Author Archives: Charlie Charman

Commercial Predation of Hackney Marshes spelled out 15m high

As Hackney Council goes through the bureaucratic charade of giving itself planning permission for another extravagant building to spoil the Hackney Marsh landscape, it has spelled out loud and clear its commercial agenda and disregard for Metropolitan Open Land at … Continue reading

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Nature uncut – please!

A month after the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority inflicted their misguided June mowings on the Walthamstow Marshes SSSI, the annual evidence of the damaging effect on flora and wildlife is stark. On the luxuriant unmown areas that escaped the … Continue reading

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Council ignores planning permission in rush to build Marsh Lane bridge folly

Waltham Forest Council has rushed to begin work in breach of planning conditions on the highly controversial new bridge at Marsh Lane Fields – on which they plan to squander more than £250K on a cosmetic replacement for the existing, … Continue reading

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Hackney Council’s FOI silence over Radio One Weekend

Hackney Council has failed to respond to a request for details of the full costs to the borough of hosting the Radio One Hackney Weekend last June – and the matter is now being pursued by the Information Commissioner’s Office. … Continue reading

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Council concealed flood risk of the Marsh Lane Bridge

The London Borough of Waltham Forest’s oversized and unnecessary replacement bridge over the Dagenham Brook will increase flood risk to nearby properties, and needs additional expensive and environmentally damaging mitigation works – a fact concealed from the public during the … Continue reading

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Another local legacy betrayal as basketball floors snatched away for ‘elite’ use

The ODA’s promise to provide a community legacy from reuse of the Leyton Marsh Olympic basketball training venue court floors has been revealed to be a cynical piece of PR following a Freedom of Information request to UK Sport. Among … Continue reading

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Treasures of the Turf

The most uninteresting looking expanses of amenity grass hide an incredible variety of plants, waiting for the rare opportunities to burst out with colour and texture. Routinely mown to within an inch of its life by the LVRPA and Waltham … Continue reading

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Beating the Bounds 2012

Beating the Bounds 2012 Walks around the Lea Valley Marshes Sunday 13th May 2012 Once each year, sometimes on a legally designated or customary date, people still walk around local areas of land to re-establish rights of common or mark … Continue reading

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