Forum Topic

Hounslow environment planning

Did I read somewhere that heads were going to get together to plan the next few years environmental priorities?  If so, would this allow residents of the Borough to have input?

Sarah Felstead ● 1144d23 Comments

Yes, but that is what happens in winter when the walls are cold and not when we have this unprecendented heat.  When it is like this it stops the air being so dry and reduces the temperature.

Philippa Bond ● 1106d

Drying clothes indoors in a poorly ventilated room isn't a good idea as it will quickly create condensation and mould on walls. This is a particular problem when old, 'draughty' windows are replaced by new double glazed units.

Peter Evans ● 1106d

I think a lot of it is just enabling the developers to make a lot of money to the detriment of the community.  It would be great for their to be allotment provision.  What has happened to the amenity space - it seems to have shrunk to a balcony and a share in a kids' playground if you are lucky and a small communal garden.Govt pulls the strings on the London Plan which the Mayor has to develop to suit them. It gets sent back to him when there aren't enough dwellings planned.  It would definitely be good to see more of the flats in London lived in.  They are dark in the evenings.I too know for a fact that some of these new flats are too hot and should have had air conditioning.  The costs of running this could have been mitigated by having solar panels on the roof. I fairly recently watched a webinar where a retrofitted block in West Kensington had its lifts powered by solar.Here's something about sharing gardens I came across today:https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/features/share-your-garden-community-summer-special%ef%bf%bc/ 

Philippa Bond ● 1107d

In European countries, urban blocks cannot be built by developers without provision for an allotment plot for every flat built. and it has to be within 1.5km of the apartment.No Plot - No build.Should have been done here to but money has always talked loudest. Which is why we have such poor housing developments.

Raymond Havelock ● 1107d

All new buildings should be being built with the capability of dealing with the hot and cold weather - and wet that we will all have to put up with due to climate change.  It's at least 30 years since scientists started to warn us.There is a problem with some flats and conversions with very small rooms where no through breeze can be achieved.  Keeping the blinds down and shutting out the sun is not something we are used to!A friend with a bungalow often asked us when we were visiting to open or close the loft hatch to let the rising hot air escape or to keep it in.  It also helps to cool your home when the weather is hot to dry your washing indoors as the evaporating water reduces the temperature.With Victorian and Edwardian sashes - they were designed to work by letting hot air out the top and allowing the cooled air in at the bothom.  They don't need to be wide open - just open a little and it works.  Make sure you have window locks and don't leave any items like keys in fishing distance!

Philippa Bond ● 1107d

One of the significant lessons from COVID was that we all need our own open space/gardens/allotments.  I never understood why the allotments beside the swimming baths in Isleworth were closed.  Could they be reopened?We have a neighbour whose family have to leave their flat during hot weather, to move back in with the grandparents as there is no air in the flat to generate a breeze and they just cook.We take our garden for granted = so many luxury freedoms for us to chose.  As soon as the sun comes out everything that can go onto the washing line to air or into the washing machine is outside.  Duvets, some for washing, some just for airing.  Blankets, winter coats scarfs etc.  To be forced to put them through a dryer at a huge cost is unthinkable.What are the realities of living in a flat I wonder?Maybe we could strike up a garden line share with people who are living in a flat?

Sarah Felstead ● 1108d

Good grief.  Have a good evening.

Sarah Felstead ● 1125d

The two you saw had their engines off then as there is no such thing as an electric ice cream truck yet. Nissan and Whitby will be introducing them later this year now that a way to power the freezers and dispensing machine while maintaining sufficient battery reserve to provide motive power has been found.The discharge from a Diesel exhaust is, in terms of C02, normally lower than a petrol equivalent. The particulate matter discharge is another matter which is why there are stringent Euro standards to meet. ANY vehicle not passing these cannot legally be used on the road.

N V Brooks ● 1125d

Ok, NV.  Finding myself checking out Ice cream vans now to see if they are parked up idling or engine off.  The one today in Syon Park garden centre car park was silent, and the same for the one in the Kew Gardens car park.  So it must work for them.  I imagine both car park owners would not allow them to pollute the area around their vans, to save the environment and people health.

Sarah Felstead ● 1126d

A child’s face is much closer to the exhaust than an adult 2/3 feet taller and the exhaust fumes disperse from the time they exit the pipe so the concentration is at child head height.  Children in buggies can be even closer.In the main the driver sits in his driving seat with no customers and the fumes billow around across the garden and if my windows are open the fill the front room.  Having blasted the area with very very loud bells they could at least switch the engine off until they get a customer.I bet if they are told not to idle the engine somebody would invent an electric ice cream dispenser.  Goodness knows how they pass the emission tests.

Sarah Felstead ● 1128d

Very short kids locally then as the exhaust is rarely more than 30cms from the ground. There is an issue with these vans in thatthey have to keep their engines running to operaste the whippers and dispensers. No one yet has produced a viable electric alternative.

N V Brooks ● 1128d

We seem to have the luxury of our own ice cream vans parking up outside our house and whilst they ring their bells super loud to let people in the next few streets know they are there, mostly the driver just sits in the driver seat on their phones with their engines running pumping strong diesel fumes into my open windows.If everyone else is told not to idle their engines because of the environment, why aren’t the ice cream vans following suit?  If there were a queue of children they would all be standing in the cloud of really strong diesel fumes, almost head height with the exhaust pipe.

Sarah Felstead ● 1129d

I wonder if the fuel dumping idoesn’t happen more often than we would like to think.  When they dump it, does it go in one splodge?  Does it form a trail and cover several miles in the shape of a long tail?  How much is being dumped each time?  Are they reluctant to dump it at sea in case they have to form a holding queue and circle London for hours?  I wonder.

Sarah Felstead ● 1129d

The BEA Trident  'Papa India' that Crashed at Staines was in open rough land.The Boeing 777 that belly landed was just within the airfield.But there's been no catastrophic incidents over or onto urban areas lying under the flight paths to date.

Raymond Havelock ● 1141d

"There has not been a major incident over London or it's (sic) suburbs"? So what about BEA flight 548 that came down in Staines on 18 June 1972, resulting in the death of all 118 people on board? The worst air incident in the UK, with the exception of the Lockebie crash, caused by a terrorist act.

Sue Rowe ● 1141d

Fuel dumping is apparently reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (and is supposed to be done over the sea whenever possible) but apparently we can't be given the information about it !https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/570355/response/1363831/attach/html/3/20190510Reply.pdf.htmlI'd agree with Raymond that it is rare - but on occasions I do find a pervasive "Heathrow odour" of kerosene when I open my front door in Isleworth and find it hard to believe that it is all coming from Heathrow , blown on the wind.In Holland, the people around Schiphol airport are increasingly concerned about the tonnage of carcinogenic benzene that is discharged to the atmosphere and query that industrial plants doing it would be heavily regulated. Jet engines are apparently pretty bad at complete combustion of the fuel when ticking over at low thrust levels when taxiing and the unburnt kerosene contains a small percentage of benzene. But a lot of planes and a lot of kerosene adds up to an appreciable discharge.

Tim Henderson ● 1142d

Obvious really, To minimise landing weight and thus a tyre blowout or overshoot risk or In case of a bad landing it won't be a fireball.It's a rare practice now.

Raymond Havelock ● 1142d

So why on earth do they dump it n the first place?

Sarah Felstead ● 1143d

It's always been the case but far less now than in the 1970s when most of Cranford was covered in a red dust.This is why almost every major airport globally has been located so Aircraft approaches are parallel to the city not over the city.Not to mention the miracle that theres not been a major incident over London or it's suburbs.One thing Boris was right on is to locate the airport near the estuary linked with bespoke transport links of all modes.great idea but this being Britain it will cost ££££££Billions more than estimated and end up with it's transport links costing more than the airfares.

Raymond Havelock ● 1143d

What is the reason for the dumping? I'm assuming that it's safer to land with less fuel but that the excess is 'in case'. Anybody know?

Anne England ● 1143d

Dead simple, get this and other governments to remove, or at least radically reduce, the aviation fuel subsidy which currently means that airlines pay little, if any, tax on the fuel that they use. If they paid the real price of fuel they would stop dumping it tomorrow.

N V Brooks ● 1143d

The first thing that springs to mind, over many many many issues, is the dumping of fuel from planes, over Hounslow.  Oh, yes. I know. It doesn’t happen but it does.  First hand experience talking here.  How do we find out how many times it actually happens and why it happens, and work to stop it?

Sarah Felstead ● 1143d

From Brentford Today & TV. "Last week the new Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat said: "It is my number 1 priority to change the way we work, to improve the way we engage and consult with you, to ensure that the Council works with communities on the decisions that matter to their areas and have your voices heard in everything we do from planning to parks. This will be the Council of the people, for the people, by the people."Depends on whether these are empty words or someone putting their money where their mouth is - we shall see won't we?

Vanessa Smith ● 1144d