The plan to build schools on the redundant Thames Water site in Lea Bridge Road has been put on hold. The Academies were so impatient they did not wait for a planning application to be submitted before they advertised places at a non existent school. Waltham Forest Council and the Mayor want to protect the Metropolitan Open Land.
Schools on hold
The Lea Valley Federation is a coalition of community and environmental groups and individuals concerned to protect the character of the Lee Valley Regional Park.
Showing posts with label Campaigns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campaigns. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 January 2017
Campaign against the selling off of the Waterworks Centre for housing
Dear Authority Members
I am writing to ask you to reject the Land and Property Strategy that
will be presented to you on 19 January.
Over 3000 people have already signed a petition (https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-council-s-plan-to-build-on-leyton-marshes)
calling on the London Borough of Waltham Forest to scrap its plans to rezone
a large swathe of green open space around The WaterWorks Centre - part of
Leyton marshes - for housing, and I am asking you to play your part in ensuring
our green open spaces are protected.
This land is Metropolitan Open Land, which means it should be
protected from all inappropriate development, just like Green Belt land.
Housing is not, and never will be, appropriate for Metropolitan Open Land.
This land is also part of the flood plain for the River Lea and as such
needs to remain as open space so that the “once in 100 years” flood can be
catered for and more importantly not risk the lives of people whose homes would
be in the front line of any flood. I have seen the flood relief channel nearly
overflow so the odds are on a flood while global warming continues.
The founding rationale of the Lee Valley Regional Park was to protect
the Park as a green lung for London, and all Authority Members have a duty to
uphold this. At no point during the consultations about a new ice rink was
anyone told that it would be funded by selling off land presently held for
recreational use. To do so would subvert the clear intention of the Act of
Parliament with which the Park was founded.
Under the Lee Valley Regional Park Act, the Park Authority was
given financial independence by virtue of the power to draw a precept from the
GLC (now London boroughs) and Essex and Hertfordshire, the power to borrow and
the power to make charges. In addition, it can receive contributions to
its capital facilities from third party bodies. Up until now, the
Park Authority has lived within its means, limiting its plans to what it
can afford from the resources available to it. To depart from this funding
model, by selling off recreational land for development, goes against the
principles upon which the Park was established.
If the Park Authority concludes that it cannot afford to build a new ice
centre without resorting to selling off recreational land for development, then
a new ice centre is currently beyond the Park Authority’s means.
Furthermore, it is disingenuous to argue that the
fact that The Waterworks Centre is underused is justification enough
for closing it. It is underused only because those managing it have let it
steadily run into the ground over the last few years, and have resisted
all suggestions from local people about how it can be made a vibrant community
hub.
Please protect the future of the Lee Valley Regional Park,
and reject the Land and Property Strategy that will be presented to you on
19 January.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Hackney Marshes Development - Inspector's Decision
OPEN SPACES SOCIETY
NEWS RELEASE
MIXED DECISIONS ON HACKNEY MARSHES DEVELOPMENTS
The Open Spaces Society,(1) Britain’s leading national pressure-group for common land,(2) is pleased that plans by the London Borough of Hackney to site a car-park on Hackney Mashes (East) have been refused, but concerned that a pavilion and car-park on Hackney Marshes (North) have been allowed. The Planning Inspectorate has determined applications for these works on common land, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,(3) following a public inquiry in June.
The objectors to both applications included the Open Spaces Society, the Hackney Marshes User Group, the New Lammas Lands Defence Committee, the Save Lea Marshes Group, Sustainable Hackney and other organisations, as well as local residents.
The inspector, Susan Doran, has decided that the East Marsh car-park would harm the landscape and public access to the area, and therefore she refused it. However, she considered that the pavilion and car-park on the North Marsh are consistent with the use of the marshes for traditional pastimes and team sports and she has granted consent.
Says Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society: ‘We consider that all these developments should have been rejected as they will blight this lovely green space. The pavilion and car-park on North Marsh will be ugly and will only serve a limited sector of the public whereas the common should be freely enjoyed by everyone.’
ENDS
Notes for editors
1 The Open Spaces Society was founded in 1865 and is Britain’s oldest national conservation body. It campaigns to protect common land, village greens, open spaces and public paths, and people’s right to enjoy them. This year it celebrates its 150th anniversary with the hashtag #saveopenspaces150.
2 Common is land subject to rights of common, to graze animals or collect wood for instance, or waste land of the manor not subject to rights. The public has the right to walk on all commons and to ride on some.
3 Before any works can be constructed on common land the applicant must obtain the consent of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (via the Planning Inspectorate). In the case of London commons the consent is sought under article 12 of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967.
CONTACT: Kate Ashbrook 01491 573535 (work)
Kate Ashbrook
General Secretary
The Open Spaces Society
25a Bell Street
Henley-on-Thames RG9 2BA
tel 01491 573535, mob 07771 655694
email: hq@oss.org.uk
website www.oss.org.uk
The Open Spaces Society is a registered charity (no 1144840) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 7846516).
Celebrate our anniversary and help
us continue our work
The Lea Valley Heritage Alliance Group
The Lea Valley Heritage Alliance Group
22nd May 2015
Re: London’s Lea Valley Heritage
For some time now The Lea Valley Heritage Alliance
Group has been trying to
establish a joined up strategy to celebrate the regions heritage of national
and world significance.
You may or may not be aware of the fact that
the region has over one hundred industrial first achievements. Nowhere in the
world can this be matched.
Some of you as the regions stakeholders
might already be celebrating some of these many achievements, however, some of
you might not.
The Lea Valley Heritage Alliance Group
has also been for some time now trying to have this important story recognised,
but for a number of reasons to-date that has not been possible.
However, with your support as the
regions stakeholders we can achieve our aims and objectives.
We are therefore pleased to announce
that a meeting has been arranged and will be held at the London Legacy Development Corporation HQ Level
10, 1 Stratford Place, Montfichet Road London E20
1EJ on the Thursday 9th July at 10.30, to discuss various ways how
this can happen.
At the
meeting you will also be able to find out more about Britain’s Best Kept Heritage
Secret.
The meeting
will finish at 1.00.
You are therefore
cordially invited to attend this meeting.
Due to limited seating
space please reply ASAP to avoid disappointment.
Please
respond by email or call 07930 662252
A map of
the venue will be sent to you.
I look
forward to your reply.
Thank You
Mr. Lindsay
Collier MA
Lea Valley
Heritage Alliance Group
Thursday, 30 April 2015
London National Park
Reply-To: Daniel Raven-Ellison <daniel@topolocus.com>
What do you think of our vision for a Greater London National Park City?
View this email in your browser
Hello,
If you are in London, I hope that you are enjoying all this sun we are getting.
A year after our campaign started, we have just published our Green Paper for a Greater London National Park City. The purpose of this short paper is to test out our ideas ahead of our main proposal which will be published in July.
It is important that we get a good number of responses to the consultation that accompanies the Green Paper.
As a Friend of the Greater London National Park* please take a moment to read the Green Paper, respond to the consultation and share it with your networks. Your opinions and support are very valuable to us, so please do contribute to this important part of the campaign.
You can read the Green Paper and respond to the consultation here:
Thank you very much for your time and help.
Daniel
Photo: Simone de Glanville
Copyright © 2015 Greater London National Park campaign, All rights reserved.
We are sending you this email because you signed up as a Friend of the Greater London National Park*. This email list is only used occasionally.
Our mailing address is:
Greater London National Park campaign
13 Hollies RoadLondon, Select a county W5 4UU
United Kingdom
Hedgehog Herbs
From:"Hedge Herbs" <rasheeqa@hedgeherbs.org.uk>
Date:Mon, 2 Mar, 2015 at 10:56
Subject:Marvellous March Matters | Hedge Herbs
Date:Mon, 2 Mar, 2015 at 10:56
Subject:Marvellous March Matters | Hedge Herbs
Hello springtime people,
Aieeeee how exciting the energy is all coming!
Heart-lifting spreadings of snowdrops and crocuses, blossom starting to shine, warmth in the air ... adventures to come!
I hope this finds you all well and bursting with joy and/or other life-affirming stuff, please find below details of herbal happenings coming up this month around Walthamstow and London. Be great to see some of you out and about.
I'm also starting a new little section with recommendations from around and about for healing folk - therapists, gardeners and others of the green inclination whose good practice I have experienced... let me know if you've any good ones for future tips for the community!
And very excitingly, tickets have just gone on sale for this year's Radical Herbal Gathering, our annual get-together exploring the roots of health in the context of social justice, health inequality, ecological justice and practical skillsharing in herbal medicine. It's a powerful and inspiring event - find out more and book tickets here. Taking place Friday 12th-Sunday 14th June 2015 near Shrewsbury.
Herbal Happenings this month of March
Saturday 7th March, 10am-4pm
Blackhorse Market at Blackhorse Workshop, 1-2 Sutherland Road Path, Walthamstow E17 6BX
Hedge Herbs and my friend Sarah Gray Herbalist will be present amongst the makers, crafters and tasty-food-purveyors at the monthly market at E17's brilliant open access wood- and metalwork workshop.
Come sample seasonal herbal teas and find aromatic oils, home remedies for your ailments, cough syrups, creams and balms and more from the plant medicine bounty.
Also, Blackhorse Workshop are now offering new studio spaces on the upper level of the building, with a variety of unit/room options and prices for artists and creators of all leanings - find out more here
Saturday 14th March, 2-4pm
Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Mile End
Spring Herb Walk as part of Plants for People with Hedge Herbs
Come and explore the medicinal plant magic of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, a beautiful atmospheric woodland: discover what green allies abound underfoot that you can gather and use to prepare seasonal remedies for good health.We'll take a route around the cemetery that explores spring herbs for tonics and cleansing, plus vitamin and mineral-rich food plants like Nettles and Cleavers.
We'll then head back to the Soanes Centre for some herb tasting and knowledge-sharing.
Saturday 28th March, 10am-3pm
Urban Herbal Street Party as part of Cultivate Festival, Waltham Forest's urban food-growing festival
Come join me and Willy Forbes, edible forager and chef, on a ramble over the springtime marshes to find and gather fresh green goodies to make into healthful cleansing tonics, teas and yummy snacks.
We'll walk for an hour and a half then head back to the Hornbeam Cafe for a making session, to talk about medicinal herbs and how wild foods can (and should!) be an excellent part of our seasonal diets.
Meet in front of the Lee Valley Ice Centre on Lea Bridge Road at 10am to head onto the marshes; we'll go back to Hornbeam by bus or bicycle at 11.30am.
There will be a range of workshops happening through the afternoon at Forest Recycling Project next to Hornbeam including painting plant pots, hero herbs in cooking and the We Love Low Cost Living roadshow.
If you'd like to know more about any of these events, just get in touch with me on 07784 506 494 or by email.
Local recommendations
E17 Organic Gardens - a lovely new gardening project in east London, with some canny ideas around using recycled materials and greening up our urban neighbourhoods...
love and warm spring wishes,
Rasheeqa
X
Sunday, 14 December 2014
Fields in Trust
|  28 Nov | Reply | ||
Dear Katy,
I hope this finds you well. I am writing to you from Fields in Trust, the only independent UK charity dedicated to protecting and improving outdoor space. I recently attended a meeting of the London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network and found it really interesting to meet with and listen to the Friends groups that attended and it was great to have the chance to introduce Fields in Trust to everyone. I wanted to write to you as I feel we have very similar objectives on both a local and national scale and we also want to make you aware of our work as it is so relevant to the great outdoors.
Founded in 1925, Fields in Trust protects spaces such as parks, playing fields, bike trails and woodlands from being sold off or developed for purposes other than sports or recreation. We also offer funding grants for improvements and repairs, to ensure that everyone has free access to quality outdoor sites.
Last July we launched our Centenary Fields project, to commemorate World War I in communities across the UK by encouraging local authorities to dedicate and protect at least one green memorial space in their area.
We hugely encourage the involvement of community groups like yours with local green spaces. When we protect a space, ownership and management of the site remain in local hands as locals are best placed to reflect the needs of the community. Any changes in use of the site or the site’s buildings (e.g. a pavilion) do need our specific consent so that we can ensure the space is only ever used for sports and/or recreation, but otherwise we are very light touch.
We sponsor sports days, known as ‘Have a Field Days’ for our protected sites and we provide the site with a goodie box packed with sports equipment, such as bats and balls, t-shirts, medals, bunting and more, to help make the day as fun and successful as possible.
We also host an annual awards ceremony in December to highlight some of the success stories of the landowners, volunteers and communities who have championed their local Fields in Trust site.
Our strategic partners include Sport England, the FA, the ECB and RFU, the LTA and Royal British Legion. Our ambassadors include sporting figures such as Graeme Le Saux, Roger Federer, Sir Clive Woodward and Geoffrey Boycott.
We also offer a membership scheme to fund our work, provide improvements and grants for protected sites and sponsor Have a Field Day community events. Members include individuals and families, friends’ groups, sports clubs and associations, parish and town councils, local authorities and companies. Membership starts from £2 a month (or £25 a year) for individuals and is £50 a year for groups.
In addition to supporting our work, FIT membership gets you benefits such as access to expert field management information and advice for managing sites, a regular Friends’ newsletter, competitions and access to the online membership area via our website. You’ll also receive special discounts when you buy from our selected partners – so if you’re looking to invest in any playground equipment, sports products or outdoor furniture, our member discounts from Playdale, HAGS SMP, Stadia Sports and Cotswold Outdoor might save you the cost of the membership fee!
If you’re interested in finding out more about membership or about protecting a site with Fields in Trust, or if you’d like me to attend one of your meetings to talk more about Fields in Trust, just let me know. I have attached our autumn newsletter for you to read, which was sent to members in September.
I look forward very much to hearing from you soon and I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter.
With many thanks and best wishes for the weekend,
Kate
Kate Donnelly
Membership Manager
020 7427 2114
Fields in Trust – the operating name of the National Playing Fields Association - protecting spaces for future generations; improving them for people today
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Sustainable Green Infrastructure Conference
Hello,
As promised, please find below the link for you to access the video, slides & bonus content from The 2014 Sustainable Green Infrastructure Conference.
The team have been busy collating the materials and putting them all together under 1 easy to access resource for your benefit.
Click here
http://greensocialengineering.
If you find the content useful then please talk about it & share with others. Similarly, if you have feedback or suggestions then please use the green link on the resource page to share your ideas.
Thank you again for your interest & support. The feedback has been very strong & we are already working together on next year's event.
Kind regards, on behalf of all the team
Tony Brophy
Chair of Trustees
www.GreenSocialEngineering.org
As promised, please find below the link for you to access the video, slides & bonus content from The 2014 Sustainable Green Infrastructure Conference.
The team have been busy collating the materials and putting them all together under 1 easy to access resource for your benefit.
Click here
http://greensocialengineering.
Contents of the page above include the following presentations:
- Kirsten Henson – Opening Address
- Professor Paul Ekins – Green infrastructure for a green economy
- Professor Walter Distaso – Green infrastructure’s contribution to economic growth
- Professor Cedo Maksimovic – Planning for urban resilience & sustainability
- Dr Ambra Burls – Healthy Parks, Healthy People
- Dr Ian Mell – Financing Green Infrastructure in the UK in an era of competitive planning & fiscal austerity
- Jacques Soignon – To value a city with gardens
- Peter Massini – Greening a Green City
- Howard Wood – Sustainability & Budget Cuts in Green Space Management
- Rob Donald – Unlock the Secrets in the Soil
- Graham Duxbury – X Marks The Spot
- Janet Pell – Wildflower’s Work
- Mike Wells – Green Infrastructure Good, Biodiverse Green Infrastructure Better
- Final panel Q&A & summary by Kirsten Henson
If you find the content useful then please talk about it & share with others. Similarly, if you have feedback or suggestions then please use the green link on the resource page to share your ideas.
Thank you again for your interest & support. The feedback has been very strong & we are already working together on next year's event.
Kind regards, on behalf of all the team
Tony Brophy
Chair of Trustees
www.GreenSocialEngineering.org
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Online Trails
Create an online trail/walk for your green space - exciting, easy and free!The trails, and how to create one, are explained in this Step-by-Step Guide:
http://www.natfedparks.org.uk/
Many groups have been thinking about creating trails and walk guides for their green space. Well, now all groups can do them! Park users can access any trail through a mobile phone whilst walking there - via a free phone App. They can also enjoy any of the trails created by others from all over the country, and even view them on their pc if they wish. .. You can do one or more trails to highlight your trees, facilities, landscape and heritage features, or for a treasure hunt!
The National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces has partnered with TiCL Media Ltd to ensure that every local Friends Group can create such trails easily and free. See all about the trails here: https://ticl.me/trails Download the free App here: https://ticl.me/ticlapp
The advantages to your group include:
- the content is under your control and editable whenever you choose
- it's the same App for ALL Friends Groups, ensuring that members of the public can access trails in their favourite parks via the same app.
- although one App - it can be branded locally by individual Friends Groups
- you don't have to pay for it or pay for its maintenance - TiCL do it
- by incorporating your own weblinks your trail integrates with and adds value to what you're already doing
- it's fun and allows possibility of games, treasurehunts, geocaching etc... 'gamification' encourages participation.
- it's easy to do
The trails, and how to create one, are explained in this special Step-by-Step Guide for Friends Groups: http://www.natfedparks.org.uk/
So why not create one this week?! And then publicise it to your members and local communities for them to access and enjoy...
best wishes
Dave Morris and Sarah Royal
National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
c/o vice-chair@natfedparks.org.uk
http://www.natfedparks.org.uk/
Many groups have been thinking about creating trails and walk guides for their green space. Well, now all groups can do them! Park users can access any trail through a mobile phone whilst walking there - via a free phone App. They can also enjoy any of the trails created by others from all over the country, and even view them on their pc if they wish. .. You can do one or more trails to highlight your trees, facilities, landscape and heritage features, or for a treasure hunt!
The National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces has partnered with TiCL Media Ltd to ensure that every local Friends Group can create such trails easily and free. See all about the trails here: https://ticl.me/trails Download the free App here: https://ticl.me/ticlapp
The advantages to your group include:
- the content is under your control and editable whenever you choose
- it's the same App for ALL Friends Groups, ensuring that members of the public can access trails in their favourite parks via the same app.
- although one App - it can be branded locally by individual Friends Groups
- you don't have to pay for it or pay for its maintenance - TiCL do it
- by incorporating your own weblinks your trail integrates with and adds value to what you're already doing
- it's fun and allows possibility of games, treasurehunts, geocaching etc... 'gamification' encourages participation.
- it's easy to do
The trails, and how to create one, are explained in this special Step-by-Step Guide for Friends Groups: http://www.natfedparks.org.uk/
So why not create one this week?! And then publicise it to your members and local communities for them to access and enjoy...
best wishes
Dave Morris and Sarah Royal
National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
c/o vice-chair@natfedparks.org.uk
Funding the LVRPA
Raz Razzy has left a new comment on your post "Protect our Green Spaces":
As a Merton resident, I don't believe Merton council are justified in building on Dundonald Park or for cutting sports facilities provided to those local residents,HOWEVER, I do believe Merton would be in a stronger position to avoid this sort of cost cutting measure and develop another site; if we, and all the other residents of Greater London Boroughs didn't have to pay hundreds and thousands of pounds of OUR council tax, year on YEAR to Lea Valley. A park which is too far away and with which residents feel no connection whatsoever, and reap few benefits. We need to spend OUR revenue on redeveloping our own parks and areas. The Lea Valley tax is well overdue to be abolished.
As a Merton resident, I don't believe Merton council are justified in building on Dundonald Park or for cutting sports facilities provided to those local residents,HOWEVER, I do believe Merton would be in a stronger position to avoid this sort of cost cutting measure and develop another site; if we, and all the other residents of Greater London Boroughs didn't have to pay hundreds and thousands of pounds of OUR council tax, year on YEAR to Lea Valley. A park which is too far away and with which residents feel no connection whatsoever, and reap few benefits. We need to spend OUR revenue on redeveloping our own parks and areas. The Lea Valley tax is well overdue to be abolished.
Greater London Park
Become a Founder of the Greater London National Park #GLNPhttp://www.
Campaign update27 Oct 2014 Hello,
Our campaign continues to make good progress!
Let’s turn London into the world’s first National Park City. Sign this petition to become a founder of this new kind of National Park.
A Greater London National Park has the very potential to improve health, quality of life, education, prosperity, biodiversity, recreation, liveability, resilience, planning and design across the capital. It would allow for new thinking, solutions and opportunities, with the power to transform how we look after London’s environment, educate our children, design our gardens and much, much more.
London is an incredibly diverse place. 8.3 million humans speaking 300 languages share the city with 13,000 wild species as well as lots of cats and dogs. You may be excused of thinking there was not much space for all these Londoners, but 60% of London is open land and 47% of Greater London is green. As well as the 3,000 parks, 142 local nature reserves, 36 sites of special scientific interest, 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 2 National Nature Reserves within the city’s limits, there are 3.8 million private gardens. For its size, London is one of the very greenest cities in the world – something to celebrate.
Recruit your BoroughAre you in London? Can you recruit the support of your ward or council? Kingston Council and Northfields Ward are showing their support and they are the only ones we have properly asked. Councils asking for a report into the costs, benefits and options for a Greater London National Park creates precisely the kind of powerful support we need, so please do ask. For more details see http://bit.ly/1wCp5zU.
Campaign meetingWe having a campaign meeting in Holborn on Wednesday evening. Come if you can. Full details are athttp://bit.ly/1FQmSXK.
Reimagine London at City HallVisit the cafe in City Hall this week and you will be invited to reimagine London as a National Park. The Reimagine London exhibition includes 1,584 photos that were taken across all of the capital's 33 municipalities by 132 students from the School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London . For full details visit http://bit.ly/1xvC2f1.
Are you at UCL?If you are a postgraduate at UCL or work with someone who is, take a look at the new Institute for Global Prosperity Challenge on how a Greater London National Park could influence prosperity. See http://bit.ly/ZTxMLc for details and how you could win £1,000 and the opportunity to co-author a report.
Do you blog or tweet?Please help to make some noise and raise the profile of our campaign by telling people about it. 80 organisations are now Friends of the campaign, but we could do with lots more names on this petition. Can you help?
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this update and for your support.
Have a great week!
Daniel
@DanRavenEllison
#GLNP
@LondonNP
http://www.
Campaign update27 Oct 2014 Hello,
Our campaign continues to make good progress!
Let’s turn London into the world’s first National Park City. Sign this petition to become a founder of this new kind of National Park.
A Greater London National Park has the very potential to improve health, quality of life, education, prosperity, biodiversity, recreation, liveability, resilience, planning and design across the capital. It would allow for new thinking, solutions and opportunities, with the power to transform how we look after London’s environment, educate our children, design our gardens and much, much more.
London is an incredibly diverse place. 8.3 million humans speaking 300 languages share the city with 13,000 wild species as well as lots of cats and dogs. You may be excused of thinking there was not much space for all these Londoners, but 60% of London is open land and 47% of Greater London is green. As well as the 3,000 parks, 142 local nature reserves, 36 sites of special scientific interest, 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 2 National Nature Reserves within the city’s limits, there are 3.8 million private gardens. For its size, London is one of the very greenest cities in the world – something to celebrate.
Recruit your BoroughAre you in London? Can you recruit the support of your ward or council? Kingston Council and Northfields Ward are showing their support and they are the only ones we have properly asked. Councils asking for a report into the costs, benefits and options for a Greater London National Park creates precisely the kind of powerful support we need, so please do ask. For more details see http://bit.ly/1wCp5zU.
Campaign meetingWe having a campaign meeting in Holborn on Wednesday evening. Come if you can. Full details are athttp://bit.ly/1FQmSXK.
Reimagine London at City HallVisit the cafe in City Hall this week and you will be invited to reimagine London as a National Park. The Reimagine London exhibition includes 1,584 photos that were taken across all of the capital's 33 municipalities by 132 students from the School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London . For full details visit http://bit.ly/1xvC2f1.
Are you at UCL?If you are a postgraduate at UCL or work with someone who is, take a look at the new Institute for Global Prosperity Challenge on how a Greater London National Park could influence prosperity. See http://bit.ly/ZTxMLc for details and how you could win £1,000 and the opportunity to co-author a report.
Do you blog or tweet?Please help to make some noise and raise the profile of our campaign by telling people about it. 80 organisations are now Friends of the campaign, but we could do with lots more names on this petition. Can you help?
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this update and for your support.
Have a great week!
Daniel
@DanRavenEllison
#GLNP
@LondonNP
http://www.
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Protect our Green Spaces
National Federation of Parks and Green Spaceswww.natfedparks.org.uk
Parks Federation meet with Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and call for Government action to protect green spaces and prevent UK parks' slide into crisis
28.10.2014
On 27th October the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces met up with Government Minister Eric Pickles MP, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Dave Morris, the Campaigns Officer of the Federation, was part of a deputation organised by the Protect Dundonald Rec Campaign, who've been leading a 4yr-long local community campaign, backed by thousands of supporters, to prevent the loss of public open space in their much-loved and well-used park in Merton, south London. The Minister was asked to exercise his powers to revoke a controversial Merton Council grant of a planning application to transfer some of the park's public facilities (including tennis courts) to a local school, in breach of local, regional and national planning policies. [Details below]. As this raises issues of national importance, the local deputation was supported by the Federation and also a representative of the Open Spaces Society. The local MP also attended in support. The Minister is expected to respond in a number of weeks.
Dave Morris explained to the Minister that the wider context of the planning dispute was the national 'slide into crisis' caused by the underfunding for maintenance and management of the UK's public green spaces. He presented to the Minister a copy of the Summer 2014 Report: The State of UK Public Parks 2014 – Renaissance to Risk? He urged him to read it, and particularly drew attention to the highly relevant and alarming statistic revealed by the report that '45% of Local Authorities are considering either selling parks and green spaces or transfering their management to others’. Mr Morris pressed the Minister to support the Federation's calls for the Government to hold a National Inquiry into the funding and management of the UK’s green spaces, bring in a Statutory Duty to monitor and manage these spaces to Green Flag Award standard, and ensure adequate public resources for all green spaces. [See full Federation letter to the Minister, below].
Background to the Merton planning dispute
The Dundonald Campaigners say: ' The Merton planning application breaches all national, regional, and local planning policies which protect public open space and sports facilities. There is nothing in planning policy which can be used to justify these breaches. Agreed policy does not allow educational provision to override protection of public open space. Allowing this planning application to proceed would have major implications for public access to open space and sports facilities, so we are asking Eric Pickles to revoke the grant of planning permission. Failure to revoke would legitimise the breaches and undermines national policy.
' We have lost 2,578sqm of our local recreation ground, Dundonald Rec, because Merton Council wants to expand a local primary school by building on the site. This land is very well used for sport and recreation. It was originally protected by a covenant from 1896, but this has been overriden. The Local Authority has granted itself planning permission for the development (despite objections from over 2,000 local residents and users of the Rec) and then appropriated the land from recreational open space to educational use.
' Protect Dundonald Rec brought a legal challenge but we were unable to persuade the court that the Council had failed to follow the process. However, during the court hearing it became clear that the Council had misrepresented the status of the land to Sport England. Sport England had withdrawn its original objection to the scheme based on this information. If Sport England had continued to object to the loss of sports fields then the matter would have been referred to the Secretary of State. '
Letter to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local AuthoritiesFrom the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
27.10.2014
We represent the ‘grass-roots’ movement of 5,000 local Friends of Parks Groups.
I am sure you are aware of the vital and unique role of the UK’s highly-popular and much-loved green spaces: they are central to our communities and to family life, vital for public health and happiness, and deliver a wide range of essential environmental services (biodiversity, flood control, urban climate cooling etc).
Please find enclosed a copy of the most important and authoritative report in 20 years about the UK’s public green spaces, published this summer: The State of UK Public Parks 2014 – Renaissance to Risk?
Despite the Report’s cautious and understated approach it concludes that, due to ongoing reductions in maintenance and management budgets, the UK’s parks and green spaces are ‘at serious risk of slipping back into decline as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.’
It also found that ‘45% of Local Authorities are considering either selling parks and green spaces or transferring their management to others’.This alarming statistic underlines the need for an urgent and effective Government response to the Dundonald case in order to provide protection to urban public green space.
However, as set out in the Report, the threats to public green spaces go much further and deeper, and require immediate strategic action to avert the looming crisis.
We are calling on the Government, especially the next Government in 2015, to:
- Hold a National Inquiry into the funding and management of the UK’s green spaces
- Bring in a Statutory Duty to monitor and manage these spaces to Green Flag Award standard
- Ensure adequate public resources for all green spaces
As Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government we are asking you to support this, and to support the UK’s parks and green spaces.
Dave Morris
Campaigns Officer, National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
Parks Federation meet with Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and call for Government action to protect green spaces and prevent UK parks' slide into crisis
28.10.2014
On 27th October the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces met up with Government Minister Eric Pickles MP, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Dave Morris, the Campaigns Officer of the Federation, was part of a deputation organised by the Protect Dundonald Rec Campaign, who've been leading a 4yr-long local community campaign, backed by thousands of supporters, to prevent the loss of public open space in their much-loved and well-used park in Merton, south London. The Minister was asked to exercise his powers to revoke a controversial Merton Council grant of a planning application to transfer some of the park's public facilities (including tennis courts) to a local school, in breach of local, regional and national planning policies. [Details below]. As this raises issues of national importance, the local deputation was supported by the Federation and also a representative of the Open Spaces Society. The local MP also attended in support. The Minister is expected to respond in a number of weeks.
Dave Morris explained to the Minister that the wider context of the planning dispute was the national 'slide into crisis' caused by the underfunding for maintenance and management of the UK's public green spaces. He presented to the Minister a copy of the Summer 2014 Report: The State of UK Public Parks 2014 – Renaissance to Risk? He urged him to read it, and particularly drew attention to the highly relevant and alarming statistic revealed by the report that '45% of Local Authorities are considering either selling parks and green spaces or transfering their management to others’. Mr Morris pressed the Minister to support the Federation's calls for the Government to hold a National Inquiry into the funding and management of the UK’s green spaces, bring in a Statutory Duty to monitor and manage these spaces to Green Flag Award standard, and ensure adequate public resources for all green spaces. [See full Federation letter to the Minister, below].
Background to the Merton planning dispute
The Dundonald Campaigners say: ' The Merton planning application breaches all national, regional, and local planning policies which protect public open space and sports facilities. There is nothing in planning policy which can be used to justify these breaches. Agreed policy does not allow educational provision to override protection of public open space. Allowing this planning application to proceed would have major implications for public access to open space and sports facilities, so we are asking Eric Pickles to revoke the grant of planning permission. Failure to revoke would legitimise the breaches and undermines national policy.
' We have lost 2,578sqm of our local recreation ground, Dundonald Rec, because Merton Council wants to expand a local primary school by building on the site. This land is very well used for sport and recreation. It was originally protected by a covenant from 1896, but this has been overriden. The Local Authority has granted itself planning permission for the development (despite objections from over 2,000 local residents and users of the Rec) and then appropriated the land from recreational open space to educational use.
' Protect Dundonald Rec brought a legal challenge but we were unable to persuade the court that the Council had failed to follow the process. However, during the court hearing it became clear that the Council had misrepresented the status of the land to Sport England. Sport England had withdrawn its original objection to the scheme based on this information. If Sport England had continued to object to the loss of sports fields then the matter would have been referred to the Secretary of State. '
Letter to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local AuthoritiesFrom the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
27.10.2014
We represent the ‘grass-roots’ movement of 5,000 local Friends of Parks Groups.
I am sure you are aware of the vital and unique role of the UK’s highly-popular and much-loved green spaces: they are central to our communities and to family life, vital for public health and happiness, and deliver a wide range of essential environmental services (biodiversity, flood control, urban climate cooling etc).
Please find enclosed a copy of the most important and authoritative report in 20 years about the UK’s public green spaces, published this summer: The State of UK Public Parks 2014 – Renaissance to Risk?
Despite the Report’s cautious and understated approach it concludes that, due to ongoing reductions in maintenance and management budgets, the UK’s parks and green spaces are ‘at serious risk of slipping back into decline as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.’
It also found that ‘45% of Local Authorities are considering either selling parks and green spaces or transferring their management to others’.This alarming statistic underlines the need for an urgent and effective Government response to the Dundonald case in order to provide protection to urban public green space.
However, as set out in the Report, the threats to public green spaces go much further and deeper, and require immediate strategic action to avert the looming crisis.
We are calling on the Government, especially the next Government in 2015, to:
- Hold a National Inquiry into the funding and management of the UK’s green spaces
- Bring in a Statutory Duty to monitor and manage these spaces to Green Flag Award standard
- Ensure adequate public resources for all green spaces
As Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government we are asking you to support this, and to support the UK’s parks and green spaces.
Dave Morris
Campaigns Officer, National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
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