The Queen's Park Area Residents' Association

NEW WILDLIFE NOTICEBOARD!

The new noticeboard designed by QPARA members (and paid for from the Neighbourhood Working Fund) will be installed and opened on Wednesday 8th September at 4pm.  Everyone welcome, on Kingswood Avenue by the tractor yard gate (opposite Montrose Ave).  (see News page)

David Lindo, the “urban birder” will declare the board open.  See his inspiring website http://www.theurbanbirder.com/london/ and read about the incredible number of bird species at Wormwood Scrubs.

The noticeboard provides information about species you may see locally, also about local wildlife events and any interesting sightings (eg stag beetles).

We’d like to have a page here where locals can share information about what they’ve seen in our area- we’re still working on this!

STREET TREES

One of our main aims is to improve the appearance of the whole Queen’s Park area.  We identify new locations for street trees and ask Brent council to plant as many new trees as possible each tree planting season.  Brent have recently planted 10 new trees in the area (28 were planted last spring of which 8 are being sponsored by us at a cost of £250 each.  It was great to see a new plane tree on Salusbury Road near the library).  There may be more trees planted soon as replacements.

We also keep an eye on the trees, checking them for damage and watering the new trees in dry weather.

We try to encourage residents to appreciate the trees in their streets, especially their value for wildlife and the cooling effect they have in hot weather.  You wouldn’t see a tree full of lesser spotted woodpeckers or greenfinches without a tree!  Established street trees also absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide and trap dust.  We accept that trees can contribute to subsidence and we support Brent’s pruning policy particularly for the larger trees.

Read Brent’s 2007 Tree Maintenance Policy here.

It is a sad fact that Brent are felling trees at the rate of about 10 a year in our area (in the last planting season 28 new trees were planted).

The Greater London Authority’s 2007 Report Chainsaw Massacre reported  Brent’s estimate that between 2002-2007  1,000 trees had been planted in the Borough but that 1,500 had been removed.  250 of these trees (16%) were removed  due to subsidence claims.  The report urged  Councils to insist upon proper evidence that trees were causing damage and not to fell trees on flimsy evidence.  Read the full Report here.

Contact: Brent’s Street Tree Officer is  Gary Rimmer tel 0208 937 5285 or e-mail gary.rimmer@brent.gov.uk.

RECYCLING

As from 4^th August it is compulsory to use the green recycling box.  Brent council took this step to increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of household waste going to landfill.  Increases in the landfill tax have encouraged local authorities across the country to try to improve their recycling rates and Brent was impressed by figures from Barnet after recycling became compulsory there.

Green box use is already very good in our area, but you might be able to put even more items in than you realise.  We all know about paper (even Yellow Pages), glass bottles and jars, cans, tins and aerosols, but don’t forget plastic bottles (any type, but no lids or caps), foil, shoes (in pairs), old batteries (in small plastic bag), clothes and other textiles -even in poor condition as they can be used as rags or stuffing for furniture.  Even engine oil (in a sealed container) can go in your green box.  No cardboard in the green box – that has to go in the green organic waste bin.

Read more on Brent’s website here

If you also compost your food waste or put it in the organic waste bin you will hardly send any waste to landfill.  Plastic packaging will be about the only thing in your grey bin.  I weighed mine last week and it was less than a kilo.  It is frustrating that we cannot recycle any plastic other than bottles, but Brent say that there is no market in this country for it at present.  Groups like Brent Friends of the Earth continue to put pressure on retailers to reduce non-recyclable packaging.  If organic tomatoes can be sold on a cardboard tray why can’t the others?  Shopping at markets and independent shops is another good way to avoid excess packaging.

If you need a new green box (or an extra one- you can have as many as you need) contact Brent Streetcare at www.brent.gov.uk/recycling or tel. 020 8937 5050.

I know we still have problems with green bins and boxes not being returned to the right houses, or blocking paths, but we have contacted the council about this and hope to see an improvement.  Don’t be put off recycling by this, and don’t risk a fine.

QPARA are campaigning for a recycling bin for food and drink cartons somewhere in the area.  There are only 5 of these bins in the whole of Brent and our nearest one is in the carpark of the Willesden Green Library Centre.  Unfortunately these milk, juice, soup and custard cartons will not be collected as cardboard or as paper by Brent as they are made of at least 3 different materials and have to go to a specialised paper mill for recycling.

Recycling in the park - you may have noticed the large reycling bins cunningly concealed behind the tractor yard fence, with slots to post items in.  There are also smaller recycling bins by the cafe and children’s play area.  QPARA are delighted by this development after years of campaigning for recycling facilities in the park.

WILDLIFE AND BIO-DIVERSITY

QPARA support small changes in the management of the park which bring benefits to wildlife, for example the new mowing regime in the Pitch and Putt whereby some areas of grass are left to grow longer.  The Park Keepers have noticed a greater variety of butterfly species in this area.

Read Brent Council’s  Biodiversity Action Plan here

Brent Council are currently consulting on  National Indicator 197: Improving Local Biodiversity. Go to the Consultation here.