amounts to systematic discrimination on racial and ethnic grounds - apartheid. It stated that countries and bodies - like UK councils - must not assist Israel in maintaining it. 

 

The recent defeat of the previous government’s draconian attempts to restrict the right of public bodies to take ethical investment and procurement decisions means that there is no barrier to Brent Council exercising its profound moral obligation not to contribute to Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian rights.

 

We are signing this petition as residents, workers and students in Brent. 

 

SIGN HERE

 

Are Continental Landscapes up to the job of looking after Brent's parks, estates and grass verges?

'Are Continental Landscapes up to the job?' is the question that the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee should be asking at their meeting on September 4th.

Continental Landscapes took over the contract for the maintenance of Brent's parks and open spaces, grass verges, sports grounds and council estate grounds from Veoloa. The contract is worth £17.6m over eight years. 

The Scrutiny review is of the first year of operation. 

From comments and complaints reaching Wembley Matters things are not looking good. I understand that Continental is about 50% under-staffed with lower wages blamed for failure of Veolia staff to transfer and general recruitment problems.

This of course raises issues around procurement and the pricing of the contract as well as its design. The company appear not to have realised the sheer size of the maintenance task with particular issues around the acres of grass verges and small green spaces, particularly in the north of the borough as well as common areas on council estates.

 

On the Kings Drive/Pilgrims Way Estate cut grass was left to turn into hay and the path between Saltcroft Close and Summers Close became overgrown and almost disappeared in places. After a complaint the cut grass was cleared from the path and the problem attributed to the rapid vegetation growth in the very wet Spring. Tall wet grass was more difficult to cut. My suggestion that perhaps the electric tools that Continental had introduced could not cope was rejected. 

Residents who supported the concept of 'No Mow May', letting wild flowers grow to encourage bio-diversity, became perplexed when it turned into 'No Mow' June, July and August. 

Is this really environmental care, cost-cutting, or just 'Can't Cope Continental'? 

Undoubtedly, the close mown verges of the 1950s were pretty sterile and typical of a suburban obsession with neatness, but residents point to the messiness of some streets this year.  Not many shared my excitement at some of the less common wild flowers that emerged. A particular issue is that litter, strewn across the verges and hidden in the tall grass, gets cut up into tiny pieces when the grass is evetually cut.

Sudbury

Church Lane, Kingsbury

 St Andrew's Road, Kingsbury

 

Salmon Street, Kingsbury (Between Fryent Way and Slough Lane)

Jaine Lunn has raised the issue of wild flower meadows and bee corridors in our parks that have not been maintained. Neglected they turn into fields where rampant thistles or stinging nettles dominate.  They need preparation and sowing as part of the maintenance process.

However, it is not always apparent what has been sown or just left to grow unhindered. The stretch of Salmon Street in Kingsbury, between Salmon Street and The Paddocks roundabout is an interesting case. 

The pedestrian path there on the Wembley side has recently been replaced with tarmac and cross-overs paved with brick (some of the large houses have two cross-overs). Equipment and materials were stored on the verges and new top soil brought in to remediate damage.

It is not clear whether the top soil contained all sorts of seeds or whether they were deliberately sown, but the result is pretty wild, and quite different from the previous grass verges:

Salmon Street poppies (since turned to seed and seed pods snipped off for culinary or medicinal purposes)

Sweet corn and tomato plants spotted here

 

Lots of Fat Hen in this patch

 

The officers' report for the Scrutiny Meeting will be published tomorrow and should make interesting reading.  Readers may wish to make representations to the Committee in writing or in  person and should write in the first instance to James Kinsella, Governance& Scrutiny Manager  Tel: 020 8937 2063 Email:  james.kinsella@brent.gov.uk

Water supply restored after repair of burst water main

 

From Affinity Water

Your water will be back on 

We’re really sorry for the problems with your water recently. We’ve fixed the burst water main and you’ll see your water flowing back to normal soon.

What we're doing

Our technican is recharging the water main. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. Thank you for your patience. 

Appearance of your water

If your water is discoloured or cloudy, don’t worry this is normal. We know it doesn’t look nice, but it’s not harmful and you can help by running your cold tap until it’s clear. To find out more, please click here.

---

 

AFFINITY WORKING ON BURST WATER MAIN IN THE MALL

 

UPDATE AT 21.10 SATURDAY

What we’re doing

Our repair team have stayed on The Mall and are continuing to repair the burst water main. As soon as we know how much longer this will take, we’ll let you know.

We’re really sorry for the disruption. We’re working hard to get your water flowing again soon.

Due to the traffic conditions, we’ve temporarily closed the road so our team can work safely. We’re really sorry if this causes any disruption to your journeys.

Once it is safe to do so, the road will be back open for you. We’re working hard to get things back to normal for you, but we really appreciate your patience at this time.

What you can do

Until we’ve sorted this, please avoid using your:

• Washing machine
• Dishwasher
• Electrical appliances that use water

If you still have water, we recommend you put some in your kettle or fridge for drinking in case your water needs switching off for the repair.

We’re really sorry about this, we’re working to get your water back to normal as soon as possible.

We added this message at 21:10 and we'll update it again after 08:00 on Sunday 25th August 2024

---