PRESS RELEASE
from The Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Development1 (BXC
Coalition)
November 11th
for immediate release
Protesters question legality of sale
of Cricklewood’s only green space to developers
The
Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Development has learned that under
revised plans to go before Barnet planning committee in January 2014 the green
space outside B&Q will be built over in Phase one. Despite
Cricklewood Town Team having popular plans to plant trees and utilise part of the
space for a market in the short term, this green space has been parcelled up
and sold for high density development as part of the Brent Cross Cricklewood
development over a mile away.
The green
space on Cricklewood Lane will be covered by a five storey building, right up
to the pavement line. Phase one could begin within 3 years.
View towards
the bridge – now View towards the
bridge - densely developed
Lesley
Turner, Barnet resident and BXC coalition member says "This green space
was given to Cricklewood community at the end of the eighties, as compensation
or section 106 planning gain, when Food Giant (now B&Q) was built on the
site. The Green does not belong to Barnet but to Cricklewood and we have asked
Barnet to see the original 106 agreement. We will be challenging Barnet over
the legality of the disposal or change of use of this land.
Lia
Colacicco Mapesbury resident and member of the BXC coalition added “Cricklewood
Town Team identified that Cricklewood needs a landmark at its centre, and a
town square. The Green Isle is our only
public space, used for the Silk Road festival and other community events and
now it will be snatched from us. This piece of land is totally unrelated
to the BXC development a couple of miles away, but has been wrapped up with it to
gain outline planning permission. It is a generic piece of land to the
developers, but means everything to us and needs to be unwrapped from BXC, or
become the subject of a land swap. The site might not be pretty now, but look
at how Mapesbury Dell has been transformed.
Once
excavated it would be a real asset to the community as a plaza or other open
space.
Fiona Colgan from the Groves
Community Action Group said "my neighbours and I have written to our councillors
and MP to strongly oppose the plan to build on our only local green space.
Accommodation in the Groves is very high density and Cricklewood Lane
gets very congested and polluted so this green space is particularly important
to us but it's clear that everyone in Cricklewood would benefit if this land
was retained as our 'town green’ at the heart of our community. I think
Barnet needs to explain why the green space in front of B&Q wasn’t included
in its calculations of green space2. Those of us who live in this part
of the borough often feel overlooked by Barnet who do not seem to realise that
we need green space as much as those who live in the wealthier, leafier parts
of the borough to the North.
The
Coalition group urges people to attend the public consultation4 this week and has started an online petition
to save the Green Isle www.brentcrosscoalition.com/savethegreen
ENDS
Contact for information
Lia Colacicco 07710 460 155
Notes for editors
References
1. The “Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood
Plan” comprises twelve residents’ associations plus the Federation of
Residents’ Associations in Barnet (representing the 12 largest residents’
associations in Barnet), Brent Cyclists, the North West London Light Railway
(NWLLR) group, Brent Friends of the Earth (FoE), Barnet & Enfield FoE,
Camden FoE, Sarah Teather (MP for Brent Central), Dawn Butler, (former MP for
Brent South), Labour and LibDem Councillors from Brent and Camden, Navin Shah
(London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow), Darren Johnson (London Assembly
Member), Jean Lambert (London MEP), Brent Green Party, Barnet Green Party,
Brent and Barnet Trades Union Councils, and Bestway Group.
2. Consultation
on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 November
from 11am to 8pm at Hendon Leisure Centre, Marble Drive, NW2 1XQ.
Comments
need to be sent to nicola.capeli@barnet.gov.uk by 6th December (giving your name
and address).
and
and
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