Brown Hairstreak butterfly 

Barn Hill Conservation Group in its latest Newsletter  report some good news in this summer which has not been kind to butterlies and moths. On 14th August, on the Beane Hill Butterfly Transect study, a butterfly was resting on a plant and opened its wings. It was unmistakenly a female Brown Hairstreak – the first adult ever seen at Fryent Country Park. This confirms the presence of the Brown Hairstreak at the Park following the first record of eggs on New Year’s Day 2019. The Brown Hairstreak is an elusive butterfly to observe and has only recently moved into North and West London, and depends on blackthorn for the larval food. 

The Brown Hairstreak is on the "at risk" species list, because it relies on hedgerows. Having it in our local Country Park, which has deliberately retained old hedgerows, managed by BHCG, is a great story for a holiday weekend.

Meanwhile Harry Mackie  has reported on the website Next Door two  sightings in  in his Queens Walk garden,  10 minute's walk from the borders of the park.

Mint Moth

Holly Blue butterfly

A month ago, Martin published the above map, from a report to Brent’s July Cabinet meeting, which included the locations of a number of the Council’s “infill” housing projects which were ‘not yet in public domain’.

I believe that our Council should be open with residents, especially those who will be most directly affected, about what its plans are (and I will say more about that later!). I added a comment to Martin’s 30 July blog, saying that I had asked for some information on the four ‘not yet in public domain’ schemes in Fryent Ward, where I live. 

I have now received a reply to that request, so am writing this to share that information with you. If you know anyone who lives in, or near, any of these estates, please bring this article to their attention, so that they are aware of what may be in store for their home. The Council estates mentioned below are Campbell Court, Elvin Court, Westcroft Court, Broadview (and Gauntlett Court in Sudbury).

Aerial view of Campbell Court, Church Lane, Kingsbury and surrounding area. (Source: Google Maps)

The four three-storey blocks of flats (diagonal to Church Lane) which make up Campbell Court were built around 1950, as part of Wembley’s post-war Council housing programme. They were named after a Second World War Mayor of the borough, Malcolm Campbell. As you can see, the compact site includes grassy areas and trees, pairs of senior citizens’ bungalows between each block and small access drives for deliveries and parking.

Like all of the four Fryent Ward ‘not yet in public domain’ schemes, I was told that: ‘at present, the project is at the Feasibility stage’, and that: ‘no consultation has been undertaken at this stage.’ “Feasibility” implies that they are looking at whether the project is possible (either structurally or financially), but Brent’s Cabinet have been told that 97 new homes could be delivered on this small estate. That suggests Council Officers already have a pretty firm idea of what they have in mind, even though they have not yet let residents there know what it is, or given them the chance to have their say!

The information I have now been given is that the Council are looking at a ‘mixture of rooftop development and infill’, with ‘1-2 stories added to Campbell [Court]’. Infill would inevitably mean the loss of some of the green space and mature trees around the existing homes. It would also mean more residents sharing a smaller amenity space. 

Building an extra one or two storeys onto the existing blocks may well be structurally possible. However, it would mean (quite apart from the disruption to the lives of existing residents during the construction work) some overshadowing and overlooking of the 1930s suburban homes in Boycroft Avenue, whose gardens back onto the estate. 

Gauntlett Court flats under construction, June 1950. (Brent Archives online image 3850)

Although it is in Sudbury, not Fryent, I will also mention the ‘not yet in public domain’ scheme for Gauntlett Court here. This Wembley Council estate was also built in 1950, with blocks to the same design as those at Campbell Court, and it too was named after a wartime Mayor, Herbert Gauntlett. You can read more about it in Sudbury – Then and Now (no.20).

The expected number of new homes on this site is 120. There is a small “green” between some of the blocks which could be “at risk” if the Council’s plans include “infill”, but otherwise it seems likely that “rooftop development” would be involved, adding one or more storeys to the existing blocks.

Elvin Court, Church Lane, Kingsbury.

Like Campbell Court, Wembley Council’s Elvin Court flats were built on a narrow strip of land alongside Church Lane. You can see the grass verge and access road (for deliveries and emergency vehicles) in front of the three-storey blocks, and there is a similar width behind them, before a line of trees which separates the estate from houses in Sycamore Grove.

These flats were built in the late 1950s / early 1960s, and named after Sir Arthur Elvin, a Freeman of the Borough of Wembley who had died in 1957. Some of the first tenants were families transferred from temporary “pre-fab” homes which had been built around the edge of Silver Jubilee Park in 1946.

The map above shows 40 new homes expected to be provided at Elvin Court. The information I have received says that this will be through ‘a mixture of rooftop development and infill’, and that, like Campbell Court, it would involve ‘1-2 stories added’. Once again: ‘no consultation has been undertaken at this stage’.

Maisonettes built by Wembley Council c.1960, at 353-359 Kingsbury Road.

The next Council estate where some new homes are proposed (but ‘not yet in public domain’) was actually part of Wembley’s post-War “pre-fabs” programme. In 1945, the Council had requisitioned spare land belonging to the Victoria Dance Hall in Kingsbury Road, and erected temporary factory-made bungalows there. These “pre-fabs” housed families until the late 1950s, and when they were demolished, Wembley Council built some attractive two-storey yellow-brick maisonettes, to the east of what had then become the Ritz Ballroom.

Development of the rest of the site was held up, because “the Ritz” was purchased by National Car Parks Ltd. From 1961, they submitted several planning applications for a petrol station and some housing. After a public inquiry in 1963, they were allowed to build their garage and car showroom (now the site of Kwikfit). As part of a land-swap deal, Wembley Council built a nine-storey block of 2-bedroom flats, and six 3-bedroom maisonettes in three-storey blocks, where the dance hall and its social club had stood. These were called Westcroft Court, after the old name of the field (most of which now forms part of Roe Green Park).

Westcroft Court, Kingsbury Road, opposite Roe Green Park.

The scheme which Brent Council are now looking at would add 16 new homes at Westcroft Court. I have been told that they do not intend to add any extra storeys to the main block (this may be because they already receive a good income from the mobile phone masts on its roof!), but that they are looking at part demolition and redevelopment on this small estate. 

The last of the proposed Fryent Ward ‘not yet in public domain’ schemes would be at Broadview, part of another Wembley Borough Council housing development. This small estate of semi-detached family homes was built around 1960, on a triangle of land between Fryent Way and the Bakerloo (now Jubilee) Line, just south of Kingsbury Station. Some of the original tenants were transferred here from the Pilgrims Way “pre-fab” estate, 114 factory-made aluminium bungalows erected after the Second World War as a temporary solution to the post-war housing shortage.

This proposal would be an “infill” development, for just three homes, described to me as ‘on garage site’. I have marked this site on the aerial view below, and you will see how small it is, tucked away behind the end houses in the road, and bordered by the tube line and the edge of Fryent Country Park. There is only a narrow access road to the site, between the side of a house and a wooded area of the Country Park, bordering the Gaderbrook stream, and that also provides access to the rear gardens (some with garages) of at least four homes. Space for any new homes here would be very restricted, and both the Country Park and the railway bank are local nature reserves, where the existing trees and bushes should not be destroyed.

Aerial view of the proposed site at Broadview, off Fryent Way, Kingsbury. (Source: Google Maps)

Surely the people affected by these proposed schemes should be consulted before the projects get “firmed-up” any further, and their views taken into account? We have seen recently, with its Kilburn Square housing proposals, the mess that Brent Council can get itself into by not consulting properly. 

In that case, it appears Council officers had already decided how many extra homes they could build on an existing Council estate, and that it would be acceptable to reduce the “green space” used by existing residents, while greatly increasing the number of people who would need to share it. This was before any “consultation”, which was then only about “design details”, not whether the scheme was one that made good sense! There is a danger that the Council will make the same mistake over its ‘not yet in public domain’ proposals.

Brent does need to provide more homes for people on its waiting list, but it should also take into account the needs of existing residents. The Council needs to be open and honest about what it has in mind, before any detailed proposals are made. It should discuss with those living in homes on its estates (who will include leaseholders who actually own those homes) how best extra homes could be provided. It should listen, and be prepared to think again and compromise. It should not just bulldoze through plans which might look good on paper in the Civic Centre, but would be detrimental to our borough’s community if actually built.

Philip Grant.

Editor's note: Yesterday the Guardian published this story when mentions the Kilburn Square development previously covered on Wembley Matters:

Protests grow against new council homes on green spaces in London

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/30/protests-grow-against-new-council-homes-on-green-spaces-in-london

At the North Circular Road (IKEA) monitoring site (Photo Amandine Alexandre-Hughes)

A group of concerned parents have launched a pavement art campaign in areas of London with harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Mums for Lungs campaigners used eye-catching stencils stating, ‘illegal air pollution recorded here’ and demanding action to ‘protect children’s lungs.’ The stencils point to 15 air quality monitors that recorded illegal levels of NO₂ in 2020 – a pollutant that can cause reduced lung function in children, as well as trigger asthma attacks and hospital admissions for children living with lung conditions. 

Location of stencils at air quality monitoring stations

London has never met its requirement to reduce pollution below legal limits(1) and the health impacts of pollution are not equal. Previous research shows that NO₂ pollution is on average 24-31% higher in areas where people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are most likely to live. (2)

Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) compiled readings from the city’s reference air pollution monitors and used modelled data, produced by Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) for the Breathe London pilot project, to estimate that approximately two-thirds (67%) of the NO₂ pollution at these locations came from diesel vehicles, such as cars, taxis, vans and heavy goods vehicles. (3)

Most of the illegal sites are located outside of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), London’s measure to lower diesel pollution by charging more polluting vehicles to enter the city centre. The zone dramatically reduced air pollution in central London (4) and will be expanded to a much larger area on 25 October 2021. Some of the illegally polluted sites are beyond the ULEZ expansion, including in Kingston and Merton. 

Nine of the 15 locations are on or adjacent to the city’s Red Routes – a network of major roads managed by Transport for London. A recent health assessment has shown how these roads create an unequal health burden in the city (5), leading to calls for action to make them significantly healthier and safer. Around 47,500 primary school children study close to these major roads. (6) The Mayor of London has committed to identifying ‘bespoke solutions’ for Red Route locations that are unlikely to meet legal NO₂ limits after the ULEZ expansion, but plans are yet to be seen. (7)

 Amandine Alexandre-Hughes, Mums for Lungs activist and Clean Air Ambassador for Harlesden Neighborhood Forum, (Brent Ikea site) told Wembley Matters:

The expansion of the ULEZ cannot happen soon enough in Harlesden. Our high street has the highest NO2 rating in the UK, so cleaning up the air in our area requires urgent action. 

 

However, the ULEZ expansion won’t be sufficient for Harlesden children to breathe clean air and, also, it won’t cover Brent North. IKEA Wembley, for example, is on the ‘wrong side’ of the North circular. So, NO2 levels will remain extremely high there and that's a real worry for me, as I live close to IKEA Wembley with my husband and 4 year old son.

 

All children deserve clean air, whether they live in Brent North or Brent South. It’s the bare minimum we owe them as adults. Diesel vehicles need banning in London as soon as possible. The boom in diesel delivery vans in the capital is completely unsustainable. It has to be reversed at speed.

[1]Annual average pollution targets for NO₂ were set in 2000 with an objective date to meet the target in 2005. In 2007, the target was updated to be in line with EU obligations to be achieved by 2010.

[2]EDF Europe analysis using Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) high-resolution modelled NO₂ 2019 annual averages produced as part of the Breathe London pilot project and census 2011 data from the Office for National Statistics.

[3]EDF Europe analysis

[4] Greater London Authority: Central London ULEZ - Ten Month Report

[5] EDF Europe and Centric Lab: Rethinking London’s Red Routes

[6] EDF Europe: Parent and teen campaigners demand action after study reveals nearly 50,000 London school children exposed to dangerous pollution from Red Route roads

[7] Mayor of London: Improving London’s Red Routes

The site in Barham park that could be developed as a result of today's Barham Park Trust Committee Decision

Thanks to Philip Grant for drawing this decision to my attention.

In articles by myself LINK and Gaynor Lloyd LINK and comments on the articles by local residents both on this blog and on social media attention has been drawn to the danger posed to Barham Park, and by implication other Brent parks, of development on the open space of 776 and 778 Harrow Road (above). A previous application to demolish the flats and build a block of flats had been withdrawn by the developer after local protests in what noew looks like a short-lived 'triumph'LINK.

Not withstanding these objections, a comprehensive email from Philip Grant to the Cabinet members who serve on the Barham Park Trust Committee has received no response.  This morning the Committee, under the chairmanship of Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, approved the recommendation LINK: 

 To authorise the Operational Director for Environmental Services to enter into discussions with the owners of 776-778 Harrow Road to explore the possibilities of reaching agreement to amend the restricting covenants on that property for the benefit of the Trust.'

Councillor Stephens declared a personal interest as a Sudbury local ward councillor.

Councillor Krupa Sheth, Lead Member for the Environment, was elected Vice Chair of the Trust Committee. As mentioned in previous articles on this subject, all the Trust Committee members are also members of the Brent Cabinet.

Until the full minutes are released we will not know how much discussion, if any, there was on this important point of principle, with potentially serious consequences for future building development within Barham Park and other Brent parks.

The decision will take effect on 9th September, if it is not "called-in" by Wednesday 8th September.

As reported by Wembley Matters in June LINK Robert Jenrick, Communities Secretary has called in the development on the TfL car park next to Wembley Park station and referred it to the Planning Inspectorate.

Yesterday the Architects Journal LINK published an article about the call-in writing:

Brent Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the scheme at the end of last year after planning officers backed the proposal.

But Jenrick has now called in the scheme, telling Brent Council he particularly wants to hear about whether the plans will: create a nice place; be consistent with national housing policy; conserve the historic environment; and accord with the local development plan.

 But adding:

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government declined to comment on Jenrick’s particular areas of concern, pointing out that its policy since 2019 has been not to comment on why applications are called-in.

Make of that what you will.

The Planning Inspector instructed by the Secretary of State is T Gilbert-Wooldridge MRTPI IHBC and the inquiry will open at 10.00am on 28 September 2021. Currently 6 sitting days have been scheduled  (provisionally 28 Sept – 1 Oct and 4-5 October). 

The joint developer with TfL is Barratt  London who have come in for some criticism on social media this morning:

This is good news.  I understand that Thames21 will have a short-term extension (6 months) to January 2022 on the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre, pending a longer term solution.

As children go back to school after the not very sunny summer it was lovely to receive a Newsletter from Rumi's Cave with the above video that they have given me permission to share.

They said:

Rumi's Summer Club ran in conjunction with the holiday activities and food programme Brent. It was really special to witness  Rumi's Cave as a hub of creativity and local talent, sharing our Cave collective of artists, teachers, story tellers and poets with the local children of South Kilburn. Unlocking their inner creativity and potential during the holiday. We have took the children on two trips, one to the Science Museum and one to Southend-on-Sea to break their routine of being in the congested and busy city. It was a wonderful day where parents were invited to come and be amongst the children to enjoy those last few moments of the summer break.

Memories for a lifetime were created.

Summer Playscheme used to be a feature of children's lives in Brent before austerity hit. The additional funding available this Summer shows what can be achieved and the resulting positive impact on families and contribution to social cohesion.

I hope Brent Council will evaluate the schemes that ran this Summer and look at ways to provide support to all those amazing volunteers and organisations in the future.

From Listening to the Land Group

This Saturday (September 4, 2021), a group of ordinary people will start an extraordinary odyssey, walking 500 miles from Tower Hill Memorial Gardens in London to Glasgow along a pilgrimage route running almost the entire length of the UK in order to urge world leaders to protect nature—and they are calling on everyone concerned about the health and future of nature to join them as they traverse the UK. 

The group, called Listening to the Land, @listeningtothe.land, sets out to build the numbers, diversity and advocacy power of those speaking up for nature and to ensure those voices are heard at the UN Climate Conference COP26. The pilgrims will walk 10 miles each day for eight weeks, come rain or shine, connecting deeply with and listening to the land and communities they travel through.

Photo: Jackie Morris

The pilgrimage group’s first act of listening will be at an opening event from 10—10.30am on Saturday 4 September at Tower Hill Memorial Gardens when they will hear the written responses of urban, underserved and ethnic minority communities in Tower Hamlets to the threats of climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice and our uncertain future, gathered in the first of a series of ‘deep listening’ workshops that creative campaign Letters to the Earth will hold with communities along the route.  

The event will also feature the first ever reading/unveiling of a bespoke piece of writing from renowned illustrator and contributing author to Letters to the Earth, Writing to a Planet in Crisis Jackie Morris. In it, Morris writes: ‘It is the hardest thing these days to hold onto hope. But it must be done. We need to fight for [nature] with every talent you have, in whatever way you know best. There is no time to give credence to those who say ‘it’s too late’, ‘we are doomed’, ‘what difference can I make’. To do so is to continue to fail.’

At 10.30am the pilgrimage group will set off to walk the 3-mile Coronation Route, made by monarchs down the ages, from Tower Hill to The London Stone (Cannon Street), St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. On Sunday, they set out along an ancient pilgrimage route that weaves through many of Britain’s key historic centres of cultural, industrial, spiritual and political power, including Stratford, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Winchester and Carlisle before arriving in Glasgow for the start of the UN climate conference in November.

With their walk, in their conversations with communities, and the artworks those will shape, the group is setting out to inspire multitudes to slow down, connect with nature and articulate their love for the living world, and to feel empowered to speak up for nature  by making their voices heard.

The group will present the voices of the people and the land to delegates in Glasgow in three ways: through a co-created ‘Letter to the Earth’ - an artwork into which people will be invited to weave their dreams, fears and hopes for nature; through a performance based on all the magical and urgent things the pilgrims have heard from the land and its people, which they will present in Glasgow in an amphitheater made of pianos the Pianodrome; and the partners arts collective Still Moving will make the most powerful soundbites visible in light installations across Glasgow.

Members of the public are urged to get involved:

• Joining the walkers on any portion of the route, at their workshops, and follow and amplify their progress @listeningtothe.land
• Walk wherever you are and share your own sacred walk, or stroll in your backyard with us #WalkingTheLand2021
• Send us your hopes, wishes and fears for nature and help shape what we hope will become a Charter for the Land, at @Voicesofthe.land www.pilgrimagefornature.com and www.letterstotheearth.com
• Support us financially: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/listening-to-the-land-cop26-pilgrimage-for-nature

‘Our very lives rely on nature to give us food and shelter, now nature needs us to give back,’ says Listening to the Land co-founder Anna Lehmann, a global climate policy director with 20 years experience working with communities at the frontline of climate change. ‘The UK is uniquely positioned to lead on this: as this year’s COP host, and as a huge historic emitter with a substantial international land footprint, but most significantly, the UK has the chance to become an ‘indicator economy’ that might, in the adoption of the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, show how to give nature a seat at the table and inspire other nations to follow.’

‘As the scientific community has just stated in the latest IPCC report: we know exactly what causes climate change and why we are losing nature, and we absolutely know that we still can prevent the worst, if we act now. Together we can build a better future for all. This knowledge, and the supporting echo of millions of voices from around the world, gives us the energy for this epic journey.’

‘This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime moment, when we stand at the precipice as a species and as a planet,’ says Jolie C. Booth, co-founder of Listening to the Land and director of incubating arts company, Kriya Arts. ‘But it’s so easy, as ordinary members of the public, to feel powerless, given how big and impossible the environmental emergency feels—particularly when all the decisions are being taken on our behalf and behind closed doors. With this project, we want to flip that: and to give as many people on the planet as we can a chance to feel energised, inspired and empowered and to have their voices on climate, biodiversity and nature heard.

‘While walking for eight weeks will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those that take part, we launched @Walkingthe.land and #walkingtheland2021 for the millions of people who, because of circumstances or geography, would find it impossible to do something on this scale. Your voice is no less necessary and we hope that by the time we arrive in Glasgow tens of thousands of people will have uploaded a photograph of their own sacred walk and their own thoughts on nature. We want to include as many voices as possible in this beautiful, creative act of reverence for earth, and as we call on world leaders to walk the walk on climate.’

Listening to the Land is an independent civil society movement co-founded by Global Climate Policy Expert Anna Lehmann and theatre producer Jolie C Booth. It is funded by the Arts Council England, and Wildlife Works and is a co-production between Kriya Arts and No Planet B Initiative.

 From Camino to COP26 (NB this is a different walk to the one advertised in previous post)

We are delighted to welcome Day-Walkers. Whilst there may be the odd exception, our plan is to assemble at 9am each morning for any notices, updates and words – perhaps a song or a poem – before setting off at 9:30am.  We would love it if Day-Walkers could join us for that morning gathering so do try to be with us at or a little before 9am. Monday’s section will start at St Mary with All Souls Church, 134a Abbey Road, NW6 4SN and finish in Harrow.

This is a walk for everyone, although initiated by XRUK Faith Bridge. We will be walking from London and Bristol to Glasgow. Leaving London on Sunday 5th September, leaving Bristol on the 9th September and arriving in Glasgow on 30th October. 

The purpose of the walk is to build alliances and engage communities along the route –  faith communities and other local communities – and to spread the word about the urgency of the need for meaningful action to address the global climate and ecological emergency. This is an opportunity for connection and outreach and is expressly not a physically disruptive or civilly disobedient action. Those involved are asked to sign up to this principle. 

We are united by our faith; a faith that we can advocate and influence and be the change that we want for our world. We choose to walk to COP26 as a practice of that faith, an act of connection with the earth on which we walk and the people with whom we walk and the communities through which we pass; and we make our way in kinship with the peoples and creatures of the earth who are suffering and displaced by climate and ecological breakdown. We do so peacefully and lawfully, ready to engage and learn, because we care and we have hope.

Keep Our NHS Public

The Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee recommended an independent public review into Brent Council's role in the Euro2020 Final which saw scenes of public disorder. LINK

The Cabinet's response has now been published ahead of the September 13th Cabinet, two months after the recommendation was made. It appears to fall short of in terms of being both independent and public, and an internal  'assessment' rather  than a public review. It does does not appear to address the following request made by Cllr Mashari, Chair of Scrutiny:

Euro 2020 Finals at Wembley Stadium

Scrutiny Recommendation: To hold a public review into the Council’s actions taken before, during and after the Euro 2020 Final to establish the lessons learnt.

Executive Response:

The Wembley Safety Advisory Group (SAG) that is Chaired by the Council met on the 20th July to discuss the circumstances surrounding the Euro 2020 Final. All of the stakeholders attended, representing the following organisations:

· Brent Council
· Wembley National Stadium Ltd
· Wembley Park
· Sports Ground Safety Authority
·Metropolitan Police
· British Transport Police
· London Ambulance Service
· London Fire Brigade
· Transport for London
· Chiltern Railways
· SSE Arena

The discussion focused on how partners should respond. The key issue to come out of the discussion is that all partners agreed to participate in the independent review being led by Baroness Casey of Blackstock. It is expected that it will take 4 months for this to be completed. This will be one single overarching independent review commissioned by the FA that will bring in the actions of all partners. Officers met with Baroness Casey on 6th August and she has asked that Brent Council and the SAG fully commit to supporting the independent review and to helping oversee the implementation of any actions and priorities for change.

It is a really positive step that all partners intend to participate in this single review. The Council will participate fully and openly with the review and will respond to any recommendations that affect the Council’s role in the process moving forward. Baroness Casey specifically asked that the Council undertake its own assessment/review of all its activities around the Final so this can inform her process.

Cabinet Decision:

That Brent Council will:

i). Undertake an assessment of Council activities relating to its responsibilities around safety, licensing and enforcement at Wembley Stadium as part of the Euro 2020 Finals in order to support the overarching Review led by Baroness Casey;

ii). Fully support the Baroness Casey Review throughout;

iii). Consider fully any recommendations relevant to the Council’s duties that arise from the Review and;

iv). Oversee and implement any actions and priorities for change.

Implementation by: By July 2022

Cabinet Members: Cllrs Sheth and Knight
Lead Department: Regeneration and Environment
Lead Officer: Alan Lunt –Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment

 A Greek woman loses her home to wildfire on the Island of Evia (Photo:Bloomberg)

From Brent Friends of the Earth

Over the next few weeks Brent Friends of the Earth will stage a series of creative events to send the message to local residents and politicians that there is no time to waste if the threat of catastrophic climate change is to be tackled successfully. 

We know that climate change is already causing “freak” highly destructive weather events worldwide. That includes the flooding here in Brent.  In the longer term it threatens the very existence of humanity.

We have a climate emergency

November sees the UK hosting COP26, the UN climate change meeting. It needs to be the most important “COP” ever. 

Simon Erskine, from Brent Friends of the Earth, said: 

“What is really worrying is that the extreme weather events we have seen so far are just the start – and with continuing carbon dioxide emissions they are going to get worse. We are also experiencing the mass extinctions of wildlife, rising sea levels and the oceans becoming dangerously acidic.

It is easy to get disheartened but it is not yet too late to change. If we stop burning fossil fuels and change our agricultural practices we can stop the deterioration in our climate before it is too late. 

Unfortunately politicians tend to opt for business as usual, avoiding any change that might rock the boat. The only way that they will take the far-reaching actions necessary is to be convinced that that is the will of the voters.”

The group’s plans include running a stall in the Harlesden Plaza car park near Tesco on September 10^th from 5 to 7 pm.  They will be making bunting full of messages about the climate emergency and hope people will join in. This will be displayed locally.  

The group is inviting local MP Dawn Butler and Mayor Councillor Lia Colacicco to contribute triangles.

Other activities being planned by Brent FoE:

·      Campaigning for the Council to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill,

·      A Flood and Nature Walk demonstrating how vulnerable Brent is,

·      Screening of “2040” a film setting out the potential solutions to the climate emergency

·      A climate change poster competition for school children

·      Asking climate-related questions at the September 20^th Council meeting. 

A welcome break in a glade at the Welsh Harp

Bringing the group together with a song

Lunch on Barn Hill

Arrival in Kenton

I joined the 'Camino to COP' walkers on the second of their 48 day climate justice pilgrimage to the COP26 in Glasgow today.

It included people from several faiths and no faith,  all committeed to do something to save our planet.

The walk started at West Hampstead and continued along Kilburn High Road towards Staples Corner, a salutary reminder of traffic and air pollution. There was much relief when we turned off to cross Cool Oak Bridge to arrive at the Welsh Harp.

At the Brent end of the Harp we walked suburban streets before entering Fryent Country park and walked through meadows and woodland to reach the top of Barn Hill.

As we walked we talked quietly, hearing about each other's lives and concerns about the climate. For many the two open spaces completely changed their image of 'Brent' and they expressed amazement that such beautiful places existed so close to urban London.  'It's as if we are in the countryside already,' one person remarked.

It was just 8 and a half of the 483 miles that the pilgrims are going to walk and it left me with a great deal of respect for their commitment and stamina.

Brent is of course no strangers to pilgrims having had Kilburn Priory as a stopping place and pilgrimages to St Mary's Church in Willesden until the Reformation. Today's pilgrims received a warm welcome and aroused much interest from St Gregory's College students who were just dispersing for home as we walked by.

Graham Durham with Jeremy Corbyn

As a Green Party member you may think that what is going on in the Labour Party should not concern me - let them stew in their own juice... etc.

But when our main Opposition party is being rent asunder by what appears to be an old fashioned purge, when natural justice is ignored and guilt by association deployed, and retrospectively at that,  then everyone must acknowledge the threat to democracy.

It is doubly concerning that these actions characteristic of despotic regimes are being carried out in a party  led by  a former lawyer and Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer.

Recently Wembley Matters has carried stories about the suspension of Kilburn Labour Party member  Pete Firmin for allowing discussion of a motion calling for the restoration of the whip to Jeremy Corbyn LINK, and the threatened expulsion of Harrow Councillor Pam Fitzpatrick for writing an article for a magazine that was only banned by Labour a year later LINK

Graham Durham is a long-time Labour and trade union activist, who served decades ago as a Brent Labour councillor. He is well-known in Brent and I have often seen him in action. I do not always agree with him or his tactics but few can doubt his sincere commitment to the Labour Party and the cause of socialism.

However he has now been freed from a period of limbo - the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head for a long timehas fallen - he has been informed of his expulsion. Once again it is applied retrospectively.

This is his own account on Facebook:

The Labour bureaucrats have advised me that I am expelled from the Party for, ‘calling for a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer.’ After 51 years I am sad and angry at the witch-hunt of socialists but at least their politics is clear

 

I have received today notice from the Government and Legal Unit expelling me from the Labour Party (of which I have been a member for 51 years).

 

The Labour bureaucrats state that my defence that the Zoom meeting of Labour In Exile occurred on 27 March 2021 and so I could not know they would proscribe this organisation on 20 July 2021 is irrelevant.

 

Moreover, they have studied a tape of that meeting and claim I said, ‘We should organise a conference to plan a leadership challenge to Starmer.’

 

I did and, although I am angry and upset at this witch-hunt, at least it was for a correct political call I made.

 On a previous occasion when the Labour Party suspended Durham in the midst of NEC elections, effectively excluding him from the ballot,   Brent Central CLP's GC approved a motion which said LINK:

Removing candidates in this way smacks of totalitarian regimes who deal with "opponents" in this way rather than letting the electorate decide.

Many will find the sifting of evidence from recordings of zoom meetings ominous and on a practical level wouldn't Labour Party staff be better deployed helping organise opposition and campaigns against this dreadful government?

It remains to be seen what the reaction from the local party and prominent figures in Brent Labour will be to this turn of events.

Some dates for your diary...

A reminder of some important upcoming events (starting on Friday!) which will be focusing on tackling the climate and ecological emergency in Brent.

• Friday 10th September (5pm-7pm) - Brent Friends of the Earth will be kicking off their engagement plans for the coming months with a stall in the Harlesden Plaza car park, near Tesco. They will be making bunting full of messages about the climate and ecological emergency. All are welcome to take part - head down, chat to fellow residents, and add your voice to the climate change conversation! 
• Saturday 18th September (11am-3pm) - join Brent’s celebration of Car Free Day on Priory Park Road, off Kilburn High Road, NW6 where we will closing this section of road and hosting a number of exciting stalls from partner organisations - all geared towards tackling the climate emergency, improving air quality and encouraging active travel. 
• Sunday 26th September (2pm start) - Brent Friends of the Earth will be leading a walk following the course of the Wealdstone Brook and part of the River Brent from Wembley Park to St Raphael’s green space. The walk will look at natural life along the waterways, consider how the built environment interacts with nature, and the possible dangers posed by flooding over the next few years. Those taking part will pause on the bank of the River Brent, near the Monks Park/St Raphael's open space, to launch paper boats with messages about climate change, and what we all need to do about it. Come along and make your own boat to launch! (Further info on start point, contact info@brentfoe.com) 
• Monday 11th October - Friday 15th October - Local Democracy Week is back! And with perfect timing, has a theme this year of 'Promoting the Environment'. Keep your eyes peeled for Brent-based climate events that will be happening during that week. 
• Monday 1st November - Friday 12th November - is the Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) fortnight, where world leaders will convene to plot the future action required for the sustainability of our planet. Although the event will be taking place in Glasgow, we will be hosting a localised set of events in Brent during these two weeks - further information to follow in future BEN emails!

Readers may recall from Philip Grant's local history articles that Wembley gets its name from Wemba, who founded his family's settlement here and 'lea' meaning a clearing in what was then a forest - 'Wemba Lea'  (Yes, the cry of football fans, 'Wemberley!')

The Royal Philharmonic Orhestra who are soon to moved to Wembley and local creatives are putting on live performance experience for people of all ages in different venues around Wembley Park (see map below).

There will be four performances featuring music, dance, carnival, spoken word, film and theatre.

Performances are only 15 mins long and repeated throughout the day, so you can come along and make your own timetable.

All the performances have been created in collaboration between Royal Philharmonic Orchestra musicians and local creatives to explore the theme of dreaming and dreams…

rpo.co.uk/wembasdream

 The houses that could still be redeveloped

Sometimes comments are received on Wembley Matters stories some time after they have been published and I thought these two were worh publishing in their own right. They are reactions to the news that the Brent Cabinet, in the guise of their sole membership of the Barham Park Trust Committee, agreed to  a proposal to investigate the removal of the covenant on  776/778 Harrow Road so that development could take place LINK.

Anonymous wrote

I have found that there is a recording of the  Barham Park Trust Committee meeting on Brent's "livestreaming", which you can watch HERE:

I have watched it, and one of the most sensible things I heard said was a brief suggestion from Cllr Harbi Farah, asking if arrangements could be made for the committee members to visit Barham Park, and be shown round, and have the issues explained to them. [My observation: so that they might have some idea of what they were talking about!]

The main point that the members seemed to pick up on over the restrictive covenant was that their decision to let Officers negotiate over it was not a final one. Any recommendation to possibly amend it would have to come back to the Trust Committee for a decision.

Whether it was wise to even start on that road, because the restrictive covenant had been put in place to protect the park, was not considered.

The only reference to that aspect was Cllr. Butt saying that the Trust had to consider all options. This appeared to be on the basis that some money to fund the park could be raised by allowing a loosening of the restrictive covenant.

How much the process of actually trying to change the restrictive covenant would cost (whether "successful" or not), was not referred to in the Officer's Report, or by the Council Officers who advised the committee at the meeting. That question was not raised by Cllr. Butt, or any other members.

The terms of a restrictive covenant over 776/778 Harrow Road would not (legally) be a material consideration in any future planning application (although that wasn't mentioned either).

However, I can't imagine the current owner, or any other prospective developer, being willing to pay a significant sum to the Trust to get the terms of the restrictive covenant changed, if there wasn't a "side deal" over Brent Council being willing to accept a planning application that matched what the weakened covenant would allow them to build.

The Barham Park Trust Committee, now chaired by the Council Leader himself, have stepped onto a slippery slope. It could see them sliding down into conflict with the local community, and with the wishes of the benefactor who left his Sudbury Park estate for the benefit of the people of Wembley.

Paul Lorber said...

From the way the Trust Meeting was conducted it is clear that there was a pre meeting where they had detailed discussions and where they made their decisions in advance - in ignorance of all the facts.

The suggestion by one Trustee that they should inspect the buildings gives a clue as to how little they know. Anyone with any common sense would recognise that the site meeting should of course have taken before the decision making Trust meeting so that they could make decisions (rather than put them off) especially as the Trustees only meet once a year.

In terms of the issue of building on the Park and the covenant the comment by one of the Sudbury Councillors (at around 39 minutes into the recording) was also revealing of what residents can expect - he suggested that the two houses were outside of the Park. This is clearly NOT true.

The Covenant was put in place by Labour Councillors in 2011 when they made the decision to complete the sale of the two houses. One obvious question which should have been asked but was not was "why did we put the Covenant in place in the first place and why are we considering changing it just 10 years later?" The answer is simple - there was a recognition at the time that the houses should not have been there in the first place and that any enlargement or expansion should NOT be considered or allowed.

The two houses were built by Brent Council without permission some 50 years ago. For years the Council treated the Park and its buildings as its own forgetting their Charity obligations.

No one bothered to ask why the buildings were allowed to get into such a poor state of disrepair. The answer might have shocked them - as in 2011 the Trust paid £2,500 for a detailed condition survey into the state of the old buildings - some of which date back to 1780s - and yet 10 years later most of the priority repairs identified have still not been carried out.

Now we are also told that ACAVA, the tenant which Brent Council itself brought into most of the building after Labour Councillors closed the Council run Barham Library in 2011, in preference to Brent based organisations, have not paid their rent for almost 2 years and owed £76,000 as at 31 March 2021 - and presumably even more some 5 months later.

Brent Council does not bother to inform or consult local people about anything. There is no information about the closed Children Centre for example. It is hardly surprising that local residents feel ignored and have no confidence or trust in the Councillors in charge.

When I challenged and raised my concerns with the Brent Council's Chief Executive about the way the Council and its appointed Trustees were handling issues relating to the Park and its neglected buildings she told me that she would not discuss the issue any further. That is how Open Government works in Brent these days.

It is clearly down to local people to keep fighting for their Park. Our thanks need to go to Philip Grant for highlighting the issue, for Martin for publishing so as not to let Brent Councillors get away with things without proper scrutiny.