Forum Topic

Sellig of Parks, allotments and public recreational space

We already know that LBH and Messrs Curran, Walsh and co cannot be trusted with the boroughs open spaces and that both main political parties in the borough will not have the gumption to make a stand with developers or external pressures.Have a look at this:http://bit.ly/2coGutkBritain’s parks are at risk. There’s no legal responsibility to look after them and squeezed budgets mean our local green spaces - from playgrounds, to the park you relax in on your lunch break - don’t have the money they need. [1] We could end up being forced to pay to use our parks - or lose them altogether. [2]A group of MPs are looking into the crisis right now. They’re thinking of making protecting parks a legal requirement, and they’ll advise the government on what to do. [3] A huge petition, signed by all of us, will prove how much we love our parks. It could convince the MPs to come up with a water-tight plan for protecting them. Can you sign the petition now and demand that looking after our parks is made a legal requirement by the government? [4] It only takes 30 seconds to add your name:http://bit.ly/2coGutk

Raymond Havelock ● 3250d20 Comments

This is still going.  Please sign and share.

Philippa Bond ● 3179d

Communities and Local Government CommitteePublic parks inquiry  Inquiry status: open  The deadline for written submissions was 30 September 2016. If you would like to send a submission please contact Committee staff.Scope of the inquiry The Communities and Local Government Committee launches an inquiry into public parks to examine the impact of reduced local authority budgets on these open spaces and consider concerns that their existence is under threat.Terms of reference: Public parks Latest evidenceNo evidence has been published by the committee yet.All public parks inquiry publicationsNext meeting(s)There are currently no public meetings scheduled.Full parliamentary calendarNews Future of public parks inquiry launched Communities and Local Government Committee launches inquiry on the future of public parksAll Communities and Local Government Committee news.Twitter #myparkmattersRead the contributions on Twitter about why local parks matter

Vanessa Smith ● 3233d

https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-government-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/public-parks-16-17/This is a link re the Commons select committee on parks and open spaces.We all need to be vigilant where these much needed facilities are concerned.

Vanessa Smith ● 3233d

Just so people are aware in the West of the Borough the community uses facebook forums to communicate- ours is unsurprisingly called "Bedfont Councillors"- further information there....But in a nutshell we got a written response for the future of Hounslow Heath as follows. I don't think fair to comment on areas further away from my area, however Hounslow Heath is a borough asset, which I enjoy, so on issues like this any information sharing is important:QUESTION TO CABINET- Hounslow HeathCan the council categorically state 100% that they will NOT be building any houses on ANY part of Hounslow Heath? (Including the Golf course area)ANSWERThe Hounslow Local Plan policies map shows that Hounslow Heath is designated as:- Metropolitan Green Belt;- Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs); and as a - Local Nature ReserveFurthermore, the Council controls most of the land at Hounslow Heath, including the golf course, through its own land ownership. National, London-wide and the Council’s own planning policies protect the open character of Hounslow Heath with the very highest level of policy protection afforded to Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land. The designation as a SINC and Local Nature Reserve protects the value of the area to nature conservation as well.Planning policies do allow for a strictly limited range of ‘appropriate’ development on GB and MOL, but a proposal for a housing development would be an ‘inappropriate’ and would not permitted by GB / MOL policies unless there were ‘very special circumstances’ that outweighed the harm caused by the development. Given the above points, it is likely that there are no circumstances where housing development on Hounslow Heath could be justified.

Samantha Christie ● 3238d

This is very much how it's going to be from now on.Use it or Lose it.

Raymond Havelock ● 3240d

I was told the following.  Apparently around 30 local residents went to the meeting and Cllr Tony Louki.Opinion was that the library should stay and that, if possible, so should the bowls club.  However, the bowls club has only 25 members and is proving difficult to sustain. It was hoped to attract newer and younger members.The council clearly wants to put more flats or houses on the site, but things are at an early stage.  Tony Louki was also of the view that high rise buildings would be out of the question, and that one possibility might be to keep the library in situa and build about 6 flats above it.  However suspicion is that any developer would want more than this, and that the  bowls club site is the real target.

Sarah Felstead ● 3240d

I received an email headed an urgent meeting being held tomorrow, Saturday, about this area of open public space.  It is being held at  Thistleworth Tennis Club at 129a Ridgeway Road at 10.30.  I can't see or open the attachment so I don't know what The Councils plan is.  Could get a multi storey on the land but it might suit a MacDonalds drive through.  Does anyone know anything more?  Does it need its own thread heading?

Sarah Felstead ● 3242d

Good to have a councillor from the west of the borough taking an interest and posting on this forum for the benefit of local residents who use it.  Might it be too much to hope that one or two from this end (Guy Lambert excepted) could follow suit?

Phil Andrews ● 3247d

LBOH Open Space Strategy final draft 2004 and 2013London Borough of Hounslow Parks and Open Space Draft Strategies that have gone before Park Strategy Draft 2004

Open Space Strategy 2013 Draft

URL's in case links do not workhttp://dmtrust.dukesmeadowspark.com/files/pagss/Parks_Strategy_Final_draft_august.dochttp://www.hounslow.gov.uk/london_borough_of_hounslow_-_open_space_strategy.pdf

Bernard Allen ● 3247d

Thanks for the response Samantha. The golf course at Hounslow Heath could be a really lovely course if it was better looked. It's a great shame that it is not better promoted and used more and it will be an equally great  shame to lose it completely. A ( better promoted) nine hole course would be a solution which suits everyone imo as Hounslow is not exactly blessed with public golf courses and once it's lost it's lost for the people who love playing and for future generations.

Keith Iddon ● 3247d

Also there is an active 'Friends' group keeping a watching brief and working with others. We all need to be vigilant across the borough.

Vanessa Smith ● 3247d

Being a Councillor from the west end of the borough I thought it should be pointed out there are numerous residents our end that care a lot about parks - in particular Hounslow Heath and we have many different interest groups involved, from friends of the river crane to the Nordic Walkers to dog walkers etcCouncillors have worked really hard alongside the users of Hounslow Heath - we have had burnt out cars removed, volunteer clean up teams have been involved, Thames water were contacted to remove graffiti from the pumping station, we spoke to Heathrow airport about the river crane and the impact of their de-icers, network rail spent time removing all the burnt out cars from the marshalling yards.  We will definitely be keeping our eye on the golf course and any future developments- we have helped clean up the Heath a lot, so will be most careful about any future development - Hobbledown already failed- so I think that gives some comfort as to how much we care!

Samantha Christie ● 3248d

The golf course there, which I played today is due t be closed at the end of this month.It's a great shame that a 9 hole course can't be kept to provide golf for those who enjoy a round rather than all of it being handed over to developers to do their worst with. Still, I suppose whilst we have a local council that only sees £ signs there is no chance of that..

Keith Iddon ● 3248d

Signed and Shared on FB

Simon Anderson ● 3248d

Well said Vanessa and I 100% agree the current regime are an administration led by officers and not by useless councillors who are happy to take their allowances and sit back and be silent

Paul Fisher ● 3249d

According to the Borough's Corporate Property review 2015 - 2025 several parks are marked as "needing a further review", which doesn't bode well. Certainly our nearby small park which we managed to wrest back from horse grazing to hopefully turn it into a nature reserve, and also Brent Lea which was the subject of a massive protest, were on this document. We will ignore watching this at our peril, Curran and that henchman of his, Walsh, cannot be trusted, nothing is sacred, they are a bloody disgrace.

Vanessa Smith ● 3249d

I don't think LBH having just one department covering Regeneration, Economic Development and Environment is particularly reassuring. Massive conflict of interest and far too easy to sweep the environment, green spaces, air pollution, heathrow flight paths, etc, under the mat.

Lorne Gifford ● 3249d

At this week's Borough Council meeting Conservative Cllr John Todd asked "if given LBH's stated aspiration to be an assertive developer the borough's Green Belt and Open Metropolitan Land was at risk?"Steve Curran assured us all that there was nothing to worry about but then he rather let the cat out of the bag by saying that LBH would be carrying out a review of the Borough's Green Belt land in the near future. Apparently there has been no such review in LBH since the 1990s and "alot has changed". We already know that MOL will be built on if there is a perceived significant public benefit in doing so e.g. building a school.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 3249d

Will do, that's why several groups in this borough are fighting to preserve these precious open spaces. Wouldn't trust the Lampton Mafia an inch where these are concerned.

Vanessa Smith ● 3250d

Signed, and shared on Facebook.

Katherine Kaufman ● 3250d