CPRE London Ebulletin Temporary Hammersmith Bridge
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Green London Bulletin from CPRE London CPRE London’s AGM: 21 May 2020 One of the Shortlisted High Line proposals Save the Date! Parks. A new café in Crystal Palace Park that references the park’s listed dinosaur statues has been Open and Green completed . Christchurch Gardens, a run-down green space in the heart of Westminster, is being improved in a £2.5m scheme . The BBC looked at the growth of public parks that incorporate features such as exercise machines to help elderly residents stay fit. Studies found that location, design and amenities are the biggest factors in encouraging elderly residents to use facilities. London’s Hyde Park Senior Playground, for example, is near to public transport and includes machines aimed at the needs of older users . Public spaces. A report by the Centre for London recommends that the forthcoming Public London Charter sets out a presumption that public spaces must be open, permissive and welcoming to all. Landowners should ensure any enforcement is considerate and reasonable and create opportunities for informal Wild swimming in Waltham Forest? stewardship. Boroughs should have greater oversight New Park call for the Lea Valley. Save Lea Marshes of public spaces in new developments. The charter and CPRE London have joined forces to campaign for should welcome events in public spaces but ensure the historic filter beds on Lea Bridge Road, once owned that private events do not unreasonably compromise by Thames Water, to be transformed into a venue for the accessibility and enjoyment of the space for other wild swimming . Resident Peter Mudge said: users . The topics of a Public London Charter and ‘Retaining and enhancing the site’s historic structures, an urban right to roam were discussed at the CPRE including the unusual octagonal sluice building, gives London AGM earlier this year . us an opportunity to showcase the area’s industrial Trees. More than 1,200 students from Latymer Upper heritage.’ CPRE London’s Alice Roberts said: School in Hammersmith have planted 6,000 trees ‘We call on Waltham Forest Council to work with the across west London . Six London Plane trees Education and Skills Funding Agency and Lee Valley have been moved from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Regional Park Authority to take full advantage of this Park to Barking Riverside to make way for the UCL once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a unique park East campus . Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to plant uniting Waltham Forest and Hackney.’ 100,000 trees this winter to contribute towards The petition to Waltham Forest council has gained increasing the capital’s tree canopy by 10 per cent by more than 1,200 signatures . 2050 . The London Urban Tree Festival will be held on 16-24 May 2020 . Low Line. Five proposals for the ground level walking route through Victorian railway viaducts in Southwark Public support. A survey by CPRE ahead of the have been shortlisted . general election, found that 60 per cent of respondents would be more likely to vote for a political party that Poor spaces. Council tenants have won a fight to use want to protect and enhance the countryside, including an open space at Westbourne Place in Westminster the Green Belt . Neil Sinden CPRE London said: which had been reserved for flat owners . ‘These results show just how important green spaces Victoria Tower Gardens. The Architects Journal and the Green Belt are to Londoners. They indicate reports that Robert Jenrick has called in the application support for the Mayor of London’s draft London Plan to build a Holocaust Memorial in the Grade II* listed which seeks to uphold strong protections for the park . Jenrick has been reported as leading the Green Belt in the face of controversial efforts to make the plans a reality, saying the scheme is recommendations by government inspectors which ‘essential’ in the battle against anti-Semitism . would weaken those policies.’ 1 Green London Bulletin from CPRE London Sustainability. The draft plan allows for off-site The London Plan compensation of biodiversity providing there is net gain. The inspectors want this weakened to ‘equivalent or Report. The three inspectors examining the draft local better biodiversity value where possible.’ They also plan have issued a 125-page report with 55 changes want the definition of sustainable development deleted recommended . The inspectors – meaning the NPPF definition will apply. have focused on aligning the plan with the NPPF, Air quality. Continuing the theme of weakening thereby weakening the Mayor’s commitment to policies, the inspectors set a lower threshold for protecting the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land. developments in Air Quality Focus Areas, removing the They also want housing targets lowered, reducing Mayor’s proposal that schemes that do not adequately pressure on green spaces. Many other policies are address air quality should be refused. weakened, allowing more wriggle room for developers to get their schemes through. The inspectors say the Energy. The inspectors insist the policy banning report will be found sound if their recommendations are fracking should be deleted in its entirety. taken on board. CPRE London has written a robust Transport. The inspectors also insist the entire draft letter to the Mayor calling on him to defend his London Plan aviation policy should be deleted. They principled stance to keeping the world’s first National say any decisions relating to the third runway should be Park City green. The Mayor’s response to the made in line with the airports national policy statement inspectors is due shortly. which gave parliamentary approval for the scheme. Good growth objectives. The inspectors say that the Water. The policy to reject planning applications that do policy which aims to deliver strong and inclusive not have permeable surfaces should be weakened to communities should become a specific objective. The ‘resisting’ such proposals. same recommendation is made for the broad ranging policy on resilience, which covers climate change, CPRE London Reaction emergencies such as terrorism and a community approach to infrastructure. The inspectors add: CPRE London reacted by writing to Sadiq Khan The Mayor should do more to ensure that the homes expressing its ‘deep concern about elements of the Londoners need are delivered; additional monitoring is inspectors report’ and urging him to stand firm on required especially data on overcrowding; there is an protection of the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open over-emphasis on housing numbers which will not Land . It said the draft plan contains a sensible set of provide the right sort of homes for people in policies to improve the efficiency of land use within the neighbourhood communities; there is a need for more capital. There is plenty of previously developed land affordable housing and social rented housing. which can be used to provide new housing while at the same time improving the environment. Green Belt. The inspectors say the Mayor should lead a strategic and comprehensive review of the Green Belt Green Belt. CPRE strongly objects to the panel’s as part of the next review of the London Plan. They recommendations to weaken Green Belt protection, also want a modification which would allow boroughs including the proposal to allow industrial development and the Mayor to review Green Belt boundaries to in the Green Belt. Building on the Green Belt causes a accommodate new industrial capacity if needed. The significant increase in traffic and does not deliver draft plan states: ‘Development proposals that would affordable housing. The inspectors’ proposed harm the Green Belt should be refused.’ To bring this in comprehensive review of London’s Green Belt is not line with the NPPF, the inspectors want to add ‘except justified. That would be a serious mistake which would where very special circumstances exist’ to the policy. tie the hands of a future Mayor and send the wrong The plan should also recognise that Green Belt signals to developers. ‘In the face of the unprecedented boundaries could be reviewed through borough plans. climate and nature emergencies, the role of Green Belt The Mayor’s statement that Green Belt ‘de-designation in managing urban growth will only become more will not be supported’ should be deleted from the draft. important.’ Metropolitan Open Land. CPRE London says it is Metropolitan Open Land. The draft plan states: deeply disturbed at the dismissive approach taken by ‘Development proposals that would harm MOL should the inspectors to the proposed policies to protect MOL. be refused.’ The inspectors want this deleted along with This would weaken the designation. MOL has a critical statements that the area of MOL should not be reduced role in providing access to green space for people and the quality of MOL improved. The draft plan says across every Inner London borough. CPRE supports that the Thames should not be designated as MOL but the inspector’s recommendation to allow the River the inspectors want this left open as an option. Thames to be designated as MOL. Housing. The inspectors call for a cut in the ten-year housing target of nearly 20 per cent from 649,350 to The Mayor’s Reaction 522,850, including targets for small sites. Kingston and Merton should have their targets cut by around 400 Sadiq Khan looks set to reject many of the proposed homes a year. Bromley gets a cut of 250 homes a year. changes, including those on Heathrow, the Green Belt In contrast the proposed cut for Tower Hamlets is just and air quality . If he does so, ministers will have 38 dwellings a year. six weeks to launch legal action to impose the changes. 2 Green London Bulletin from CPRE London Bexley. Community group Erith Think Tank has Around the Capital launched a campaign to save a local green space.