Powerday Planning Application for Tavistock Road, West Drayton

I spoke at last night's packed public meeting in St Matthews Church in West Drayton organised by the local residents' association to oppose the planning application by Powerday for a massive recycling operation on Tavistock Road.

Over 150 people attended and expressed their worries about the impact of this development so close to a residential area. People's main concerns were the increase in heavy traffic in an already congested road network, a worsening of air pollution in one of the most air polluted areas in the country and the increase in noise and dust from the site.

All the local councillors, John Randall the MP for Uxbridge and I confirmed our opposition to this planning application. It was reported that a contract had just been signed by the West London Waste Authority to transport local waste by rail to a recycling centre in Bristol.

Local residents have submitted a petition of over 3000 signatures and over 200 letters to the council opposing the planning application. I have expressed my opposition as well.

The Council's Planning Committee meets on Tuesday 11th December at 8pm at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. Local residents are urged to attend to show their opposition to this proposal.

If the Council rejects this application it will go the the Mayor for London for his views and if Powerday appeals it will go to the Secretary of State for him to set up a planning appeal inquiry.

Hayes FM – on the lookout for volunteers

- Would you like to present a radio show to over 3000 people?

- Are you interested in joining a team of experts who will help you learn the ropes?

- Are you looking for more experience in radio production?

- Do you want to take part in trainings to develop your research, production and presentation skills?

Hayes FM, our major West London local community radio station, is re-launching at its brand new studios at Rosedale College in Hayes in February next year and we're on the hunt for volunteers to help run it.

To prepare for the re-launch we are looking for more volunteers to help in researching, producing and presenting programmes as well as helping sell advertising and raise funds.

Could you consider volunteering or is there anyone you know who could be interested?

There is training provided for all the roles we need volunteers to fill and support as people go on air for the first time.

Also would you or an organisation you know be interested in broadcasting its own programme on Hayes FM?

We particularly need presenters for daytime shows and programmes for daytime broadcasting. There are opportunities for pre-recording programmes as well in order to suit the times you or your group could be available.

If you are interested in joining us at Hayes FM, please drop me an email and I will arrange for Hayes FM to contact you to discuss how you can become part of our team.

Hayes FM is not just a community radio station, it provides training and opportunities for many young people to gain the confidence and experience to gain employment or go on to further training.

Best wishes,

John McDonnell MP and Chair of Hayes FM

Hillingdon Council Rips Out Hedges at Botwell Common/Lake Farm

Hillingdon Council has ripped out the historic hedge that was the border between Lake Farm Country Park and Botwell Common.This act of appalling environmental vandalism has destroyed the habitat of the local birds just at nesting time contrary to the legislation protecting these habitats at this time of the year.  

“Why is the Council seizing much more land than it needs to build school on Lake Farm?"

The Council is being forced to consult on how much land it is
appropriating to build a new school Botwell Common and Lake Farm. In the
consultation papers it is revealed that the Council is seizing at least
50% more land than it originally said it needed in its planning
application for the new school.

Local MP, John McDonnell, commented "The only reason the council is
trying to seize so much more land is that it must have a hidden agenda
to build on more of our country park. Is there a hidden plan for housing
or a secondary school on the park or both? Are we witnessing another
sell off and asset stripping exercise in the south of the borough by
these Uxbridge and Ruislip councillors? We are demanding answers."

Guru Nanak's New Primary School Plans Means Council Has No Need to Build on Lake Farm

Guru Nanak School has now applied to the Council to build a new fourth
form of entry primary school on its site in the same ward as the council
plans to build a school on Botwell Common and Lake farm.

The pupils that have been accepted to attend the new Guru Nanak Primary
School are overwhelmingly drawn from the local Hayes area.

The new school is to be built on the existing school site surrounded by
existing school buildings and although technically on green belt land,
it is land not open to the public and not in the country park area.

Local MP John McDonnell commented

"I am reluctant to see any area of green belt built upon but allowing
this school to go ahead on land that is already on the school site,
surrounded by school buildings, is inaccessible to the general public
and not in a country park, means that the council has no need to build
on our Botwell Common and Lake Farm country park. This development could
save our country park. I am urging the council even at this late stage
to drop its plans to destroy Botwell Common and Lake Farm Country Park.
This new school means that there will be enough school places in the
area. There is now simply no need to destroy our park. To press ahead
now means that the Council must have a hidden agenda for the Lake Farm
site."

Betrayed by Boris

We have now learnt that Boris Johnson mayor for London has given the go
ahead to Hillingdon council to build on Lake Farm Country Park and
Botwell common. We await the outcome of the secretary of state's
decision which is expected this week.

I convened a meeting on Saturday 20th April at which local residents
expressed their fury at the Mayor for London's decision. Boris Johnson's
decision flies in the face of his earlier commitments to protect the
green belt and his statements opposing school developments on green belt
land.

This is a disgraceful betrayal of our local community by Boris Johnson.
He has broken every promise he gave to us before he was re-elected that
he would protect our green belt. He has also contradicted his recent
statements against building schools on the green belt and using school
developments as an excuse to build on our cherished open spaces. Our
local residents, local councillors and I are committed to campaigning
against the threat to our green belt.

It was also revealed at the public meeting that the council has
submitted a formal proposal to appropriate a much bigger piece of the
Lake Farm and Botwell common than originally planned for the new primary
school. I am really worried now that the council is taking a much larger
proportion of our country park than was first proposed. I fear that they
now have plans to build on another section of the park for a secondary
school. The council starts its consultation on secondary school
expansion in September. It is too much of a coincidence that they now
want to appropriate such a sizeable increase in the land take of our
country park. Consultation on this appropriation of the land ends on the
30th April. No local residents have been written to and only a small
advert has been written in the gazette. I am urging local residents to
write in objecting to this land grab by the council.

Council Forces Through Plans to Build on Lake Farm and Botwell Common

Last night the Council convened a special Planning Committee at short
notice to force through its plans to build on Lake Farm Country Park and
Botwell Common. The Planning meeting degenerated into near chaos as
information contained in the Council's reports recommending the
development was comprehensively challenged by local residents and local
Labour councillors.

The Councillors heard that there was no need for a new school to be
built on this green belt land as pupil numbers could be catered for in
the new Guru Nanak Free School to be opened later this year in the samee
ward,. In addition a Governor from the new Rosedale Primary School
repeated the Governors' and School Headteacher's offer to expand this
school by a further form to assist in preventing the need to build on
the green belt. It was revealed atht the old Hayes Swimming Pool site
could also accomodate a new 2 form of entry school, thus avoiding the
need to build on Lake Farm and Botwell Common. All this was rejected by
the Conservative councillors on the committee, not one of whom lives in
the Hayes area.

The campaign against this disastrous destruction of our green belt is
now moving on to lobby Boris Johnson to call this planning application
in for him to determine as it flies in the face of his policies to
protect the green belt. I will be joining local residents at 1pm at City
Hall next Tuesday to deliver our letters to him urging him to intervene
to save our park from these local vandal Conservative councillors. Come
and join on Tuesday.

Planning Committee Meeting To Decide on Lake Farm on Tuesday 5th March at 7pm

The Council has convened a Council Planning meeting tomorrow night to
determine its planning application to build on Lake Farm Country Park
and Botwell Common. The Council is seeking to force this application
through despite all the opposition from the local community.Local
residents will be meeting outside the Civic Centre at 6.15 to
demonstrate our opposition to this attack on our local park and green
belt. Come along and join us. The Planning Committee will be held at 7pm
in the main Council Chamber and is open to the public. Come to the
Committee to show your concern at what the council is doing to destroy
our open spaces.

Volunteers Undertake RSPB Bird Count on Lake Farm

On Saturday (26th January 2013)local volunteers undertook the annual Royal Society for the Protection of Birds bird count on Lake Farm. We found the country park teeming with bird life including a sparrow hawk, a lesser spotted woodpecker, skylarks and many blue tits and great tits, robins, thrushes, magpies, gulls and of course hundreds of pigeons. This wonderful display of bird life in the park makes it all the more important that do not allow the council to build over this park and disturb and destroy the habitat of so many birds forever. We must do all we can to protect this site so that generations to come will be able to enjoy the sight of so many beautifiul birds in this country park as we do today.