Save Lea Marshes

Three recordings of the Save Leyton Marsh campaign are now available from RadioPete’s website where you can trace the campaign’s beginnings from our very first meeting. Many unfortunately prophetic statements are made by members of the campaign about the Leyton Marsh construction and its effects back in January 2012. Check the recordings out!

As suspected, there has been some elaborate buck passing between the LVRPA, Waltham Forest Council and the ODA about the incredibly poor state of restoration of Porter’s Field Meadow (Leyton Marsh) and the adjacent Sandy Lane.

After residents and SLM campaigners wrote to local Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, she got in touch with them about the poor state of the waterlogged marsh where the monoculture turf is now rotting in places. Waltham Forest wrote back with this poor response which completely ignored the fact planning permission was granted (and the reinstatement plan approved) by that Council on the basis that the marsh was restored to its original condition on 15th October 2012. Stella emails 3

Despite the lip service paid to upholding the planning conditions, which they were responsible for overseeing, Waltham Forest Council now conveniently state that all “management and maintenance of the site” is a matter for the LVRPA.

The LVRPA, meanwhile, overseen by the appropriately named Dan Buck, claim that “the marshes are visited on a daily basis by the South Ranger Team who inspect and report back the snagging issues that remain to be resolved by the ODA including the works to Sandy Lane. The clear message that has been reported back to the ODA by Dan Buck is that Sandy Lane is still in a very poor condition and recent repairs are in no way acceptable. We will be continuing to press the issue and monitor the ongoing works until they are completed to a standard we are happy with.” To cut a long story short, the LVRPA blame the ODA for the poor works and imply that the responsibility lies with them.

So how do the Olympic Delivery Authority respond to complaints about the poor restoration? As seen in the previous email to local resident ‘Fabsternation’, the ODA claim “We have completed the reinstatement works in accordance with the specifications agreed with Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) and Waltham Forest Council. Land on Porter’s Field used for the temporary basketball venue has now been handed back to LVRPA and an ongoing programme of maintenance, funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is being agreed.” Along with Waltham Forest Council, the ODA are all to happy to pass the buck back to the LVRPA who they claim are “now responsible for the land and future enquiries should be addressed to them”

Which leaves the obvious question: who is responsible for actually addressing the multiple issues created by a wholly inappropriate construction and reckless and inappropriate reinstatement? It seems yet again, it is down to the community to try and save our marsh long-term whilst the authorities responsible play the blame game for far longer than anyone played basketball on Leyton Marsh.

Save Leyton Marsh protestor threatened with £335,000 eviction costs – video

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 Forest Council’s contractors, the occasional hiccup in mowing regime allows a glimpse of how things could be.

In summer 2011 a brief respite in mowing allowed an expanse of yarrow, mallow and wild barley to flourish in front of the Lee Valley Ice Centre to the delight of the insects. This was soon corrected and such a lapse has not been repeated.

Red-tailed bumblebee on ragwort. Like many of the most important plants for biodiversity, though common, its opportunity to flourish is very restricted due to its ‘weed’ status and vulnerabilty to mowing, strimming and other suppression measures – particularly as it is often found beside paths.

DEFRA’s information sheet on ragwort says:

It is the food of at least 77 species of insect herbivore: 27 species of moth, 22 species of thrip, 13 species of bug, nine species of flies and six species of beetle. The most famous is the cinnabar moth whose yellow and black banded larva can defoliate entire plants. The number of species feeding on ragwort nectar is not known but is several hundreds of species. (177 species of insects have actually been recorded using common ragwort as a source of nectar or pollen).

Pollen provided by common ragwort, in its season, aids the pollination of other plants, both wild and domestic, over a foraging range of at least a 1km radius by bumblebees Bombus spp., solitary bees Lasioglossum spp., drone-flies Eristalis tenax and the carrion flies. The use of common ragwort by carrion-associated species demonstrates the role in supporting the decomposition cycle in the local area.

The number of predators and parasites dependent on the invertebrate resource supported by common ragwort stands is incalculable.

The invertebrates referred to in above include five red data book and eight nationally scarce species. Common ragwort has been observed as host to the Common Broomrape and 14 species of fungi.

WHEN: Sunday 2nd December 2012, from 1 – 3pm
WHERE: Car park outside the Lee Valley Riding Centre, 71 Lea Bridge Rd., London, E10 7QL
RSVP: Places are limited, so please book in advance: mail@household- knowledge.net

38 years ago Newham resident Charlie Seber adopted an overlooked piece of land in the Lee Valley. Ever since, he has used it to cultivate masses of comfrey. Charlie will give us a guided tour of his field, talk about comfrey’ s unique qualities and his many different experiments with the plant.

The walk will set off from the Lee Valley Riding Centre car park, where a workshop will be set up within Wick On Wheels – our mobile project space made from a specially re-purposed milk float. The workshop will feature various experiments from Charlie’s home laboratory, ranging from plant regulated growing systems using recycled bath tubs to a cure for blight using garlic pulp.

This event is part of our Experiments in Household Knowledge – a series of collaborations with East London ecological and environmental innovators. The project will explore and showcase unusual and inventive ways of making and experimenting. From new gardening techniques to alternative forms of energy production or innovative recycling methods, we’ll be sharing a range of unique and often self-taught skills through walks, talks and hands-on workshops.

Experiments in Household Knowledge is a public works project commissioned by the London Legacy Development Corporation anticipating the opening of the new North Park Hub building in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the summer of 2013. The project is also part of R-Urban, a two year long project establishing practices and networks of urban resilience supported by the EU Life+ programme on environmental governance.