Friday 23 August 2013

Save Lea Marshes digest

This is the weekly digest of Save Lea Marshes (SLM), highlighting the latest information about keeping, maintaining and improving the marshes and greens spaces of the Lea Valley area.
 
No such thing as a sleepy August for news.  This week:
 
MEDIA STORIES - The Hackney Gazette today (22.8.2013 has a story headed "Council has already build car park in planning application".  Super sleuth journalist Emma Bartholomew writes about a car park that has already been completed on East Marsh, ahead of a 60 place car park that Hackney Council has only just lodged a planning application to build.  When asked by The Gazette why they are applying for a car park that is already there, a Hackney Council  spokesman said "the construction is temporary" and that planning permission is required for it to be kept there permanently".  SLM and Olympic Games Monitor representatives are on the case.
 
Also in today's Hackney Gazette letters page, a letter from Cllr. Jonathan McShane, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Culture headed "Trying to balance various demands" explaining why they are so keen on more car parking space and that by throwing in bicycle spaces into the mix they are balancing needs and contributing to sustainable travel.  Also, that easier access is needed by emergency vehicles, to tend injured sports folk.  If he is so concerned about the latter, he should walk around Hackney and see how many times cars are parked across the barriers of emergency entrances blocking cycle access and in some cases three abreast.  Perhaps he could introduce a fine and put the monies into supporting the cost of the Marshes.  But I digress.  Yes, there does have to be a balance of various demands, everyone accepts that but equally the Council promotes less use of the car to its leisure facilities and surely it is  even more important on our precious green spaces. Sustainability should mean cutting car use and not being obsessed by car parks.
 
This week's "Private Eye", also has three stories of interest. Two on the Waterways and the Canal and River Trust and its battles over self-funding and the effects on other canal related charities and businesses and also on its "guidance for boaters without a home mooring" - those live-aboard boaters who must move on every 14 days, known as "continuous cruisers" (love that expression!) but not so funny for those without licences - some several thousand - who have to exist like this, particularly if they have children of school age.
 
The third story (duh, de dah!) features our old grass destroyers, the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI).  Anyone else worked out that STRI is the first few letters of Strimmer?  Well, let's cut to the chase, a year after the Olympics (2013 OD - Olympic Disaster), comes the report from fellow STRI sufferers in Greenwich. Not only was the turf mashed up by horse eventing but to add insult to injury, LOCOG's contractor had also applied a "surfactant", containing chemicals, that killed every living thing in the soil of the track to a depth of one metre and in the end, there were enough traces of it left in the soil to linger for up to 50 years.  Do read more of the story.  I think we need to revive the Mark Sorrell Community Award for this one.
 
DEAD FISH - firstly, apologies for not including the letter from our esteemed local councillor Ian Rathbone about the Dead Fish last week.  I had intended to include, but as my feline co-editor insists of sitting on my notes this one, slipped under the tail... Anyhow, Cllr. Ian has received a very thorough reply from the Chief Executive of Hackney Council, which has been circulated.  However, a couple of points of interest are:
(a) mention of LBH employing a Flood Engineer, who will be working to ensure the Council's compliance with the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.  This includes water quality issues which are being incorporated into the Planning Process, whereby there is a requirement for developers to consider the impact of development on water quality and if necessary take action and to develop Sustainable Drainage Systems in the borough.  (b) Linear Park - that as part of the post-Games development of the Olympic site, the Council is working with the London Legacy Development Corporation on the design and creation of a linear canal park with will run along the eastern bank of the Lea Navigational canal.  The park will link Hackney Marshes with the Greenway, widening out the existing towpath to create areas of green space and habitat, incorporating swales and native planting in collaboration with relevant agencies and local environmental groups.  Now, my internal alarm bells are already ringing.  This week's plain English awards go to Tim Shields, LBH Chief Executive.  I had to look up swales in a dictionary: "same as Sweals, (Anglo. Saxon) to burn slowly, from, to burn slowly.  To blaze away; to gutter as a candle. To singe".  One, hopes there is another meaning otherwise us simple folk will be lifting up our pitch forks (a fork used in lifting or throwing hay or sheaves of grain and different from pitch (Anglo Saxon) for a thick, tenacious oily substance ...
 
Also on the subject of fish, one of Waltham Forest's finest has also written a letter to the leadership of LBWF to ask similar questions with the aim of joined up thinking and responsibility for the waterways in mind.  We await their response.
 
DAGENHAM BROOK - lest you think we dwell too much in Hackney this week, there be dark doings going on in Waltham Forest - destructive works to the west bank of this river have been reported; spilling of rubble into the water and ruthless cutting back of trees and Hawthorne Hedges.
 
"MURAIL" WHITEWASH - secret works in a public place see an LVRPA staff member whitewashing walls prepping for the nice, non-messy mural that we are all so eager to see...
 
BATS - sorry to miss the Friends of Belair Park event unless some of you can get down there quickly today to enjoy their social but also want to flag up their Bat Walk on Sunday 25th August at 20.00 on the dot at Dog Kennel Hill Open Space.  For more details go to  www.friendsoffdkhwood.org/batwalk2013 
 
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - don't forget - tell your friends, email others and come to the 1st September walk from Leyton Marsh to the Waterworks starting at 1.30.  Dress up in SLM T shirts or wear nature fancy dress.
 
NEXT SLM meeting Tuesday 27 September at the Hare & Hounds, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton at 7.30.  All welcome.
 
Motto of the week:  "Lets keep the Lea the LEA  and not use Lee-speak ...


This week's weekly digest of the Save Lea Marshes (SLM) group - dedicated to ensuring that the marshes and other green spaces in the Lea Valley area are kept open and green for all - see's no let up in the number of things to report.  Issues of interest this week are:
 
OLYMPIC LEGACY - BBC London TV (Monday 12 August - on IPlayer) gave coverage to the damage done to Leyton Marsh and the Hackney football pitches including East Marsh and the lack of promises unfulfilled and obfuscated as part of an "one year on" feature.
 
OTHER MEDIA COVERAGE -  This week's Hackney Gazette has a great exclusive (see http:/www.Hackneygazette.co.uk80/news/campaigns about the fury of local campaigners who have found out that a "council officer" sent an a member around to staff for further distribution to others encouraging them to comment favourably on a planning application to create a 60 space car park on East Marsh citing "We are expecting a number of individuals and organisations to oppose the development - so would welcome your support.  This is not only a blatant attempt at stitching up local democracy but also should be viewed as entirely unbecoming conduct for an officer, whose salary is paid by members of the public.  (More on East Marsh later).  Another story "Council accused of 'poaching youth teams' for new league discusses a current "kick about" on the Marshes, with local teams from Hackney and Leyton being approached to join a new Saturday youth league.  This will enable them to benefit from cheaper rates of hire than from the  more established  County Saturday Youth Football League.  Hackney Council says it has received £60,000 from the Football Foundation "for the development of football across the borough - with a proportion being used to develop youth football on the marshes.
 
EAST MARSH - this week's Joni Mitchell award goes to Hackney Council for its attempts to "pave paradise and put up a parking lot..."  The planning application is now on the Hackney website.  And yes, as described above SLM and HMUG do want people to respond on these plans and exercise their democratic rights to make their views known.  Responses are needed by the end of August.
 
SSHUSH! SSSI - Reed Warblers have been spotted nesting on the Inner Marsh of the Walthamstow Marsh.  We need to stop the LVRPA fro mowing so that the nests are not damaged.  SLM will be contacting LVRPA officers about this issue specifically but we would like to invite you (democratically), to write to the official LVRPA email address and ask them not to mow during the summer months and definitely not this field because of the nesting birds.
 
DEAD FISH - further information on the plight of the River Lea fish and responses from authorities e.g. Hackney's Mayor Jules Pipe and Thames Water, via a response from Waltham Forest MP Stella Creasy, seem to point the finger of blame on extreme heat followed by a flow of toxic run off rushed in from the rainstorm.  The Mayor's reply also mentions sewage but the Thames Water reply puts it firmly in the lack of oxygen and run off camp.  The River Lea (or Lee as the Thames Water official refers to it as, like the Lee Regional Park Authority - is there a bureaucracy preference here?), was not the only river in England affected.  Someone needs to look into the affected areas and see if there is any common connection e.g. are the sites very near large roads; developments or sewage hot spots...
 
WATERWORKS PONIES & CAMPING - the "economic miracle" to add to the funds of the LVRPA coffers of a campsite, has been wound up for now but the clip clop of horses continues and there are new building activities that seem to be housing the horses on site, rather than them being returned to the more established encampment.  SLM is concerned that building flouts the planning agreement ( or pushes it to its limits) and is another example of the encroachment of open spaces by stealth that has been witnessed across the road.
 
ON YOUR BIKES - a story in Thursday's "Evening Standturd" announces the opening of the Lee Valley Velo Park" in March 2014, which Shaun Dawson Chief Executive of the LVRPA expects to be "chock-a-block" from dawn to dusk.  On the plus side for punters, the fees for hire will be low on the negative side, for bats, the outdoor tracks will be floodlit for use at night... which brings us to...
 
LIGHT POLLUTION - wildlife needs sleep, the amount of unnecessary light on the marshes (i.e. not needed for human health and safety) is increasing not diminishing, with the Essex Wharf building site; local factories and the floodlights from the Riding Stables - Please! There are other forms of less polluting light that can be used, timers and intruder systems.
 
"WALK ON THE WILDSIDE" - we now have new leaflets going out advertising the walk we are organising on SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER AT 1.30 Leaving from Leyton Marsh and ending at the Waterworks cafĂ©.  There will be a fancy dress competition for children (and any adults wishing to participate) with prizes for the best wildlife costume.  Others can wear an SLM T-shirt.  All welcome, this will be fun and informative.
 
FUNDRAISING - we are looking into having another general knowledge quiz in the Autumn - more news soon!
 
NEXT MEETING - as it is a Bank Holiday, we will next be meeting on Tuesday 27 August at the Hare & Hounds. 
 
If you love the Lea Valley but cannot do not want to come to meetings, please let us know if there are any issues that come up when you are walking, running, wheeling or cycling around that concern, upset you or you are pleased to see e.g. any rare species spotted.
 

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