Colindale - can you feel the rhythm? Or do you need someone to take your pulse?

These figures are taken from Barnet council's "State of the Borough report":

Already London’s most populous borough, with 349,800 residents in 2011 ...The Barnet population is projected to grow by 5.5 per cent over next five years – an increase of 19,400 people.

And they are all going to live in Colindale.*

Below are pictures of a few of the major building sites springing up around Colindale ward. It's all tremendously exciting, I can tell you. My questions are what will the newcomers do in the area of a weekend - I'm at a loss - and how am I going to get a seat on the tube in future?

New Hendon Village, private flats for sale, built on the former Grahame Park open space

New Hendon Village, private flats for sale, built on the former Grahame Park open space

What's in the regeneration for the tenants of Grahame Park?

Demolition of Grahame Park continues apace...

...to make way for more of New Hendon Village. In the background you can also see the massive development at Beaufort Park

Colindale tube station is in there somewhere

Colindale: yes, it fair pulsates; development on Colindale Avenue on the old Colindale Hospital site

Another Fairview development close to the Pulse. This one has rhythm...

* This is a slight exaggeration, for comic effect, but only slight. These are the figures: Colindale (+10,900), Golders Green (+7,300), Mill Hill (+2,000) and West Hendon (+1,900).

Save Garden Suburb oaks (no, we're not hysterical)

Just came aross a notice about a protest at Hendon Town Hall tomorrow, Tuesday 8 February, at 7pm against the removal of some old oak trees in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Brian Coleman recently made some derogatory remarks about Garden Suburb residents, calling them hysterical. Well, they're not hysterical here, but they are very worried, and I don't blame them.

I watched (I'm ashamed to say) as the trees on Grahame Park open space were felled and the park halved to make space for New Hendon Village, an ugly development of 'lakeside apartments'. I hope these oaks don't go the same way:

Insurance Companies greed responsible for death of bicentennial oak trees

Monday, 07 February 2011

Hampstead garden suburb disappearing in front of our eyes.

Barnet council want to fell 3 x 200 year old oaks in the hampstead garden suburb now!!

There is a meeting on tuesday 8th february at the Barnet [Hendon] town hall to determine the outcome of an application to kill 3 mature magnificent oak trees. A property developer has taken over the fabulous old tea house in Hampsteads northway and reports the oak tree roots are disturbing his house and will increase his insurance companies fees for the house, the trees are not on or near his property, nor does the developer live there! but perhaps wants to rebuild maybe? at some stage, and also maybe buy the electricity sub station adjacent also in the conservation area, where the accused offending oak trees are situated, he also wants to take down trees situated in the most beautiful quakers meeting house, also part of the ancient woodland which contributes in a valuable way to the environmental diversity of hampstead garden suburb.

The envionmental impact of tree felling is great.

Oak tree roots grow downwards and their roots never exceed their width.

Those trees are alive with life, squirrels, magpies, pigeons sunning themselves and endless birds, let alone the very fresh air we are able to breath and the wonderful smell of ancient traditional woodland that wafts in the area. There are documented 365 reasons why trees are valuable to the planet.

It is catastrophic that in a conservation area such as the suburb a few more bricks or a worried insurance company should be allowed to replace the natural environment and though we complain about the deforestation of rain forests we are doing more damage here to our very few remaining trees, which will be killed forever.

for more info please contact:
Kim Einhorn
0208 452 8518

or the council -
edward jones - planning officer trees and landscaping - barnet council 0208 359 4731

Papers for the meeting here.