The Independent: "Should we be doing more to combat climate change?"

Link to web site

"Fifty years ago, few people cared about pollution, deforestation, whaling or the Ozone layer. But even with an increasing awareness of issues concerning the environment, there is still a long way to go.

"This week The Independent is looking at the successes and failures of the Green Movement at 50, with a series of blogs and features centred around the question: 'Has the environment movement been a success?'"

Pinkham Way Alliance: "Don't Go!"

 

HEARING FOR THE NORTH LONDON WASTE PLAN SUSPENDED

After 90 minutes of today’s opening session for the North London Waste Plan (NLWP) hearing, the inspector suspended proceedings until further notice.

If you were planning to attend any of the sessions this fortnight (particularly those next week on 19^th and 20^th of June) please do not turn up – the hearing is not happening yet.

Briefly put, the problem involves a possible failure of the seven north London councils involved in the NLWP to co-operate with their neighbouring planning authorities to the north and east of London as they are legally required to do.

The inspector will now receive further submissions on this, and decide what happens next. We will, of course, keep you updated.

In the meantime, the NLWP hearing is suspended until further notice – please do not try to attend!

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Just a quick mention for another fundraising concert, which will be happening on Sunday 8 July, at St Andrew's Church on Alexandra Park Road at 4pm.

The Galitzin Quartet, who gave us a fabulous performance in February, will be joined by friends to perform as the Galitzin Chamber Ensemble for one of the highpoints of the repertoire - Schubert's Trout Quintet.

Please try to keep the date free, and spread the word. Full details and ticket information will be available soon on our events website.

Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter, and join the Facebook Group.

To help us pay the considerable cost of retaining the experts who will appear at the NLWP hearing on all our behalf, please donate here .

Kind regards,

Bidesh Sarkar

Chair

Pinkham Way Alliance

Barnet Press: "Pinkham Way hearing suspended indefinitely"

Link to Barnet Press

"A PUBLIC inquiry into plans to build a major waste plant in New Southgate was suspended on Tuesday,  just two hours into its first session.

"Examination of the North London Waste Plan, which includes proposals to introduce a 15,000 square meters waste processing plant in Pinkham Way, opened at Camden Town Hall in Judd Street at 10am."

North London Waste Plan Inquiry: Can anything be salvaged? (Probably not)

Click above for this 'Brent Cross Coalition'
quote below (in a lengthy document)
or link to the whole Brent Cross web site

"NLWA’s Confusion Regarding the [Brent Cross Domestic Waste] Site

"4.17 The NLWA’s position with the Geron Way [Brent Cross] site has frequently changed. For example, its consideration of the 'Brent Cross Cricklewood Development Partners' [effectively the arrogant shopping centre outfit Hammerson, with some tax-haven associates] application (see APP1.9 and APP1.10) it made a complete u-turn.

"Furthermore, in a letter to a local resident dated 6th September 2010 (APP2) NLWA indicated that:

"...it was decided that our outline business case (OBC) should provide for the waste treatment facility that might have been built at Geron Way to be built at Pinkham Way instead".

"The only reading of this Statement can be that the Pinkham Way site was replacing the Geron way site. However, within a few days of LBB being alerted to this extraordinary admission, the NLWA issued a revised letter (APP3) (stating the first letter was ‘misleading’) reconfirming its commitment to Geron Way."

BREAKING NEWS - BREAKING NEWS - BREAKING (you get the idea)

North London Waste Plan - postponed till September at earliest - "Inspector not convinced by the Local Authorities' 'Duty to Co-operate' ". (More in later posts.)

Pinkham Way Alliance: "CRUCIAL DAYS AT THE NORTH LONDON WASTE PLAN HEARING"

"A huge milestone in our campaign is here: an inspector’s public hearing of the North London Waste Plan (NLWP). It’s imperative that we have as much public support as possible.

"The NLWP hearing starts this week, but the two crucial days – regarding whether the Pinkham Way site should be put forward for waste usage – are on Tue 19 and Wed 20 June, near Euston.

"Please make every effort to come to any of this that you’re able. It's not a demonstration; we'll just need to watch proceedings quietly from the public gallery.

"Anyone at the Haringey hearing in February will realise that our presence will make a definite and important impression on the inspector.

"As we all know, our local councils are stakeholders in the plan and they committed to the successful delivery of its current version a long time ago. This is a vital chance to show an official with a responsibility to be objective, and who's not tied up in the process, that we know exactly what has been going on and that we feel very strongly about it.

"We realise that work days are difficult, but if anyone is able to get there, even just for an hour or so, please do. The view that the inspector takes will play a defining role in whether this massive waste factory gets built.

Tuesday 19 & Wednesday 20 June

(10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm)

Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, WC1H 9BD

Enfield Independent: "Six-day Pinkham Way public hearing launches tomorrow"

Link to Enfield Independent

"A six-day public hearing to address the 'North London Waste Plan' will begin tomorrow.

"The meeting, which starts at 10am in Camden Town Hall, will give people a chance to have their say about the viability of building a waste facility in Pinkham Way - which is part of the waste plan.

"The next hearings will take place on Wednesday, June 13 and Thursday, June 14 in Camden Town Hall in Judd Street, at 10am.

"The next public hearings will go ahead in Hamilton House, Mabledon Place WC1H 9BD, at 10am, on Tuesday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 20.

"The final meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at 10am, in Camden Town Hall.

The Very Large, and Us, and the Very Small

Link to 'The Scale of the Universe'

"A PROTON is about one femtometre (10-15 metres) across, whereas the Pistol Star spans 47m kilometres. Such are the facts that can be gleaned from an utterly delightful data visualisation created by Michael and Cary Huang, which allows you to fly through space comparing the size of everything, from neutrinos to nebulae."
[words: The Economist]

June weekends at Ally Pally

Click for details

The Independent: "Rio shuts down its trash mountain"

Link to web site

"One of the world's largest open-air landfills, a vast, seaside mountain of trash where thousands of people have made a living sorting through the debris by hand, will close this weekend after 34 years in malodorous service.

"Long a symbol of ill-conceived urban planning and environmental negligence, Rio de Janeiro's Jardim Gramacho dump is being transformed into a vast facility that will harness the greenhouse gases generated by the rotting rubbish and turn them into fuel capable of heating homes and powering cars."

Don't Forget: Alexandra Palace Consultation Now On!

Link to consultation web page

"What will happen next?

"When the consultation process finishes at the end of June 2012, we will review all of the feedback we receive.

"Your views will be important in shaping the next stage of the masterplanning process over the summer, and assigning priorities to the various projects. The conclusions from the consultation process will be fed back later in the year via our website.

"Based on the public response to the consultation, we will be able to assess the support and demand for the Trust’s ideas. We intend to approach potential partners for the event business and hotel operations later in the year. We will also be in discussion with potential donors, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund."

Muswell Hill Sustainability Group: "Pinkham Way – Act before 10 June!"

Link to web site

"The challenging and complicated issue of the future of Pinkham Way is being handled expertly by the Pinkham Way Alliance, PWA. Over the last two years, their thoroughness has brought to light serious irregularities on the part of our council and the North London Waste Authority.

"The next step needs as many names supporting their campaign as can be mustered. Muswell Hill Sustainability Group supports the campaign against the proposed waste processing plant, which will, if it gets the go-ahead, be the biggest in Europe. We encourage you to look at the communiqué from the PWA, and to follow their link, to add your name to their response before the 10th of June. ..."

Croydon Today: "Protesters lay 'wreath of rubbish' at Croydon Town Hall during incinerator demo"

Link to Croydon Today

"Green Party spokesman Shasha Khan said the protest showed the strength of feeling against the incinerator planned for Beddington Lane: 

"A wreath of waste sends a clear message about the death of democracy in Croydon."

 "But rubbish chief Cllr Phil Thomas accused the protesters of 'scaremongering' and dismissed the demonstration as 'one man and his dog'. 

"The protest, organised by Stop The Incinerator campaign, began outside Croydon University Hospital. Protesters marched along London Road, handing out leaflets warning of the health risks posed by the incinerator, which would burn 275,000 tonnes of waste each year."

 

North London Arts

Link to web site

"The North London Arts Map brings together the wide range of high quality arts and cultural venues and events across North London.

"Beautifully illustrated by artist Sian Pattenden, this exciting and playful map proves that North London is the place to be! Whether you're a resident of North London or a visitor to the area, you will find plenty on offer to appeal to you whatever your art interest! Perhaps you're searching for a local art class, or maybe you want to discover hidden art gems on your doorstep? Maybe you're looking for a cultural festival or planning a visit to North London with family or friends?

Link to PDF file

"The North London Arts Map is your first stop for exploring the wealth of art and culture on offer in North London and making the most of your visit!

"The printed version of the North London Arts Map was launched in July 2009 both locally and regionally. Over 60,000 maps have flown off the shelves since then and, owing to popular demand, we have put the put the North London Arts Map online for more of you to enjoy!"

"The North London Arts Map is a joint initiative of the North London Arts Partnership (comprising of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey). The map has been cited as an example of best practice in London by Arts Council England, Visit London and Transport for London, all of whom have supported it."

London Cycling Campaign: New Cycling Provision "Dangerous and Unfit for Purpose"

Link to London Cycling Campaign

"New off-carriageway cycling facilities on the A406 North Circular in Bounds Green have been strongly criticised by local cyclists, who warn of increased danger to cyclists from the 'inadequate and poorly designed facilities'.

"Coordinator of Haringey Cycling Campaign Michael Poteliakhoff said,

"The cycling provision appears to have been factored in to the design at a late stage, and with a very low priority and without a proper safety audit."

"LCC's Mike Cavenett said,

"These cycle tracks conform to every dreadful stereotype of British bike lanes. The engineers should be ashamed to have designed and installed solutions that are unfit for purpose. In many instances they endanger people on bikes and on foot, and certainly discourage cycle journeys."

BBC: "A universal power socket... at last?"

Link to BBC web site

"Three pins. Two pins. Slanting pins. Straight. Circular. In a world where there is no global standard for plug design, taking electrical items abroad can be fraught with difficulties. But now a solution may be at hand - and already in use in China.

"I have to report a minor breakthrough in the great power play between nations, and a very pleasant one at that."

[Reposted] MyZeroWaste: "Why waste incineration is wrong"

Link to My Zero Waste web site (from 2008)

"... Taking a wide view of post-consumer and post-industrial waste reveals that the real root of the problem lies much further back. and begins with the production of waste, as opposed to its disposal. That may seem obvious, but if so, why are we even contemplating the use of incinerators? 

"Why don’t we grasp the nettle of responsibility, and prevent the problem, and stop taking reactive measures of dealing with the monster, after it has escaped? If we project the waste problem into future generations, it’s clear that incineration can only be a temporary measure, or reserved for specialist waste disposal needs."

---

See also UKWIN web site.

Let's Recycle: "LondonWaste unveils MRF at Edmonton EcoPark"

Link to 'Let's Recycle' web site

"Waste and recycling company LondonWaste has unveiled a new materials recycling facility (MRF) at its 40-acre EcoPark in Edmonton, North London which is capable of sorting 50,000 tonnes of material a year.

"A range of different technologies feature in the new enclosed facility including screens, conveyors and magnets for sorting mixed waste as well as an ‘air knife’ system to remove contaminants from the waste stream."

Barnet Times: "Labour party wins Brunswick Park by-election"

Link to Barnet Times

"The Labour Party candidate Andreas Ioannidis won the Brunswick Park by-election yesterday, with 50.8 per cent for the vote, which represented a 13.25 per cent swing to Labour. 

"He said:

"... I will continue to campaign to stop the waste treatment plant on Pinkham Way. My aim is to always be on the side of local residents."

Alexandra Palace - Have Your Say

Link to web site

"Over the past few months, the Trustees of Alexandra Palace have been developing a ‘spatial masterplan’ for the future use of the building; looking at the whole site, and how people might use it and move around it in years to come."

Barnet Times: "Barnet skip companies fear closure due to landfill tax increase"

Link to Barnet Times

"Skip hire companies in Barnet ... say the new landfill tax rate means they are being forced to pay more to tip waste than they can be expected to charge customers to shift it.

"Last Friday Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced waste transfer stations will now be charged £64 a tonne for inert material, such as dust and stones, rather than the previous lower rate of £2.50."

Let's Recycle: "Council raises air quality concern over waste sites"

Link to Let's Recycle

"A London council is calling for the government to have greater consideration for air quality when issuing licences for waste sites.

"Brent council has said that the regulatory and enforcement regime used to licence operators of waste sites are ineffective when it comes to ensuring commercial operators upgrade their environmental controls."

Link to London Brorough of Brent

Air Quality Action Plan.

Pinkham Way Alliance: FINAL WRITTEN SUBMISSION FOR THE NORTH LONDON WASTE PLAN

"Our final submission for the North London Waste Plan (NLWP) inspector was made last week. The NLWP hearing starts on 12 June.

"A summary of our arguments and the key documents themselves are available on our website; details are below.

"We owe a huge debt to the small group of local experts who have given their time – and months of it – to prepare our case.

"This lengthy voluntary work to guide the paid lawyers, planning consultant and waste expert has been vital. Without it, our resources would have fallen well short of being able to produce such compelling objections.

"Although more than half way to our NLWP fundraising target, we’re currently £15,000 short of the amount needed to pay these professional advisors to fully prepare for, and appear at, the NLWP hearing itself.

"We need to find this total quickly, in order to pay for their services in early June.

"Please donate now if you can. And if you’re able to raise some money for us, that would be great.

"We'll be in touch soon with ideas about this, and news of more top class fundraising concerts.

You can read a summary of our objections to the NLWP.

"You can also see our full NLWP submission documents.

"Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter, and you can join the Facebook Group."

Kind regards,

Bidesh Sarkar

Chair, Pinkham Way Alliance

The Independent: "Britain's waste: Now it's coming back to haunt us"

"A £300m criminal trade that smuggled rubbish out of the UK is so toxic that the trash is being sent home. Cahal Milmo saw it finish its journey from Jakarta to Felixstowe" 

Link to The Independent

"Nearly 90 containers, each weighing more than 30 tonnes, have arrived back in the bustling Suffolk dockyard of Felixstowe in the past fortnight. Their journey began last November when they left scrapyards in southern England for Indonesia, labelled as 'recyclable' material with a value of $500,000 (£318,000).

"... Four UK companies are now being investigated by the Environment Agency (EA) to see if they sent contaminated and potentially toxic waste to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, in contravention of laws designed to combat a global epidemic of cross-border dumping."

Trent Park Open House

Foundations & Development

"Unearth the foundations of the first house built for Sir Richard Jebb and the architectural development by the Bevan family during the Victorian era. See the iconic Mansion House by taking a free guided walking tour of the grounds and explore the Grade II listed statuary and buildings. View a collection of items from the past in our Museum featuring pictures of the development of the estate over the past 300 years.

"The doors of Trent Park are open, so come and learn more about: 

• Victorian life at Trent Park 
• landscaping of the medieval Enfield Chase by Humphry Repton 
• the house designed by royal architect Sir William Chambers 
• well-preserved embellishments of the house by Sir Richard Jebb, John Cumming, the Bevan family and Sir Philip Sassoon.

"Tours of the estate run for approximately 1 hour, starting at: 10am, 12pm, 2pm & 4pm (last admission at 3.30pm)

"Tours start at the Mansion main entrance. The Mansion, Grounds and Museum are all open until 5pm. Please wear appropriate footwear as the tours involve walking outdoors. Parking is available from the Snakes Lane entrance of Trent Park."

Trent Park is accessible via the Piccadilly Line from Cockfosters and Oakwood station. Nearby busses are the 121 and 307 which stop near the Snakes Lane entrance. You can catch the free Middlesex University shuttle bus near Oakwood station which will take you into Trent Park.

The campus is surrounded by a landscape of lakes, woods and country walks.

Parking is available for visitors. Please enter the site from the Snakes Lane entrance near Oakwood station. You will be directed to Farm Yard car park which is a short walk from the Mansion.

Friern Barnet Library Campaign on BBC's The One Show

Link to BBC iPlayer

(starts at about 2 mins 45 secs)

Haringey Independent: "Children bake cakes to oppose waste plant"

Link to Haringey Independent

"Bounds Green children joined the fight against a waste processing plant with a cake sale on Monday.

"The three youngsters, Florrie and Wilf Weston aged nine and six, and Hanna Lily Smyth-Smith also nine, sold the home made cakes to neighbours and managed to raise £50."

The Guardian: Criminality in the Financial Services Industry

Link to The Guardian

"It is no exaggeration to say that since the 1980s, much of the global financial sector has become criminalised, creating an industry culture that tolerates or even encourages systematic fraud. The behaviour that caused the mortgage bubble and financial crisis of 2008 was a natural outcome and continuation of this pattern, rather than some kind of economic accident.

"... A reasonable list of prosecutable crimes committed during the bubble, the crisis, and the aftermath period by financial services firms includes: securities fraud, accounting fraud, honest services violations, bribery, perjury and making false statements to US government investigators, Sarbanes-Oxley violations (false accounting), Rico (Racketeer Influenced and Criminal Organisations Act) offences, federal aid disclosure regulations offences and personal conduct offences (drug use, tax evasion etc)."

---

Li nk to The I ndipendent

The Independent: "Have the policymakers at the Bank of England gone completely nuts?"

"The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) last week published its latest forecasts for the British economy in its May Inflation Report. This followed its meeting a week earlier when it decided, presumably much to Chancellor Osborne's chagrin, that it would make no change either to interest rates or to the scale of its asset purchase programme.

"One of the major lessons from the 1930s is that central bankers are not powerless to act even if they think they are, and more action is better than less. So once again, in my view, the collective sitting on hands looks a major policy error."

Sun 20 May: Coppetts Wood Festival

The Pinkham Way Alliance says:

"Pinkham Wood has a mirror site, north-west of and adjacent to the Colney Hatch Lane Tesco superstore, at the junction of the A406 and Colney Hatch Lane.

Both sites were once sewage works; both closed as such in 1963. Interestingly, it’s precisely this past that’s given rise to such rich and diverse natural life on both.

In 1997, Barnet Council made Coppetts Wood a Local Nature Reserve, and it thrives as a fantastic bit of countryside for enjoyment and learning.

Run by volunteers, it is something of an inspiration for what Pinkham Wood itself could become. Local conservationist and valued PWA expert Ollie Natelson has recently won a civic award for his work there.

On Sunday 20 May, from 2pm to 4.30pm, you can enjoy the Woodland Spring Festival at Coppetts Wood. It’s a great time to see the site if you’ve never been. As last year, the PWA will have a stall there."

BBC: "Councils 'must lower carbon emissions'"

Link to BBC web site

"Local authorities across the UK should have a statutory duty to combat climate change, government advisors recommend.

"The Committee on Climate Change says that councils can make major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in areas such as housing, traffic and waste.

"... The committee is the government's statutory adviser on climate change, and has recommended progressively tighter carbon budgets for the UK leading towards the legally binding goal of an 80% cut from 1990 levels by 2050."

Haringey Council: "Switch to Green Energy"

Link to web site

"Haringey 40:20 discounts are now available on green energy tariffs from Good Energy, Ecotricity and Green Energy UK.

"Switching to green energy will not only cut your carbon emissions, for each customer who switches to a green tariff the renewable energy company will also make a donation of £10 - £50 to the Haringey 40:20 Community Fund.

To obtain the discounts, click on the external links, or call the phone numbers quoting “Haringey 40:20”.

From 18 May: LT Museum: "Mind the Map: Inspiring art, design and cartography"

Link to LT Museum

"18 May - 28 October 2012

"A new exhibition about the inspiration, history and creativity behind London transport maps opens on Friday 18 May 2012. 'Mind the Map: inspiring art, design and cartography' will draw on the Museum’s outstanding map collection to explore the themes of journeys, identity and publicity. The exhibition will be the largest of its kind, and will include previously unseen historic material and exciting new artworks by leading artists, including Simon Patterson, Stephen Walter, Susan Stockwell, Jeremy Wood, Claire Brewster, and Agnes Poitevin-Navarre.

"The displays will explore geographical, diagrammatic and decorative transport maps, as well as the influence of the iconic London Tube map on cartography, art and the public imagination. The Underground, London Transport, and its successor Transport for London, have produced outstanding maps for over 100 years. These have not only shaped the city, they have inspired the world.

"Looking in particular at the relationship between identity and place, Mind the Map will explore the impact maps have had on our understanding of London, and how they influence the way we navigate and engage with our surroundings. Mind the Map will be accompanied by an extensive public events programme, and a book to be published by Lund Humphries - 'London Underground Maps: Inspiring Art, Design and Cartography'." 

---

Open Evening - Museums at Night 2012

"The open evening of Mind the Map coincides with 'Museums at Night 2012', so explore the museum after hours with a glass of wine, and release your inner geek by taking part in a workshop led by artist Claire Brewster, or listening in on a reading from author Craig Taylor.

"You can take a guided tour of the exhibition, while DJ Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne spins the decks for the night and watch while our Resident cartographer Emily Wilkinson maps the whole evening."

Barnet Times: "Protestors hold Coleman retirement party in Finchley"

Link to Barnet Times

"A group of people who fought against Cllr Coleman’s hugely unpopular parking policies are holding a party on May 26 at Cafe Buzz in North Finchley.

"At the invite-only party there will be nibbles and subsidised alcohol."

The Guardian: The London Borough of Barnet and the Graph of Doom

"Without radical change, the cost of social care could soak up every penny of Barnet council's budget within 20 years"

Link to The Guardian
(includes Barnet document)

"Let me to introduce you to the Barnet Graph of Doom. It's a PowerPoint slide, showing that within 20 years, unless things change dramatically, the north London council will be unable to provide any services except adult social care and children's services. No libraries, no parks, no leisure centres – not even bin collections.

"Barnet, once dubbed 'easyCouncil', is known for its enthusiastic embrace of service outsourcing. But the Graph of Doom is quite separate. Irrespective of savings planned under the One Barnet transformation strategy, the slide demonstrates that demographic change – more children, more older people – is going to soak up every penny the authority has."

---

(Incidentally, a later slide is full of rubbish about Brent Cross.)

---

The Guardian: " 'Shameful' plastic waste to be tackled by government"

Link to The Guardian

"The government will call on councils and businesses to beef up plastic recycling capacity, and better realise the financial value arising from the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste plastics discarded each year.

"Describing the continued disposal of plastic bottles and other plastic products to landfill as 'shameful', DEFRA minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach will confirm that government figures show how last year around 240,000 tonnes of plastic bottles were sent to landfill by households with access to kerbside plastic recycling collection – equivalent to nearly half of all bottles used."

BBC: "Consultation launched on how to label food"

Link to BBC web site

"Food manufacturers, supermarkets and health experts are to be asked their views on the best way to label the nutritional content of food.

"Julia Waltham, from the British Heart Foundation, said:

"This isn't about telling people what should or shouldn't be in their baskets.

The government should strongly recommend that food companies and supermarkets use a consistent food labelling scheme that includes traffic light colours. They all have a responsibility to provide a system that helps shoppers compare products, and then easily pick the healthiest option if they want to."

Daily Telegraph: "Taking on the litterbugs: hurrah for the heroine keeping Britain tidy"

Link to web site

"Alice Arnold, the BBC announcer, has become a national heroine by tossing a plastic bottle back into a car from which a passenger had thrown it. In view of the growing perversity of our law-enforcement agencies, she was lucky not to be charged with threatening behaviour, or worse.

"... Two experiences caused me to become interested in litter as a social, or anti-social, phenomenon in Britain. The first was when I drove 400 miles from London to Glasgow. The side of the road, every yard of the way, was heavily littered, mainly with the detritus of millions of snacks. On that journey, I came to the conclusion that in Britain polythene grows on trees."

---

Link to The Guardian

The Guardian: "Alice Arnold: litter, Twitter and my media storm"

"When I got more than 100 responses to my tweet about throwing a plastic bottle back into the car from which it had been lobbed, I was surprised. I was even more surprised when the Evening Standard phoned my partner, Clare Balding, the next morning and asked to speak to me about it. That day the article was printed and I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong.

"On Wednesday I headed off to TV Centre to read the news on Radio 4, and opened my emails to find more than 20 requests for media appearances – the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2, BBC TV Breakfast, the Daily Mail asking me to ghost-write a column, the Telegraph asking for a quote and Radio Coventry, quite determined to have me as a live guest."

Barnet Labour claim victory over car park charges

Link to Barnet Labour

"Following a hard fought campaign by local residents, Barnet’s Conservative council have withdrawn their proposals to charge in the seven remaining free car parks in the borough.

• Church Hill Road car park, East Barnet
• Osidge Lane car park, N14
• Daws Lane car park, NW7
• Brunswick Park Road car park, N11
• Egerton Gardens car park, NW4
• New Brent Street car park, NW4
• Quakers Course car park, NW9

"... Labour’s Environment spokesperson, Cllr Alan Schneiderman (left), said:

"I welcome the news that Barnet’s Conservative councillors have finally seen the light, and withdrawn their crazy plan to introduce charges for the seven remaining free car parks in the borough, including Churchhill Road car park in East Barnet Village. ... In a recent open letter to the Leader of the Council Richard Cornelius, Cllr Alison Moore suggested that new direction in environmental policy* was required."

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[* We say: Air quality improvement, road accident reduction, cycling promotion, domestic waste reduction, opposition to unsustainable car-based redevelopment (Brent Cross), ...]

Muswell Hill Sustainability Group: Inspirational low energy primary school

Link to Ashley School Case Study (PDF file)

"One of the projects we’re very excited about is our work with schools in Haringey. We completed energy audits for six schools to allow them to apply for Haringey zero-cost loan funding, and we’re hoping that the improvement works, including low-efficiency lighting, pipe lagging, TRVs and better boiler controls will take place during the school summer holidays. 

"As part of this project, our energy auditor, David Pitcher of Green & Castle arranged for a visit to Ashley Primary School in Surrey, which has reduced its carbon emissions by 80%. I was accompanied on the visit by Cal Shaw, Head of Chestnuts Primary and her business manager, as well as Jude Clements, who has been getting quotes from contractors to do the work at the Haringey Schools.

"The Head of Ashley, Richard Dunne, visited Antartica six years ago, and the sight of icebergs melting motivated him to make a real difference at his school. Through many projects over the last five years he has managed to reduce the school electricity bill to £3000 per annum – which is approximately a twelfth of the average at a Haringey primary. He has done this by embedding sustainability – the pupils at the school are given the job of monitoring different aspects of energy use, and are awarded weekly prizes for the most energy reduction. 

"There is now almost no artificial lighting at the school – corridors and classrooms are lit by solar tubes – directing the sunlight very effectively into the building. He has put a large skylight into his Victorian school hall, so it is now a light and airy room. The school recently had a new block added which (through the solar membrane on the roof) actually produces more energy than it consumes on some days!

"We were all extremely impressed, and the visit really showed the potential for what could be done at Haringey Schools. If you’d like to find out more about our School project do contact us at info@mhsgroup.org."

Pop-up Friern Barnet Library, every Sat, 11 till 1

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