Showing posts with label Barratts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barratts. Show all posts

Friday 9 October 2020

Kodak site trees saved in campaign led by Harrow Green Party GLA candidate

 

Harrow Green Party are very pleased to announce that Barratts, developers of the Kodak site in Harrow, have officially withdrawn their planning application (P/2661/20) to remove 26 trees along Harrow View Road.  After leading a campaign against the removal of these mature trees, with over 350 people submitting objections against the application, Harrow Greens are delighted that the developers have recognised the importance of these trees and acted accordingly.  

 

Emma Wallace, GLA Green Party candidate for Brent and Harrow  said:

 

This is fantastic news for Harrow, ensuring that the trees continue to provide a green welcome to people travelling along this busy thoroughfare, continue to support the local ecosystem and wildlife, and help limit air pollution, both now and into the future.  

 

This campaign proves that community action can work when acting together, standing up for our local area and the vital wildlife and green spaces we still have in Harrow.  I hope that Barratts will now ensure that they look after these trees and that any maintenance carried out is completed carefully and sympathetically, ensuring the overall health of these trees is preserved.

 

Wednesday 21 January 2015

UPDATED Support Our West Hendon's challenge to social cleansing by Barnet Council and Barratt Homes


The Public Inquiry into the West Hendon development has started. The Guardian has carried an article outlining the arguments that Barnet Council are engaged in the social cleansing of the estate LINK

There will be a meeting at the Marsh Drive Community Centre on the estate at 2pm on Thursday afternoon and then a procession to Barnet Town Hall.

This is an update received from Barnet green party member Ben Samuel:
Now is the most crucial time to stop the West Hendon development since the "lake side" phase 2 Public Inquiry opened yesterday and will continue for 8 days.  We started with broad principles and the promoter's case.  Then objectors including myself will have the chance to read out their evidence and questions will be asked.  All the papers are on www.west-hendon.co.uk and the evening session we are told will go ahead between 6 and 9 p.m. this Thursday.

Please come to Thursday's afternoon of action starting with a guest talk at West Hendon's Marsh Drive Community Centre booked for 2 pm.  We'll then process to the Town Hall.

After the statement of case by the expensive QC Neil King, who characterised objectors as mere protesters not with a serious plan, we heard form Martin Cowie from Barnet Council, and his developer partner who seems to be his boss.  Cllr Adam clarified the Council's claim that there were no non-secure tenants in 2002 even though we'll hear next week that there were.
They cited s.13 1974 Misc provisions Act, 2004 circular on policy and Equality Act to create "an inclusive place for all sections of the community".
They explain the long delay in phase 3 as due to changes in market conditions but Adam made Barratts promise not to lower the % affordable from 25% which includes shared equity.
This is a message received later this afternoon about tomorrow's (Thursday) meeting and march:

JOIN US FOR AN AFTERNOON OF HOUSING ACTIVISM TOMORROW (THURSDAY) 2pm

Come and listen to the Focus E15 Mothers talk about their campaign 2 - 4 o clock
Marsh Drive Community Centre Marsh Dr NW9 7QE (Nearest station - Hendon Overground, on Thames Link )
15 min from kings cross
or
Hendon Central Tube - northern line then 83 bus to Hendon Broadway

buses 32, 83, 142, 183, 632, 642

- THEN

4 - 5 o clock
join us for some hot home made soup and rolls while we drop our ginormous banner

- AND THEN

5 o clock
March from the estate to the Public Inquiry at Hendon Town Hall

6 o clock
- outside Hendon Town Hall The Burroughs NW4 4AX - nearest station Hendon Central, Northern Line )
buses 143, 183, 362

we will be joined by the Women from The New Era campaign, speakers from the Our West Hendon Group, Radical Housing Network , Unite The Union and other estates in Barnet.;
where we will make a noise and voice our objections to the social cleansing of West Hendon and London wide.

Thursday 11 September 2014

Our West Hendon takes on pan-London gentrification this Saturday

Readers will remember Save The Welsh Harp, the campaign to stop Barratts building tower bocks on the banks of the Welsh Harp which had been occupied by the West Hendon Social Housing Estate. LINK

Barnet Coucil and Boris Johnson approved the scheme despite widespread oppositon and now tenants are being forced out.

This message is from Our West Hendon:

Our West Hendon are running out of time. Non-secure tenants are rapidly being forced out of their communities and Barratts has refused to negotiate 'like for like' settlements with the leaseholders.

Private tenants face yet another move and secure tenants are reluctantly due to be moved into the new but massively inferior builds. It appears the only way to deal with the council and the developers is now to take direct action. Please join us in solidarity this Saturday 13th from 7am-1pm at Marsh Drive Community Centre NW9 7QE.

We know the only way to stop this pan-London gentrification is if all affected communities now come together. Alone we are few, together we are many!


Sunday 7 April 2013

New threat to Welsh Harp - time to act quickly

The view today from the west bank of the Welsh Harp
The view in the future if the development goes ahead
Four years  ago a united campaign of local political activists and environmentalists saw off proposals for housing developments in both Barnet and Brent areas of Brent Reservoir, popularly known as the Welsh Harp.

Those proposals are dwarfed by the enormous West Hendon development proposed by Barratts which is soon to be considered by Barnet Council.


The development is adjacent to an SSSI (site of Special Scientific Interest) on the Welsh Harp which is home to nesting birds and used by over-wintering birds.  It draws visitors from all over London and beyond. The footpath is well used by many Brent residents who start their walk at the Birchen Grove end of the Welsh Harp.

The development will include tower blocks of up to 26 storeys high - double the height of the one in the photograph.The existing 597 homes will be demolished and replaced by 2,000 houses and flats including 4 tower blocks. There are proposals to build footbridges over the Silk Stream and beside Cool Oak Bridge which are likely to cause water pollution during construction. The area is already one designated as having poor air quality and the development is likely to increase traffic in the area.

Barratts have already built a 12 storey block next to Cool Oak Bridge which gives an indication of the overbearing nature of such blocks and the extent to which they rise above tree height. The new blocks will be twice as high.


There is some confusion about the date by which letters have to be received by Barnet Planning Officers, the safest assumption is that the deadline is April 30th. The Planning Reference is H/01054/13 and the Barnet Planing contacts is: Thomas.Wyld@barnet.gov.uk 

Full documentation can be found HERE

I reproduce below a submission on the development that sums up the issues very well:

Comments on West Hendon re-development Proposals



Significance of Northern Reservoir/Refuge/Marsh and associated woodland.

The Northern reservoir is an important refuge used by wildfowl when there is disturbance on the main reservoir from sailing. It functions this way throughout the year but especially during the winter months when the normal numbers of birds increase by several hundred displaced ducks and other wildfowl. The area most used by these birds is along the bank next to the estate. It is a SSSI which should afford a high level of protection under wildlife legislation. An important screen of trees currently separates the water from the estate. The marshy northern end of the water is also important for breeding wildfowl in the sheltered pools and channels. Finally at the northern end is a quiet area of wet woodland in which a number of shy woodland birds breed (owls, woodpeckers, warblers). The area of the re-development abuts the whole of the edge of the waterway, marsh and woodland.



Proposed re-development- key features

The proposal involves a huge increase in the density of housing and greatly exceeds the GLA recommended level for a site of this size increasing from 7-800 housing units to over 2000. A key feature of the proposal is the construction of a number of extremely high tower blocks, up to 26 stories in height; these are sited immediately adjacent to the Water and the SSSI boundary. The excessive height of these towers seems more appropriate for a central financial district than a North London suburb. The development will have a major impact on the surrounding area and put a huge strain on local health, education and road infrastructure.



Impact on the SSSI, reservoir and local area

  • There will be a major increase in disturbance of the wildfowl refuge both during construction and when occupied, both due to the excessive height of the buildings and the tripling of the number of occupants
  • The developers would like to remove tree screening to open up sight lines. This will make matters worse and increase disturbance. We can expect that this will have a major impact on roosting and nesting birds. The existing tree buffer hides all but the single 15 storey tower that currently exists and in addition to increased disturbance any reduction in the tree cover will have a major and detrimental landscape effect when viewed from the bridge or the footpath to the west of the north reservoir. The tree screen needs to be effectively managed and maintained.
  • There will be a large increase in the amount of night-time light pollution in what is currently a dark area. This will affect birds and mammals such as bats. External night-time lighting of the towers must be kept to a minimum. Brightly lit towers have been shown to have a detrimental effect on night flying and migrating birds
  • The extreme height of the tower blocks will interfere with flight lines for birds trying to get away from sailing disturbance on the main reservoir. There could also be an increased risk of bird strikes made worse by the large number of high level glass windows.
  •  A proposed bridge and circular route crossing the river further upstream will disturb and damage the wet woodland where shy woodland birds such as woodpeckers, owls and warblers breed. This woodland forms part of the SSSI buffer and Local Nature Reserve.
  • This proposed bridge will also disturb scarce breeding wildfowl such as Gadwall, Pochard and others which breed in the pools and reed-beds at the end of the reservoir next to the woodland.
  • The proposed location of the towers next to the SSSI boundary appears to be mainly for commercial and marketing reasons and has little regard for the nature reserve. They should be lower and further back.
  • Due to the huge increase in occupancy of the estate there will be many more people visiting the lake and therefore greatly increasing the disturbance. The planned occupancy level greatly exceeds the level proposed for the site by the GLA.
  • The provision of car parking, schools and health centres appears inadequate for the level of occupancy. This will put great strain on local infrastructure, facilities and roads.
  • The two reservoirs have an important secondary function as a flood buffer. The huge increase in the local built footprint and areas covered by concrete will have an adverse effect on the carrying capacity in times of heavy rain. Flood events seem to be on the increase at the site from my own observations over a period of 30 years.
  • The SSSI boundary with York Park has long been a dumping ground for domestic appliances and waste. The huge increase in occupancy will clearly make this much worse.

Summary



This development will have a major and detrimental impact on both the Reservoir Nature Reserve and the local community. It is inevitable that the SSSI will be adversely affected.  The planned occupancy level needs to be greatly reduced to a level more appropriate to the area and the setting. The tower blocks should be reduced in height and placed back from the margins of the reservoir. The part of the development already completed shows the overbearing and inappropriate nature of the building design next to one of London’s most important sites for recreation and natural history. 


The local council, the owners (of the reservoir) and the developers have a legal duty under existing wildlife legislation to conserve and improve the SSSI. As the proposals stand it is impossible for them to achieve this aim and we can only expect deterioration in the standard of the SSSI.