Latest News

The fight for Bromley’s Italian Garden

January 16, 2012

Bromley Council plans to sell the unique Italian Garden, an open space on the south side of Queen’s Gardens, so as to build restaurants there. We are backing our member, the Friends of Bromley Parks and Gardens, in opposing the scheme. Says our South London representative, Mark Green: ‘If the land is sold and restaurants…

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Our open day at Northwick Park

September 4, 2011

On Saturday 3 September the society held its open day at Northwick Park, in the London Borough of Brent. It was hosted by our feisty Northwick Park Group at St Cuthbert’s Hall and 34 people attended. Margaret Roake from the Northwick Park Group gave us a short history of Harrow.  She spoke of how Harrow became popular as commuter…

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Come clean about blocked footpath

August 1, 2011

We have called on Brent Council’s planners to produce a supplementary paper for the council’s planning meeting on Tuesday (2 August) to report on the state of the illegally blocked footpath across the prestigious Northwick Park golf course. Their paper to the meeting gives councillors an update on planning issues at Northwick Park. It refers…

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Shepherd’s Bush Common victory

June 17, 2011

As part of the planning permission for the vast new Westfield shopping centre, Hammersmith and Fulham Council had extracted from the developers generous contributions under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for other local regeneration improvements. These included a desirable refurbishment of the adjacent Shepherds Bush Common. This is an intensively-used…

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Unique Staines Moor is saved

April 15, 2011

Heathrow Airtrack has abandoned its plans for a new rail-link which would have taken a chunk of Staines Moor common in Surrey. Last year we strongly opposed the application for a land swap to enable the common to be used. We argued that the land being offered in exchange was grossly inferior to the land…

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We condemn plan to flog off part of unique Crystal Palace Park

August 5, 2010

The London Development Agency’s plan to flog off part of Crystal Palace Park, in the London Borough of Bromley, has been approved, following a public inquiry last summer. The plans from the LDA form part of an ambitious regeneration scheme for the park, with disposal of parts of the park for private housing helping to…

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Brent should reopen blocked golf-course path

June 28, 2010

We have called on Councillor Ann John, chairman of Brent Council’s General Purposes Committee, to resolve to reopen the blocked path across Northwick Park golf course, rather than persist in trying to close it. The committee will consider a recommendation from its Director of Environment and Culture tomorrow (29 June) to remake the flawed order…

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We fight common-land swap on unique Staines Moor

June 16, 2010

We have objected to plans by Heathrow Airport Ltd to take common land and open space at Staines Moor in Surrey for the construction of a new rail-link. The promoters are offering land in exchange, but we consider this to be grossly inadequate. Staines Moor is a unique, medieval landscape, surviving as a previous wilderness…

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We speak out to save Kensington’s Athlone gardens

January 27, 2010

‘Catastrophic’ is how we have described the effect of the proposed redevelopment of Wornington Green Estate, London W10, on the adjoining Athlone Gardens (1). Our London representative, Bernard Selwyn, has written to Kensington and Chelsea Council to object to the Kensington Housing Trust’s planning application because of its effect on Athlone Gardens.  Says Bernard:  ‘The…

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