Friday 24 February 2006

" A High Court judge yesterday found in favour of OPEN in its claim that Hackney Council, in late 2005, made an unlawful attempt to demolish the historic buildings at 4-14 Dalston Lane, without public consultation. OPEN issued proceedings on 13 December 2005, challenging the Council’s decision to proceed with demolition of the buildings without making a full planning application. OPEN is committed to seeing some or all of the heritage buildings restored for new uses as part of regeneration of the wider area. OPEN argued that a full planning application, involving public consultation and a decision by the elected Members of Hackney Council, was required. A High Court injunction was subsequently issued preventing any demolition work until yesterday’s judicial review. The injunction has protected the site from December 2005 until now. Finding in favour of OPEN’s claims yesterday, Mr Justice Lloyd Jones stated in his judgment that the Council had created the impression that it had taken a decision to demolish the buildings as soon as prior approval was granted by the Planning Department and that full planning permission was not required. The Judge found that OPEN was justified in issuing the proceedings for an injunction and judicial review. He ordered the Council to now pay OPEN’s legal costs. Bill Parry-Davies, chairman of OPEN, expressed satisfaction at the outcome but cautioned that the buildings remain highly vulnerable to Council demolition. ‘The Council did not deny in Court, that at a meeting in late September 2005 its Property Manager, Head of Planning and Hackney’s Mayor agreed to demolish without further consultation with either the public or elected members‘, said Mr. Parry-Davies. ‘The Council’s contempt of legal and democratic processes is quite breathtaking. Our campaign continues.’ Since the issue of the High Court proceedings on 13 December 2005, and following representations made by OPEN to the Planning Department, the Council have accepted the need to make a full planning application for demolition. After a 21 days period in which the public could lodge objections, the Council’s application for total demolition came before a Planning Sub-Committee on 6 February 2006. Despite the overwhelming number of objections to the proposals the Planning Sub-Committee voted to demolish the buildings in their entirety. The Sub-Committee imposed a condition that, prior to demolition, there must first be a survey to record historical structural and architectural detail of the buildings and expressed hope that the more notable elements could be relocated in the redevelopment of the site or elsewhere. Evidence has also come to light that, sometime between 18 October 2005 when the Council secured the buildings against squatters and 16 December when a planning officer inspected them, the Victorian houses at 4-6 Dalston Lane have been deliberately damaged and made uninhabitable by the removal of the staircases. Since Sunday 19 February the buildings have been occupied by people concerned to prevent their demolition. OPEN is now considering the legality of the Council’s Planning Sub-Committee’s resolution on 6 February, and any decision by the Council to now act on the planning permission granted to demolish the buildings. " (Via OPEN Dalston High Court backs local campaign and orders Hackney Council to pay up: .) 9:45:42 PM

	Monday 30 January 2006

"Prince Charles has expressed his concern over the increase in obesity in the UK by urging people to walk and cycle more." (Via Leisure Opportunities News Prince of Wales blames poor town planning for rise in obesity: .) 10:02:07 PM

	Monday 23 January 2006

"The public consultation process to determine who will run Alexandra Palace for the next 125 years has come under fire from angry residents and councillors." (Via This Is Local London :: Top Stories Ally Pally consultation 'insult to the public': .) 9:25:36 AM

	Tuesday 29 November 2005

" Test results suggest it's up to the job, but climber Graham Hoyland will find out for real when he attempts to climb Everest dressed in exact replicas of Mallory and Irvine's clothing next year." (Via OUTDOORSmagic 1924 Clothing Heads To Everest: .) 10:20:05 PM

	Friday 25 November 2005

"ACTOR Tom Conti has teamed up with a Kentish Town businessman to campaign against parking fines and the congestion charge." (Via Camden Chronicle Film star Tom fights parking fine 'abuse': .) 9:27:44 AM

	Friday 07 October 2005

"One of Britain's biggest churches, which lists among its aims 'the relief of poverty', paid its pastor hundreds of thousands of pounds and provided him with free accommodation and a car while it had millions in the bank. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo preaches at a service at the Kingsway International Christian Centre, Hackney. The Charity Commission found evidence of 'serious' financial misconduct at the Kingsway International Christian Centre, in Hackney, east London." On one occasion, £120,000 was spent celebrating the birthday of the senior pastor, Matthew Ashimolowo, of which £80,000 was used to buy a Mercedes. He bought a timeshare apartment in Florida for £13,000. The church, which was founded by Mr Ashimolowo 19 years ago, attracts up to 10,000 mainly Afro-Caribbean worshippers a week to services in a converted warehouse near Hackney Marshes. The centre claims to be the fastest-growing church in Europe, with a total membership of 12,000. (Via Telegraph | News: .) 9:21:24 PM

	Friday 30 September 2005

"THE average police officer in Hackney solves less than one crime a month, according to new figures from Conservatives on the London Assembly..." (Via Hackney Gazette Too busy to solve crimes: .) 8:52:10 AM

	Monday 26 September 2005

"The future of Battersea power station's famous four chimneys is to be decided by planning bosses at a meeting next month." (Via This Is Local London :: Top Stories Battersea chimneys fate soon decided: .) 10:45:06 AM

	Sunday 18 September 2005

"Scientist: Global Warming Options Exist Alley said he was upbeat about global warming because enough clever people existed in the world to find other reliable energy sources besides fossil fuels. He said people can get rich finding marketable alternatives to fossil fuel." (Via Village News Scientist: Global Warming Options Exist: .) 8:36:59 PM

"Shot at artistic history Team pinpoints when Ansel Adams took 'Autumn Moon' and marks it at Yosemite.They used powerful software and telescopes and topographic maps to determine that Adams shot 'Autumn Moon' on Sept. 15, 1948, at 7:03 p.m. Then they determined that there would be a celestial encore on Thursday night ? the very same moon shadows, the same moon at the same spot in the sky as Adams' photograph. That is something that will happen only once every 19 years, or in their world, every 19-year Metonic lunar cycle." (Via Village News Shot at artistic history: .) 8:36:29 PM

	Wednesday 14 September 2005

"Google has launched a dedicated search site for weblogs." (Via BBC News | Technology | UK Edition Google unveils blog search site: .) 3:08:16 PM

	Thursday 08 September 2005

"NEARLY 40 years ago a chart-topping hit from James Brown lamented: 'Man made the cars to take us over the world, Man made the train to carry the heavy load . . . This is a man's world, but it would be nothing without a woman to care...." (Via Times Online - UK news Women left behind by transport system designed for men: .) 10:48:21 AM

	Wednesday 07 September 2005

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show "Gilligan's Island" made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70. He died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina of complications from treatment he was receiving for cancer, his agent, Mike Eisenstadt, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. His wife, Dreama, and children Patrick, Megan, Emily and Colin were with Denver, who also had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier this year."Read full story for latest details." (Via CNN.com Bob Denver of 'Gilligan' fame dies at 70: .) 12:36:56 PM