SLM Weekly Digest
Keep Our Marshes Open and Green!
What a week – internationally, nationally and locally. What thread draws together the Parliamentary proceedings that have taken the U.K. further into an un-winnable war, to news from Greenpeace that the Government have decided that the anti-fracking decision agreed earlier by Lancashire County Council is not valid to some of the things happening on our own doorstep is clearly ill-advised short term thinking which has long term consequences.
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS - a busy time for most people – what better time to organise a couple of meetings about the future of the Lea Valley Ice Rink? SLM received the news this week that drop-in sessions are being organised to discuss whether a new ice rink should be: (1) refurbished on the current site (2) Built as a new venue on the current site (that means bigger!) or (3) build a new centre elsewhere in the Lea Valley. SLM have emailed Shaun Dawson, LVRPA’s CEO to complain about the timing of the following drop in sessions but do go if you can to:
Wednesday 9 December from 17.00-18.00 on Wednesday 9 December at the Ice Rink or Saturday 12 December at the Waterworks Centre (across and up the Lea Bridge Road from the Ice Rink) from 10.30 to 11.30. You are asked to confirm your attendance by emailing pandrews@leevalleypark.org.uk and perhaps make a comment about the timing!
EAST MARSH GATE – correspondence continues about the bridges and the gates at East Marsh. London Borough of Hackney say that the bridge between East Marsh and the Main Marsh has a 2 tonne weight limit, so vehicles needed for grass cutting cannot use this route and therefore the gates at Ruckholt Road (which they may consider modifying) are necessary. SLM are arguing that the current gates should have had Planning Inspectorate consent and should be removed. We also question why such large motorised vehicles have to be used. Witness the amount of grass being carved up by wheel tyres across the marshes...
MINI-HOLLAND IMPACTS – (1) SLM has been informed that the steps, which appear to go nowhere on the new bridge by the underpass on Lea Bridge Road (near the Riding Stables) are inspection steps for access for future repair work and are part of the bridge’s support structure. (2) Waltham Forest Council have put out a call for architects for a £500,000 scheme for a cycle hub (cafe, repairs, storage centre) to make-over the Lammas Cottage in Leyton “Jubilee” Park. This is currently occupied by Eton Manor Athletics Club and the plan is for future sharing of the building and to give back up to the M-H.S. see http://road.cc/content/news/172113-architects-compete-build-new-%c2%A3500000-cycle-hub-Leyton
PETITION OF THE WEEK – Friends of Millfields Lane (in Hampstead) have put out a call for people to sign their petition to Camden Council concerning a large property development, which they believe will seriously hamper access to the Lane and have a damaging effect on the drainage leading to the Bird Sanctuary Pond. The third attempt to consider the application will be on 17 December. See
IN THE PRESS – news from the Waltham Forest Guardian is that Waltham Forest will be seeing the fastest rising property prices in the next five years.
“Hackney Today” 30 November 2015, p3 has two stories of interest: (1) another meeting has been arranged to discuss the London Fields filtering scheme,( as the previous venue wasn’t big enough), on 14 December at 7.00 p.m. at Hackney Town Hall Assembly Rooms. Those unable to attend can read frequently asked questions at: www.hackney.gov.uk/traffic-management.htm#:London-Fields and further questions can be e-mailed to: andy.cunningham@hackney.gov.uk Also, there is an update on plans to update and restore the famous Haggerson Baths to view the survey results go to:
Thursday’s Evening Standard www.eveningstandard.co.uk/news has on page 4, a story about another planned tower block set to loom over Finisbury Square in the City; p.2. Boris waffles on about Climate Change in Paris.. and page 14 Nick Clegg (ex-Deputy P.M.), opines that “All logic points to Gatwick in the great expansion debate..”
Thursday’s Guardian page 14, www.guardian.co.uk/national has a story about the decline by more than a quarter of the UK’s birds, including much loved species.
EVENTS - A Plant Survey will be taking place in Wick Wood on Saturday 5 December – meet 10.30am at the Marshes Centre a.k.a. the Rusty Box. This is part of an ongoing project to produce a Flora for Hackney. For further information or to take part in future surveys contact annie.chipchase@gmail.com
Not the time and space to mention a lot of the seasonal events going on this week but SLM’s new calendar will be on sale on my stall Trashalamode this weekend at the Sutton House Christmas Fair and is also being stocked soon in other local shops, including Pages of Hackney.
Next SLM meeting will be on Monday 14 December – venue to be decided as it will be our seasonal celebration.
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a message which will be seen by our readers who may wish to reply.