1,000 signatures reached
To: Islington Council
Save Highbury Fields
Save Highbury Fields Campaign Group is calling on Islington Council to:
*STOP polluting Islington's air and endangering health
*STOP turning Highbury Fields into a rubbish tip
*STOP barbecues destroying the grass and causing fire hazards
*STOP endangering local wildlife and domestic pets
*RETURN the Fields to a haven of greenery and fresh air for people of all ages young and old, families, dog walkers and people exercising
*STOP polluting Islington's air and endangering health
*STOP turning Highbury Fields into a rubbish tip
*STOP barbecues destroying the grass and causing fire hazards
*STOP endangering local wildlife and domestic pets
*RETURN the Fields to a haven of greenery and fresh air for people of all ages young and old, families, dog walkers and people exercising
Why is this important?
Islington is the borough with the fewest green spaces in the whole of London. Highbury Fields is a precious open space that the people of Islington have enjoyed for more than 250 years. But it is being threatened by the council's inability to manage the public health and safety risks caused by the huge number of barbecue parties on Highbury Fields.
A simple survey done by Islington Council in August 2015 shows that about half of the users of the park come from outside the borough. Other councils in London have decided that their green spaces should be for everybody not just those who barbecue. But in Islington those who simply want to enjoy the open air on Highbury Fields find themselves in a smoke zone.
These are the main dangers threatening the Fields and why you should be concerned:
AIR POLLUTION
A dangerous pollutant known as PM2.5* is released into the atmosphere when burning charcoal in barbeques. In 2015, multiple spot readings were taken of PM2.5 levels using personal monitors. Kings College London's Pollution Unit produced a report which showed that barbeques on Highbury Fields were affecting PM2.5 concentrations on and adjacent to the park - some of these spot readings were extremely high (rivalling those of Delhi and Beijing) This means that users of the park, passers-by and residents were exposed, the amount of exposure being greater the closer to the lit barbecues.
The study also showed that the levels measured were 2-3 times worse than that of the traffic at Marylebone Road - a major trunk road (where King's have a monitoring station).
Short term pollution can affect health - coughs, wheezes, increase in hospital admissions, strokes and heart attacks, worsening of asthma, smarting of eyes, headaches, sore throats, etc.
DEFRA states that:
Exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5 (e.g. during short term pollution episodes) can [also] exacerbate lung and heart conditions, significantly affecting quality of life and increase deaths and hospital admissions. Children, the elderly and those with predisposed respiratory and cardiovascular disease, are known to be more susceptible to the health impacts from air pollution (http://laqm.defra.gov.uk/public-health/pm25.html).
The World Health Organisation states that small particulate pollution (PM) have health impacts even at very low concentrations - indeed no threshold has been identified below which no damage to health is observed.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/
In other words, even small concentrations can have an impact on health and there is no safe level of PM. Some residents living in the vicinity of the park (who arguably are exposed to longer periods of pollution) have significant health problems including respiratory illnesses. Some have difficulty in breathing - their health and wellbeing are seriously affected by the high levels of PM2.5 coming from the smoke from barbeques, and they have nowhere else to go.
A 2nd scientific study was undertaken last year, which confirmed the findings of the King's report. There was a strong correlation between barbecues on Highbury Fields and PM2.5 exposure, as measured by a fixed monitoring station 25 meters away. This occurred during weekends and weekdays too, and at times, persisted for hours.
Yet Islington Council has ignored advise that PM2.5 pollution levels during barbecues are extremely high and does nothing to stop the smoke wafting over children's play areas in the Fields.
Barbecues are banned in most of the parks of London on safety and health grounds. But Islington continues to encourage them and says "there are no public health grounds" for changing their policy.
*PM2.5 are tiny particles produced in barbeque smoke which are so small they can penetrate deep into the lungs. Long term effects on health include stunted lung growth in children, lung cancer, asthma and early death. It is also implicated in dementia and diabetes.
DAMAGE TO GRASS
As Islington's barbecue policy attracts growing crowds from the boroughs where barbecues are banned, the park's grass has become scorched with hundreds of burnt patches. Last year one spot count revealed more than 230 deep burns - unsightly, sad and unnecessary. But Islington's environment department says this level of damage is not excessive.
LITTER
Rubbish has become a major issue. Scores of hot disposable barbecue units are discarded and food debris, bottle and broken glass are left strewn across the Fields. Animals on the Fields suffer from cuts or eat plastic and inappropriate food and become ill.
Discarded food attracts foxes, rodents and pigeons - all pests and a threat to health. Dog walkers, strollers and joggers and those who simply want to sit and enjoy the Fields all have to suffer them looking like a rubbish tip.
This Summer, a resident counted 82 bins altogether in the park servicing the immense amount of rubbish generated by barbeque users.
FIRE
Each year the Fire Brigade is called to put out fires started by those who barbecue. Fire engines have had to attend on two consecutive days in May this year. Each visit costs hundreds of pounds.
HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS
All users of the Fields are at risk from hot coals, bin fires, metal grills from disposable barbecues, broken glass and debris left behind. It's an accident waiting to happen.
HIGHBURY FIELDS FOREVER
For over 250 years Highbury Fields and its leafy walks have provided a haven for the people of Islington. In 1885 Islington Council and the Metropolitan Board of Works purchased the Fields as a "lung of the parish" essential to the health and well being of the thickly - peopled district surrounding it. Thousands of us have pushed our prams, taken our first steps, learned to ride our bikes, courted, skated, picnicked, walked our dogs and played on the Fields. Help to keep Highbury Fields for all of us.
A simple survey done by Islington Council in August 2015 shows that about half of the users of the park come from outside the borough. Other councils in London have decided that their green spaces should be for everybody not just those who barbecue. But in Islington those who simply want to enjoy the open air on Highbury Fields find themselves in a smoke zone.
These are the main dangers threatening the Fields and why you should be concerned:
AIR POLLUTION
A dangerous pollutant known as PM2.5* is released into the atmosphere when burning charcoal in barbeques. In 2015, multiple spot readings were taken of PM2.5 levels using personal monitors. Kings College London's Pollution Unit produced a report which showed that barbeques on Highbury Fields were affecting PM2.5 concentrations on and adjacent to the park - some of these spot readings were extremely high (rivalling those of Delhi and Beijing) This means that users of the park, passers-by and residents were exposed, the amount of exposure being greater the closer to the lit barbecues.
The study also showed that the levels measured were 2-3 times worse than that of the traffic at Marylebone Road - a major trunk road (where King's have a monitoring station).
Short term pollution can affect health - coughs, wheezes, increase in hospital admissions, strokes and heart attacks, worsening of asthma, smarting of eyes, headaches, sore throats, etc.
DEFRA states that:
Exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5 (e.g. during short term pollution episodes) can [also] exacerbate lung and heart conditions, significantly affecting quality of life and increase deaths and hospital admissions. Children, the elderly and those with predisposed respiratory and cardiovascular disease, are known to be more susceptible to the health impacts from air pollution (http://laqm.defra.gov.uk/public-health/pm25.html).
The World Health Organisation states that small particulate pollution (PM) have health impacts even at very low concentrations - indeed no threshold has been identified below which no damage to health is observed.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/
In other words, even small concentrations can have an impact on health and there is no safe level of PM. Some residents living in the vicinity of the park (who arguably are exposed to longer periods of pollution) have significant health problems including respiratory illnesses. Some have difficulty in breathing - their health and wellbeing are seriously affected by the high levels of PM2.5 coming from the smoke from barbeques, and they have nowhere else to go.
A 2nd scientific study was undertaken last year, which confirmed the findings of the King's report. There was a strong correlation between barbecues on Highbury Fields and PM2.5 exposure, as measured by a fixed monitoring station 25 meters away. This occurred during weekends and weekdays too, and at times, persisted for hours.
Yet Islington Council has ignored advise that PM2.5 pollution levels during barbecues are extremely high and does nothing to stop the smoke wafting over children's play areas in the Fields.
Barbecues are banned in most of the parks of London on safety and health grounds. But Islington continues to encourage them and says "there are no public health grounds" for changing their policy.
*PM2.5 are tiny particles produced in barbeque smoke which are so small they can penetrate deep into the lungs. Long term effects on health include stunted lung growth in children, lung cancer, asthma and early death. It is also implicated in dementia and diabetes.
DAMAGE TO GRASS
As Islington's barbecue policy attracts growing crowds from the boroughs where barbecues are banned, the park's grass has become scorched with hundreds of burnt patches. Last year one spot count revealed more than 230 deep burns - unsightly, sad and unnecessary. But Islington's environment department says this level of damage is not excessive.
LITTER
Rubbish has become a major issue. Scores of hot disposable barbecue units are discarded and food debris, bottle and broken glass are left strewn across the Fields. Animals on the Fields suffer from cuts or eat plastic and inappropriate food and become ill.
Discarded food attracts foxes, rodents and pigeons - all pests and a threat to health. Dog walkers, strollers and joggers and those who simply want to sit and enjoy the Fields all have to suffer them looking like a rubbish tip.
This Summer, a resident counted 82 bins altogether in the park servicing the immense amount of rubbish generated by barbeque users.
FIRE
Each year the Fire Brigade is called to put out fires started by those who barbecue. Fire engines have had to attend on two consecutive days in May this year. Each visit costs hundreds of pounds.
HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS
All users of the Fields are at risk from hot coals, bin fires, metal grills from disposable barbecues, broken glass and debris left behind. It's an accident waiting to happen.
HIGHBURY FIELDS FOREVER
For over 250 years Highbury Fields and its leafy walks have provided a haven for the people of Islington. In 1885 Islington Council and the Metropolitan Board of Works purchased the Fields as a "lung of the parish" essential to the health and well being of the thickly - peopled district surrounding it. Thousands of us have pushed our prams, taken our first steps, learned to ride our bikes, courted, skated, picnicked, walked our dogs and played on the Fields. Help to keep Highbury Fields for all of us.
