Nonsense on Stilts

What a lovely phrase. I picked it up via a tip-off from Sven – it’s in The Argos down Brighton way. The British Medical Association conference has voted three to one in favour of banning NHS funding for homeopathic remedies and removing support for the UK's four homeopathic hospitals.

Dr Tom Dolphin said he had previously described homeopathy as witchcraft, but now wanted to apologise to witches for making that link. "Homeopathy is not witchcraft, it is nonsense on stilts.”
"It is pernicious nonsense that feeds into a rising wave of irrationality which threatens to overwhelm the hard-won gains of the Enlightenment and the scientific method. We risk, as a society, slipping back into a state of magical thinking when made-up science passes for rational discourse and wishing for something to be true passes for proof. Let's stop wasting scarce NHS money on something with plenty of evidence to show it does not work. Strike a blow for science and protect our patients from this insidious practice."

Meanwhile closer to home:

On 17th June the Ilford Recorder report that “Doctors working in Redbridge have gone public with their anger at proposals to axe King George Hospital's A&E, claiming it will cost lives.”

On 26th June the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian report that former Aldborough councillor Mrs Loraine Sladden was “absolutely fuming” at the suggestion by Sarah Heyes, a director of the Wanstead Polysystem and one of the key players in plans to radically alter the shape of healthcare in Redbridge, that she could not back up her claim that 95% of the Doctors who responded to her questionnaire were not in favour of the plans and that those who were in favour all had a connection to the Polysystem.

It makes you wonder if these people actually talk to each other and/or read the local papers?

Part of the proposals were also to close the Maternity Unit at King George but B21 is aware of one young lady who lives in Brentwood who was very recently given the choice of Queens or King George for her maternity care. Sounds to me like they are not coping at Queens? Who'd have thought that?

These proposals were, we were told “clinician led”. What they didn’t tell us was which clinicians, whethere they were homeopaths, how many and what percentage of the total they represent.

See the British Medical Association website here. They’re not happy bunnies. Bit of a challenge for the new government methinks?
Update: "Role Reversal": "Ilford South MP Mike Gapes demanded a clear answer on the future of the services in Parliament on Tuesday." - Ilford Recorder, today. Yikes! They've only been there for 6 weeks. He and his party had 13 years to sort it out!

Tube Watch Plus

Franklyn - Thurlow Neighbourhood Watch June 2010

[Picture courtesy of Ilford Recorder]

Fairlop Safer Neighbourhood Team are pleased to announce that Franklyn - Thurlow Neighbourhood watch, which was launched earlier in the year has become the first in Redbridge (and as far as we are aware the first in London) to be joined by a London Underground Station.

The new watch covers Franklyn Gardens, Thurlow Gardens and part of New North Road in Hainault an area immediately adjacent to the Central Line, Hainault Station and its depot.

Fairlop SNT has long established and good working relations with staff at the station and British Transport Police’s Central Line East Team. The station has been involved in a number of local community and policing initiatives so it seemed only natural to invite them to play their part in launching the watch.

From the outset staff and particularly Mr Santos have been keen to help, providing the station’s training room to hold the initial launch meeting, and now joining as a fully participating member of the watch.

Sgt Chandler of Fairlop SNT said “This is a first for Redbridge and, it seems, London. Staff are keenly aware of the important part their station plays in the life of local people. The mutual vigilance and co-operation between them and the other members of the watch will play a key part in making the station and its surrounding community an even safer place to live and work. I would like to thank the watch co-ordinator Sandra Blooman and Mr Santos the Station Manager for their help in making this happen.”

Meanwhile:

As 28,000 police face axe, chiefs blow £500k on champagne gala – Daily Mail

Never mind, ACPO are on the ball dreaming up new initiatives and acronyms to confuse criminals and undermine their activities. The MPA are consulting on LPPs and want to disseminate details to KINs, WPMs, B21Rs and their CB. Here’s the link.

And here’s the June 2010 London ICV Newsletter.
Here’s the June 2010 Redbridge Safer Communities News [wot no acronym]
And there is a meeting on 1st July of the MPAs CLP, chaired by VB to discuss the National DNA Database and the use of DNA in Policing.

· ACPO – Association of Chief Police Officers
· MPA – Metroploitan Police Authority
· LPP – London Policing Priorities
· KIN – Key Individual Networks
· WPM – Ward Panel Members
· B21R – Barkingside 21 Reader
· CB – Customer Base or General Public
· ICV – Independent Custody Visitors
· CLP – Civil Liberties Panel
· VB – Victoria Borwick
· DNA - DeoxyriboNucleic Acid

Gants Stand Still

Just thought I’d warn everybody. The works down at Gants Hill are coming to an end, but not without a sting in the tail. The final stage is to resurface the roadways and it comes in 4 two-week phases starting on July 12th. That’s eight weeks, or two months which includes the Redbridge Sky Ride on August 15th. As the report says “The necessary closures will be disruptive for residents, commuters, bus passengers and local businesses.”

The plan is to keep the main east-west traffic open with contraflows but north south traffic will not get through this way. North south Buses are to be re-routed via Tanners Lane, Horns Road and Ley Street. Please note that the phases in that report are in the wrong order, they should be 1, 4, 3, 2.

It’s gotta be done, I'm afraid. But fortunately we do have other options for tube stations which are now all in Zone 4. Since December I’ve been going in to the City via Fairlop and coming home via South Woodford.

Message to Monkhams

.. and Clementswood and Loxford. We are relying on you. Our fate is your hands – you have to make this a success. There are people round here in Barkingside who are desperate for a kerbside cardboard recycling facility. In fact I’m prepared to do a “dating service” if you haven’t got any or enough light card to recycle just to get the bloody thing off the ground.

Redbridge council says:

From July a trial recycling service will collect light cardboard and paper from 2,600 households in the Monkhams, Clementswood and Loxford areas.
If the six month trial is successful and budget is available it is hoped the service will be extended.

What are they playing at? They know we want it and will use it, so why bother with a trial? Why not just bloody do it?

The trial cardboard recycling facility at Craven Gardens Car Park was inundated and ended up with this. Last year’s green garden waste scheme was so successful it took them by surprise and peeps were complaining that their stuff had not been collected. This really should be a clue about what we want, shouldn’t it? Who’s running this show? Trouble is that “environment” gets shifted around the cabinet portfolios and does not have the profile that a true “green” presence in the council chamber would afford it.

Check your Drains

Some of you may recall an incident earlier this year when birds and animals started dying around Alexandre Lake on Wanstead Flats in Aldersbrook. Two men have now been charged – report Wanstead & Woodford Guardian. It is not clear from the report whether it was a deliberate act or whether they were dumping pesticides or hazardous materials. So I thought it would be prudent to remind everybody of an article included in our May 2004 hardcopy newsletter, way before we had this blog.

As of 1st January 2004 a range of about 80 hitherto freely available garden pesticides have been banned by the EU and as from 31st March 2004 it is illegal even to store them. [Daily Mail 20th March]. Anyone found in possession of these products after this date is liable to a fine of up to £5,000, but don’t worry the council do not intend to set up shed police. What you simply must not do is pour them down the drain.

Redbridge Council has an arrangement with the Corporation of London under which Domestic hazardous waste can be collected by appointment free of charge. One of our members has already used this service and was very impressed. The telephone number is: 020 7332 3433.
If you are unsure our secretary still has the list as published in the Daily Mail, or you can visit http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/

Which leads me on to Drains. Not all domestic and business premises have separate drainage for surface runoff i.e. rainwater, and sewage and foul water – sewage is obviously from toilets and foul water is from sinks, basins, baths and appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. So please do check if you have separate drains and that your foul water is being discharged into the correct gulley. The surface runoff drains directly feed lakes in Fairlop Waters, Valentines Park and South Park among other places and such mis-connections have been causing problems and can have a serious effect on wildlife, domestic animals and humans.

I just hope those eco showers mentioned in an earlier post are being discharged into the correct waste system.

Aggregates, Aggrevates

This is a cross-post from Redbridge Eye. The "feedback form" it refers to is THE most user unfriendly document I have EVER seen!
Were you aware that "the Council is committed" to providing HALF-A-MILLION TONS of aggregates (gravel and ballast) , shared with Havering? Most of the proposed areas for additional mineral extraction are to the north of Forest Road (private sports grounds). Area 3 and 4 Councillors are on the case. There is a consultation exercise and you can support or reject the proposals (or state 'No Preference') by e-mail to dpd@redbridge.gov.uk no later than July 26th 2010.

This 'commitment' appears as a "Borough-Wide Primary Policy" in a Development Plan Document of May 2008.

This appears to follow on from a London Aggregates Working Party (LAWP) report that refers (para. 4.9) to a report on Redbridge (LAWP09/03) , which I am unable to locate on the Internet.

As most of the Club Groundsmen working on the north side of Forest Road well know, this area contains poor quality GRIT at a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Most grit nowadays is supplied from rock-crushing plants.

The document that is essential to the Consultation is currently unavailable on-line!

You can send your responses by email: dpd@redbridge.gov.uk or using the Council’s freepost address at:

Minerals Development Plan:
Issues and Options,
Development Plan Document
London Borough of Redbridge
Freepost RLSR-JACE-HSUG
Ilford IG1 1DD

What a Shower

I don’t normally do product endorsement, so the product which is the subject of this post shall remain anonymous. But I need to start somewhere else and explain that my reading list is quite varied. I like to know what others are saying and thinking, especially in the comments sections where invective and opinion can be quite entertaining. For example, Labour are frequently portrayed as incompetent buffoons, the Liberal Democrats as two-faced, the Tories as evil and nasty and the Greens as being a bunch of hippies who want to turn the clock back 200 years and ban personal hygiene. Normally I would not leave out the BNP and UKIP but some of the descriptions of them are not suitable for a family blog like this one. Two of the less extreme labels are wingnuts and nutjobs.

Now to the point. The 40th Glastonbury Festival is coming up and supported by Greenpeace. And we can scotch those rumours that it will be attended by the likes of swampie who will not be paying attention to personal body odours. You see, a well know manufacturer of showers, whose name coincides with one of our committee [that’s a clue], is supplying eco friendly showers so that swampie can have his annual wash.They say they are “up to the challenge” of cleaning up the huge crowd expected at the event. This is where Private Enterprise meets environmentalism.

The showers are based in the Greenpeace field, which this year has a distinctive rainforest theme, complete with hanging vines, authentic forest sounds and smells, and even orang-utans. Last year over 7,000 festival-goers emerged squeaky clean from the hot, solar-assisted showers and many declared them the best on the festival site!

“Greenpeace with a little help from [name] Showers will once again be offering Glastonbury festival goers a magical experience in the ever-popular solar assisted, zero carbon, hot showers. With water saving shower heads and powerful pumps this year’s forest themed showers are sure to be a big hit,” says Bob Wilson, Greenpeace.

“Getting dirty goes hand in hand with Glastonbury but I’m sure many festival goers will be happy to learn that they can get clean at the end of the day. Water saving and conservation is a big commitment for us, and we’re delighted to be able to once again work with Greenpeace on a Eco friendly showering solution. This way people get to stay clean and do their bit for the environment too,” says [name], Marketing Manager, [name] Showers.

The Army’s Back in Town

Well, not exactly. They are actually back at Forest School which is just over the border in Waltham Forest on 21st July 2010. This is the Army Presentation Team where visitors get to speak to real soldiers and there is also a presentation on how they operate. Whatever your view on the current hostilities abroad these are professional people whose contract is to do what the politicians tell them to do. Last time, 3 years ago, our Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary all went along. Report here. It is well worth a visit so if any member would like an invite please contact me in good time and I will try to arrange it.

If you are another local community group, you can make your own arrangements by contacting the Army Presentation Team here.

Pavements are for Pedestrians

Since Anne has raised the subject and the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian have done the same let’s have a debate about people cycling on the pavement. From Anne’s comments and those in the Guardian it seems that the problem is not the actual cycling on pavements but speeding and aggressive cycling. We allow mobility buggies on the pavements which can only do about 5mph, just above brisk walking pace, so what’s wrong with bicycles being used responsibly? I have to admit to cycling on the pavement, but only when there are no pedestrians [which is most of the time, nobody round here walks anymore – they all use cars] and certainly not where there is a crowd. So do you think we should be applying some common sense to this issue instead of going down the knee jerk ‘Elf ‘n Safety route?

Of course, when cars are not allowed to park in cycle lanes, cyclists might just be more inclined to use the roadway allocated to them; and when irresponsible drivers don’t block the pavements by parking on them pedestrians and cyclists may just find there is room for both?
Pictures courtesy of Freewheeler.

Le Crunch

This was the scene at Fullwell Parade, Fullwell Avenue on Monday 14 June.
My apologies to any visitor here who is using a Redbridge library computer, or who just happens to be a Redbridge Councillor or Officer. It’s not my fault that you can’t see the images. The Redbridge-i server is barring them. So for your benefit image 1 is a car [it’s a Citroën Saxo, hence the post title] with it’s front smashed in and image 2 is the central island it smashed into.

Fullwell Parade is where a young schoolboy was recently seriously injured in a road accident and is the subject of Item 15 at tonight’s Area Committee 3 meeting.

That is, if the room has not been double booked?

They’re Off

It’s not just World Cup Football we’ve got to get excited about, there are other sports going on you know.

Down in the south east of our very own borough the Jockeys have weighed in and mounted their steeds for the Chadwell by erection handicap stakes, a 24 day event of furious leafleting, door-knocking and tele-canvassing. The Bookies are doing a brisk trade and there is lots of arm waving going on.

It’s a six horse race and the riders are:
Wilson Chowdhry on Megaphone Lad
Julian Leppert on White Charger
Gary Monro on Blue Rinse Lady
Wes Streeting on Student Loan
John Tyne on The Future’s Orange
Paul Wiffen on English Pound.

The battle buses are on their way and if you think those vuvuzelas make an ‘orrible din just wait till Wilson comes round with his mobile megaphone.

So to an analysis of the riders. There are three ex-councillors who all lost their seats in May and are being given a second chance by this bloke, who won the last race but was disqualified after a stewards enquiry. John Tyne was a defending LibDem Chadwell councillor of 12 years standing so we can expect him to know the course well, but it will be interesting to see if there is any adverse reaction to the ConDem coalition both nationally and locally. Gary Monro was a Cranbrook Conservative councillor and a Cabinet member for Children’s Services. He will be very familiar with the dodgy turn by School Place. Julian Leppert was a BNP councillor in Hainault and does not live in the borough so quite how he got to the starting line up, I don’t know. This is an away race for him.

That blokes replacement for Labour is Wes Streeting who has just finished his term as President of the National Union of Students and is now looking for a proper job. Although he lives in the ward he is pleased that the Labour team have set up advice surgeries, but where were they, and he, over the past 4 years? Paul Wiffen was the UKIP candidate who withdrew from the Ilford South Parliamentary election due to some unfortunate remarks but still stood in Chadwell. He was second from last. Which leaves the outsider and maverick Green Wilson Chowdhry who has been working the ward now for about 6 years. He is well known locally and if anyone can pull out a shock finish, it’s him.

Electricity Monitors: available from Libraries

We reported on a pilot scheme for loaning out domestic Energy Meters here in Redbridge in February 2009. We followed up with another report in October 2009 when I had been given an energy meter to test drive and review by a marketing company. At that stage we also had a Council report on the pilot scheme. Well, it’s happened - today’s the day the teddy bears have their energy meters.

You can now borrow an Energy Meter from your local Redbridge Library, details here.

Come to think of it, I don’t really need mine any more so if any member would like to borrow that for a few weeks, you are welcome. You know where and how to contact me.

And this just as Redbridge gets a raspberry for its environmental credentials. Tut!

How to Waste Taxpayer’s Money

I have been waiting for this.

About 4 or 5 years ago we had Transport for London up here in Barkingside with funding to improve bus flows through our High Street. The Consultants were hired, a consultation took place, we told them what they needed to know and they ignored it. Most of the work was completed fairly quickly, which is not how bus flows can be described once the contractors had done their bit. But there was one part of the scheme that got delayed – the traffic lighted junction of the High Street with Fremantle Road. The plan here was to widen Fremantle Road outside Clinton Cards and move the central island further north thus making it easier for buses to turn left into Fremantle Road. The reason for the delay was that the underground services had to be moved first. Fair enough.

And sure enough some while later contractors came along and dug up the pavement, moved the services and then ……. reinstated it all as if nothing had happened. So, why didn’t they widen the road while they had it all dug up – don’t ask me!

More time goes by and this time Transport for London return with funding for nice new shiny steel lampposts. Great – but one of these is placed outside Clinton Cards precisely where the road is to be widened. And that’s not all – that lamppost didn’t work all through the dark winter months. Why? Because the contractors couldn’t find the electricity supply – somebody had moved it you see! Are you following this?

This was eventually resolved by digging up the pavement again to connect our new shiny lamppost to the mains and bright light shone down upon Barkingside locals as they crossed the road at night. And so it remained, until today when I visited Clinton Cards this afternoon. That lamppost has now been moved back about a yard from its original position. Pictured.
Perhaps our Assembly Member could arrange for Transport for London Officers to attend Planning 101, Project Management 101, Critical Path Analysis 101 and Co-ordination 101? The Open University offer competitive rates which are much cheaper than Consultants.

The Digital Bill

No, not the one that was rushed through parliament without any debate in the wash up before the election. This is about the price we pay for Digital technology and the lax approach to security and privacy.

So, you go to Tescos, the Library or Mayfair Stationers to get photocopies of some personal documents. If it is a digital copier, as most of them are nowadays [and usually leased], it takes and keeps a copy of your private document on its hard drive. The same sort of drive that is inside your personal computer.

Opened a bank account lately? You submit documentary evidence of your identity - passport, driving licence, utility bill - and they take a copy. Did you notice that?

You apply for a job and submit your birth certificate. They take a copy and give the original back to you. But that digital file is still on the hard drive of their copier. Deleting the file only deletes the file address, the file is still there in little 1s and 0s waiting to be plucked out by someone who knows how.

Watch the video and start worrying. Hat tip: Dopeyf

Arm Wrestling

The date for the Chadwell arm wrestling contest [the by election] has been set for Thursday 8th July 2010. In the preliminaries Gary Monro has been victorious in obtaining the Conservative nomination, no mean feat given the competition down at the Palace of Infinite Varieties [the election agent’s term for the party office]. I’m surprised he has time for such matters as election leaflets in between Cricket. For the Liberal Democrats John Tyne has outscored the elder statesman Ralph Scott and no doubt the Greens will be fielding the irrepressible Wilson Chowdhry. The BNP have stood here before, so we can’t rule them out yet, nor UKIP. As for Labour, the cause of the by election and ~£12,000 costs to us the taxpayer, their candidate has not yet been announced. I’ll bet it’s all check, check, double check and check again down there. Or maybe they are finding it difficult to find someone willing to stand who IS eligible?

Anyway, the closing date for nominations is this Friday at noon, 11th June.

So, will there be a backlash against Labour for fielding an ineligible candidate? And should they put their hands in their pockets and cough up for the expense? There’s a poll over on Redbridge Eye in the side bar.

I think this is going to be a close call between John Tyne and Gary Monro, with John having the edge. Wilson I think will do quite well and could challenge Labour for third place. The party machines will be rolling into Chadwell shortly and recycling figures are set to soar.

Redbridge Sky Ride

I am alerted to this by Morris. It is basically an event to be held here in Redbridge on Sunday 15th August that entails closing roads to traffic [that is motorised traffic of the internal combustion engine type, including buses] to allow lots of people on bicycles free rein for a day. It’s a bit like the car free day we used to have down in Wanstead but on a much bigger scale.

The area so closed off, according to Morris’ informants is bounded by and includes Station Road Barkingside, Tanners Lane, Barkingside High Street, Forest Road, Painters Lane and Aldborough Road North.

That’s one big area, but it is a Sunday and it is at the height of the holiday season, not that anybody can afford holidays these days what with the national debt and having to keep our bankers [double checks spelling] in the manner to which they have become accustomed.

So, why is it called a Sky Ride, it sounds like something to do with aeroplanes and parachutes? Well, it’s advertising – for Sky the company.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is calling on local residents to dust off their bikes and join in a free family cycling event, the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Redbridge, organised by the Mayor, Sky, and Redbridge Council, coming to the borough on 15 August. More…..

Morris thinks it’s all barmy and I’ll let him do his bit in the comments but I’m not so sure. It could generate quite a lot of trade in the High Street – those bikers will get hungry and we do have quite a few eating establishments hereabouts, and if it’s really hot they will need some refreshing liquids. We don’t want them falling off their bikes on FX roundabout while we are watching from the safety of you know where.

Note: we appear to have one of our locals pictured in the graphic above riding a penny farthing.

Update: It appears that local councillors were presented with this scheme as a fait accompli.

The roads effected are Forest Rd (between Hainault Rd & Redbridge Cycling Centre). Hainault Rd (Between Forest Rd & Billet Rd). Painters Rd (whole length) Aldborough Rd North (between Painters & Oaks Lane) Oaks Lane ( between Aldborough Rd North & Cheviot Way & section between 160 to 180 Oaks Lane). St Peters Close (No vehicle access or egress because of closure of Oaks Lane). Station Rd, Barkingside (whole length). Carlton Drive/Carlton Court - (due to partial closure of Craven Gardens, no vehicle access or egress).
Craven Gdns (between Station Rd & Baron Gdns) Baron Gardens ( Between Craven Gdns & Sandringham Gdns) Sandringham Gdns ( Between Baron Gdns & Waverley Gdns). Waverley Gdns (between Sandringham Gdns & Barkingside High St) & finally : Barkingside High St (Between Waverley Gdns & Fairlop Rd).

In addition to those above which will be closed, the following will also be effected and may as the 'briefing note' implies ' experience displaced parking : Fairlop Rd, Virginia Gdns, Westminister Gdns, Sydney Rd, Hobart Rd, Waverley Gdns, Sandringham Gdns, Tollesbury Gdns, Cranbourne Gdns, Cheviot Way, Chiltern Rd, Roy Gdns, Applegarth Drive, Elmbridge Rd & Roebuck Rd.

Plus during the period of between 9-5pm Craven Gdns will be closed BOTH sides of the junction with Baron Gdns - as a result there will be NO THROUGH ROUTE from Tanners Lane & Horns Rd into Craven Gdns and from Fullwell X Roundabout towards Horns Rd & Tanners Lane.

Wors Gawin’ On?

Picked up the post below from the much underused Redbridge Community Forums which was posted by Jawal1.

Where has £6 Million come from?

The New Government is changing the rules regarding "Academy" schools . Labour (Lord Andrew Adonis and Ed Balls) tended to concentrate on bringing "failing" schools up whereas the new Government (Michael Gove) places greater emphasis on parental choice and is considering adapting the Labour "Academy" model to permit organisations of parents to open "free" schools that are government funded but free of Local Authority ties.

This raises a number of issues regarding the progress or otherwise of the Cricklefield site.

The lease on the Frenford site at Cricklefield had been surrendered. Demolition was due to commence last month (May 2010) and the Academy completed by 2012 ready for occupation at the beginning of 2013. The new building at the PLA site, in The Drive behind Cranbrook Primary School, has its roof on and is due for occupation by the Autumn and in full swing by Christmas. Whereas the Frenford Clubs have surrendered their lease on Oakfield, they have been granted a short-term arrangement whereby they continue to have use of the Jack Carter Pavilion (and Hainault & Clayhall Cricket Club continue to have use of the cricket facilities) "until 2013 at least and optionally until 2015". They are thus not completely vacating the site at Oakfield even when they move to the PLA site.

The "Leisure Centre" fronting the Swimming Pool on the High Road is boarded up and looking in a very sorry state. These is no visible evidence, looking through the padlocked gates, that any work has been commenced at Cricklefield. The connection between the situation at Cricklefield together with the former Swimming Pool and the PLA Development has attracted the comment of the Redbridge Swimmers Association.

The Childrens Services Scrutiny Committee 28th Jan 2009 considered the Academy and the Cricklefield/Oakfield move of the Frenford Clubs:

Redbridge Academy Project [this is a PDF file so you will need Acrobat Reader if you download it]

In the Minutes, it was noted that Members asked a number of questions on issues including the following:

• whether there were any financial implications for ARK arising from local press reports regarding one of its sponsors’ involvement in the Bernard Madoff Hedge Fund;
• the means by which ARK was funded and the Council’s liability should ARK encounter financial difficulties during the lifetime of the Academy;
• the contents of an email circulated to all London Councillors regarding ARK;
• the protection afforded to the Council under the terms of the 125 year lease;
• the industrial relations difficulties experienced by ARK in Croydon (and reaction in Redbridge).

These are questions that the Council Tax Payers of the Borough should have answered clearly and unequivocally as the costs of the PLA Development and the costs of maintaining the derelict High Road / Cricklefield site is OUR money!

Disappointed

I have an apology to make. It seems that my earlier post on the Fairlop Waters Boulders made it look like they were open for business and it was all systems go. Well, I did just walk in and there they were, they are rather difficult to miss, but if you look closely at my photographs you will see that the pathways had not yet been completed.

So, last Thursday when Ron Jeffries took his grandson over there to find it all fenced off Ron, apparently, had a floor tantrum but recovered sufficiently to take a picture of his grandson, Marlon (9) looking suitably dejected in front of said fencing. My guess is that they had fenced it off for the heavy equipment to lay the top surfacing on the pathways. However, he was later assured by Ruth Pinner that the area should be open by Saturday, yesterday. “I’ll be back!” said Ron.

He also reports:

Lots of good work is going on. The men working on the trees near the entrance were inserting pipes for watering which was good to see (unlike at Newbury Park Station where a couple of the new trees on the grassed area are looking somewhat the worse for lack of water. Perhaps we should rename this patio as Boris's Folly - for I have yet to see anyone sitting out there!)

The pathway inside the hedge leading to Fairlop Station is complete - and looks good - just waiting for the Zebra Crossing to be in place on Forest Road by Transport for London.

The whole complex looks clean and green - and is a credit to those working there. How right we all were to fight the racecourse! How fortunate we are to have this open space. Congratulations to all those involved in anyway at Fairlop Waters.

Incidently, we called at the small garden centre on the way back to the station - very reasonable prices and very helpful staff. Well worth a visit. Yvonne now has a pineapple mint to add to her herb collection - among a few other things (for I cannot resist a garden centre!). Marlon was very patient in the heat!

Wasn’t a wasted day out after all. More photos.

Perspectives of Scale

Below is a map showing exactly where and the extent of the British Petroleum “spillage” in the Gulf of Mexico is. Below is another map showing where that “spillage” would be if it were centred roughly at the headquarters of British Petroleum in St. James’s Square.Just saying like. Courtesy If it was my home via dizzy.

Water, Water, Everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

Due to be opened in 2009, the new Desalination Plant down in Beckton opened today, 2nd June 2010. Fresh clean water is one of the most basic of our needs, and in places like London where it is on tap it can be taken for granted. Until that is, it’s not there any more. There have been fears for some time now that London could experience severe water shortages. It doesn’t rain here as much as you might think.
So, do we greet this new facility as a positive or negative addition to our infrastructure. Well, it is certainly a back-up for times of extreme conditions but not everybody is happy about it. The Environment Agency said:

"Although the Beckton desalination plant will help to provide London with secure water supplies during times of drought and peak demand, we all must do more to reduce water consumption. The Environment Agency believes that metering should be rolled out to households in water-stressed areas. The water industry must also continue to manage leakage from its network of pipes."

Well yes, as Darren Johnson points out:

"The Beckton desalination plant has the capacity to extract 140 million litres a day from the Thames, which is enough to supply 1 million people. Currently 435 million litres per day are lost in leakages."

Hmmm, but if they dug all the roads up at once to repair the pipes the City would grind to a halt, would it not? There are also fears about the amount of energy the plant requires. Be all that as it may, there are clearly some people who just waste water like there is no tomorrow. The difference between the water bills at council run allotment sites and leased sites is testament to this.

The point here is this: currently water meters are voluntary. So, only those people, and I know a few who have done this, who don’t use much water are going to sign up because they know it will reduce their Water Rates. There is no incentive whatsoever for a wasteful household, or one that uses a lawn sprinkler all day every day, to opt for a water meter.

Given that our water supplies are a shared resource there must come a time when water meters are made compulsory and that may be sooner rather than later.

Street Furniture

This delightfully positioned piece of pavement art appeared on Bank Holiday Monday morning 31st May. Note how the colour perfectly contrasts and juxtaposes the fern hedge in the background bringing out the conflict between Man and Nature.
It was reported later that same day using the Report It section on the council website – Redbridge-i. On Tuesday afternoon it was gone. I suppose somebody could have nicked it but I fancy the Council van had been round and taken it away to the dump.

Two issues here:

1. Do the naughty boys who dump their rubbish on somebody else’s street actually know that they can take it to the Refuse site in Chigwell Road for FREE? Or are they just too damn lazy?

2. We don’t have to put up with this. This council is very good at responding to these reports, so use it.