WHY THE SURVEY IS WHOLLY INADEQUATE AND WHAT TO DO.
On Thursday 21 March Colpai held a drop in at the Golden Lane Community Centre to consult on replacement trees to border the allotments and waste strategy. Boards can be downloaded here.
The Waste Strategy Consultation was presented as a single board outlining two options and dismissing a third. Normal protocol would require a separate board for all three options listing the pros and cons of each. As it was the presentation lacked any reasoning what so ever.
It should be noted that the board at the consultation presented an OPTION 1 and OPTION 2 suggesting an equity between the choices and disregarding any history. For the record you can see that board here. On the insistence of residents the options have since been renamed and can be seen below. However, attendees were encouraged to fill in the survey at the meeting on this implied neutrality.
Not providing or even exploring a third option through the school onto Golden Lane essentially creates a divisive scenario where one neighbour is pitted against another.
Baltic Street West – as now noted is the current consented strategy however consultation was applied as a condition because objectors suggested that Baltic Street West could not take bin lorries turning. Consultation should have directly addressed these concerns and outline the developers case in an effort to satisfying residents that there is no risk to pedestrians and road traffic users. Drawings should have shown method of operation, turning circles and any roadway alterations
Basterfield Service Road
This proposal was rejected in the first round of pre application resident consultation and should therefore not be an option. It should have been made clear that this option went against residents wishes, even if it is the easier option for the developer. To subliminally label it as OPTION 1 and in red and hence more eye catching (original presentation board) is particularly biased and leading.
Agreeing to use of Basterfield Service Road for waste removal opens up the use of the service road for daily food and other deliveries along with potential out of hours access to the sports hall. This is not the ‘low impact’ solution as suggested.
Third Option
This was not properly explored as it had already been dismissed on the subjective ground of health and safety. This is clearly something the school does not want and as a result they are being given precedence over residents. 90% of the waste will come from the school building and will be moved on a daily basis between the school and the bins across the playground invalidating the H&S argument. Bins can be moved whilst children are in lessons.
Other significant shortcomings:
- it was not clear the number of waste collections planned
- If waste collection is once a week is this adequate for food waste?
- There is a level change of around .5m between the school level and Basterfield service road there was no indication of a ramp
- The drawing clearly shows 5 bins only
- An additional gate to the school premises is an additional security risk
- At the school entrance onto Golden Lane there is adequate space to construct a bin store to reflect the one on the other side of the residential block
In summary, the developer has not show how the consented scheme, Baltic Street West, will work. They have reintroduced a rejected option in Basterfield Service Road pitting residents in Basterfield against those in Hatfield.
The developer has not produced the very option that will work – removing the waste via the large school gates directly for collection onto Golden Lane. Their reason: pushing bins across the school play area will present a health and safety risk, an area which is not used before and after school and during lesson time. It looks as though the scheme is looking to offload any inconvenience onto residents.
Added to this there was no discussion about deliveries…… another story?
What to do
The survey questionnaire asks you to decide between Baltic Street West and Basterfield Service Road. I suggest you leave this blank and fill in the comments with the suggestion that the waste is logically removed directly to Golden Lane. If you do not live in Basterfield or Hatfield House you might like to suggest that responses from residents of these blocks are heavily weighted to ensure those affected have the largest say.
The survey will close at midnight on Friday 5 April and can be accessed here:
www.colpai-project.co.uk/#consultation.
Please do respond, ignoring the options and using the comment box to indicate your concern at the inadequacy of the consultation and push for a third option. It is very important that residents engage – not doing so will not help us resolve this very problematic issue.
Many thanks
Sue Pearson
I am a resident of Hatfield House, Golden Lane Estate and a representative member of the Cripplegate Ward
Susan Pearson 