The Future of Transportation in Urban Life

"The successful city of the 21st Century will be replete with choices, including nonmotorized, post-fossil fuel travel options. Citizens of the world do not want to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic. They do not want to walk in mud, nor feel threatened on a simple bike ride to work. They want to be in cities that provide for creative interaction, affordable living and healthy movement."

 (Download may be slow to start.)

Quick Rundown on Domestic Waste Strategy

Want to ask Barnet Cabinet about BRENT CROSS?

Well, Ya can't!

Barnet Bugle on Urbanisation

 (When viewing this site, click on the 'Bugle' heading to see ALL of the posts.)

Incinerators are Going Up in Flames

Ham and High article and letter, Barnet Times "MIND THE FLAWS!", and Barnet Press

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As with all our newspaper cuttings, please click on them.

If the text is still too small, you MAY be able to click on the image a second time, to see an enlargement.

Chaos Expected at New Thameslink Station

The North Circular in a few years? (Daily Telegraph)

Chinese drivers stuck in the longest traffic jam

The last paragraph is believed to refer to this:

Misleading Market Research Calls?

The "Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan" believes there is possible confusion about phone calls being made to local households this week

“about Brent and Barnet”.

Some householders have gained the impression that it is

"on behalf of Brent and Barnet ".

These calls are surveys about the £4.5-billion Brent Cross redevelopment, but Brent and Barnet Councils are not involved (we are suggesting – awaiting replies from both councils).

Anyone might have commissioned the survey through Communicate Research/ ICM Direct.

Whoever it is, the calls involve subtly slanted questions*. We are worried that this "survey" will be used - by persons unknown - to mislead the public, if and when the "results" are publicised.

Householders should be warned.

We are asking anyone who can record such a call to contact the Brent Cross Coalition, so we have a transcript. Please ask the caller who they represent, and complain about any questions you think are "slanted" and not neutral.


* Some questions fall blatantly into the category of “motherhood and apple pie”, asking e.g. whether new schools are a good thing, whether it would be desirable to replace an old waste handling facility with a new modern state-of-the-art-facility, etc. etc. Others are more subtle, or simply fail to offer negative options. With such a biased questionnaire design, there is huge scope for misinterpretation of the findings.

We are complaining to the Market Research Society that this survey contradicts Requirement B14:

"not to lead the respondent to a particular answer".

UPDATE:
LB of Brent is "unaware" of the survey.
LB of Barnet IS aware of it, and that 500 residents are being contacted. It is not known if Barnet is aware of the questions, or how the results will be publicised.

Brian Coleman AM on Brent Cross

Five months late, we mention Brian Coleman's opposition to Brent Cross, from the GLA web site:

Brian Coleman AM: “Secretary of State must ‘call in’ Brent Cross Cricklewood decision”

16 MARCH 2010

Brian Coleman AM, London Assembly Member for Barnet has called on the Secretary of State for Communities, to “call in” plans for a vast new development at Brent Cross Cricklewood.

This follows the Mayor of London’s decision on March 12 not to direct refusal of the controversial housing and retail scheme.

Commenting, Mr Coleman said:

“The Brent Cross Cricklewood development, if it is allowed to go ahead, will be a disaster for my constituents in Barnet, and in other neighbouring areas.

“It will overwhelm local infrastructure and impose thousands of ugly and unwanted high rise flats. Indeed, the scheme has attracted so many local objectors that the recent planning meeting had to be held over two days, with additional space set aside in the Town Hall.

“Last December I wrote to the Government Office for London, asking the Secretary of State to call in the plans. He must act on this, so that we can tear up these misguided proposals and start again.”

Boris the builder: The Mayor's vision for London housing

Evening Standard:

It is no mean achievement to get this past the massed ranks of major housebuilders, who have a vested interest in screwing down construction costs and making as much profit as possible from their developments. They have objected to the guide's conclusions and eked out compromises from the Mayor's office, but by and large these standards should improve greatly the housing stock in London.

London Development Agency:

BARNET’S CORE STRATEGY

Planning Policy

The London Borough of Barnet

Building 2

North London Business Park (NLBP)

Oakleigh Road South

London N11 1NP

 
We are writing to inform you of the next steps to be taken with regards to the Core Strategy. Representations were made on the Core Strategy Direction of Travel consultation which took place late last year. The next stage of consultation on our Core Strategy will be the Publication Stage. This document is scheduled to go to Cabinet on the 6th September 2010, and is expected to be ready subject to Cabinet approval for consultation by October.

In preparation for Cabinet, the papers will be published a week before Cabinet takes place. The agenda papers will include the new Publication Stage of the Core Strategy and a table of representations received on the previous Direction of Travel version and the Council’s response to them. We expect Cabinet papers to be released on August 26th and they will be available on this link;

http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/meetings/meetingdetail.asp?meetingid=6147

Subject to Cabinet approval of the Publication Stage, we will inform you of how you can formally comment on the document.
 

Planning Policy Team

Tel: 020 8359 4990

e-mail: forward.planning@barnet.gov.uk

Barnet: "We would like to emphasise the Importance of Improvements to Orbital Movement to the Borough"

18 February 2010 (This has just come to light. The graphic is not part of the submission.)
See: www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mayor_of_london_transport_strate_4#incoming-71504

Draft Mayor's Transport Strategy
Consultation response
London Borough of Barnet

We would like to emphasise, that in the outer London context, where it is acknowledged that car travel will continue to play a significant role, the priority has to be on ensuring that attractive alternatives are available, rather than penalising those road users whose circumstances require a different choice.  This might be in terms of improvements to make other modes more attractive, or in improving the performance of less sustainable modes through reduced emissions, for example.

Also we would like to emphasise the importance of improvements to orbital movement to the borough. The point is partly made in London Councils’ response (para 27)

“We support the proposals in the MTS to improve orbital links between town centres but we are concerned that the emphasis is primarily on better journey planner information and improved integration between transport modes rather than new infrastructure or services. We believe that improved high quality bus links should be provided where it is not possible to provide rail links. This should include limited stop ‘express buses’ for journeys that can not easily be made by rail.”

Council Leaders back down on "Allowancegate" scandal

Barnet Leader announces dramatic U-turn on pay rise, as colleague mounts leadership challenge

(from Vickim57 blog)

"Barnet is desperate for the section 106 money to plug the hole."

"Another interesting comment was regarding the Brent Cross scheme.

"I had long suspected this, but no one had the balls to say it out loud.

"This is purely being passed because the finances of Barnet Council have been destroyed by the Freer/Hillan years of mismanagement. Barnet is desperate for the section 106 money to plug the hole.

"There you go. The sad truth is that they are going to destroy the character of the London Borough of Barnet to save their allowances and plug the hole they've made."

The full analysis is at Barnet Eye.

(Click on the sunglasses picture for the complete blog)

Barnet Times letters

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Barnet Eye: "Brent Cross - They don't give a toss "

Barnet Eye blog: "The Barnet Declaration"

Independent: "Green Power by 2016"

Guardian: "How good planning can make us slimmer, fitter, safer and less lonely."

Barnet Eye: "Allowancegate: What have the Leaders of Barnet Council Ever Done for Us?"