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Who counts in London? A thought exercise

Here’s the Evening Standard’s top 20 people “who count”.

Let’s all read this list quietly together, and muse upon who we think counts, and why.

1. Boris Johnson
2. David Cameron
3. Ed Miliband
4. George Osborne
5. Danny Boyle
6. Sir Mervyn King
7. Lord Coe
8. Mo Farah
9. The Queen
10. Bernard Hogan-Howe
11. Nick Clegg
12. Angela Ahrendts
13. Thomas Heatherwick
14. EL James
15. Dame Majorie Scardino
16. Stella McCartney
17. Daniel Craig
18. Plan B
19. Armando Iannucci
20. Duchess of Cambridge

EL James and Stella Mcartney are all very county and all very well, but who, you may ask, is the twelfth most countable Londoner, Angela Ahrendts?

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Behind local anger over the Walthamstow dog track demolition, some deep and difficult questions remain

Rick Holloway, of Save Our Stow, spoke to BBC London after Boris Johnson approved a plan to build houses on Walthamstow dog track.

The Mayor was rubber stamping the decision take by Waltham Forest Council at a contentious meeting back in May.

Mayor Johnson’s approval of that decision will disappoint campaingers given his previous statements. In a letter sent to Mr Holloway in April 2012, the Mayor said he was

“…becoming more and more concerned about this planning proposal as more information comes to light…I understand local residents’ concerns and their desire to see dog racing on this site, and I would welcome a user who was able to facilitate this.”

In November 2010, Mayor Johnson said

“London has a rich tradition of dog racing and it is lamentable that some of its iconic stadia have suffered decline and closure in recent years. I urge Londoners to support this increasingly endangered pursuit and the owners of the remaining stadiums to preserve these in active use or dog racing for the benefit of Londoners. I urge the owners of Walthamstow Stadium to take full consideration of the needs and wishes of local people with regard to the future of this sporting venue.”

These words will please students of political phraseology. While they sound supportive of the campaign to save the track, any firm commitment to help is elusive. So it has proved.

But there are much bigger stories unfolding here too.

First, those dogs. The dog track closed in 2008 for a reason – it was no longer making enough money.

Nationally, dog racing attendances fell 19% between 2004 and 2008. This decline self-perpetuated: smaller crowds led to closed stadia which led to still smaller crowds. Would a restored Walthamstow dog track be able to buck that long term trend? It looks like we’ll never know.

Secondly, housing. That London has a problem with the economics of housing its inhabitants has been well documented. The new plan will build 294 homes, not a negligible addition to the housing stock. According to L&Q Housing Trust, which owns the site, 20% of these homes will be “affordable for local people.” But none will be social housing.

The architects plans for the devlopement (their latest statement is here) are suitably wholesome.

Again, opponents protest. The bulk of these properties will not be bought, and possibly not lived in, by people from the area. They wonder if these plans are really for them. Whatever the dog track was, it was undeniably Walthamstow.

There are also questions about whether L&Q can meet its commitments and still make a profit. Since it receives public money, it would be something of a scandal if it could not. L&Q says it will make a profit. The Standard covers that dispute here.

So where are we?

We’re without a dog track. But we’ve been there since 2008. More importantly, we’re in a planning system which makes scant allowance for how people feel about the places where they live. There’s a dilemma here which resists glib solutions: how to empower individuals without letting NIMBYism kill improvements which could benefit the city as a whole.

This isn’t easy. More houses might well have to built if London is to accomodate its people. The question is, do they have to be built like this?

See also:

Campaign website – Save Our Stow
Architects Conran’s statement – Mayor Gives Conrad’s Walthamstow Homes Plan the Green Light
Walthastow MP Stella Creasy Call on Pickles to Call In Stow Stow Decision Over Value for Money
Evenign Standard – Walthamstow stadium project ‘will lose £14m’
Snipe – The Council Vote to Approve the Plan in May

More food, less booze: the changing face of the West End