Vickim57: "Great People Everywhere, Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Grahame Park Estate"

Link to vickim57 web site

"Today is the final day of an exhibition at the RAF Museum put together by young people from Grahame Park estate. The exhibition is called the Grahame Park Estate Story. It's housed in the Aeronauts Interactive hall. The space rather dwarfs the exhibition, which is a shame, but the organisers are looking for new venues to host it, now that its run at the RAF Museum has come to an end. 

"... Grahame Park estate was built on an old aerodrome. The history of development in this area is very much tied up with the history and development of aviation, both civilian and military. (I live in old RAF married quarters, of all places.)"

Barnet Times: "Colindale pupils unveil new school building"

Link to the Barnet Times

"PUPILS at Colindale Primary unveiled their new £13 million school to visitors this week.

"After waving goodbye to the school’s former 78-year-old building in July, parents and guests were welcomed to view the school’s new building in Poolsford Road."

Daily Telegraph: "Planning reforms: Greg Clark admits changes 'could have been clearer' "

Link to Daily Telegraph

"In the first sign of a climb-down over the reforms, the planning minister Greg Clark admitted that some of the most controversial proposals on brownfield land, housing targets and 'sustainable development' could have been clearer. 

"Mr Clark told a seminar organised by the British Property Federation that it was difficult to express the Government's intentions at the same time as reducing bureaucracy. 

"Mr Clark is pushing through plans to replace 1,300 pages of planning regulations in England with just 52 pages in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)."

Young people work for 18 months on exhibition showing the story of the Grahame Park Estate

"There is an exhibition, open until the end of September, by young people working with charity Catch22, to show the history of the Grahame Park Estate. Built on RAF land in the 1970’s, it explores the area from the residents’ perspective. 

"The young people want to show the positive side of the estate, and challenge the negative image that it often has with the wider community. For almost 18 months, they have worked on the project, supported by a £25,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, awarded under the Young Roots scheme, learning skills such as archiving, interviewing, and curating.

"The exhibition is at the RAF Museum, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL until Friday 30th September, in the Aeronauts Interactive Centre in the Museum. Entrance to the exhibition and the Museum is free, and is open from 10am to 5.30pm every day.

"Michelle Allen, Project Worker for Catch22’s Barnet Action 4 Youth, says:

"30 young people have been involved in putting this exhibition together, they have received training from the RAF Museum and Oral History Society, and worked with local residents to gather information and stories. The skills they have learnt will help them in all areas of their life. Far too often the estate is depicted in a negative way, and we wanted to show the positive side and the sense of community. This project has shown that young people do take pride in their community and they have worked hard to make this happen."

"In addition to the exhibition, the young people have put together an information and resource pack for local schools, youth groups and anyone interested in finding out more about the estate. For example, did you know that what is now the Concourse (shopping area), was once a runway? The pack includes a 10 minute DVD of interviews with residents.

"Anyone interested in obtaining one of the resource packs or wanting further information about the exhibition should contact the Catch22 Barnet Action 4 Youth office, on 020 8205 8341, or email ba4y@catch-22.org.uk"

There are many more planning articles at the

'Brent Cross Coalition'

Daily Telegraph: "A licence to build isn’t in the national interest"

Link to Daily Telegraph

"The problem is caused by the proposed new 'presumption in favour of sustainable development', which many see as too broad a concept and,effectively, a licence to build. The fear is that this will tip the scales too much in favour of developers – it is no coincidence that they are its most enthusiastic champions. 

"So far, the Government has taken the view that bureaucracy in the planning system is preventing young people getting on to the housing ladder. One good aspect of these reforms is the simplification of the regulations from 1,000 pages to 52. But in their article in the Financial Times yesterday, Messrs Osborne and Pickles focused more on the importance of these reforms to economic growth. They targeted those who were 'most vociferous in calls for government to bring forward a growth plan' as being 'among the most vociferous opponents to one of its central planks'.”
 

Plus: 

Daily Telegraph:

"Planning reforms are 'fundamentally wrong"

The Guardian: "This wrecking ball is Osborne's version of sustainable development"

Link to The Guardian

"Like the National Health Service and the welfare state, our planning laws arose from the great political settlement that followed the second world war, in which people of all classes gave their lives for their country. The intention was that Britain, saved by collective sacrifice, would never again be run for the exclusive benefit of the rich and powerful. That promise is being gnawed away by political parties controlled by the elite.

"In the Daily Telegraph last week, Geoffrey Lean claimed that the assault on sound planning has been caused by young metropolitan wonks in the coalition replacing 'the old grouse-shooting knights of the shires'. In fact, it is the grouse-shooting knights of the shires, through their Country Land and Business Association, who have led this attack on the planning system. When faced with a choice between its ill-defined 'rural values' and making buckets of unearned cash, there's no doubt about where the shot falls. This is the reassertion of old power against democracy."

Barnet Council regeneration plan: no great excitement

Click above to enlarge,
or link to Barnet committee report, 5/9/2011

Barnet Times: "History of Grahame Park Estate exhibited in Colindale"

Link to Barnet Times

"YOUNG and old converged at the RAF Museum on Tuesday, August 23, to launch an exhibition celebrating the history of Colindale’s Grahame Park Estate.

"The Grahame Park Estate Story exhibition is the culmination of 18 months of work by a group of 30 local young people, who interviewed residents and researched its development from the site of an aerodrome in 1910."

Barnet Times: "History of Grahame Park Estate by Barnet Action 4 Youth group"

Link to Barnet Times

"A GROUP of teenagers have put together a history of Barnet’s biggest estate to challenge its negative image. 

"The group have put together an exhibition of their work, which tells the story from the point of view of residents, and it will be on at the RAF Museum, in Grahame Park Way, from Monday, 22 August, to Friday, 30 September."

Barnet Press: "Windows were smashed at Colindale police station"

Click above for Barnet Press

"Barnet police say they have faced several “skirmishes” with groups of youths in copycat raids on shops, businesses and cars, but there have been few repeats of the scenes played out in Tottenham, Enfield and Croydon.

"Borough commander Neil Basu issued a stark warning to residents. He said:

"I never thought I would say this, but I urge law-abiding residents to stay off the streets."

Barnet Times: "Campaign to save Grahame Park Way Club"

(Click above to enlarge)

Vickim57 blog: "Colindale - can you feel the rhythm? Or do you need someone to take your pulse?"

"These figures are taken from Barnet council's "State of the Borough report":

"Already London’s most populous borough, with 349,800 residents in 2011 ...The Barnet population is projected to grow by 5.5 per cent over next five years – an increase of 19,400 people."

And they are all going to live in Colindale.*

Link to Vickim57 web site

* This is a slight exaggeration, for comic effect, but only slight. These are the figures: Colindale (+10,900), Golders Green (+7,300), Mill Hill (+2,000) and West Hendon (+1,900)."

The Guardian: "Who can afford Boris Johnson's new affordable housing?"

Link to The Guardian

"The mayor of London's housing advisor was right to bang the drum for investment in affordable housing on the Guardian housing network last week. But it's a curious message to deliver on the day that the government announced its package of barely affordable homes using a grant cut by two thirds.

"The mayor made his manifesto commitment to deliver 50,000 affordable homes in three years on the back of a £3.7bn affordable housing grant. To put this in context, even if the mayor had met this target (moving the goalpost by a full year) that wouldn't have been enough to meet the pressing need for social housing."

Mr Reasonable: Wasted planning money in north Barnet

Link to Mr Reasonable

"Last year plans for the redevelopment of Brunswick Park Hub were hastily put forward.

"... One thing I was still unclear about was how much this has cost Barnet Council taxpayers. I still don’t know the full extent of the costs but as part of my audit investigation I have unearthed a bill from Elevate Partnership for £299,269 who worked on the design of the scheme. So much money for absolutely no return."

29 June: Cabinet Resources Committee - Grahame Park Project

Link to Barnet Council web site

"This report seeks approval for the deferment of historic costs owed to the Council from the Council’s developer partner for the regeneration of the Grahame Park Estate ‘Choices for Grahame Park (CfGP) Limited’, until 1st July 2012, in response to revised funding criteria imposed by the scheme’s principal funder.

"Deferring the payments would allow CfGP to fund these costs from receipts, rather than borrowing the money from their funder and CfGP’s parent company, Genesis Housing Association.

"The Grahame Park regeneration scheme has reached a critical point. Whilst the economy remains fragile, there are key risks associated with regeneration viability. By not enabling flexibility, and approving deferral of historic costs owed to the Council, continued project delivery is at risk.

"Deferring payment of the historic costs owed to the Council would allow CfGP to fund these costs from receipts, rather than borrowing the money from their funder and CfGP’s parent company, Genesis Housing Association. Under the deferment proposal, the Council will be repaid its costs on 1st July 2012, when all the new homes for sale currently under construction have been sold.

"The sales income is critical to the successful delivery of the project, one of the most critical factors in the viability of the project. Sales and marketing of the homes for sale is being delivered by Countryside Properties. Sales are currently progressing at a rate of five per month.

"In 2009, the Council and CfGP jointly appointed a Sales Valuer, who will certify to the Council that sales revenue, for each dwelling sold, represents proper value in the market conditions prevailing at the time of sale. However, CfGP has confirmed to the Council that payment will be made on 1st July 2012, irrespective of sales performance on Phase 1a."

bdonline: "Jestico & Whiles' estate revamp gets green light"

Link to bdonline.co.uk

"A team led by Jestico & Whiles has received planning permission for the next phase of the redevelopment of the Grahame Park estate in the borough of Barnet, north London.

"The London-based practice is working with Peter Barber Architects, Studio 54 Architecture and landscape architect Novell Tullett on revamping the 1970s estate, following the team’s success in an RIBA design competition in 2008."

Dept. for Transport: Road Safety Strategy, and 'Easier 20mph Zones"

Link to PDF file

"The 'Strategic Framework for Road Safety' sets out our approach to continuing to reduce killed and seriously injured casualties on Britain's roads.

"Our focus is on increasing the range of educational options for the drivers who make genuine mistakes and can be helped to improve while improving enforcement against the most dangerous and deliberate offenders. Additionally, at the local level, we will be increasing the road safety information that is available to local citizens."

---

Link to press release

Ministers cut traffic signs red tape for local councils 

"Measures to reduce time-consuming and costly bureaucracy for councils wanting to use 20 mph schemes have been announced by Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker.

"The changes - the first to be announced as part of the 'Traffic Signs Policy Review' - will mean that councils can use signs painted on roads as an alternative to expensive upright signs, cutting street clutter, as well as costs.

"In addition, the Government will reduce the need for councils to use speed humps in 20 mph zones, and make it cheaper and easier for councils to put in place variable speed limits outside schools, when local residents want these schemes."

BBC: "Air quality row may hit Olympic Games" (and the rest of us)

Link to BBC web site

"The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has admitted many cities will not meet EU targets on air quality before 2020, while meeting London's targets could be as late as 2025.

"Existing levels are thought to cause about 3,000 people [in London] to die prematurely each year. Alan Andrews, an air pollution specialist with the environmental law organisation ClientEarth, said:

"We knew meeting the original 2015 target was going to be difficult, but I thought they'd give it a go - but they seem to have thrown their hands up and said 'it's too difficult'."

Planning, the Law and your Rights!

Talk Action and Friends of the Earth are doing a residential weekend in July (along with a Saturday ‘taster session’) on planning, the law and your rights. It is a weekend of workshops and networking to empower people to make a difference. Click below for details!