Showing posts with label QPCS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QPCS. Show all posts

Saturday 27 November 2021

LETTER: Natural Grass Playing Field Conversions to 3G

 This is the first Letter to the Editor to be published. Send your letters to wembleymatters@virginmedia.com with your name (tell me if you do not want you name  published). Maximum 1000 words - shorter preferred). I reserve the right to edit the letter and not to publish if I deem it unsuitable for publication.

Dear Editor,

This month Brent Council is again tasked with considering a planning application for a commercial 3G artificial grass floodlit football pitch development. But will this finally be the last of its kind?

We have seen these applications several times before, and they almost read the same. This time it is by Queens Park Community School (QPCS) in Brondesbury (Ref 20/1411) [1]. Like its predecessors, QPCS wants to replace its natural grass playing fields with artificial 3G rubber surfaces, complete with state-of-the-art floodlights and commercial football hiring until 9 pm. As is the case with many other schools in London, QPCS is located in the midst of a quiet residential area.

The arguments remain the same. 3G rubber crumbs are invariably bad for the environment and players' health. 3G pitches are banned in parts of the EU as a result. These operations tend to be very noisy. And, the commercial hiring aspect routinely draws in large numbers of visitors from further afield that will be using private transport because the site is not well connected to the public transport network.

On the other end, the school is citing the desperate need for an all-year football pitch because the grass surface becomes difficult to play on during the winter months.

The Head of QPCS recently took her cause to the Brent & Kilburn Times stating that 'QPCS has produced "outstanding top-flight footballers"' before naming a few [2]. This is, undoubtedly, a remarkable record, but it also begs the question that if QPCS can 'produce outstanding top-flight footballers' on its natural grass playing fields, then why does it even need to replace Nature with artificial grass with all the dire consequences this development would bring?

But there is another question. How much should we be focussing on producing more professional football players? Only a tiny fraction of players will ever make it to a level where they can support themselves following this elusive dream. And, it is often a rather short dream due to the immense physical strain players are under. For some, it is over as quickly as a flight into suborbital space.

As a nation, we are under immense pressure to solve the many complex problems we are faced with today. We are battling a global pandemic. We are battling Climate Change. We are battling social injustice, an ageing community and a looming care crisis.

 
We are in desperate need of healthcare professionals, doctors, engineers, scientists and leaders that can help us get through these challenges. Our Government has failed to attract a single applicant to its fast track Global Talent visa scheme.
Therefore, should our schools in Brent not be focussing on producing the skills and expertise that we so desperately need? Should our role models not include Sir David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, or the many unsung heroes of our time who develop vaccines against Covid or work to solve our growing need for renewable energies?

This particular planning application is additionally facing serious ecological challenges. There is anecdotal evidence of there being colonies of bats at the site which is adjacent to Tiverton Green. Yet, when QPCS presented its initial plans in 2020 and when it resubmitted these plans in 2021 it did not commission or present a single bat survey as would be customary in these situations. This has taken many observers by surprise. However, due to the efforts of the Brondesbury Park Residents Association who privately commissioned a professional 'Bat Activity Survey', we finally have clarity on this point. There are indeed two species of roosting and foraging bats in the immediate vicinity of the site.

 
This 'Bat Activity Survey' was uploaded to the Brent Planning Portal only hours before the end of the consultation. Unfortunately, this has meant that the public, including pupils, their parents, neighbours, and everyone who has commented on this application, did not have the benefit of this important evidence and information.

 
I suspect that further bat surveys will now be required covering all of the proposed site and its surroundings. This would need to be done before this application could possibly be resubmitted in the form of a revised application if this should even still be deemed viable.

 
I feel that QPCS and its management has let down the public and its supporters by resisting to undertake professional bat surveys right from the start. It would also seem inconceivable that anyone would be tempted to continue pursuing a planning application when it stands to contravene the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017).

Moreover, there appears to be an important lesson for all when it comes to schools wanting to replace their natural grass playing fields with artificial materials such as 3G rubber surfaces.

As the many detailed responses to these planning applications repeatedly show, the impacts these have on the natural environment stand in no comparison to the perceived incremental benefits these might offer.

If we are to learn from past mistakes, we need to change how we go about our natural resources. If COP26 in Glasgow has taught us anything then we need to change now. We cannot afford to further destroy our local natural habitats and let a commercial undertaking benefit from its demise.

If Brent Council and its Members are serious about the Climate and Ecology Emergency it had called in 2019, and if they are serious about the Brent Climate & Ecological Emergency Strategy 2021-2030, they must act firmly and call time on these ill-conceived developments that harm our fragile biodiversity.

Brent Council should also make it clear that these types of developments will no longer be considered in future.

Daniel Hulsmann
Brent Resident

[1] https://pa.brent.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=DCAPR_149939

[2] https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/queens-park-community-school-3g-pitch-8472588

Saturday 10 June 2017

TUSC sweep to victory




The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) may not have stood in the General Election but this did not stop them sweeping to victory in the election held at Queens Park Community School on Wednesday.

The result was:

TUSC                              123
Labour                              83
Womens Equality Party   56
Liberal Democrats           49
Green Party                      42
Sinn Fein                          17
Spoilt papers                      6

The TUSC candidates Femi and Sean will now meet with the headteacher to discuss their policies asking for shorts to be allowed as regular uniform in hot weather and for the freedom to eat lunches anywhere in school.

Thursday 28 April 2016

School Solar Energy share offer will be launched tonight at QPCS

 
solar panels installed on a school

A new Brent community energy group are launching a share offer at an event tonight at Queens Park Community School. Brent Pure Energy are organising the event at the school in Aylestone Avenue at 7pm. MP Barry Gardiner is amongst the speakers attending.



Brent Pure Energy is a new innovative community-based project to bring cheap, renewable energy to Brent by putting solar panels on public buildings. Their first project will be at Queens Park Community School (QPCS). Speakers at the launch will be: Barry Gardiner (MP for Brent North), Giles Clark (Primrose Solar), Damian Tow (Brighton Energy Co-op), Mike Hulme (Head of QPCS) and the directors of Brent Pure Energy.



Ian Saville, Chair of Brent Pure Energy said:
We are seeking investors to support the installation of solar panels in local schools, and are delighted to launch our venture at QPCS. Our share offer is a great opportunity for people to invest in clean green solar energy which will benefit schools and the wider community. Shareholders can expect an attractive return of at least 4% on their initial investment - higher than current interest rates from banks or building societies, with the added bonus that the money will also benefit the community and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

We plan to raise £60,000 for the solar project at QPCS and anticipate that shares will sell quickly - so we encourage people to apply as soon as possible. The minimum investment is  £100.

All are welcome to attend this free event to find out more about Brent Pure Energy and how to get involved or invest. The event will take place at 7pm on Thursday 28th April in the Conference Room at QPCS, Aylestone Avenue, NW6 7BQ. There will be a bar and light refreshments available. For more information see http://www.brentpureenergy.org.uk/ or email nick@brentpureenergy.org.uk.