Compensation for the Police use of Wanstead Flats during the Olympics

The following request has been made by the Corporation of the City of London:

From the Corporation of the City of London: Police use of Wanstead Flats for 2012 Games

As compensation for the Police using part of Wanstead Flats as a Briefing and Deployment Centre for 90 days spanning the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 the City of London will be receiving £170,000. The Police will be returning the land to its original condition on top of the £170,000 compensation money which will be spent locally improving an area of Wanstead Flats.

We would like Forest users to vote for the project they would like to see the money spent on. If you would like more information on these projects including how to vote, download the Wanstead Flats Police Muster Site Consultation (PDF, 538kb). Alternatively vote in person, a display of the projects and chance to vote will be at the following locations during October:

• Capel Road Football Changing Rooms: Sunday 2 October 12noon - 3pm
• Aldersbrook Library: date to be confirmed

If you would like further information please go to the Police use of Wanstead Flats page

This consultation ends on 31 October 2011. If you would like to be kept in touch regarding the development of it, please email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As you will see, this is an opportunity to vote on how the (meagre) £170,000 compensation will be spent, with four options being proposed. These - briefly - are:

1. Alexandra Lake - improve the habitat
2. Bush Wood - enhance the tree avenues
3. Capel Road - renovate the changing rooms
4. Jubilee Pond - reline the damaged pond and find new sources of water

All of these are of course very worthwhile requirements, but to my mind it is Alexandra Lake that is the most deserving. In Bush Wood. one of the tree avenues - Evelyns Avenue was replanted some years ago, with replacement lime trees, and the avenue itself was cleared of invasive vegetation. After any such work on the Forest, it is important that the newly-planted trees are cared for and the invasive vegetation kept under control - perhaps this should form part of the normal management costs?

The Changing Rooms in Capel Road provide a facility for users of the Flats that actually pay for this service, in the form of bookings for the use of the football pitches and the like. Should not the costs of any required renovation come from this income?

The problems with leakage from Jubilee Pond - the damage that is referred to in the consultation document - has been evident almost since the newly rebuilt pond was opened in 2003. This would seem to indicate a problem with the construction, and to my mind any costs involved in fixing this should have come from the constructors - not from the Police compensation money.

Alexandra Lake forms one of the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of Wanstead Flats. The view of the lake from Aldersbrook Road in passing or from the Flats themselves in walking or riding, is a pleasure. However, that view is fast being lost. From the row of shops in Aldersbrook Road, it is becoming difficult to even see the lake across the road, and the same is happening because of the growth of willows and birch along the southern edge. The edges of the two islands are so thick with willow that it almost seems that there is just one island at times. The vegetation growth near Aldersbrook Road has come about because of a change that was made to the edge of the lake by the City of London Corporation some years ago. Where there had been a pebble "beach" since the creation of the lake in the early years of the 20th century, a bank was built. This disturbance encouraged the vegetation growth and blocked the outflow from a surface-water drain on Aldersbrook Road. Similarly, a "dumping" of dredgings from the lake on the islands years before encouraged the islands' vegetation to become more luxuriant. These problems were caused by inappropriate work by those who should have managed the lake in a better way.

It is vitally important that these problems are addressed before the pleasure of the lake is further lost.

Paul Ferris, 4th October 2011

Moth Trapping in Wanstead Park

The local Wren Conservation Group held a moth-trapping evening in Wanstead Park on 24th September. It was attended by ten Wren Group members, including myself, and four people with a range of moth-trapping identification skills who brought five moth-traps along.

Tim Harris organised this, with the co-operation of the City of London Corporation, as the event was held in and adjacent to the Temple at Wanstead Park. Forest Keeper Brian Gotts was kind enough to open up the Temple for us to plug in the lamps that attract the moths and to give provisions for those present to try to identify the catch around a table in the Temple.

There are a range of ways that moths can be attracted, and the most well-known of these is by light. Even an electric light and an open window can provide a good supply, as may be well known! However, moths are more attracted to certain wavelengths of light, and the appropriate light source can have a considerable effect on the numbers and even the species attracted. Having been attracted, the traps themselves can vary greatly. The traps used on the evening were Robinson Traps and Skinner Traps, and the lamps were very bright Mercury Vapour types.

It should be emphasised that the moths are trapped live, and can be released unharmed afterwards. The lamps attract them, they make their way into a container - or even simply onto a sheet so that they can be seen - and then can be removed in individual clear plastic containers to be examined and identified. To make things more homely for them whilst they are in the traps, egg-boxes are laid out which they can cling to and hide out in the crevasses.

Hornet

One of our first catches was not a moth but a Hornet. Other creatures are of course attracted to the lights, and these included a Frog-hopper and some Caddis Flies. The Hornet was quite a large one - and one of many that have been around Wanstead Park in recent months. Although they are often feared, this member of the wasp family is actually one of the less aggressive wasps and its sting is said to be not much different from that of the common wasp. Nevertheless...

Very few moths were caught, however, between setting up the traps at about 7.30 and finishing at about 10pm. As with all wildlife, it's not always easy to predict what will happen. The night was relatively clear - with Jupiter and quite a few stars shining - bats were flying, but we noticed the first "huffs" from our breaths of the season. Maybe it could have been just a bit warmer to have produced more of a moth-catch, but it didn't actually feel particularly cold.

Lunar UnderwingA good collection of moth-identification guides were available, brought by the experts and provided by some of the local naturalists, and some moths were available early on, brought from Epping. The guide that I like to use is the "Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland" by Waring, Townsend and Lewington. This has illustrations of all the resident and migrant macro-moths (the larger ones as opposed to the usually tiny "micros"), showing the moths in typical pose and at life-size. This helps a lot in visually identifying species, and reference to the text then can help clarify the identification.

With a bit of help at times from those who were more knowledgeable, all of the macro moths were identified including those that were caught locally. The latter were Lunar Underwing, Willow Beauty, Pale Mottled Willow, Brindled Green and Square-spot Rustic. Two "micros" were taken away for expert identification, and it is hoped that we may find out what these were to supplement local records.

Willow BeautySome years ago I set out a moth trap in my garden by Wanstead Flats. This was a "Heath" type trap, with an Actinic (fluorescent) lamp of much less intensity than the mercury vapour ones. (It's more friendly to the neighbours!). In the course of the two seasons that I set the trap nightly, some175 species were identified. For a review of this exercise, click here

Thanks to Tim Harris for organising this, to the Conservators of Epping Forest for allowing us to use the Temple and Wanstead Park, to Brian Gotts for opening and closing the Temple for us, and to Anthony and Pat Harbott, Grahame Smith, and Martin who gave us their time and expertise.

Paul Ferris, 25th September 2011

A View from Wanstead Flats

"Obsidian is currently preparing for a masterplan for the regeneration of Forest Gate town centre"

That's the introduction to a proposal for a major regeneration scheme in Forest Gate. It goes on to say that this will refelect the issues and opportunities facing the local community, and that there is much about Forest Gate that reflects its historic past and the quality of the Victorian architecture. It mentions that Obsidian's motto is 'To work with the best of the existing'.

What has all this got to do with Wanstead Wildlife, then? I need to be careful that I don't go blogging off on too many tangents, but I live in Forest Gate, don't really think too much of it - apart from the part where I live - and do appreciate that the area in question, which is adjacent to the station, needs a good overhaul. But here is the crunch. The area in question consists of the likes of shop frontages, community facilities, some villa-like houses - a bit of a mix. But it is a mix that doesn't include anything quite on the scale of:

i) one residential tower of 26 storeys

ii) three 3-8 story buildings

iii) perimeter buildings between 4-8 storeys

iv) Three taller buildings of approximately 7-12 storeys

A comparison of the scale of present buildings in Woodgrange Road, compared to those proposed!

It does include a new public open-space "with access to non-residents", provision for approximately 850 residential units and private parking "limited and controlled by management of the new residential blocks and a controlled parking zone"; oh - and there will also be cycle parking, of course.

Wildlife again? Well, I'm sure the open space will deal with that; apart from the gardens front and back of the existing villas, nothing much will change there. Indeed a releatively new development exists near to Wanstead Park Station and is, to my mind, similar disproportionate dimensions in so far as "reflecting the past and working with the best of the existing" which was erected hard against the Eagle and Child pub and opposite what is a sympathetically-styled health centre. This - the residential development opposite the health centre - has a roof garden, apparently, because you can see the regimentaly-styled tree planting leaning across the roof's "garden" clearly - from Wanstead Flats!

The Shard, Orbit Tower, Capel Point and Westminster Bank Tower.

The proposed 26 Storey Block, plus the others, will be appear between the Shard and Capel Point. Capel Point is 10 storeys!

And so back to Wanstead Flats. Wanstead Flats is - some people eventually find - quite a gem, really. It's easy to see the attraction in the diversity of landscapes in Wanstead Park, but driving by the flat, open expanse of grassland that is Wanstead Flats doesn't necessarily immediately suggest the tremendous feel of openess that can be experienced if walking across it. Great cloud and skyscapes, views of the distant Highgate Hills, the Crystal Palace Hills and Shooters Hill. These are somewhat spoilt by the impossing twin towers at the Leytonstone end, the lesser impact of the 'Belgrave Heights' tower block by Bush Wood, and now the towering 105m 35-storey Pioneer Point skyscraper in Ilford. When the 115m “ArcelorMittal Orbit”, or Orbit Tower for short, is completed, this monstrosity will also be visible as an eyesore from Wanstead Flats. In the distance the even taller buildings of the City are clearly visible and - spreading southwards - now can be seen 'The Shard'. The complex around Canary Wharf is closer still, but all of these are far enough away not to impose themselves.

The Forest Gate project is another matter entirely. It is in no way sympathetic to the historic past or the Victorian architecture of the area, nor is it sympathetic to Wanstead Flats. The very name "Forest Gate" reflects what the settlement was - the gateway to Epping Forest.

The Woodgrange Web Community Website contains views on this subject and is available here.

Paul Ferris, Equinox, 23 September 2011

NO Compulsory Purchase Order for Wanstead Flats!

It has been a while since I issued an article on the website regarding the use of part of Wanstead Flats for a Police Muster, Briefing and Deployment Centre during the 2012 Olympics. As we are all probably well aware, the muster station will be set up and used, despite considerable local opposition. (see here)

However, apparently some social networking sites have been putting out comments that the Police have issued a compulsory purchase order for land at Wanstead Flats, and this is not the case. A statement issued by Detective Chief Superintendent Alaric Bonthron of the Metropolitan Police reads as follows:

"In response to the comment posted earlier on a social networking site, the Met have not issued a compulsory purchase order for land at Wanstead Flats and have no intention to. As set out in the Met's planning application, the use of the fairground area of Wanstead Flats is for a temporary period of 90 days in the summer of 2012 and awaits the outcome of the judicial review process which is currently with the High Court. " 

Paul Ferris, 5th September 2011