We hope you will be able to join other residents of the BAG area at our 2011 AGM:

on: 28 March 2011
at: 7.30pm
venue: Frederic Street Community Centre, E17 7LF (Frederic Street opposite St James’ Street station) – see link for map below**

Now that we’ve got a real chance of securing the old St James Street library building for use as a community centre, the AGM will be an opportunity for you to hear about how things are progressing and – more importantly – contribute ideas for what activities and resources you would like.

There will also be updates on the situation with Willowfield School, the proposed development of the Blackhorse Lane Area, and many other local matters. Oh, and it’s your chance to come and talk to the committee and even get onto it!

We look forward to welcoming you to the AGM!

** Here’s the link for finding the venue: http://bit.ly/gm0X10

BAG have previously contacted the council regarding the erratic pollarding of trees, bracket fungus, and the failure to replace felled trees.

Below are the latest two emails from BAG to the council detailing residents concerns.

(UPDATE 7/12/09) Cllr Reardon responds: “I will find out what the situation is in Leucha, Haroldstone and Glenthorne Roads: why the trees were removed, why the stumps have not been properly cleared and when the necessary work, including replacement, will be done.”

Dear Mr Lawrence (Arboriculture Manager, Greenspace Services),

I am on the Organising Committee of the Blackhorse Action Group (BAG), Resident’s Association and I live on Leucha Road .   I just spoke to Mr Punchard (LBWF’s Nature Conservation Officer) about some trees which have been felled on Leucha Road.  I have been in contact with him over summer aswell (despite him not recalling this fact) to talk about why these trees and others like them have been removed. In particular the tree outside maisonette numbers 215 to 217, which I believe is a Rowan, was of concern to me as it was felled at around the same time as the work done by Thames Water took place on our road. It was speculated that the pipe infrastructure work was the reason for felling a tree which seemed to otherwise be in fine health. There is a tree in front of maisonette no. 42 which, I believe, was also a Rowan but which was felled in the course of yesterday’s arboricultural activities despite not seeming to have had any health problems judging by the quality of the trunk cross-section and the state of it’s base.

I have, since moving in here this time last year noticed that there are several blank spots along the pavement where trees used to be, particularly noticeable by their tarmac patches still visible to the eye (some of which include the grey paving tile-ends). Furthermore there has been the bollard remains of a tree at the Blackhorse Road end of Glenthorne Road, E17 and another felled around the corner on Haroldstone Road. As a local I pass these ‘trees’ frequently and am greatly disturbed by the loss to our environment.

I understand that one, due to be removed today (an Acacia, that split in the recent high winds) is being felled for a good reason nonetheless many others have been gone for some time without being replaced. None of these trees are large enough to affect foundations of buildings and I presume their small nature is why they were orginally chosen for the street when it was built;- it is possible to see very similar trees in the photo from the Vestry House museum which illustrates Guy Osbourne’s Leucha Road LBWF Conservation Area Pamphlet. I have been told today by Mr Punchard over the phone that it is policy to replace trees but based on the above observations the evidence does not appear very encouraging. I have noticed one or two trees being replanted near Forster Road which although in itself is encouraging, I would just query the need to tarmac right up to the trunk. I’d like to draw your attention here to recommendations (the nature of which I’m sure you will be aware) made in a report commissioned by TfL and written by PBA consultants:

The Interaction of Paved Surfaces with Trees

The interaction of paved surfaces with the dynamic nature of trees leads to conflict and invariably damage to the paved surface. Therefore, it is more practical to design the paved surface to accommodate trees, than to try to manipulate or control growth and development of trees.

Tree Root Aeration

The requirement for a well aerated growing medium for tree roots cannot be over-stressed; it is one of the fundamental physiological issues that affect trees growing within paved areas.An impervious surface around trees can cause tree root asphyxiation and ultimate death of the tree.’

Trees within street pavement recommendations PDF

Can you please let me know:
a) when you intend to replace trees on Leucha, Haroldstone and Glenthorne Roads
b) assure me you will pass on to those reponsible for ‘paving’ work the guidance they need to undertake their work in an appropriate manner for the sake of the trees?

Thank you very much indeed,

Kind Regards,
Peter Harms (BAG)

———————————————————————————————————–

The council’s tree ‘policy’ is disturbing because it tends towards the elimination of trees. BAG is deeply concerned in this matter, and has raised it before with the council, (bracket fungus on plane trees in Edward Rd, high season pollarding, etc.)

Residents have made it abundantly clear that they like their trees and expect them to be properly maintained and, where appropriate, replaced.

Thank you for your informative and pertinent email, Peter.  I, personally, and BAG, collectively, hope that you get a full and meaningful reply.

Best,
Michael (Blackhorse Action Group)

————————————————————————————————————-

Incidentally the tree outside my house was missed out in the last round of pollarding so the branches are now touching my windows and tangling up the phone lines.

At the back of my house the recent bad weather took down a tree obliterating my next door neighbours shed in the process.  The council have been informed but the half dead tree is still dangling where it fell.

The Blackhorse Action Group’s AGM is the place  to get things aired and have your say. What do you want action on?  Litter?  Car tyre slashing in Edward Rd? The library?

All these questions and more will be addressed at the Blackhorse Action Group (BAG) Residents Association AGM.
Tuesday 1st December 2009 at 7.30pm
Douglas Eyre Playing Fields Pavilion Centre (MAP)

The agenda will include:
The constitution and invitation to stand for election as a member of the BAG Organising Committee.

What have we been doing?
Reports on what BAG has been doing in the past year, including making a start on setting up a community garden.

What next?
Plans for future activities and your chance to say what you would like BAG to do.

Local issues :
We’ve invited speakers to report on, and answer questions about, what is happening including:
Re-location of Willowfield School
The St James Street library campaign. If the building is not to be a drug rehab centre, what should it be? Re-instated as a local library or what?

There’ll also be:
An opportunity for you to ask questions or raise concerns about other matters affecting our community.

And finally …
It’s an opportunity to meet your neighbours to make friends and join together in making our area of Waltham Forest the place we would like it to be.

A residents group is only strong with support and input from the residents themselves, so please come along and take part even if you can’t stay for the full meeting.

Click here to view the draft agenda. We’ll do our best to stick to timings but these things are never exact.

2009 Agenda

A thousand bulbs should hopefully brighten the area come spring, and there was still time to recover from all the excertion at the Coppermill.

(above) A few intrepid planters

There was so much going on, it was amazing. We had jugglers, a Kids’ corner knee deep in paints, paper and scissors, stalls giving away goodies -even bikes!- right left and centre, face painting (THANKS Carol!) and everyone had a really great time. We’ll post a fuller report and some of the fantastic pictures taken once we’ve finished the washing up!

But right now, a great big THANK YOU to Colin, Keeper at the Douglas Eyre Playing Fields, who made the pavilion available to us for free. We promise, Colin, that we’ll organise that quiz/karaoke/barn dance soon!

And a whopper of a THANK YOU to Irina (and Caroline, Nuria and others from BAG) for organizing it – I’ve not seen smiles that wide on so many kids’ faces in a long time! And there was so much community spirit that we had heaps of people sign up to our initiatives, such as timebanking.

(Oh, and THANKS to the Singh family who brought a vast and delicious chickpea curry with accompaniments at just the right time at the end of the evening, and then helped us carry all the day’s debris home!)

Signing off now, but we’ll get more about Super Saturday out soon!

Don’t forget that BAG is having a right old shindig on 17 May at the Douglas Eyre Playing Fields pavilion.

Doors open at 3pm, and there’s so much to do:

• Fun activities for kids
• Give and Take: bring clothes and books to swap
• Film: The Power of Community
• Discover what’s happening in your area!
• Guided BAT walk at sunset
• Bar
• Musical Entertainment
• Quiz
• Raffle

If you can, bring your favourite dish to share!

Download the flyer! Stick it on a tree near you!

Business will include reports on activities, the establishment of working groups and the election of committee members.

Looking forward to seeing as many residents as possible there!

2008 AGM Agenda