Forum Topic

36° at 7pm!

I noted that the temperature in Brentford for most of this afternoon was around 34.5  and I wondered if it would start getting cooler this evening... before watering some plants outside.But at 7pm it seems to be higher at 36°. No wonder the wildlife is hiding!(Foxes,squirrels, crows,occasional magpie, pidgeons, butterflies and bloody flies)!

Jim Lawes ● 646d4 Comments

We hear the goverment want smaller state. This implies more freedom less laws. So I cannot see things changing. Developers will carry on as they like. I was watching the Tour de France last night and they said in Paris there were controls on how high you could build in order to preserve the skyline. I don't see laws like that happening here, especially since we have taken back control.

Nicholas Beard ● 640d

All comes down to over densification.Leaving grass to wild near homes and buildings is also foolish.We have developers ( Ballymore in Brentford ) Choosing Black Bricks facades and getting approval despite many common sense based objections.Reflective glass to keep cool inside tower blocks but no thought about the reflected light melting other property , scorching trees and causing fires ( Lower Thames Street, for example)It does not even get mitigated in meetings because so many voting are voting politically rather than with an understanding of basics and I suspect don't listen to advice. Or those 'advisors' are shackled by the inherent cultureIt's not as though this is not already known. Common sense preventatives have been practiced for 100s of years.It's the arrogance and incredible ignorance of how and why things were done a certain way and dismissive attitude that now prevails to suit 'new thinking' that is leading to a stagnation and reversal of coping with adverse things.Rail tracks were often whitewashed in summer, nothing new at all. What is new is continuous welded rails but heat expansion way beyond 45c is factored in. Most buckles are at crossovers and where more precisions is required.But lack of manpower to service adverse weather is where things fall apart.  Is leaving grass to grow long in parks near residential back gardens really wise when people rock up and have midnight barbecues and a secret smoke?The sheer lack of intuitive common sense says No. simply because people cannot be relied on to act responsibly. And nothing ever gets maintained or checked adequately.

Raymond Havelock ● 645d

So our rail tracks are being painted white to reflect heat,  the houses in all those Greek villages are painted white. Our buildings, roads, pavements snd patios are absorbing and creating greater hear.  Please don't paint uour bricks because once you've done that you will have to continue but do grow some shrubs and greenery to help mitigate the heat.  Too much and many of our open green spaces are being built on so we have fewer and less amenity space.  Shrinking "amenity space" in planning applications to just unshaded balconies, and a share in a kidd playground snd a bit of shared landscaping you can't use is not enough - especially when your flat is too hot.

Philippa Bond ● 645d

Walter Pidgeon? Here in Brentford?  That's Hot news!!

Raymond Havelock ● 645d