An artist's impression of the proposed Brent Cross development

Barnet Green Party is urging local people to write in the next seven days to Communities Secretary John Denham to demand a public inquiry into the the 4.5 billion pounds Brent Cross Cricklewood redevelopment.

Objectors have only until March 12^th to make their views known to Denham, who will then decide whether to over-rule Barnet Council’s approval and call in the plan for further assessment.

“The whole scheme is monstrously unsustainable and would have a damaging effect on wide swathes of North London well beyond the boundaries of Barnet borough,” said Andrew Newby, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Hendon.

“The housing programmes need major revision to make them sustainable and the planned expansion of Brent Cross shopping centre should be halted completely, having already been rejected at a previous public inquiry.”

Andrew Saffrey, Golders Green candidate for the party in the coming Barnet Council elections, is particularly unhappy at plans for an incinerator, which he believes will blight Golders Green and spread pollution far and wide.

an incinerator in Sheffield

“The waste incinerator has been dressed up in the consultation material as a “gasification plant” or a “CHP station”. Whatever it is called, it will emit large quantities of harmful pollutants from a 140-metre chimney into the suburbs of North London,” he said.

Newby said in a letter to Denham: “Even supposing the developers fulfill their pledges of high standards for all aspects of their monstrous proposals, the scheme is so enormous that it will have an impact on the national target of an 80 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

“The BXC plans include only token sustainability measures, so the expanded shopping centre, the new homes and the other buildings are likely to churn out hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 in their many decades of existence. Residential buildings will only achieve level three (out of six) under the Code for Sustainable Homes although the government’s target is for all buildings be carbon neutral (level six) by 2016.

“This scheme is an ideal opportunity to install energy conservation measures and sustainable power facilities right from the beginning. There is plenty of scope on the site for enough wind turbines, solar arrays and ground source heat pumps to make the whole area carbon negative, never mind carbon neutral. Yet the requirement for 20% renewable energy is proposed to be met entirely by burning domestic waste. Not a single solar panel or wind turbine is proposed.”

Newby also says: “Any expansion of Brent Cross would undoubtedly have further harmful affects on the several shopping areas within a few miles of the development.

“Shopping districts likely to suffer from would include Golders Green, Hendon, Temple Fortune and Finchley Central. Many businesses in those areas are already struggling under the impact of the recession and Barnet Council should not have approved the BXC plans without studying their likely impact on local communities and implementing measures needed to support those communities.

Saffrey said in his submission to the ministry: “With an estimated 29,000 vehicle trips a day predicted to be generated by this development, clearly this project is seriously jeopardising efforts to control and reduce CO2 emissions.”

“Suggestions that a light-rail system is sorely needed to serve Brent Cross have been derided by Conservative councillors yet providing light rail has been enormously successful in other large-scale development projects, notably Canary Wharf,” said Saffrey.

Newby said: “With a general election coming up and a number of marginal labour seats nearby there is a good chance of Denham calling in the plan if enough people write in.”

If you want to ask the minister to call in the plans, send a message to: john.denham@communities.gsi.gov.uk

or send a letter to:

The Rt. Hon John Denham MP
Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government
Eland House, Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU

A bus on the test run of route 324 at Brent Cross Tesco

A new bus route serving part of Barnet borough has been announced, to the pleasure of local Green Party members.

Route 324 will link Brent Cross Tesco to Stanmore via Hendon, Colindale and Kingsbury every 20 minutes during the day time.

The new service will use a stop within the Tesco grounds, providing new links for residents in the Marble Drive and Whitefield Avenue areas.

Colindeep Lane, in Colindale, will also be served by a bus for the first time, increasing public transport options for those who wish to leave their car at home.

Zain Sardar, the Green Party’s local election candidate for Colindale, was pleased at the news.

“It’s brilliant” said Zardar.  ”People in Colindale, and in particular around Colindeep Lane, can now enjoy better access to the public transport network  in London.”

“This new service will help everybody – from commuters going to Hendon Central and shoppers at Brent Cross, to students at Stanmore College and patients at Kingsbury Community Hospital – this route benefits so many” Sardar added.

Andrew Newby, the Green Party general election candidate for Hendon, also welcomed the new service.

“Coming hot on the heels of the re-routeing of the 186 via Grahame Park and Aerodrome Road, this is another piece of good news for public transport users in Colindale” said Newby. “Providing areas with new services really gives people a choice and is an added incentive for people to use forms of transport that are more sustainable.”

Andrew Saffrey, the Green Party’s candidate for Golders Green ward, praised the new route.

“Until now, bus links to the north and west from this part of Golders Green ward have been poor” said Saffrey. “Instead of having to walk to Brent Cross bus station, or change buses, residents in the area around Mapledown School will be able to get to Hendon Central and Kingsbury much more easily.”

“The consultation showed very strong support for this route, particularly in places like Colindeep Lane where previously no bus route served” Saffrey added. “This can only be a good thing as it means people are desperately crying out for bus services to reduce their dependence on the private car.”

Transport for London (TfL) plans to commence services in Autumn 2010 with single-decker minibuses.

More info:
* TfL press release
* Hendon Times article

Caroline Lucas delivers her keynote speech at The Arts Depot in North Finchley

A photo slideshow of the Green Party Conference including Caroline Lucas’ rousing keynote speech at the Arts Depot in North Finchley can be viewed here.


Caroline Lucas’ speech can be viewed here

BBC News report of the Conference here

Here are links to reports in the local press, The Hendon, Finchley, Barnet, Potters Bar, Edgware, Mill Hill Times
Keynote speech by Caroline Lucas in North Finchley promises Green Party action on inequality

Green Party conference held in Finchley

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas with Alex Philips, newly elected Green councillor for Hove

The Green Party Conference is coming to Finchley. The Arts Depot in North Finchley will host the 2010 Spring conference from this Thursday, February 18th, to Sunday 21st. It’s a fabulous opportunity for local people to find out more about the policies and values of the party in what will be council and general election year.

The Arts Depot opened in October 2004 offering a wide variety of events including theatre, music, dance, comedy and the visual arts and has become a respected part of the local and wider community. Having recently celebrated it’s 5th birthday the arts centre has been involved in many community activities like its education and outreach programmes.

Barnet Greens are excited by the prospect of welcoming the national party into our neck-of-the-woods. We’re also looking forward to engaging with the issues and spreading the word about what Greens have got to offer as a party.

Green Party Spring Conference 2010 will be held from the 18th to 21st February at The Arts Depot, North Finchley, London, N12 0GA.

More information can be found here

Steve Norman and Candy but where's that bus?

Barnet Green Party has selected East Finchley as its target ward for the borough council elections on May 6^th and will officially launch its campaign in the ward this coming Saturday, February 13^th.

The launch will take place outside Budgen’s supermarket on the High Road. We invite all local people to come along at about 11.00 am to meet ward candidates Noel Lynch, Steve Norman and Andrew Newby.

The Electoral Reform Society calculated that the number of votes achieved by Barnet Green Party in the last borough election in 2006 could have won six seats for the Greens under a fair system of proportional representation.

The present first-past-the-post system and the fact that our votes were spread widely across the borough meant that we were denied any seats, so this time we are focussing our campaign effort on East Finchley, the ward where we have greatest support.

In the London Mayoral election in 2008, around 25 percent of East Finchley participants voted Green as either their first or second choice. We only need to boost that score by a few percentage points to win the East Finchley council seats and secure a much-needed Green presence on Barnet Council.

Greens in several London boroughs, including neighbouring Camden, have won council seats by targeting certain wards and Barnet Greens are aiming to match that achievement this time.

The launch in East Finchley will be part of an action day that will also include canvassing around the ward and a stall outside Budgen’s. At the stall we will be collecting signatures in support of our campaigns for a new bus service between East Finchley and the Royal Free Hospital and for a 20 mph speed limit in East Finchley’s Church Lane as well as other local streets. We will also be collecting supporters for our call to Barnet Council’s pension fund to sell its BAe shares.

Our general election candidates Donald Lyven (Finchley & Golders Green), Kate Tansley (Chipping Barnet) and Andrew Newby (Hendon) will all be at the target ward launch.

Zain Sardar

Barnet Green Party is urging young people in the borough to shun the government’s new offer to sign them up to the national identity card scheme.

The Home Office this month invited 16- to 24-year-olds in London to apply for identity cards at a cost of £30.  For any young person who does apply, up to 50 categories of personal and biometric details about him or her will be added to the National Identity Register. These will include finger prints, National Insurance number, current and past addresses and full history of the card’s use.

There is little or no practical benefit for young people in having the card over other current forms of ID, as shops, bars and other premises don’t have biometric scanners. However, even more worrying than wasting the upfront £30, is that while getting a card will be voluntary, once on the National Identity Register, young people will not be able to get off it, will have to keep the register up to date with their personal details for life and not doing so could lead to a fine of up to £1000.

Also, the life-time cost to the card holder of updating the register and obtaining replacement cards is completely unknown.

Barnet Green Party Youth Officer and Council candidate for Colindale, Zain Sardar says, ‘With the current economic climate, and the pernicious effect this had had on youth and graduate unemployment the last thing we need is for the government to be wasting money when it could easily have been used to help universities fund extra places for students that are currently out of work.

“The London School of Economics estimated the costs of the scheme will be between £10 billion and £20 billion but there is no evidence that this scheme will reduce terrorism or benefit fraud. Thus is a smack in the face for students and young people, who really need the government to invest in their future right now.”

BAe's Lightweight Stabilized Weapon System

BAe's 120mm Armoured Mortar System II

Barnet Green Party is calling on Barnet Council to sell its pension fund’s shares in BAe Systems after the weapons maker last Friday finally admitted misconduct in several export deals.

BAe agreed to pay penalties totalling nearly 300 million pounds for the crimes, which related to the huge 43 billion pounds al-Yamamah sale of fighter planes to Saudi Arabia as well as to some smaller contracts in other countries.

Barnet Council’s pension fund holds more than a million shares in BAe and the fund’s management committee has repeatedly refused to sell the stake although the company has been under investigation in the US and Britain for several years on allegations of bribery.

Barnet Green Party is once again urging the council to dispose of its holdings in BAe and fellow defence manufacturers Smiths Group and Rolls-Royce.

“Investment in companies which export weapons of death is always immoral and the corruption allegations make it doubly wrong to hold shares in BAe,” said Andrew Newby, a Green Party council candidate for East Finchley.

“We call on the council to place the money instead in ethical and environmental stocks which have every chance of being at least as safe an investment as BAe and could have the additional benefit of helping create jobs in growth sectors such as renewable energy.”

BAe announced it has reached agreement with the US Department of Justice to plead guilty to a charge of conspiring to make false statements to the US government. The company will pay a fine of 400 million dollars (around 257 million pounds) for the offence, linked to Al Yamamah and to contracts in the Czech Republic and some other eastern European countries.

In Britain, under an agreement with the Serious Fraud Office, the company will plead guilty to breach of duty to keep records of payments made to a former marketing adviser in Tanzania. It will pay a penalty of 30 million pounds, to include a fine and a charitable payment to Tanzania.

Tony Blair when prime minister ordered the SFO to stop investigating the Al Yamamah deal. If he had not done so, BAe’s penalties in Britain would almost certainly have been higher.

Former council leader Mike Freer has previously sought to justify Barnet holding BAe shares by saying the pension fund has a legal duty to get the best returns for its members. Far from selling BAe shares, the fund actually bought more in the year to June 2009, according to Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

“But BAe has been a dismal investment as its shares are trading little above where they stood ten years ago and the pension fund could have achieved much better returns from many other companies,” Newby said.

“A big cloud still hangs over the company’s future, as the government is desperate to reduce debt and an upcoming defence review is likely to lead to cuts in planned government purchases of BAe products.

“Barnet Council’s misguided investment policies have led to the loss of at least 11.5 million pounds of the 27.4 million it deposited with Icelandic banks.

“Barnet Green Party calls on the council to admit it was also wrong to retain BAe shares and to agree it is time to sell them,” said Newby, who is also parliamentary candidate for Hendon.

Greens in East Finchley are urging the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit on East Finchley’s Church Lane and all other residential or shopping streets in Barnet borough.

Less speed wanted in East Finchley's Church Lane

Barnet Council has fobbed off a call by East Finchley Village Residents Association for a 20 mph limit on Church Lane by saying some people will ignore the limit whatever it is set at.

There will always be tearaways who drive much too fast but the Greens point out there is a much larger proportion of people who drive at or no more than slightly above the prevailing speed limit – you can witness this on almost any road on any day.

“These more or less law abiding people will change their behaviour if a speed limit changes and it would therefore be very worthwhile to introduce a speed limit on Church Lane,” said Noel Lynch, chair of Barnet Green Party and an East Finchley candidate for the council elections in May.

“Given that the average speed along the most dangerous stretch is 29.5 mph while the limit is 30 mph, there is a strong chance that a 20 mph limit would bring the average speed down by a fair amount, making the road much safer and making life more pleasant for schoolchildren and other pedestrians using Church Lane,” he said.

The danger and nuisance caused by speeding motorists do not just affect Church Lane of course but also blight many other roads in Barnet borough and the Green Party would like to see a 20 mph limit adopted for all Barnet residential and shopping streets, backed up by appropriate measures to enforce the lower limit and deter other driving offences.

Islington Council, at the initiative of a Green councillor, has just become the first borough in the country to adopt a 20 mph limit for all except principal roads and “it will be very interesting to see what the effect is not just in terms of road accident figures but in the percentage of children walking or cycling to school,” Noel said.

The Green Party has selected Noel Lynch, Andrew Newby and Steve Norman as its candidates for East Finchley ward in the Barnet Council elections to take place in May.

Noel on the campaign trail

East Finchley is Barnet Green Party’s top target ward and Noel, Andrew and Steve are aiming to win. Please vote for them!

Noel Lynch – long-time East Finchley campaigner:

Green Party stalwart and former London Assembly member Noel Lynch has campaigned in East Finchley for many years. He is currently pushing for improvements to East Finchley’s bus links, in particular for a new route to the Royal Free Hospital.

Noel said: “London Greens are proposing the cancellation of Boris Johnson’s recent approval of a big rise in bus fares. Boris doesn’t care about ordinary people or the environment.” Noel has fought to protect East Finchley and other neighbourhood communities and has been a long-time champion of small business.

Andrew backs solar panels

Andrew Newby – angry at uncaring Barnet Council:

Financial journalist Andrew Newby has had his home in the borough for 23 years. He is furious at Barnet Council’s weak social and environmental policies and its refusal to adopt the Sustainable Communities Act.

“Some Green policies are unglamorous, such as better insulation of private and social housing, but they can save money and give everyone a better quality of life,” he says. In Totteridge ward in 2006 he doubled the Green Party vote, beating Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates. In East Finchley he aims to beat all other parties and win a council seat.

Steve Norman – defends human and animal rights:

Steve and Candy but where's that bus?

East Finchley-born Steve Norman is a professional gardener but it wasn’t just the environment which led him to join the Greens. “I joined because of its policies on animal rights and civil liberties issues. I am concerned about corporate interests being given priority over human rights,” he said. Steve himself coordinated a campaign against greyhound racing, focussed on Walthamstow track, which has now closed down.

Steve first stood in East Finchley ward in 2006 campaigning alongside Noel. In that year Noel and Andrew were the top polling  Barnet Greens, with Steve not far behind.

Photo courtesy of londonbusroutes.net

Greens in East Finchley have made a fresh proposal after Transport for London rejected a petition signed by more than 400 people for a new bus route from North Finchley via East Finchley to the Royal Free Hospital.

The Green Party, which raised the petition, is challenging TfL’s claim that a new route to the Royal Free would require a subsidy of more than 800,000 pounds a year.

But Greens have also put forward a new project to run more journeys on the existing 603 route between Muswell Hill and Swiss Cottage and to amend the route slightly to take it past the Royal Free.

Green members in the London Assembly will formally ask Mayor Boris Johnson to tell TfL to work out the cost of an hourly service until midnight on the amended 603 route.

The daytime journeys would help people to reach the Royal Free and the Greens believe the evening buses would be popular with people wanting to attend social events along the route, which goes via East Finchley, Highgate village, Kenwood, The Spaniards Inn and Hampstead village.

The 603 currently operates only four journeys each way, two in the morning and two in the afternoon from Monday to Friday, mainly to serve North London schools.

In response to the petition, David Brown, TfL’s managing director for surface transport, told Green Party London Assembly member Jenny Jones that the North Finchley to Royal Free route would not attract enough passengers to justify the estimated subsidy.

But Andrew Newby, of the Green Party’s East Finchley group, said: “TfL bases its rejection of a new route on its estimate that there would be around 700 passenger trips per day if a 20 minute
service was provided. People in East Finchley know that far more people than that would use it, reducing the amount of subsidy the route would require.”

“More and more Finchley people are being referred to the Royal Free Hospital. At the moment people have to take two buses and it usually takes them over an hour to get from East Finchley to
the Royal Free.”

Brown also rejected other ideas for improving bus routes between East and North Finchley, linked only by the 263. Extending route 17 to North Finchley would cost around 1.2 million pounds
according to TfL’s calculations, while diverting some 134 buses via East Finchley would mean there was insufficent capacity on the existing route at peak times, London’s transport authority said.

“If we can get a service launched between East Finchley and the Royal Free we are certain it will be successful. Once that is established we can go back to TfL and make the case for better links to
North Finchley and beyond,” Newby said. “Many people in that area have said they would use a bus route to Hampstead and the Royal Free,”
he said.

A full copy of Brown’s reply to Jenny Jones is:here