- £132,000 towards urgent action plan for protection of Welsh Harp
- Recruitment of biodiversity & ecology officer proposed
- West Hendon Conservative councillors reject additional funds
Barnet’s Labour councillors have proposed additional funds towards an urgent action plan for the protection of the Welsh Harp – a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest partly located in West Hendon. The issue was discussed at this week’s Full Council budget meeting (2 March).
The Welsh Harp is a 340 acre site straddling Barnet & Brent on the West Hendon border. It has a management plan to protect the wild life and their habitats, but relies on funding being made available by the statutory bodies responsible for it – Barnet Council, Brent Council, the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency. The management plan acknowledges that funding has not been secured for everything the agencies would like to do to protect the site.
Recent pictures of fly-tipping and litter on the site, and a shocking picture of a dead bird killed by discarded fishing line from illegal angling demonstrate the need for more resources for enforcement and maintenance of the Welsh Harp.
Concerned residents highlighted the problems in a powerful presentation to the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee last night (4 March), and called for the public agencies to take immediate action.
Labour’s alternative budget this week proposed utilising £132,000 from current Council section 106 funds set aside for protecting biodiversity. The money would go towards a better, urgent action plan for the protection of the Welsh Harp.
Labour councillors also set aside money in their budget for the recruitment of a biodiversity and ecology officer to work on protecting biodiversity across Barnet.
The Conservative Group, including the West Hendon councillors, refused to support the additional funds for the Welsh Harp at the Full Council meeting.
Barnet Labour’s representative on the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee, Cllr Anne Clarke said: “I am grateful to the residents that spoke so powerfully at the Joint Committee last night.
“The Welsh Harp is under constant threat from neglect and enviro-crime, and this is an ongoing problem that needs urgent and sustained action.
“Many local community groups have been doing amazing work to remove litter and rubbish, but we really need the public agencies responsible – the Canal & River Trust, Environment Agency, Barnet Council and Brent Council – to work together to clean it up and maintain it for its wild inhabitants, for local people and future generations.
“The management plan for the Welsh Harp needs supplementing with additional investment. Brent has an ecology officer and bio-diversity plan for their borough, but Barnet doesn’t. It is absolutely frustrating that Barnet Council has failed to declare a climate emergency, which is part of the problem affecting the Welsh Harp. They are just not taking this seriously, and that needs to change quickly.
“Barnet has around £200,000 from s106 funds to invest in biodiversity, including the Welsh Harp, which has been left unused. So, we propose employing an ecology and bio-diversity officer to start putting this money to use to protect and enhance our green and open spaces and our local ecology. And we propose using some of this £200k to contribute towards developing a comprehensive plan for protection of the Welsh Harp in partnership with Brent, and the other public agencies.
“The plan should include robust enforcement against fly-tipping, littering and other enviro-crime, a review of what litter bins, re-cycling and waste facilities are needed, a bio-diversity plan, regular community clean-ups harnessing local community capacity and a communications strategy to engage local people.
“The public have made clear that they want our green and open spaces protected. We need to act soon to protect the Welsh Harp for all here and now, and for future generations.”
Ends.
Notes:
- A link to the Barnet Labour alternative budget: https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/b37328/Labour%20Group%20Alternative%20Budget%202021-22%2002nd-Mar-2021%2019.00%20Council.pdf?T=9
- The Welsh Harp Management Plan can be found here: https://www.brent.gov.uk/media/16404048/brent-reservoir-welsh-harp-management-plan-15-03-2016.pdf
A link to the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee agenda and papers, including the presentation from the residents “Welsh Harp Waste Crisis”: https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=206&MId=10773&Ver=4