Forum Topic

PLEASE HELP DEFEND HOUNSLOW'S GREEN SPACES

Residents in Osterley are fighting developmental encroachment on long established sports grounds. This is part of an onslaught on green spaces around Hounslow and across London.The residents' group Keep Osterley Green (KOG) mounted a vigorous and well-informed campaign against the proposal to build a Free School on the White Lodge and Conquest Clubs sports grounds. This is Metropolitan Open Land and no good case was ever made for the special circumstances that would have justified this development. KOG won the arguments but lost the vote at the Planning Committee where the majority of councillors were persuaded by spurious arguments about school places and ignored the planning issues.A member of KOG has started a Judicial Review process against the Council for the flawed process by which it reached its decision. The papers have been lodged with the High Court and the process is well under way. The process does not come cheap and money is needed to finance the Judicial review (£40,000 is needed and currently £23,000 has been collected).You can send a clear signal to the Council against using green spaces as an easy development resource by donating to the campaign funds.Donations can be made through the Crowd Justice website:https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/keep-osterley-green/Further details on donating and also full details of the case can be found at http://keeposterleygreen.org/Similar problems are being faced around the borough. There have been both successes and setbacks in opposing this trend. It was good that the Planning Committee (10th March) turned down the application for a development on Hounslow Heath. The councillors argued that the proposed development would degrade the environment and produce increased traffic. Despite the officer's recommendation to approve the application they voted overwhelmingly against it.An earlier victory was the overturning of the decision to place a school on the Brent Lea recreation ground where the Council approved a temporary development but then gave it a 125-year lease. Again, some councillors were active in having the decision reviewed and overturned.Hounslow Council's recent “consultation” documents about developing the west of the Borough and Brentford's "Golden Mile" show a strong desire both to build many more very tall buildings and to build on Metropolitan Open Land and Green Belt.We have to act now to stop these plans from firming up. The way to do this right now is to campaign against developments that build on open land without special circumstances being met. That is the case that Osterley residents are fighting. Please consider donating to their campaign and passing on this message to others.

David Pavett ● 3862d9 Comments

This is why certain councillors have been going to pains to silence individuals and berate those who are highlighting this.It all traces back to Brendan Walsh and his team who quite frankly, this borough would be better off ejecting.Both Mayoral Candidates and their parties will not answer the question. Where are all their promised affordable homes to be built?The answer is if not for developments, the schools and infrastructure will be on parks, allotments, sports grounds public open spaces of all types. Either by lease or outright development.What will normal urban life be without these?  In my opinion, truly awful for a society already fickle and consumed.It is not good enough for certain councillors to slap down anyone who moots these possibilities. If there was not truth in the matter then they would make a loud and clear public declaration.But no. They pick on those who dare to publicly raise the issue. They have already tried it with Brent Lea. Watermans park is likely to be part exclusive, Gunnersbury Park, Carville Hall Park and a raft of others are all being assessed and hawked by the 'Degeneration Office' all with the blessing of the Council Leader and his disciples and several on the opposition. And in far too a secretive manner.

Raymond Havelock ● 3862d

It was quite clear form a recent Friends Forum I attended that there are many groups across the borough concerned enough about our green spaces to form into groups to try and protect them. We suffer from having councillors who don't realise what party they represent and are too thick to understand the ramifications of what Mr. Walsh is obviously presenting them with. His reputation certainly goes before him, as witness the recent article in Private Eye, he's b*ggered up Ealing and has now descended on us. This does seem to be a London wide problem too, we have a government of Philistines who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, and not many local councillors who have the brains or the gumption to put up a fight.

Vanessa Smith ● 3862d

Few who follow Hounslow's planning problems doubt that there are massive problems and that there are many questions to be asked about top officials, lead members, and other councillors, as you suggest.At the same time I think that there is a danger of being too negative. As I tried to indicate some challenges have been faced down by some councillors taking a stand. They need to be applauded and encouraged when they do that. The Osterley campaign was not well served by the Planning Committee, hence the Judicial Review. Now we need support for taking the matter further. Will you consider helping us with a donation?

David Pavett ● 3862d

DavidYou are right to say that when individual councillors do something that benefits the local area and the wider community they should be applauded and encouraged.This will come as a surprise to some but, speaking personally, my preference is always for a constructive, even conciliatory approach to these things.  Nevertheless my personal experience has been that whenever it seems we have found a "good 'un" amongst all the talking heads, the party-liners and the downright dodgy, he/she invariably disappoints.  I have come reluctantly to the view that the problem lies with the culture which elevates these people to their positions of power, much more than will the individuals themselves.I will send a donation, although due to personal circumstances it must inevitably be modest.  Best of luck with your campaign.

Phil Andrews ● 3861d

I will certainly make a donation, I think many of us would like the chance to 'applaud and encourage' councillors unfortunately the negativity comes from them rather than us. So in that I think they really only have themselves to blame. What we have managed to achieve where I live is because WE got off our backsides to defend our small green space, what we've done we've done in spite of councillors, not because of them. I don't take kindly to being lied to by anyone let alone an elected member which unfortunately has been my experience, so I have to say it is increasingly hard to be positive. What do you do with a councillor who makes a habit of telling people not to e-mail them? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence does it?

Vanessa Smith ● 3861d

It's very hard, almost impossible to be positive.It is this closed rank culture that entwines even political adversaries and the establishment and the almost blatant corrupt mindset that is ruining our environs.It's the use of money and lawyers as muscle and it is fuelled by pure greed and the consumption of power that goes to the heads of a few. Until there is a concerted and unified effort by this or any government to wake up and wise up, which I can't ever see happening we are all wasting our time.So please give it a go but I wish I could feel positive. Nontheless I'll see if I can make a small donation despite the 20% salary cut my firm has inflicted on us all this month.

Raymond Havelock ● 3861d

Ah David Pavitt, another Labour party member who uses this forum to flame Hounslow's Labour council.Tell me Mr. Pavitt, why does the same post as this one appear word-for-word on the Chiswick forum under the name of Ian Speed, the former Chairman of the ICG?

Nicki Drick ● 3859d

Err, because the last line of the post encourages people to pass on this message to others ?.

Adam Beamish ● 3859d

Actually it's because David and I are both members of the Keep Osterley Green group, a non-partisan group that has enjoyed support from both a Tory and Labour councillor in Osterley.

Ian Speed ● 3859d