Thanks to T who alerted me to this new threat to some more of the trees kidnapped by the Olympic Park.
A circular from Thames Water was apparently put through each door of the terraces, but some of us in the flats never got them.
It goes something like this:
Due to the huge burst water main last summer, Thames water are going to replace some of the section of water main directly opposite Leabank Square, but just inside the Olympic Electric Fence. This is where many of us planted the orchard all those years ago.
Of course, all of the fruit & nut trees were chopped down by the Olympics, and now the few remaining trees look like they are going to be chopped down by Thames Water when they replace the mains.
There are 2 things happening here:
1. We will end up with even less greenery to block out the hideous bulidings they're busy dumping in front of us, and
2. This could possibly open the way for the Olympics to build on top of the newly strengthened water mains.
The only reason that there are no planned developments right up close to the river on their side - is because the water mains are ancient & fragile. By replacing them, there is the possibility that they will now be strong & sturdy enough for housing or industrial developemnt to take place.
We all know exactly what we think of the horrible blocks of steel & glass we already have to stare at - but if even more are built even closer to the river - we will be overlooked by a soviet style cliff face of hideousness.
I will do my best to find out more through the Hackney Wick Partnership - but please ask as many questions as possible wherever you can - councillors, MP's, mayors, ODA spin doctors. etc.
As requested through the last survey, I have sent an email to Derek at PMMS asking about relaxing the 'no tree' policy for Leabank Square, but in the meantime - take a last look at some of the ones you planted across the river, they won't be there for too much longer.
Midday - Mon 17.01.11
Just spoke to the Hackney Council 2012 team, and they assure me (in the 90's percent) that there will br no development up close to the electric fence part of Arena Fields. This area is still planned for the Gainsborough Playing Field & wider tow-path green.
As for the trees - we will definetly lose them. What we need to do is insist that some non-invasive replacement trees are planted back all along the pipe.
Thanks HC2012
Thanks for the questions everyone - I'll try & squeeze as many as I can in - but they're quite stingy with the amount anyone can ask. I'll get some on their own for any questions I miss.
16 comments:
I never got one either, where & when is the meeting?
Mo
Really? You think that the 42" main might get built over, directly due to the main being replaced? You need to listen to "Paranoia" by Nice & Smooth, the early 80s rap outfit.
And again what's with the out of date photos?
When were we supposed to have got these flyers? Nothing turned up on my mat. How many of us can get to the meeting?
Sooz
Hey Sooz
Says here that it's at Gainsborough between 3 & 8. Maybe we can hook up after we collect the kids, and stay for a while. We need to make sure there's no way they're bringing the buildings foward after the catering centre gets demolished, specially as the road is only temp. Give us a bell tomoz & we get our stories together ok?
N
Since the subsidence problems caused by the 1976 hot summer when the London clay dried out, there tend to be buildings insurance conditions requiring no trees within X distance of a property (in theory X is related to the root spread, in practice it seems usually related to the eventual height of the tree). Sometimes there are requirements for existing mature trees to be lopped by a third of the crown each year. The idea is to reduce leaf transpiration, moisture loss from the ground and disturbance caused by drying-related contraction and expansion of the soil. It can be a counterproductive measure, encouraging entry of disease, tree illness and death, dead tree root decay and eventual subsidence, but that's deemed irrelevant, of course.
What does anon think we are - some newspaper that has photographers ready to go out a 5am taking pics of trees being felled? The pic above showing the oda chopping the last lot of trees reminds me of just what we've lost, and makes me want to stop them chopping down any more. Keep up the good work Sóna.
Anna, a noisy activity such as chain-sawing would be well above the acceptable decibel level, so thus would never be carried out at 5 am. You don't need to be a professional photographer to take a relevant photo.
Sóna I thought we'd agreed to keep anons off?! Hey - could anyone going to the meeting buzz me to see if I'm in. I'd love to find out why they have to take the best part of a year to do 200 metres worth of pipe. Also, I don't like the sound of that aplying to Hackney for out of hours bit, do you? Sounds like one for Robert Kavuma again. But knowing him, it'll just get signed off again!
Dee
Did your mates in the council get back to you yet about the water pipe shona? I'd like to know a bit more about it before we get the spin & double spin from the oda lot. I pity thanmes water having to work with that bunch. Give me a bell if you have any news before monday
sent via orange
Sarah, you have obviously never had to work with Thames water.
Dee, you have obviously never installed 200 metres of 42inch water main that serves most of East London.
Aren't new ones gonna be planted anyways? So why does it like matter?
Sóna thanks for the chat after the meeting, the only thing I'd disagree about is the timing. I think we should speed things up a bit. Otherwise, all's good. See you guys on Sunday.
Abdul
Well, besides all the spin, what did you think? Is the Thames Water guy someone we can talk to? Or is he too cosy with the ODA? His job is to lay a pipe, he doesn't have to plant trees, does he? But do you believe his promises?
Richard
Sona, I put that bit about the trees as a comment on the wrong post, I thought I'd clicked onto the post about trees in Leabank Square. Sorry about that.
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