Next meeting to be held at East Sheen Baptist Church, Temple Sheen Road
on Wed 2 October at 7.00 p.m.
Agenda
See also post on 20 September 2024
From somewhere in the east of Poland Alastair reports that he is making good progress with two North Americans, three Aussies and a wombat. The picture below is extracted from a video of their convoy.
If you still want to donate the link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/alastair-grant-1718028919236?msockid=0e4e2fd8ba6360680cc43bcabb44614b
And while we are on the subject of Ukkraine watch the Zelensky Story, currently transmitting on BBC2 and IPlayer. Not to be missed.
The new Team Rector of the Parish the Revd Jonathan Haynes is to be installed at Christ Church at 7pm on Monday 4th November 2024. He kindly agreed to an interview which forms the basis of this post. Fr Alex Barrow at All Saints has also contributed to this discussion.
The Mission Action Plans for the Parish are subject to review and are primarily a matter for the church-going parishioners. Why are they welcoming people? What are they looking for? But they raise questions about what the community is, who participates in it and why?
This is an area where non-churchgoing parishioners of the Parish can contribute to the discussion. How do we view the community in East Sheen and Mortlake? What do we think the needs are? How can the Churches meet those needs in a focussed and creative way, perhaps in conjunction with the wider community? Are there aspects of the community in which you see injustice? This could entail poverty, loneliness, health challenges, access to public services.
In the recent Parish Newsletter Jonathan noted that music and sport were valued and important locally. He asked whether music ministry was something to be developed and whether we might find ways of celebrating our beloved sports, and ask where to find God on the river, golf courses, tennis courts, cricket, football and rugby pitches. Whether you are a practising Christian or not these questions are no less valid for the community at large.
PS Christ Church is looking for a new Musical Director.
PPS St. Marys is seeking a new Vicar.
For further information see www.mortlakeparish.org.uk
24 September 2024
The Planning Inquiry into the planning applications for development at the Stag Brewery site on the riverside at Mortlake commences on at 10am on 5 November 2024. It is a public inquiry and anyone is free to attend. The venue is the Exchange Building near Twickenham Station. The Planning Inspector, Mr Guy Rollings, has allowed twelve days for the hearing: November 5 to 8, 12 to 15 and (if needed) December 3 to 6. The Council has refused the Inspector’s request to make the hearing available on Zoom.
What is at stake?
Save for the film studio the site has largely been unused since they stopped brewing in 2015. It needs to be put into proper use. There have been various proposals but this is not the place for a detailed explanation of the history. The current proposals are (in short) for an estate of about 1100 residential units (of which 7% would be affordable housing) and a 1200 pupil academy secondary school.
Procedure
The Hearing takes place before an independent government appointed Planning Inspector. He prepares a report based on the evidence he reads and hears and submits it to the Secretary of State (currently Angela Rayner), who can accept or reject it.
He will hear evidence from the main parties who are the developers, Reselton Properties, the London Borough of Richmond (LBR), the Greater London Authority (GLA) and those who have applied to be, for what is known as, a Rule 6 Party, which are the Mortlake Brewery Community Group (MBCG, supported by the Mortlake with East Sheen Society (MESS), the Barnes Community Association (BCA) and the Kew Society) and the West London River Group.
These parties will be represented by Counsel and will have the opportunity to present evidence and question the witnesses of other parties. It is known that the GLA has budgeted for costs of £450,000. MBCG is funded by local donors, a kind of double taxation as they are also unwillingly funding Council representation.
Other persons with an interest will have an opportunity to make representations but not to be questioned or question witnesses. This includes Cllr Niki Crookdake on overall viability, representatives of local schools who are opposed to the siting of a secondary school, Tim Catchpole on behalf of MESS and Richard White who will be drawing to the attention of the Planning Inspector the falsification of letters of support by agents for the developers for the planning applications in July 2023. They were not permitted to attend the Case Management Conference on 20 September 2024. A note of that meeting, which should include timetabling, is awaited.
The Main Issues
The cumulative scale of the proposals
Overall viability
Impact and Harms to Heritage and the Riverside
Height and Density of the Estate
Resulting Transport Issues
Is there a need for a Secondary School?
Resulting Loss of the Protected Sports Field
Safety in the Environment
Neighbourhood Infrastructure
Flooding
The GLA is known to be opposing the plans, primarily on the basis of harm to the heritage and the lack of affordable housing. They are silent on the need for the school, not being an education authority. They are silent on transport issues being beholden to Transport for London, which has raised no objection to the proposals.
The Bottom Line
The development will affect the Mortlake and East Sheen Community for a generation. Some will say approval is necessary because it has been empty too long. Others will argue that, although it is a space that needs development, it must be a benefit not a detriment to the local community, nor just to satisfy the financial demands of the Council and the developers.
This is the first genuine and independent opportunity for local residents to be heard as they have previously been ignored by the dominant forces of councillors from other parts of the borough. By no means all the councillors are comfortable with the proposals but a three line whip has been rigorously imposed by the ruling elite.
23 September 2024
Alastair Grant is reported to be rolling east through German hills and to have eaten too large a schnitzel last night.
It’s a beautiful evening for a drink at the Hare.
And a final opportunity to send off our intrepid ambulance driver, Alastair Grant, across Europe with a beer.
And meet the blogger!
East Sheen Councillor Julia Cambridge has been honoured with the Patsy Calton Award for her work in mentoring and supporting women towards elected office. This is a prestigious national award, named after Patsy Calton the former Lib Dem MP for Cheadle, a remarkable woman who battled breast cancer during her time in politics. (see libdemwomen.org.uk)
The award was presented in Brighton at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference. Donna Harris, Chair of Liberal Democrat Women, introduced the award and spoke of Julia’s tireless work through her role as Vice Chair of the Campaign for Gender Balance.
Julia regards this work as important, helping to promote diversity and gender balance. “We know that supporting women works, they achieve more, stay the course and build resilience”, she says.
20 September 2024
The Police Liaison Meeting is being held on Wednesday 02nd October at the East Sheen Baptist Church SW14 at 7pm. We have a new Police Sergeant in the area, so we look forward to hearing from him.
Agenda to follow.
Meanwhile an interesting report from the Metropolitan Police.
The Case Management Conference takes place on Friday 20th September 2024. There had been a hope that it would be possible to attend the Conference on Zoom, so as to keep the local community informed. Regrettably that request has been turned down.
The reply from the Inspectorate stated; “The only parties who are invited to attend the CMC are the LPA, Appellant and any Rule 6 parties. The inquiry itself is the opportunity to make submissions and set out your case to the Inspector. The CMC is purely to discuss the ongoing management of the case and how the evidence will be presented – there is no discussion regarding the merits of the case that takes place.”
Other persons may be permitted to attend the CMC but the ongoing management of the case or how the case will be presented appear not to be regarded as important to the local community.
Greater London Authority officers have recommended approval for the All England Lawn Tennis Club plans to expand. The hearing before the Deputy Mayor of London is fixed for 27 September 2024. For further details see Post on 11 September 2024.
 | radiant966eea7319 on EastSheenMatters |
 | Richard AH White on Diana Rawstron: a doyenne of… |
 | Anna on Diana Rawstron: a doyenne of… |
 | butteryluckye3eac174… on EastSheenMatters |
| Richard AH White on What’s it really like in… |
