Preview of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Posted on June 27, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

Pix This just in from our neighbour Lisa Pontecorvo regard our new local orchestra (starting next summer).

Dear All,

This Saturday is a chance for you to see the education work of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at the Festival hall and what this has to offer our community when they move to Kings Place. Its free except for their birthday concert.Please publicise to anyone who may be interested.  For more info click the link:Download events4.pdf

Lisa Pontecorvo

By the way, for those of you who are less interested in the Classical stuff, I’ve learned from the Development Director at King’s Place that other types of music will be featured.  She would not commit to the Rolling Stones, but did say that we would be surprised.

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

Graffiti destroyer for Regents Canal

Posted on June 27, 2007 by William Perrin

DestroyerThe graffiti on the otherwise beautiful Regent’s Canal towpath really lets the place down.  I know that many residents have reported it to the Council and British Waterways.  But the Waterways people can’t keep on top of it along the length of the canal.  I was really pleased to get this promising reply from Islington Council – a nice demonstration of two public bodies working together, influenced by central government targets.  Imagine something a bit like a scaled down fire-fighting ship, but narrower and pulled by a horse, perhaps.

‘I am writing with regards to the report of graffiti you made on 23/06/07 relating to the Regents Canal Towpath.  Unfortunately Islington Council is not authorised at this stage to remove graffiti from the towpath area as this is under the jurisdiction of British Waterways.  We have recently held a meeting with them about this situation as it is affecting the Government score that we are measured on.

A proposal has been made to form a partnership as they do not have the resources available to tackle this problem.  We are unable to access the majority of the graffiti from the highway and therefore are looking to use one of their barges and place some of our jetting equipment on board.  This will only then require the use of one of their staff to drive the barge as we will carry out the removal.  A longer term solution is also being looked at as they currently do not own any jetting equipment.  We are looking to assist in providing this on a permanent basis and in return having exclusive use of the barge two days a month.  In addition it  may be possible to train our staff to drive the barge.

We are currently providing method statements and risk assessments to British Waterways for approval taking into consideration the additional hazards working by water raises.  We are confident that these will be approved in the very near future and weather permitting, work will start shortly.

If you would like any further information on this or any other graffiti related matter then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards,

Leon Meredith
Environmental Crime Manage’

Posted in Anti Social Behaviour, Crime etc | 2 Comments

The great migration……

Posted on June 27, 2007 by William Perrin

Fridge_dumped_rufford_st (To be read in hushed, slightly staccato tones) Every year thousands of fridges and fridge freezers migrate North for the summer. It is one of the great wonders of the white goods world.  Mostly they pass through London silently in the dead of night, hiding up in the daytime in the undergrowth or Iceland.  But sometimes stragglers get left behind – their condenser might have gone, their power lead simply not long enough for the migration and we find them on the pavement in the morning looking forlorn.  Rufford Street and Carnoustie drive seem to be almost insurmountable obstacles for many fridges and freezers. Nature has to take it course – they are often devoured by Vultures, which is probably the fate of this little chap.

Posted in Street Tipping, Mess, Trash | Leave a comment

Demons and Angels at Shoreditch Town Hall

Posted on June 25, 2007 by Sophie Talbot

Kids_co_a_and_d You may have heard of Kids Co (www.kidsco.org.uk), they work across London, including in King’s Cross, with our most vulnerable kids – the ones that are excluded from education, the refugee kids who have seen things that don’t bear thinking about, the ones that don’t get parenting or get frightening parenting, the violent kids, the ones we are all frightened of. They aim to give children back their childhoods. From 21st June – 30th August 2007, Kids Company will be renting the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall to host a large-scale exhibition of a range of young people’s artwork. Named ‘Demons and Angels – does it have to be this way?’ they hope the exhibition will create a wide-ranging public debate on the theme of social polarities. To find out more about this event and how you can support it, please contact Kids Co on 0207 371 7551 and see http://kids.hildebrand.co.uk/

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

Community Planting Day – The Floating Islands

Posted on June 23, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

Commun1All local residents are invited to participate in a Community Planting Day on Sunday 8 July from 2 to 4 PM at the Treaty Street Canalside Regents Canal, N1.

The purpose of the event will be to plant two new habitat islands with a mix of waterside plants for the Regents Canal.  Then, with the help of Islington Boat Club, the new islands will be taken across the water and installed alongside the other islands, creating a thriving new habitat.

Local residents are invited to come along and find out more about this exciting project and how it will help the wildlife of the canal!  For more information please contact Louisa Roscoe at the Islington Ecology Centre 020 7354 5162

Posted in Wildlife and Nature | Leave a comment

Pentonville Tree Saga – The Council Response

Posted on June 22, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

Pentonville_tree_crime Following up on the earlier postings by Sarah Ward, we have now had a formal response from Islington Council on the matter of the six trees that were felled as part of the new development at 200 Pentonville Road.  As the response is quite lengthy and detailed, I have attached it to this posting.  Download 200_Pentonville_Road_Trees-Reply_from_Planning.pdf.

While the response does show that the correct proceedures were followed, it does raise a number of subjective issues that call the overall policy and procedure into question. 

I know from speaking to our Councillor Paul Convery, he agrees and would welcome your support to minimize such loses in the future – UNLESS ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFIED.  While this matter is now over, we must voice our opinions on how to prevent this in the future.  I would therefore suggest you drop a note to Paul indicating that you want the current procedures associated with the potential loss of any trees strengthened to ensure more justification and local community oversight.  In addition, I would copy the Leader of the Council and the Head of the Planning Department – just click this link to send your email to: james.kempton@islington.gov.uk; paul.convery@islingtonlabour.org.uk; Graham.Loveland@islington.gov.uk to let them know what you think.

Concerted community action will improve government – if you don’t do it, why should anyone else!

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation, Wildlife and Nature | Leave a comment

Final plea for assistance – Canal Boat Owners at Goods Way

Posted on June 20, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

Goods_way2 This has been posted on behalf of the Canal Boat owners at the Good’s Way Moorings.

The tiny community of narrow boats at Goodsway Moorings, whose youngest member is just 6 weeks old, has been a part of Kings Cross for over 20 years. We have played an active role in the area for many years, making the towpath safer and working with other community groups to improve the area.

The Kings Cross Central Developers – including Argent and London Continental Railways – have decided they don’t want us in the area any more and we have been given just three months notice to leave our home here. This will make at least some of us homeless, with others facing a move to alternative moorings that are unsafe, insecure and only temporary.

The developers talk about community engagement and open communication, yet:

• before they got planning permission, the developers told us and the local community that there would be moorings in the final development. They failed to tell us the truth – that we would be kicked out before the moorings were even developed

• now they refuse to take any responsibility for what is happening – we have proposed a positive way forward, but they will not even sit down with us to find a fair solution

London Continental Railways recently put on a play celebrating Sir John Betjamin’s crusade to save St. Pancras station. Sadly, LCR and the other Kings Cross Central development partners do not seem to think it is important to save an established local community.

Can you help us by writing to LCR and Argent asking that they engage directly with the boaters at Goodsway to work out a fair solution:

Roger Madelin, Argent Group Plc.
PA’s email address: janee@argentgroup.plc.uk (indicate for the attention of Roger Madelin)

Stephen Jordan, London & Continental Stations and Property Ltd
PA’s email address: cstanley@lcrhq.co.uk  (indicate for the attention of Stephen Jordan)

Please copy us in – and email us to find out more – at: goodswaymoorings@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks for your help,

Jake Elster-Jones

For more detailed info please download their information pack: Download extra_info_for_kx_central.pdf

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation | 1 Comment

York Way Pavement Restored

Posted on June 20, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

York_way_pavement Just to let everyone know, the pavement on the East side of York Way just South of Maiden Lane Bridge has now been restored by the King’s Place Developers.

Posted in King's Place, York Way | 1 Comment