Ham & High, Barnet Times, Barnet Press, and Wembley & Willesden Observer

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(With most browsers, you can click a second time to enlarge any small text.)

Chill Out! Don't let Hammerson, Standard Life Investments, and London Communications Agency get to you...

Click above for the journey
(use 'Riverrun' in the Main Menu, for the complete route)

"Which springing out of a wall vulgarly called Brownswell, for Brentwell, that is in Old English Frogwell, passeth down between Hampstead and Hendon hilles. 

"Brent" unto whom all the finall rillets of these parts resort, runneth on by Brent street, watereth Hanger Wood, Hanwell, Osterley Park, and so neere his fall in the Tamis giveth name to Brentford a fair thoroughfare and frequent mercat.

"Mindeth thou, not to chokke on the traffick of the cercle du nord, on thy journee past Brennt Crosse." (We maketh that bit upp.)

(from William Camden's Brittanica, 1586)

Brent Cross Campaigners Lobby MPs inside House of Commons as Experts Warn of Incineration Dangers. (Where were you, Mr Freer?)

Click above for UKWIN site, or "Read more" if shown on left

ENVIRONMENTAL groups opposing the Brent Cross incinerator took their fight to the House of Commons on Tuesday of last week.

Together with invited MPs, they heard leading waste experts spell out the dangers of incinerators, like at Brent Cross, and the arguments for a “zero waste” alternative. However, Mike Freer, local MP for Finchley and Golders Green, failed to attend.

Off-subject... No... NO... Oh, alright then! Barnet Times: Copthall Stadium "to house rugby as well as athletics"

Link to Barnet Times (other stories have reaction of Barnet FC)

Today's the Day! Hammerson (notice the double mm joined together; cute) finally admits to Brent Cross Cricklewood development

 Click mm for Hammerson web site

[By the way, Barnet was also underwhelming in ITS STATEMENT.]

'Broken Barnet' blog: The Gilbert and George of North London

Click for Barnet Council's performance artists, Lynne Hillan and Brian Coleman

Hammerson, Standard Life and the London Communications Agency spinners are out in the potting shed...

"Key themes for the project are headed by parks and green open spaces,..."

-oOo-

As in building on the only green area in central Cricklewood? 
And on the two triangular children's play areas?
(All thrown into the planning application, and the Planning Committee told to 'take it or leave it' for the whole scheme.)

Evening Standard: London Underground Northern Line - With local authority support, Development CAN pay for Infrastructure...

BBC West Midlands ('Inside Out', 1 Nov.): "Incinerators, but less waste to burn..."

Future dreams, past nightmares... And unfortunate present: Hammerson

Thursday 25 November, 2010, 7pm:

Discussion on 'A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain' with Owen Hatherley, at the LRB Shop.

Planning Mag: First Legal Challenge from Sue, Grabbit and Runne?

Regen.net: Brent Cross deal agreed ["Yeah, yeah, whatever..."]

"The section 106 deal between London Borough of Brent and the scheme’s developers, Brent Cross Cricklewood Development Partners, will result in..." 

We say: "London Borough of BRENT"?  (If only.)

Ham and High ("reeling"?), Barnet Times, Barnet Press, Wembley & Willesden Observer, and Willesden and Brent Times (that's enough newspapers)

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The two Harrow and Brent newspapers are below:

"Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate, more important far than they all." - Thomas Carlyle, 1840.

November 2010: Barnet Press Office: The Ministry of Truth breaks its silence - 'RICHARD IS DELIGHTED'! (He evidently picked the short straw.)

Brent Cross Section 106 Approved

The Cheeky Chappie

"Barnet Council yesterday issued planning consent for the comprehensive regeneration of Brent Cross Cricklewood, following completion of the UK’s largest private sector section 106 agreement.

Inside Housing: "Consent granted" - and a roasting in the Comments section

'WEMBLEY MATTERS' BLOG: Er, it's our press release (and a really COOL shade of green)

Don't try flying a light aircraft through this.
(There are cables.)

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men." (Ezekiel 25:17, and 'Pulp Fiction')



Link to Barnet Times
(Above title of this post is not mentioned)

Cricklewood Community Forum: "No, thanks!"

Photo courtesy of Barnet Times

Pauline McKinnell, Chairperson of 'Cricklewood Community Forum', says:

“This scheme will cause huge disruption to the community for years to come. Hundreds of homes will be destroyed, with residents not knowing where they will be moved to. Home owners, many of whom have lived in the area for years, will be offered shared equity deals if they wish to stay locally, but details have not been worked out.

“The area is bounded by major roads - the North Circular, A5, A41 and Cricklewood Lane - that already experience frequent traffic congestion.  Adding 7,500 new housing units and 27,000 jobs will lead to complete gridlock.

“The concentration of new housing in such a small area is ludicrous. The only way you can get 7,500 homes into the area is to build enormous blocks of flats all over the place. Who on earth would choose to live in a tower block overlooking the North Circular?”

Greens condemn Brent Cross Approval

Dr Shahrar Ali, Brent Green party spokesperson for Environment and Planning, says: 

"Secretary of State Pickles, Mayor Boris, and now Barnet Council seem determined to put the building of giant shopping malls ahead of the future sustainability of the planet.

This decision betrays the short-termist political ideology of local, regional, and coalition government. Local residents will renew their campaign: To kick this over-consumptive fantasy into the long grass!"

PlanningResource: Brent Cross approved; opposition reported

Assembly Member for Brent & Harrow condemns Barnet's decision

Navin Shah, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, has issued this statement: 

Brent Cross Cricklewood Project: What a letdown!

The flawed application for Brent Cross Cricklewood should never have been approved.

Barnet Council wimps out of a BXC press release (Keep looking, maybe eventually...)

STOP PRESS - It is there now!

BBC: "Brent Cross Regeneration plan angers locals" - includes Sarah Teather interview

Evening Standard: Brent Cross gets go ahead [including "rebuilding Cricklewood Midland Main Line railway station" - er, that's the wrong PR script.]

'BXC Coalition' rushes out brief opposition statement (small but perfectly formed)

Coalition Condemns Barnet’s Approval of Brent Cross Plans

THE Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan deplores yesterday’s decision by a single unelected official at Barnet Council to approve the fundamentally-flawed planning application.

Ham and High articles and letters, and Barnet Times letters

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(Below: Loss of North London Waste Authority PFI finance, from Camden's point of view, and Barnet Hard Times. Right: Meet the journalists! Thursday 4 November. Letters to: editorial@hamhigh.co.uk)

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4pm: Brent Cross Cricklewood application approved by LB of Barnet

Another Bestway missive wings its merry way to Barnet Planning

BXC planning application C/17559/09 Brent Cross Cricklewood

WE write further to our earlier correspondence, and in the absence of any detailed response from the Council and/or the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) which provides a definitive view on the nature of waste requirements at the [Bestway] Geron Way, Brent Cross site.

You will, no doubt, have been made aware of the developments which have taken place in the last 24 hours, namely the withdrawal of the PFI funds, which the NLWA were relying on to deliver a replacement waste facility. The withdrawal of this funding begs the question whether there was such a compelling need for the NLWA’s waste proposals.

Hammerson: "The planning approval is excellent news for shoppers looking for a stimulating shopping experience."

Not to worry - that was about Glasgow!

More locally, we imagine:

"Jonny - Get all the cliches ready for Brent Cross, will you? You know the sort of thing, we've used them before: 'Exciting future', 'This is good news for London', 'Plenty of hard work still ahead of us'.

"Oh, and add a new one: 'Excellent news for shoppers looking for a stimulating shopping experience'. Yes, I like that one. Use it, will you?"

The Guardian: "Barnet's 'easyCouncil' finds it hard to cut with £1.5m spent, £1.4m saved"

This story is on today's front page!

The Guardian

"It was billed as Britain's first "easyCouncil", a flagship for the government's town hall spending cuts and a model of no-frills prudence. But it has emerged that the London borough of Barnet is spending more trying to find efficiencies than it is actually saving."

Evening Standard: "Enormous isn't best"

Evening Standard: Simon Jenkins

"... The answer is London neighbourhood councils and neighbourhood mayors. Since there is no way the ever bigger boroughs will tolerate such insubordination, it will take a tough government to demand it. I doubt if that means Mr Pickles."

Defra: "The offer to support PFI Grant funding for North London Waste Authority is withdrawn."

Link to the squasher

Link to the squashed

COMMENT FROM DEFRA: "Defra’s Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme will continue to provide assistance to any projects which continue with their procurement of waste infrastructure in the absence of central government financial support. It is just going to be more difficult, suckers." 

(We make that last bit up.)

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Link to response of Bestway.

Later post about DEFRA withdrawal of PFI funding

BBC: "Coalition approves 16 road and bus improvement schemes"

Click above for BBC News

"Transport is vital to securing the UK's long term prosperity. That is why these schemes are so important, and why I will continue to argue for investment which delivers long-term benefits for both the travelling public and the economy as a whole."


From the horse's mouth



As of TODAY (but NOT later this week) nothing has actually changed from this BBC report...

Report from June, 2009

So what is this 'Brent Cross Railway' – sorry, 'North and West London Light Railway' – malarkey?

Definition of 'Light Rail' (or 'CHEAPER RAIL')

PlanningMag: " 'Private Space' in Large Developments like Brent Cross Cricklewood"

(Published 19 October 2010)

Light-rail and public transport debate - "It's our political culture that's to blame"

Click above to read (and contribute to) thread

"... The biggest problem in building light rail systems in this country is the lack of political leadership, an aspect of our political culture. All these systems that were proposed have been drawn up and promoted from a public transport point of view. The problem is that most people don't care about public transport.

Government launches 'National Infrastructure Plan'

Link to announcement

 "The Prime Minister today announced the publication of the UK’s first ever infrastructure plan, identifying the scale of the infrastructure challenge, and the major economic investment that is needed to underpin sustainable growth in the UK over the coming decades.

"The role of the Government is clear. It is to specify what infrastructure we need, identify the key barriers to achieving that investment, and to mobilise the resources, both public and private, to make it happen." 

Link to Daily Telegraph CBI report



 "David Cameron promises 'new economic dynamism'.

"The Government's infrastructure plan, published today, is to 'completely update and modernise our infrastructure, so British business is free to compete with the rest of the world'".



"The White Hot Heat of the Technological Revolution"