Forum Topic

Eco Village harvest festival - this Saturday!

Sorry the info looks a little disjointed, I cut and paste it straight from the facebook event invitation!Hopefully I'll be there if I don't have to be in East London that Saturday, would be nice to see some friendly BrentfordTW8 faces there too, should be a ruddy good day if I do say so myself :)Saturday, October 3, 2009Time: 12:00pm - 7:00pmLocation: Kew Bride Eco VillageStreet: Kew Bridge RoadCity/Town: Brentford, United KingdomView MapDescriptionThis saturday we shall be hosting our first Harvest Festival!There will be live music, poetry and a big feast of a soup made from veggies grown on site.Feel to bring along your instruments for a jam, or food donations for the day!!Expect free facepainting and a cob making workshop!(cob is a mixture of clay, soil, sand and straw - we are building a whole house out of it!)See you there!p.s. please remember not to bring any drugs or alcohol on site :)

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6085d15 Comments

AdamDo they intend to start building there this Saturday then?

Phil Andrews ● 6083d

I'd be hypocritical if I said that I hope the event goes well, given that I don't agree in principle with the squatters occupying the Kew Bridge site, the Keens' house or any other privately owned land, but nor do I mean that I hope it is a failure (I'm sure it won't be).As for hijacking the thread, to be fair to Stephanie my points were directed for her to answer, I was more interested to see what any current or past Councillor would say about the issue of public perception and entering the site given the current application.

Adam Beamish ● 6083d

Adam- you're absolutely right, you are perfectly entitled to write whatever you like wherever you like.My only objection was that (like you quite rightly said) You've gone completely off the tangent and are now just firing questions and statements at me personally which have nothing to do with the event. I just thought that as that was the case it would make more sense for us to have a a discussion about it personally as I'm sure nobody else would have any interest in a conversation that exists only between the two of us. Clearly I was mistaken, you crack on.Jim- you're welcome :) would be great to see you if you can make it!

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6083d

Thanks for tip-off Stephanie...about Saturday's event.Saturday, October 3, 2009Time:12:00pm - 7:00pmLocation:Kew Bridge Eco VillageI know of several high profile Brentford people who went into Mrs Keen's "abandoned" home and they obviously had no conscience about trespassing at that location.By comparision a visit to Kew Bridge Eco-Village would be "no sweat". I understand that hundreds of locals have paid a friendly visit to the site already.

Jim Lawes ● 6083d

Stephanie, with respect it's up to me exactly what I post on this thread (as long as it satisfies the moderators).  Yes I have gone a little off on a tangent but one could say I'm keeping the thread near the top of the list.You almost seem to object to my 'interference' on this thread in the same way the legal owners of the Eco Village site probably object to the squatters being on their land !.

Adam Beamish ● 6083d

I was being 'ironic'.Again, if you want to have a conversation about something other than the event I'm more than happy to have it with you but lets continue it privately via email, or make a new thread to discuss peoples opinions on squatters and site development if you feel that it's something that should be discussed on a wider scale.

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6083d

Well you used the word 'condescend' Stephanie, not me, I don't agree with trespass, that's all I've said, I haven't personally made any slurs or personal insults towards the squatters on this thread.And I agree that Andrew is no fool.  I guess being 'in the business' (I'm a planning consultant) I know when I/my company is acting on behalf of a developer how cautious Councillors are to have anything to do with us on the understandable basis of how it could be perceived, but when I/we are acting on behalf of objectors etc. Councillors tend to be slightly more accommodating.  But I do acknowledge that the objectors are the Councillor's constituents.

Adam Beamish ● 6083d

Anyway, if you want to continue this conversation lets do it by email. This post was only really meant to be some info on the weekends festivities, I don't want it to descend into a debate about squatting and whether or not Andrew Dakers should condescend to allow himself to be seen publicly in the presence of squatters... Sort of detracts from the happy sunny Harvest ambience.

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6083d

"Does raise another issue however - I do find it a little 'odd' that an elected Councillor who sits on the Planning Committee making decisions/or making observations on the merits of a proposed development of the site goes along to the Eco Village - much as I have often said that I appreciate how difficult for Councillors to balance their professional responsibilities and assisting their constituents I do think a scenario like this seems an somewhat 'dodgy'(I use that word solely in a perception sense I should stress) position for a Councillor to put themselves in"I presume he doesn't think he's putting himself in a 'dodgy' position or he wouldn't have come. He's a very intelligent man and not naive. Andrew's very open and vocal about his views on green issues (which I imagine is another reason he'd wish to visit an eco village that'd opened up on his doorstep) which for alot of people probably contributes heavily to why they elected him, therefor I'm sure the people 'perceiving' him would trust his judgement on the matter."I can imagine the furore that would result if Joe Bloggs applied for planning permission for an extension to his house and the neighbours wanted to object and a Councillor sitting on the planning committee that was likely to have a key input into the determination of the application went along to a jolly old party at the neighbours house during the period when the application was being determined."Actually he's come to the public meetings, which certainly aren't parties I'm afraid. (nice if they were, I do like a good party)

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6083d

Fair enough Stephanie, I just wondered what your perspective was.  Like you say it's up to people to make their own individual choice.Does raise another issue however - I do find it a little 'odd' that an elected Councillor who sits on the Planning Committee making decisions/or making observations on the merits of a proposed development of the site goes along to the Eco Village - much as I have often said that I appreciate how difficult for Councillors to balance their professional responsibilities and assisting their constituents I do think a scenario like this seems an somewhat 'dodgy'(I use that word solely in a perception sense I should stress) position for a Councillor to put themselves in.I can imagine the furore that would result if Joe Bloggs applied for planning permission for an extension to his house and the neighbours wanted to object and a Councillor sitting on the planning committee that was likely to have a key input into the determination of the application went along to a jolly old party at the neighbours house during the period when the application was being determined.

Adam Beamish ● 6083d

Obviously if I thought it was wrong I wouldn't have posted it.Also I don't think the local residents need 'active encouragement' to visit the Eco Village, as many of them have already been. I don't think there's a face in Green Dragon Lane I haven't seen down there, and what lovely faces they are too :) Andrew Dakers has visited quite a few times, the policeman who came and did a health and safety check on the first week came back on one of the other open days with his kids, and there have been various locals come and run some fantastic workshops (bicycle generated energy, permaculture and pottery to name a few) on the land.All I'm doing is informing people of what will hopefully (weather permitting) be a really fun event, people on here are more than capable of making their own minds up about whether or not they'd like to come.My mind will be made up upon looking out the window that morning and seeing if it's bucketing down with rain as unfortunately I lent my wellies to a friend for a festival a few weeks ago and haven't had them back yet!Also it might be worth looking up the definition of 'irony' if you're going to use the word.. There's nothing ironic about people finding certain things unacceptable and not others. Your idea of what is unacceptable may not be the same as somebody elses and so forth.

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6083d

p.s. please remember not to bring any drugs or alcohol on site :)God forbid!!!! Bring instead some elderflower flavoured Agua, we're gonna make the place rock.

Tony Stavides ● 6084d

Stephanie,Whilst I accept that squatting isn't a criminal offence, don't you consider it 'wrong' to actively encourage local residents to trespass onto privately owned land ?.The irony always amuses me, these forums are often littered with threads about unacceptable behaviour (spitting being today's example) and yet apparently it's okay to trespass onto someone else's land.  Adam

Adam Beamish ● 6084d

Another bloody idiot I suspect... Charmed I'm sure.

Stephanie Kitsune ● 6084d

"Feel to bring along your instruments for a jam, or food donations for the day!!Expect free facepainting and a cob making workshop!(cob is a mixture of clay, soil, sand and straw - we are building a whole house out of it!)"Abother bloody Eco warrior I suspect!

Tony Stavides ● 6084d