Nothing talks louder than money inside Hendon Town Hall - a guest blog

Cricklewood Open Space (Thomas Bell Photographs)

This is what Barnet Council says to justify the selling off of Cricklewood's last green space:

The subject plot fronting B&Q, on Cricklewood Lane is currently an open space primarily used as a disabled access ramp to the B&Q store. It is regularly fly-tipped and attracts rough sleepers among other social issues such as alcohol and substance misuse. The proximity to local businesses means on-going disturbance to businesses, environmental degradation, and Health & Safety concerns resulting from substance/alcohol misuse and excessive littering. Retention of the site in its existing condition would not only allow these problems to continue, but also drain the Council’s resources in terms of on-going management costs.

Campaigners and residents from Barnet and Council came together in November 2013  to protest at the possible disposal of the green space outside B&Q in Cricklewood and are organising again as a planning application to build on it goes before Barnet Council on September 7th.

November 2013

The Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Development sent this message over the weekend:

Barnet Council are meeting on September 7th to discuss the sale of Cricklewood’s only green space, outside B&Q. It was given as public open space in 1987 when the retail park was built. Crown Estates sold it to Barnet in 2004 with a stipulation it would not be built on.  Barnet have managed to remove this requirement, and are selling public land with no public consultation.



All the known Cricklewood Green Space material is now on the BX Coalition website  LINK - scroll down for the last few postings there:

Actions you can take
-          Tweet @Barnetcouncil using #CricklewoodGreen
-          Sign the petition if you haven’t before and ask your neighbours to sign LINK
-          Write to the papers
-          Write to the committee about the sale of public land without consultation,
-          Join us in a protest outside the meeting on September 7th (check blog)
-          Keep checking the blog and Twitter @BXcoalition

From the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Development
Our co-ordinator  Alison is on holiday, please contact fiona.colgan@yahoo.co.uk

Guest blog - Cricklewood Green

The Green Space (Green Isle)

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 (known as the 'Green Isle') 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.

The view towards the bridge now

The view when the green space is built on

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. Barnet Councillors should be held to account for this stealthy disposal of green land. 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. Cricklewood spans three boroughs - we are asking Brent and Camden councils to call Barnet to account.

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 space. 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 consultation this week:

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

An on-line petition has been launched to save the Green Isle LINK

Further information on the Brent Cross Coalition website: LINK

Explore the Silk Road (aka the A5) Saturday 15 Sept 12

It looks like fun and more refined than many a gathering. 

Why not give it a whirl.

Yours frugally 

Mr Mustard

60% over the top

A County Council or a prison?

The above building was designed by Robin Lee Architecture who are about to carry out some design work in Cricklewood. Mr Mustard drives through Cricklewood quite often and it could do with some improvement. Mr Mustard's suggestion is to compulsorily purchase a plot of land near the B&Q warehouse and make a public square which has Cricklewood Broadway as its west side.

If you want to punish yourself with more pictures of the Wexford County Council building, and others, they can be found on the architect's site, here.

Here is the DPR for the Public Realm and Creative Design work in Cricklewood.

1778 - Cricklewood Public Realm and Creative Design

Now look at the scoring. The lowest bidder for Public Realm Designer got the highest combined score which was based upon the factors shown at 5.2 & 5.3 (stick a 4 in the scribd box above right to go up a page) and yet Bidder A, whoever they are, didn't fit because the council decided that you were too cheap. Did they actually ask you to explain why you could do the job for less, perhaps you are not so greedy, you were having a summer sale, you were a bit short of work or you pay your staff less which Barnet Council are happy to do for Traffic Wardens. You should have been given the job. Are you going to sue? You could always offer to put your price up a bit. Barnet Council have thrown an extra £25,000 at the winning bidder, Robin Lee Architecture, who have some ghastly stuff on their website (beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Mr Mustard hasn't had time to pop to Wexford but one day he will and he will be sure to take his camera).

Now look at the scoring for Creative Design. Bidder B was 1 percent below the winning bidder who cost 122% more, that is right, their cost is £67,000 more and there was only one point in it. Why weren't they told that the level of resource allocated was too high and they weren't getting the job unless they price-matched?

Instead of paying out £152,013 the council are going to pay out £244,205 which is £92,192 or 60% over the top. Money from Boris also comes out of Mr Mustard's pocket; he does not like it being picked.

Not their money the officers are spending is it?

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard