The destruction of the Green Belt in Barnet - Part 1- Low Level Vandalism

One of my favourite places in Mill Hill to watch the sun set is The Mill Field. This lies on the Ridgeway e between The Three Hammers and Highwood Hill. It gives a spectacular panorama of West London and is a great place to view Wembley Statium arch, when it is lit up. If you want a free spectacular display, go up there when there is a spectacular at Wembley with Fireworks. At this time of year, the sun sets over St Josephs College and there isn't a better sight in London (See picture on Left taken last night). I'd recommend anyone to take a walk from the Adam & Eve pub at one end of the Ridgeway, to the Rising Sun at the top of Highwood Hill. Here's a few of the sights you'll see.

I rather hope you agree that it looks well worth the walk. The Green Belt Legislation was set up to protect these views and to protect the fabric of the green belt. The purpose of it is so that our children and our grandchildren have access to green space and London is surrounded by areas where plant and trees can freshen the polluted smog of central London. Is this important? I think so. I'd rather hope that most people in Mill Hill think so. Sadly, short sighted policies of the ruling Conservative Party in Barnet, are putting this vital natural resource at risk in a number of ways. Today's blog explores one rather upsetting case I found on my travels this week.

As regular readers know, I've got a rather nice Boxer dog, which needs a fair amount of exercise. This gives me a great excuse to keep an eye on the green spaces of Mill Hill (which I consider as my own). Sadly, on Thursday this was the sight which greeted me when I visted the lower section of the Mill Field. The Mill field is in the Conservation area and is a beautiful open space. As you can see there are huge piles of earth. What this picture doesn't show is the gang of teenage youths which were frantically digging them. Being on my own, I was at a quandry as to what to do, when my phone went. It was a friend in the locality and he immediately joined me (with work colleague who is a burly farm labourer). When they arrived, we approached the gang. When challenged as to what they were doing, they replied that they were "making a BMX park".

The hole on the left is just one of many of their excavations. As you can see it is massive. We immediately informed them that the park is part of the conservation area. We informed them that they were liable for a huge fine for their act of vandalism if caught by the police. We politely asked them to "fill in the holes", but sadly they had other plans and scarpered from the scene en mass. This isn't the only act of vandalism in the Mill Field.

This is an old oak tree which has been sprayed and tagged. Sadly this type of low level vandalism is not confined to the beauty spots of Mill Hill. It is all over Mill Hill and the whole of Barnet. The Counciol has a dedicated anti vandalism squad, which will repaint walls & shopfronts when disfigured, but isolated areas of natural beauty are not on the agenda. The sprayed trees and the large holes will be dealt with over a longer period of time by mother nature herself.

So how do we address these issues? I had a long chat with my fellow Lib Dem candidates in Mill Hill. We want to get the issue on the agenda and we want sensible long term actions to be taken that will address these issues. I think that only a carrot and stick approach will work, so first lets have a look at the stick.

Lets strengthen the laws and rules surrounding the Conservation area. If you can't change your window style, then surely you shouldn't be able to dig holes and vandalise trees. Lets clearly mark the Conservation area and put (tasteful) signs up with a hotline to report vandalism. Lets impose swinging fines or even better community service orders on people desecrating the green belt. Lets ring fence any money raised to improve it and lets get any vandals to clear rubbish and weeds etc from green spaces. This will have a huge community benefit.

Now lets look at the carrot. There is also a wider issues. One of the youths said at me "Look mate, there's nowhere to go and nothing to do round here, It's just an old field". Barnet Council should insist that Children of school age are educated properly about the green belt and the conservation area. Make sure they understand why it is there and why it is important.There is more though. I suppose in some way these kids have a point. They are into BMX bikes and there is nowhere. This is a popular sport, one which Great Britain has Olympic medal hopes for.

Where are the facilities in Barnet. Barnet Council owns many derelict sites which could be transformed into youth facilities. The picture on the left is just one such area. The site of a demolished and derelict school in Mill Hill. Wouldn't this be a far better site for youngsters to learn BMX skills in a safe an healthy environment. Surely there are companies which would be interested in partnering the Council in such a scheme. Sadly I don't think that the Conservatives who run Barnet Council care aabout our youngsters. They have no vision to see why vandalism happens and no idea of how to stop it before it even starts. They think they do a marvellous job because they have "Hit Squads" who catch and fine taggers - see this Press release - http://www.barnet.gov.uk/press_releases.htm?id=2166 - they've given a grafitti artist an ASBO. Why not make him clean up the mess as part of community service or paint a few old ladies flats. That way, he'd learn and the community would benefit.

This press release sums up Barnet  Councils attitude to young people. Councillor Joanna Tambourides has shown she has no vision and is not up to the job of Community Safety and Community Engagement. ASBO's don't turn young offenders around. Hard work for the community so they see the error of their ways is what is needed.