Whitechapel Bell Foundry is one of the most important and historically most socially and economically significant establishments of art and industry in Britain. Founded in the sixteenth century, it hosted the casting of Big Ben and of the Liberty Bell. The choice over its future is stark: it could now become a boutique hotel for wealthy businessmen, or else a living and working site where traditional artisan skills can be combined with the most modern technologies, a centre that would work in close collaboration with the local community. United Kingdom Historical Building Preservation Trust (a charity with a distinguished track record in heritage-led regeneration) in partnership with Factum Foundation (a global leader in the use of technology for preservation of heritage) have the resources to buy the Foundry buildings from the developer and re-open them as a working foundry, re-equipped with up-to-date machinery, for the production of bells and for art casting. For background go to http://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/03/a-bell-themed-boutique-hotel/ and https://ukhbpt.org/whitechapel/information

Sevenoaks needs a new water pipeline. South East Water have proposed four possible routes. Two of these go through Knole Park. These are the cheap and easy options for South East Water, but will damage the Park. Knole Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) where thousands of people come throughout the year to enjoy the peace, the views and the special flora and fauna. All of these will be permanently harmed by the proposed routes. As Joni Mitchell sang, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” If you want to keep Knole Park special, please sign this petition. - There is already a South East Water pipe in the Park. The scars it has made are clearly visible, with stony subsoil exposed and still bare of grass years after it was laid. - South East Water say that they will not damage the features of the Park that make it an SSSI. The acid grassland* itself is one of the most important features, and is very slow to heal after damage. - Some of the proposed pipe is close to the existing one, which will cause a wider strip of damage to the grass. Where they run in the Gallops they are sited apart so there will be a fresh area of damage. - New concrete manholes and inspection points will be permanently on the surface, those for the existing pipe are very obvious. - South East Water’s preferred route cuts through very significant archaeological features and they have allowed no time for investigation. The test drilling is in an area where it may destroy further archaeology, again there is no allowance for investigation before drilling. - After it is laid, access to the pipeline for inspection, maintenance and repair will be a problem. South East Water’s contractors have vehicles equipped for pipelines laid in roads, not fragile grassland. *Acid grassland is a very rare landscape in which the high acidity means that grass will barely grow. Over centuries, wildlife, flora and fungi develop which cannot survive in fertile areas amongst long grass. At the last survey Kent had lost more and only had 512 hectares. Some counties have none. By far the largest area of acid grassland in Kent is in Knole Park.

Some councillors and local lobbyists have persistently blocked school children from their own playing fields, resulting in Cotham School paying over £100,000 in legal fees and still not having their own useable pitches. It has to stop. School staff and workers must be protected against harassment from deep-pocketed and time-rich local lobbyists, and be left in peace to carry out the work of running a highly successful and popular secondary school.

HS2 is coming and whatever your views are on the actual project, it's clear that all of us want to mitigate the impact it will have on Toton during its construction. Our campaign doesn't seek to undermine or promote HS2. We simply want HS2 to listen to residents, councillors and community groups that are asking them to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.

This is a thriving and successful community pub that has served the area since the 1850s. We urge the London Borough of Lewisham planning department to refuse the application to demolish this handsome, landmark, historic pub which is well-used and much-loved by the community.

It seems that while businesses need to licence to place chairs and tables on public footpaths, advertising boards are not regulated at all. They pose a serious problem for blind and partially sighted people in particular but also inconvenience other pedestrians. I have become aware of this more as I am starting to lose my eyesight through macular degeneration. It's important that town centres remain safe for all people.

Without it I can’t continue my business

School Streets are roads next to schools where traffic is restricted during the times of the day when children are arriving or leaving school. Sheffield has 25 schools in areas of high, sometimes illegal, air pollution. High air pollution levels exacerbate respiratory illnesses like asthma and recent studies have shown that children exposed to high pollution levels have reduced lung capacity that can affect them for the rest of their lives. Sheffield has a clean air strategy that already recognises the need to take action on poor air quality, especially around schools. 20mph and anti-idling initiatives are great but will not make enough of a difference. Edinburgh, Southwark, Hackney and Solihull have already implemented School Streets to protect children from traffic and traffic related pollution at the school gate. School Streets encourages active travel, improves air quality in the classroom, and reduces traffic congestion for everyone.

Huncoat Colliery is one of the best places in Hyndburn to see butterflies, wildflowers and other wildlife. Since the Colliery stopped operating in the 1960s, the land has been reclaimed by nature and is now a haven for wildlife. Although classed as brownfield land, Huncoat Colliery is more like a nature reserve. 21 butterfly species are present at Huncoat Colliery, 13 of which are in decline, including 2 species classed as a priority in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (Small Heath and White-letter Hairstreak). Butterflies are attracted to Huncoat Colliery by large areas of wildflowers, including stunning patches of wild orchids. Huncoat Colliery is an accessible site which gives local people easy access to nature, as well as providing educational interest. Sadly, Huncoat Colliery has been earmarked for housing development. This could be terrible news for local biodiversity, as we stand to lose an area rich in wildlife at a time when it’s more important than ever to protect the precious habitat we have left. This site has the potential to be a destination and a contribution to tourism in the Borough.

Over the last decade, house prices in the borough have shot up by around 50%, meaning many local people and families have been priced out of the housing market. With a dire shortage of good quality, affordable private rental properties in the town and a very long waiting list for council properties, Southend Borough Council could utilise this land to build in the region of 400 new homes. This would not only substantially relieve chronic housing pressures, but also bring in much needed revenue to the Council which has seen its grant from central government cut by around £8 million year on year to the tune of £40 million in total. The NHS sold this publicly-owned plot of land, where previously a new NHS diagnostic and treatment centre had been planned, for £7.8 million in August this year. The value of this land once developed is estimated to be in excess of £40 million - potentially meaning a very handsome profit for a private developer and its shareholders! Southend Council's recent track record of building 'affordable' housing has fallen well short of its target of 30% with figures showing it has only attained a level of 19%. The term 'affordable' is something of a misnomer and in reality just means '80% of market value', which is not affordable at all for many many people. In January 2018, the New Economics Foundation looked into the planned developments on NHS land which had been sold off, or was due to be sold off. - Of the homes to be built for sale on NHS land, four out of five will be unaffordable to a nurse on an average salary. And where they could afford the mortgage repayments, a nurse would have to save for an average of 53 years to afford the deposit. - Only one in 10 of the homes built on sold-off NHS land will be for genuinely affordable social rent. (There are 1.2 million English households on the waiting list for social housing.) - The average expected sale price for these new homes, based on area estimates, is £315,279. This is 10 times the annual salary of a nurse. In Southend, the average property price is £304,774.

There is no justification or evidence for including this nature conservation site in the new North London Waste Plan. Haringey's own Regulatory Committee has recommended that it be removed. PLEASE NOTE: This issue will now be considered at the Haringey Cabinet Meeting on 22 January 2019, and not the one in November mentioned above. The point of the petition remains exactly the same, and it will now remain open for signing until just before the new date in January.

It takes 7 mins to cross as a pedestrian with the lights, so people take risks running across. There's no safe cycle route, but it could be much safer with a few dropped kerbs and some paint. It is monstrous that the proposed Highways England scheme does not take this into account. We need a regular combined pedestrian/cyclist phase over this dangerous junction. Also, eg: - pavement alteration for bikes by derelict hairdresser and opposite for bikes. - crossing point is needed from station across to Athelstan Rd - over just Bitterne Rd West instead of multiple crossings. - traffic calming needed by the concrete blocks on Bullar Rd, as the crossing is often ignored by vehicles. Please join us on 18th Nov: https://www.facebook.com/events/266846273945353/ (or contact us via http://www.southamptoncyclingcampaign.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/ )