Minister stalls Brent Cross project days after Mayor says yes

from Evening Standard (online) 18 March 2010
by Sri Carmichael - COnsumer Affairs Reporter

A major £4.5 billion London development has been thrown into doubt days after Mayor Boris Johnson approved the scheme.

Communities Secretary John Denham has called a halt to the Brent Cross regeneration to decide whether a public inquiry should be launched.

The development includes plans for a 370-acre town centre, with 7,550 homes, new schools, health facilities, a railway and bus station, cycle routes and six new bridges.

Supporters claim it would provide a vital overhaul for a neglected suburb and create 27,000 jobs.Read more

Open Meeting on Air Pollution in London - 15 April 2010

6pm for 6:30pm on Thursday 15th April at the Gallery, 75 Cowcross Street EC1, near to Farringdon station.

An open meeting for Londonforum members, associates, borough representatives and guests to hear about these problems and to discuss the issues about toxic fumes and the actions that will be required.

The speaker will be Simon Birkett, Founder of the Campaign for Clean Air in London (CCAL).

CCAL challenged the Mayor's policies which fail adequately to deal with dangerous airborne particles (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NOx) in the capital in order to meet required EU air quality legal standards by 2015 when an 80% reduction in current levels of NOx will be required.

The event is free for Londonforum members and there will be a £3 fee for non-members.

Unlocking Community Assets event on 16 March 2010

This event is organised by London Civic Forum and aims to provide an opportunity for delegates to learn about asset transfer, focusing specifically on how to minimise and manage risk through robust accountability and governance arrangements.

The event is being delivered as part of the London Empowerment Partnership, an initiative from Communities and Local Government designed to improve the quality, coordination and evidence of community empowerment across the region.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of asset transfer as a mechanism for empowering communities and enabling local ownership of community assets. The focus of the event will be on exploring governance in asset transfer and providing guidance and advice on how to manage risk and strengthen governance arrangements. The event will aim to provide a platform for public sector and community representatives to discuss best practice approaches and use cross-sector discussions to assess the challenges and benefits of asset transfer.

Mayor calls road management summit and strengthens capital's code

Mayor's Office release 25 February 2010

Representatives of London's major utilities met the Mayor at City Hall today (25 February) to sign up to a stronger version of the Mayor's Code of Conduct for roadworks in the capital. The Mayor has also invited the major utility companies and London's boroughs to attend a road management summit on 12 March where they will discuss how they can make further progress in reducing the disruption caused by roadworks.

In April 2009 the Mayor agreed a voluntary Code of Conduct for Roadworks with the five largest utility companies working in London that has already resulted in better managed roadworks. A progress report released by Transport for London today found that the code has resulted in an increase in the proportion of utility work taking place outside peak hours on TfL roads. It reports that the amount of work taking place outside peak hours on TfL roads by companies signed up to the Mayor's Code of Conduct has doubled.Read more

London Councils believe concessionary fares consultation flawed

London Councils release 5 February 2010

London Councils has reacted angrily to the outcome of the government's consultation about concessionary fares funding.

The cross party organisation is unhappy with the Department of Transport's decision to ignore the views of the capital in deciding that the amount paid to London for the national bus concession should be cut.

It is also astonished that government officials, when analysing responses to the consultation, chose to ignore the views it received from London "in order to provide a more balanced perspective of the views expressed across the country."

Under a three year package announced by the government in 2008, London was set to receive around £58 million in 2010/2011 to help cover the cost of providing free off peak bus travel in the capital.Read more

Government promises action to stop 'garden-grabbing'

from BBC London News (online) 19 January 2010

The government has promised to act against "garden-grabbing" by property developers, after a report showed it was a problem in many parts of England.

Fifty of 127 councils who responded to a survey said building on previous green or empty land was a concern.

Housing minister John Healey said local authorities without proper plans were leaving an "open door" and promised guidelines on dealing with "hotspots".

The Tories said Labour was "in denial" about its role in causing the problem.Read more

London's drivers first in the country to benefit from roadworks permit scheme

Mayor's Office release 11 January 2010

The Mayor of London has succeeded in his bid to see the capital's roads become the first in the country to operate a scheme where utility companies and other organisations will have to apply for permission first before digging them up.

Today (11 January) Transport for London and 16 of the capital's boroughs officially launched a permit scheme that means any company digging holes without permission or breaking the conditions of their permit risks being fined. It is hoped the move will reduce the 300,000 holes dug in London's roads each year by utility companies, by encouraging companies to work together. The scheme was a manifesto pledge by Mayor Boris Johnson as part of his efforts to smooth traffic flow.

Permitting will enable TfL and the boroughs to plan and coordinate the timing of when roadworks take place, to give companies the opportunity to work on the same sections of road at the same time.Read more

British Museum wins battle for new extension

from Evening Standard 18 December 2009

Revised plans for a £135 million extension to the British Museum have been given the go-ahead.

Camden councillors voted by nine to three last night to grant planning permission for the revised proposal, which was unexpectedly thrown out in July.

The scheme has been modified to put more than a fifth of the development in Bedford Square behind the museum below street level, with building work above the ground narrowed to allow more light to penetrate.

Museum managers also promised greater energy efficiency for the scheme, called the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre.Read more

Shaping London: consultation for three mayoral strategies

In October the Mayor issued a draft new London Plan to replace the one that has been in use since February 2008, plus draft strategies for Transport, Economic Development, Air Quality and Water. He published also a report on London's potential housing capacity and the land available to meet it.

Comments have to be made by 5pm on Tuesday 12th January 2010. The London Plan team,Transport for London and the London Development Agency will consider responses, so there is a chance to influence the content and policies in the strategies. Read more

Chelsea Barracks chapel refused listed status

Mira Bar-Hillel
Evening Standard

The Victorian garrison chapel on the site of Chelsea Barracks will not be given listed status, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has decided.

The chapel, built in 1859, is all that remains of the military base, which has been bulldozed to make way for a new multi-billion-pound housing development.

Campaigners including the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, want the historic building preserved and have appealed to Mr Bradshaw to give it legal protection.

The site's owners, Qatari Diar, run by the Qatari royal family, originally resolved to demolish the chapel but have now have made its retention part of the developers' brief.Read more