Forum Topic

Boston Manor Park "Meadow"

" The meadow down near the Brent/canal was looking really stunning "Guess who ?In fact "the meadoew" is largely under water consisting of two or three large ponds.When that area was cleared the plan as posted on this very forumillustrated by the ususal impressive diagrams envsiaged "orchards" to replace the abundant blackberry bushes that covered the site up until that point.Clearly it never occured to designers of this site that it was the abundant covering of bushes and other vegitation etc which soaked up all the moisture and prevented the ground becoming waterlogged and subsequently turning into pondsPresumably these are the self-same experts who having had free reign on the NW corner of Gunnersbury Park for two whole years so as turn it into "state of the art sports pitches" have managed to turn that whole area into a quagmire as well. Contrast that with the totally untouched loam of the former pitch and putt course, which soaks up all the rain and can still be walked across So much for the "experts".  While the councillors all sit thereopen mouthed, bedazzled by the slick presentation and nodding away. After all they can't be expected to know everything can they ? Leave it to the experts. And its lunch in 20 minutes anyway.michael adams  

Michael Adams ● 367d12 Comments

" but they remember the quagmire  which was the meadow 'before' https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20168/parks_and_open_spaces/2272/boston_manor_park_blog/14Oh dear ! That was the bottom meadow "AFTER they pulled out all the abundant vegetation; and AFTER running back and forth across it for a couple of weeks with excavators, tipper lorries, and other heavy plant etc carrying it all awaymichael adams

Michael Adams ● 362d

Gate pillar smashed. Nine months later it might be repaired. Not damage caused by regular park users. Don’t let facts get in the way of your fantasies Lambert.And when will you respond about who paid for your colleagues’ jolly to MIPIM? You mouth if about everything else but fudge the hard questions.

Simon Hayes ● 366d

Yes, it is infuriating that the gate pillar has not been re-erected.I have been complaining about this regularly and I heard last week that there is now a contract let to rebuild it during April. It will be paid for by the organisation behind Junction 2.Those of us visit the park are well aware that it was left pristine last year after the Junction 2 festival. I'm surprised regular visitors suggest "the Junction 2 crowd will smash up the park in the summer" and I'm sorry to interfere with these fantasies.

Guy Lambert ● 366d

The amount of rain we have had recently has been exceptional. On my recent walk around the park I noticed the large brick gateway at the south entrance has still not been rebuilt. I hope the metal gate has not been lost.I assume the contract with the music festival when the gate was knocked down would have included a sizeable deposit to cover any possible damage.

Chris Dakers ● 366d

Wow, you make a lot of lazy assumptions about people. What makes you think those commenting here aren’t regular users of the park?

Simon Hayes ● 366d

Fortunately these armchair experts can continue to  slag off the changes in Boston Manor Park and agree with each other and slap their mutual backs.I go to Boston Manor Park often, meet people there, work with naturalists who are working to make it better and better and even the ones who hated the changes at the start of this are now enthusiastic, but they remember the quagmire  which was the meadow 'before'https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20168/parks_and_open_spaces/2272/boston_manor_park_blog/14A picture of the 'after' is in my last week blog - a lovely space, with paths winding between the trees and a natural pond at this low area of the park, doing its job of segregating the wet area successfully despite the challenge of record breaking rainfall in recent weeks.But the ones I meet there visit the park and love it, rather than those living in different areas who get their pleasure from complaining.

Guy Lambert ● 366d

True Wilding means effectively keeping out predators and that really applies most to Humans.Wildlife and wild growth is at its safest and best when humans are not included.That means that wildlife predators might kill other species. Might forage and oust others. It also means growth of vegetation which can be a bit hazardous to health to humans and some animals like horses.  But it's not Disney its real.Unfortunately the current definition of Wilding is more to do with urban fluffy rose tinted spectacle perspectives and slick presentations and opportunists can easily pull the wool over a naive and blinkered audience and squeeze a few quid out of them in the process.I would love to know the true cost of the damage No Mow makes to grassed areas that then need to be put right after being left to go to seed and clump up and get littered.

Raymond Havelock ● 366d

Hear, hear!

Vanessa Smith ● 367d

I think the volunteers are fantastic and a fountain of knowledge.

Nicholas Beard ● 367d

'So much for the "experts".  While the councillors all sit thereopen mouthed, bedazzled by the slick presentation and noddingaway. After all they can't be expected to know everything canthey ?'There is more than a grain of truth in that observation I would say. It's one thing to employ these 'experts' but not for councillors to take all they say at face value, they seem short on the nous that would make most of us ask the difficult questions of these people, presumably because they don't want to look daft. No-one knows everything, and if you    want to learn then you ask. Ditto they should do the same of their own officers who are most adept at using the old BBB tactics when it suits, and of course they could always listen to volunteers who do so much work in our parks. There's a lot of skill and knowledge out there - if only they'd listen.

Vanessa Smith ● 367d

I thank you for pointing this out. I know nothing about plants etc so it is very enlightening to read your post, thanks. I hope the experts! Read it as well.

Nicholas Beard ● 367d

Careful now, people might think you are having a go at them.Luckily the Junction 2 crowd will smash up the park in the summer anyway so having not much there to start with is a bonus for the cash strapped council.Flooding isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a short period but the prolonged periods of wet weather we’ve had aren’t great for soil structure and root health.

Simon Hayes ● 367d