National Grid and the masterplan

Hackney Council has finally responded to a Freedom of Information request submitted on 28 January regarding its contract with National Grid for its substation on Millfields. How's that for a lack of commitment by Hackney to the FOI legislation which requires them to respond within 20 working days?

The response confirmed, as was previously known, that National Grid pay £34k per annum for 7 years from 1 October 2007 and that  Hackney has so far received received payments totally £119k. What was not disclosed previously was that National Grid also paid Hackney £71k in 2009-10 for easement to lay electric cable within Millfields. Hackney have therefore confirmed that there is £190k available for spending on Millfields masterplan projects - not the £120k figure previously circulated by the Millfields User Group (MUG) Committee.

Interesting that the papers for next week's MUG  meeting (Monday 11 April @ 7 for 7.30 at Nye Bevan Comunity Hall, Overbury Street E5 0AH) suggest the masterplan projects are not going to be discussed (the focus is just to be on the biodiversity work), despite some of the projects getting ready to go - such as the pathway through the orchard on south Millfields.

Post Title

→

National Grid and the masterplan

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-grid-and-masterplan.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Protecting Millfields' nature

There was an interesting article recently on biodiversity in Hackney parks in Hackney Citizen (Wild Spaces: Protecting Hackney Nature) detailing why well-kept parks and open green spaces are not always great for wildlife.  We've posted before on here about the Hackney's masterplan for Millfields and also the work it has underway on increasing the biodiversity in the park. You'd think these would aim to complement one another, but that's not the case. The biodiversity plan refers to compartment 7 in south Millfields as: “one of the most diverse areas of scrub/woodland on the entire site.” 


 


 pictures taken (19 March) in compartment 7: 



We agree with the Bioversity Plan which says this would an "ideal area to create a small nature garden with meadow areas, minibeast habitats and possible a pond or other wetland feature. " Instead, the differing versions of the Millfields masterplan have all proposed things for this area all of which would require the loss of the current vegetation - the current plan has it replaced with a kitchen garden.

The Biodiversity Plan says the "habitat creation proposals outlined for the other compartments will help to mitigate for this loss". It makes no sense at all to destroy one of the areas in the park with the most biodiversity, in place of a kitchen garden. The other proposals might (if they ever happen) eventually mitigate for some of the loss, but what happens to the wildlife displaced in the meantime?  A kitchen garden somewhere in the park would be lovely, but compartment 7 cannot be the right spot for it. 

It's interesting that neither the masterplan nor the biodiversity plan make any recommendations regarding this neglected eyesore on north millfields. Wouldn't this be a better location for a kitchen garden?

Post Title

→

Protecting Millfields' nature

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/protecting-millfields-nature.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

one park or two?

Hackney Council have published an updated version of the Millfields' masterplan on its website.




Key change from the last version (never published as far as we know) seems to be swapping the location for the meadow (25) with the location for the natural play area (7). Interesting how few projects feature in north Millfields. We understand some of the s106 funding initially secured as part of the Latham's Yard development for improvements to north Millfields is now likely to head south to fund a natural play area there.

Post Title

→

one park or two?

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-park-or-two.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Masterplan Project 9

Hackney's Park Development Officer recently confirmed



"Project 9 of the Millfields Masterplan is also being explored.  A new path is being designed which will connect the central path running through Millfields South with the existing path running alongside the River Lea and the waste transfer station.  Once a path line has been drafted, it will be passed to the user group and other interested parties for their comment.  At this point in time there is no confirmation on whether the external funding proposed for this development is available.”

 We thought it might be useful to remind folk of what the Masterplan actually said about the project: 









We guess this project is being pursued because funding might be available if it is regarded as key route for pedestrians and cyclists to travel to the Olympic Park (via the Lea Navigation Tow Path at Cow Bridge).  We’ll need to wait and see.
As the link on the Hackney website to the full Masterplan document hasn’t worked in some time and it hasn’t been sent to MUG members (and despite it largely now being dead in the water), we’ve included a link here so it is at least publicly available to park users:
Millfields Masterplan Report

Post Title

→

Masterplan Project 9

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/02/masterplan-project-9.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Well that didn't hurt, did it?

Don't you feel better for sharing with the group? 

Millfields Users Group: Project priorities and National Grid rent: "From our LBH Parks Development Officer, Bruce Irving 'Millfields MasterplanThe Millfields Park User group identified a number of projects fr..."

Post Title

→

Well that didn't hurt, did it?

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/02/well-that-didn-hurt-did-it.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

MUG Annual General Meeting

MUG is having its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 10 February. The venue is the Nye Bevan Community Hall, Overbury Street, E5 0AH. There will be refreshments from 7pm, with the meeting starting at 7.30pm.
It should include updates on the Masterplan, the National Grid alternative route through the park (in the unlikely case that  NG have done anything which could even loosely be termed as “progress”) and details on the new communications strategy, including the MUG website.
It will also be voting the appointment of this year’s Committee, including the Chair and Secretary positions – so its really important as many people as possible turn out to show their support and have their say on what they want to happen with the park.  
Sadly, Brian Weller has decided to step down this year as Secretary. Although this blog has disagreed with Brian on some of the issues relating to the park, it does think he’ll be an extremely hard / impossible act to follow as Secretary. Not sure if his mind is completely made up – if you’d like to encourage him to stay on, his email address is: brianandsueweller@hotmail.com

Post Title

→

MUG Annual General Meeting

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/01/mug-annual-general-meeting.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Masterplan: Update on play area in North Millfields

Still awaiting an updated Masterplan map of Millfields from Hackney which takes on board the comments of the Millfields Users' Group and local residents. In the original version, which is posted on the Masterplan page of this blog, there were two natural play areas envisaged, one in North Millfields and one in South Millfields. A bit of an upper / lower Clapton divide if you ask me - you wouldn't guess it was one park. Anyway, both proposed sites attracted criticism and the funding that was earmarked for both seemed to disappear. I think, the latest plan is to have one site on South Millfields in a site which still is attracting criticism. Not sure why it can't be placed in the orchard, near the river where the mature planes are - this would seem a more appropriate setting for a 'natural' play area.


Whilst we await a new map - I've attached below an update from Hackney on the play area in North Millfields which the Council has confirmed it has funding to improve and will be consulting residents on.

Post Title

→

Masterplan: Update on play area in North Millfields

Post URL

→

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2010/11/masterplan-update-on-play-area-in-north.html

Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection