News from March 2011

Friday, 25 Mar 2011

Council to Sell Off Hayes Old Library. MP Accuses Council of Betraying Community.

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Hayes Library in Golden Crescent is one of the oldest community buildings in Hayes and is a local heritage site. Now closed because a new library has been opened, local residents had been assured by the Council that the building would be retained for local community use. It has now been revealed that a report is going to Hillingdon’s next Cabinet Meeting to sell off the building to the highest bidder. It is therefore likely that the building will be sold to a developer and demolished for commercial or housing development. I have condemned the Council’s action as a betrayal of the local community. This building is a much loved part of our local heritage and for the Council to even consider selling it off is a betrayal of our local community. There are a wide range of local community groups representing local people of all ages and backgrounds that want to use this centre for their activities and were meeting to put their ideas to the Council for the community use of this precious building. Now they feel really let down. We are determined though that we will not let theses Councillors from the north of the borough sell off this vital Hayes community asset. The people of Hayes paid for this building and will not allow it to be stolen from us by this Council. If we have to occupy our old library to stop this municipal vandalism we will.
I have convened a demonstration with local residents and Hayes Councillors outside the library on Monday at 1pm. There will also be a street stall in Hayes town centre on Wednesday 31st March at 12 noon collecting signatures for a petition against the sell off and a public meeting that night at 8pm at Botwell Church Hall. (Venue to be confirmed on Monday).

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Council Plan to Take Over St Mary’s Fields for Football Pitches

We have just heard that the Council is proposing to take over St Mary’s Fields, our open fields behind Church Road, and convert them into a large number of formal football pitches with the risk of further development on the site.This proposal is being rushed through the Council’s Planning Committee on next Tuesday night 29th March, with no consultation with the local residents, any of the local resident associations or community or sports groups, the Hayes Conservation Panel, the local councillors, or local MP.
A property developer is seeking planning permission to develop for housing a site on the Hayes Railway Estate. The developer’s original plans were rejected at a planning inquiry because they resulted in the loss of football pitches. In order to overcome this objection the developer has been working with the council to find a site for alternative football pitches. The first site at Albion Road was rejected after a protest campaign by local residents. As a result the council is now offering up our local fields. If the housing development goes ahead the council will then receive half a million pounds in a S106 agreement from the developer.
St Mary’s Fields have been used in the past by Hayes Cricket club and following consultation with local residents only a few years ago local residents agreed that the council put back an artificial cricket pitch and a couple of goalposts for informal park use. We never agreed to formal football pitches because of the intensive use that this would result in, bringing with it all the problems of parking, noise, and litter and the potential for further developments on the site such as floodlighting and clubhouse etc.
Without telling any local residents the Council is now trying to sneak through the proposal for what will in effect be a football ground, opening up the potential for much greater development in the future. This land is one of the last pieces of free open space in our area and I believe that we must stand up against this attempt to undermine our conservation area. Even Sport England, the national body responsible for promoting sports sites and the Football Association have told the council that our fields are unsuitable.
I am writing to appeal to you to contact the Council immediately to object to this proposal. Write or phone to the Planning Department, Civic Centre, Uxbridge, 01895 250111.
I would also urge you also to attend the Planning Meeting on Tuesday at 7pm at the Civic Centre where we will be lobbying the councillors on the planning committee to reject this proposal.
I have dealt with planning issues in this area for over 30 years and I can say that I have never seen such an outrageous attempt to force a development like this through at such a speed without even informing or consulting the local residents to be effected. Please help me save our local environment.

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Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011

Commons Debate on Libya

I have set out below the record of my speech in the House of Commons yesterday (Monday 21st March 2011) opposing the military action in Libya and calling for a peace initiative.

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Thursday, 17 Mar 2011

Youth Unemployment Hits Million Mark. Jarrow Youth March

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The Government’s unemployment figures came out this week, showing that unemployment has reached 2.53 million, with nearly a million youg people under 24 now unemployed. I am really fearful of effect this will have on the lives of so many youngsters. I remember what happened in the 1980s when unemployment scarred the lives of so many young people then and for a long time to come. A group of young people have got together to retrace the steps of the Jarrow unemployed workers, who 75 years ago marched to London to highlight the plight of the unemployed. I am supporting this march because I believe that we need to put pressure on the Government to do more to create jobs and help young people get into work, training or higher education. I raised this issue in Parliament by tabling an Early Day Motion on Wednesday.

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Tuesday, 15 Mar 2011

Community Conference on Saturday to Discuss Planning Framwork

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This Saturday I have convened a community conference to formulate our community response to the Council’s consultaion document on its Local Development Framework. The Framework will determine the Council’s planning policies for the next 15 years. This includes decisions on the protection of the green belt, the areas to be set aside for housing or commercial development, the conservation of our heritage sites and many other key issue that will affect the future of our area. The conference starts at 10 am and will close at 2pm. It is open to all local residents, residents associations and community groups. Please do come along. To help us draft our submission to the Council we have the assistance of Richard Lee, a community planning expert. In this short film Richard explains the process of the Local Development Framework. 

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Friday, 11 Mar 2011

MP Supporting Local Lads in their 1000 Mile Bike Ride for Charity

You may have seen in the local Gazette that two old school friends are preparing to take on the epic Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge to raise thousands of pounds for charity. Martin Dunkling and Lee Gritt are setting off from Cornwall on the 1000-mile ride on May 6 to raise funds for Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. The aim is to raise £6000. These young men have been friends since their days at our local Mellow Lane High School and have been fundraising with the help of Barnhill Community Centre and Hayes and Yeading United Football Club. A fundraising disco is taking place on April 2, at the Barnhill Community Centre, in Ayles Road, Hayes. This is a great intitiative by local lads and deserves our support. If you would like to make a donation go to www.justgiving.com/mdlg-bike-ride

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Tuesday, 08 Mar 2011

Demonstration to Protect Hayes Park Green Belt Fields

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The private company that owns the land surrounding Hayes Park is looking to develop this site but to do so it needs to ensure that some or all of this land is taken out of the green belt and lose its green belt protection against development.The local Council is currently consulting on its planning policies for the area, (its Local Development Framework), including how to protect the local green belt. It has published its draft Core Strategy document on its website, www.hillingdon.gov.uk under “have your say”. It is also available at the local library. Local people are asked for their views on the Core Strategy document. If we are to protect the Hayes Park fields it is important that we ensure the Council maintains the land in the green belt and that it is fully protected from development.
You can help by letting the Council have your views on its Core Strategy document emphasising that the green belt in our area must be fully protected as well as drawing attention to the pressures placed on the local community by the density of housing and commercial development in the area.
You can submit your views to the Council online on www.hillingdon.gov.uk under “have your say” or email to ldfconsultation@hillingdon.gov.uk or by writing to the Council at LDF Team 3N/02, Planning, Environment and Community Services, Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW or by requesting and completing a response form available by telephoning 01895 250230. Responses have to be back by 25th March 2011.

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