Wildlife Circus

       Update Application Refused: at the Planning Committee meeting 11.3.26, the application was presented by planning officer Joel Turner. It was  refused on the basis of   substantial harm to the Metropolitan Open Land due to the scale, height, massing of the proposal . Although councillors recognised that we are in 'tilted balance' and the housing units were much needed, this was the wrong location; it was also out of character, 16 storeys was not in keeping with the character of the area, representing an overdevelopment.  Cllr Davy: We keep being told that this will represent 'no substantial harm to the MoL and I can't help but wonder what would count as substantial harm'. Cllr Sadr-Hashemi (to planning officer):  'it seems that this is not meeting our tall buildings policy, can you speak to that?'  Cllr Giles: The Council's Capacity Assessment (2019) was for 78-166 homes (Call for Sites) and 586 greatly exceeds this number  Cl...

  The current 'weed survey' at  kingstonletstalk.co.uk seeks your views on the reduction of herbicide spraying from two to one annually. Anyone with a love of plants, birds and insects will be enjoying the greening of the urban environment. There are many obvious benefits such as the plant above, which is Jersey Cudweed Gnaphalium luteoalbum. This is a protected species on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside act, a critically endangered plant but becoming more and more common in the London boroughs. Often appearing on development sites, as here on the Cambridge Road Estate (CRE).  Another advantage of the suffusion in pavement plants is the amount of seed produced  for birds such as house sparrows. Large stands of persicaria's and knotgrasses particularly are great for birds. Lining the route from my house to Norbiton station, a water bent grass, recognisable due to its many 'elbows'. Declining farmland species are also thriving in strange places, including ...