SLM Weekly Digest

Keep Our Marshes Open and Green!

This is the Weekly Digest of Save Lea Marshes – an open group of people living in the Lea Valley area, concerned to keep the marshes and other green spaces in good condition for wildlife and local people and to ensure that development does not encroach on our vital “Green Lung”.

Last weekend, the River Lea and the marshes was swathed in a thick fog and looked fittingly spooky for Halloween. On Sunday morning, I was taken with the way that the mist was rising up from the water as the sun started to break through. Enough – what else has been going on?

On the SLM front we are continuing our efforts to get rid of the concrete and other car-parking edifices from East Marsh with cooperation from Hackney Council and keeping a watching brief on things such as building developments and the Mini Holland Scheme in Waltham Forest (more later).

Tree '46' is continuing to tweet from Hackney Marshes in an attempt to save itself from the Council's axe. Check out its words of wisdom @tfortysix

We are also working on new publicity and merchandising new products for fundraising including our new calendar which will be available for sale by the end of the month. It features more beautiful images taken by local lovers of the marshes so that's one present sorted in advance!

“MINI- HOLLAND” OR “DOUBLE DUTCH”? An active local resident has informed SLM that she has written to both local MP Stella Creasy and Waltham Forest Council querying the removal of bus lanes and bus stops from the Lea Bridge Road. The removal of bus lanes wasn’t mentioned in the original consultation and our local resident wants to know where this idea has come from and what are the sources of research which have led to this action?

IN THE PRESS

SLM has received an email of monthly news from the newly-established Waltham Forest Echo – there is more coverage of the “Mini Holland” scheme but also included in this eighth issue is an interview with an SLM member talking about her experience at the recent Public Inquiry on North and East Marsh developments. TheWaltham Forest Echo has just had one of its regular consultations with members of the public this week but if anyone would like to have something included in Issue 9 the copy deadline is 19 November contact: wfecho@socialspider.com

The Waltham Forest Guardian has a story this week about a new car-free development of a four- storey block of nine flats that will go up on site at 590 High Road, Leytonstone – that’s the good news. The bad news is that none of these flats is at an affordable price and WF Council will only receive £85k to spend on housing priority elsewhere – not even the cost of a garage!
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news

Over in Hackney, the Hackney Gazette has on p.1. “Voter Crisis could rob Hackney of MP” in the next election if people don’t check their vote under the Government’s new changes and find themselves disenfranchised and with a drop in numbers not meet the constituency requirements; on page 5, more on road blocking plans in London Fields/De Beauvoir, which has residents divided; p9 Hackney Marsh Adventure Playground in Daubney Road gets voted the best in London by the London Adventure Play Awards and on p.7 “Mayor’s (of Tower Hamlets and Hackney) team up to fight goodsyard skyscrapers” by planning a conference to raise concerns. These are mega-blocks of 48 storeys – which if the local Mayors don’t succeed will to the London Mayor, Boris and three guesses ... http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk

Nationally – today’s Guardian 5 November, p.12 has “Fracking plan for nature sites is finally axed”, however, Greenpeace are not totally convinced and their spokesperson said: “This seems like a statement to mollify concerned backbenchers but lacking the substance to actually protect the countryside from fracking pollution”.

Wednesday’s Guardian had an article on “Tiny beetle poses new threat to Britain’s ash trees”, which could be worse than Ash Dieback.. p.9 http://www.guardian.co.uk

CROSSRAIL – there are some consultation meetings being organised. To check the latest go to
http://www.crossrail2.co.uk

EVENTS

Saturday 14th November 2-4pm: An Autumnal Plant Walk over Walthamstow Marshes
Meet at 1.45pm at the Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow E17 7HA

Guided by the Gone Wild Herbs collective - Rasheeqa, Sarah & Steph: "We'll walk up to the marshes and take a ramble in the green freshness to see what's still out there this time of year that can bring us medicinal and edible joy, stopping to explore the uses of particular plants and share collective knowledge around traditional recipes."

If you're interested to join, please contact Rasheeqa on 07784 506 494 or email: rasheeqa@hedgeherbs.org.uk - £7.50/ £5 concessions

With all this gloom and doom going on if you fancy a laugh there are some Red Imp Comedy nights happening at Ye Old Rose and Crown, including Dec 5 with Sara Pascoe and Lenny Beige’s Christmas Smorgasboard on December 8. For full details and prices go to http://www.redimpcomedyclub.co.uk

Next SLM meeting will be on Monday 16th November at 7.30pm at the Princess of Wales pub, Lea Bridge Road – all welcome.