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Brent Council’sEnvironmentreport 2009/10
www.brent.gov.uk/sustainability
Foreword
The Environment is important to all of us, and coping with changes to it
will be one of our greatest social challenges in the years ahead. Brent
Council is committed to protecting and looking after the environment
around us, with environmental sustainability being one of its main
priorities.
Brent Council has four main routes to promoting sustainability. These are
its own operations, its role as a service provider, its role as a regulator
and its role as a community leader.
Brent Council aims to ensure sustainability is embedded into the day-to-
day work of all services and teams. It has concentrated on promoting environmental sustainability,
encouraging a reduction in the council’s own carbon emissions through the Carbon Management
Strategy and Implementation Plan, developing the borough-wide Climate Change Strategy and
Action Plan, promoting community links and encouraging community involvement in this agenda,
through, for example, Brent Sustainability Forum. The council’s partners, local businesses, voluntary
organisations and individuals have also been working to reduce negative environmental impacts.
This Environment Report for 2009-10 updates last year’s report, giving new information relating to
Brent’s built and natural environment, and the work the council has been doing. Annual updates will
continue to be made, enabling environmental changes to be monitored over time, achievements to
be celebrated, and priority actions to be identified. These reports not only give the opportunity to
acknowledge and celebrate what has been achieved each year, but to both glance back to reflect on
progress made, and to look forward to the vision for the future, and to the actions that need to be
taken over the coming years in order to get there.
Local environmental improvements benefit everyone, both in Brent and internationally - and
everyone can make some contribution, no matter how big or small, to help make Brent a more
sustainable place. It is hoped that these reports will help to encourage action – by the council and its
partners, but also by other organisations, businesses, community groups and individuals – in order
to deliver a more sustainable, positive future for Brent.
Cllr. James Powney
Lead Member for the Environment
Brent Council
What is environmental sustainability?
Sustainability is defined as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs’ (The Brundtland Commission, 1987).
1
Contents
Page
Values and Vision 2
Council Environmental Policy and Management 3
- Environmental Policy
- Environmental Management System
- Green Champions
Climate Change 4
- Climate Change Strategy
- Climate Change and Social Media Project
- Climate Change Champions
- NI188 – Adapting to Climate Change
Carbon Emissions 6
- NI185 – CO2 Reduction from Local Authority Operations
- CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme
- Energy Use
- Schools
- 10:10 Campaign
- IT
- Transport
- Streetlighting
Waste and Recycling 10
- Council Office Waste and Recycling
- Borough Recycling
- Zero Waste
Environmental Improvement 12
- Streetwatchers
- Flytipping
- Clean up Days and Campaigns
- Alleygating Schemes
- Pest Control
- Animal Welfare
- Environmental Noise & Nuisance
- Drainage
- Contaminated Land
- Air Quality
Built Environment 16
- Planning
- Brent Housing Partnership
Natural Environment, Parks and Open Spaces 17
- Fryent Country Park
- Gladstone Park
- Brent River Park
- Biodiversity
Public Opinion 19
Future Priorities 20
2
Brent Council’s Values
A key value of the council is to improve the quality of life for all communities in Brent. A duty to
promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of all our communities underpins the
council’s approach to effective policy development and service planning.
The council will deliver efficient, accessible and sustainable services to excellent standards. It will
develop tailored solutions to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities.
Brent Council’s Vision
In Brent Council’s Corporate Strategy for 2006-10, it outlines its commitment to the environment,
with the vision that:
• Brent will be a great place to live and to visit
• Residents will feel this is their permanent home; safe, clean, and green
• Residents will care for their environment; enjoy where they live and what the borough offers
• Brent will be a prosperous and healthy place with opportunities for all.
In the Strategy, ‘A Green Place’ includes a goal of the council becoming an exemplar of
environmental practice and performance on sustainability issues.
The council’s new Corporate Strategy, for 2010-14, which is to be adopted in October 2010, sets out
the vision that Brent ‘will be a thriving, vibrant place, where our diverse community lives in an
environment that is safe, sustainable and well maintained’. Within the Strategy are the objectives
to:
• Create a sustainable built environment that drives economic regeneration and reduces
poverty, inequality and exclusion
• Provide excellent public services which enable people to achieve their full potential,
promote community cohesion, and improve our quality of life.
Brent Council will lead by example and reduce its GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by improving
energy efficiency in council buildings, encouraging the use of public transport, minimising business
travel, promoting car clubs and cycling facilities and using alternative sources of energy.
Making green choices is very important to many local people and Brent Council wants to make it
easier to do this. A Brent ‘Green Charter’ will be developed setting out how we can work together to
protect our environment.
3
Environmental Policy
Brent Council has its own environmental policy, which was updated in October 2009. The policy
commits staff to working in as environmentally sustainable way as possible and has played a major
part in ensuring that environmental improvements are embedded in the heart of the council’s
operations.
Environmental Management System
The council is progressing well at retaining and increasing the extent of its international certification
in environmental management. Environment and Culture, in conjunction with BACES and
Registration and Nationality Service, has had an environmental management system (EMS) in place
since September 2005. The EMS is externally certified to ISO 14001. In addition to these
certifications, the Information Technology Unit (ITU) and Property and Asset Management (PAM) are
now working towards ISO14001 certification for environmental management. ITU are concentrating
on environmental improvement projects such as consolidating and reducing printing from council
offices, whilst PAM are focusing on achieving a consistent approach to controlling impacts across
their services. ITU hope to achieve certification by October 2010 and PAM will follow in 2011.
ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard for EMS, providing
the management controls and tools which will ensure that the corporate
environmental policy is adhered to and that continual environmental
improvement is achieved. It is an invaluable tool for helping identify and
avoid environmental risks, such as ensuring staff adhere to waste
legislation, for which failure to do so could result in significant fines and
damage to the council’s reputation.
Multiple projects have been initiated by the environmental management system within the council,
with its processes helping identify where environmental improvements could be made, and
encouraging their implementation to be started.
Those that get their environmental management and improvement work certified to ISO14001 are
taking that extra step to ensure that their work meets the international best practice standard.
The ISO14001 standard at Brent is audited every six months, to ensure that environmental measures
are being fully implemented within the council.
Green Champions
A new initiative that was launched in November 2009, there are now over 50 Green Champions
across Brent Council’s offices. The scheme is a new support network of volunteers who assist
colleagues within the council to work more sustainably. Volunteers are trained to give support and
information in five main areas: waste and recycling, energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable
transport and sustainable purchasing.
Quarterly meetings are held, with external and internal speakers, discussions, and general sharing of
ideas and experiences. An e-handbook has also been provided, access to numerous other
resources, and a new Green Champions discussion board launched.
Information and an adapted version of the Green Champions’ e-handbook have also been made
available publicly, to be used by other organisations and businesses in the borough.
4
Climate Change
The scientific consensus is that there is a measurable human effect on the climate. In total, average
global temperatures have increased by about 0.8°C (1.5°F) since 1880, with GISS (NASA's Goddard
Institute for Space Studies) surface temperature record showing an upward trend of about 0.2°C
(0.36°F) per decade throughout the last three decades. The last decade, from January 2000 to
December 2009, was the warmest on record.
Climate change represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing
the Earth. Nowhere will be able to avoid the impacts of climate change. A strategy has
consequently been developed for the borough of Brent, identifying how to respond to the
challenges and opportunities that climate change brings. Rolling out this strategy will help the
borough to work to reduce the extent and impact of future climate change, and to cope with the
changes that are already inevitable.
Brent Climate Change Strategy
The Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Brent was launched at a full day's event in
December 2009, attended by nearly 200 local residents, school children, businesses, public
services and community groups. An interactive theatre group got people thinking about what
climate change means for Brent, in terms of how it will affect people living and working in the
borough, and small actions we can each take in response, to add up to a big change. The afternoon
offered a choice of workshops, or of watching 'The Age of Stupid'. The event was organised by Brent
Council and lead partner Groundwork London. It contributed to the European wide C-Change
initiative, funded by the European Regional Development Fund through European funding body
Interreg IVB.
The Strategy identifies actions that need to be taken by the council, other public sector organisations
in Brent, businesses, residents, and community and faith groups in the borough. Only by working
together will a meaningful and sustained response to climate change be able to be achieved.
Brent residents' climate change pledge was also launched at the event. This asks residents in the
borough to commit to a number of actions that will reduce their impact on the environment, such as
only boiling the amount of water needed; composting their kitchen waste; and going meat free one
day per week.
http://www.brent.gov.uk/climatechange
Climate Change and Social Media Project
An Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) funded project was set up by Brent Council in
February 2010, asking residents to volunteer to monitor their energy consumption in their homes, to
encourage them to take action to reduce their energy use and save money on their energy bills
within six months. The 'Climate Change and Social Media' project with its 'Brent Going Green'
challenge aims to raise awareness of climate change; allow people to easily save money in their
energy bills; and encourage discussion, participation, ideas and suggestions relating to energy use
and climate change from residents.
200 residents, who reflect the diversity of the borough (focusing on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
(BAME) residents, who were less engaged in consultation for the Climate Change Strategy), have
been sought for the project, to show how energy use can be reduced over a six month period and to
inspire others to do the same. Volunteers are given a small energy monitoring device for six months,
and are encouraged to use social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and
Blogger, to create and maintain discussion on energy saving.
www.brent.gov.uk/brentgoinggreen
5
Climate Change Champions Pilots
The pilots were undertaken with:
- Alperton Community School;
- Daniel’s Den (an organisation that
runs toddler groups and local events,
with the vision of parents and children
having the opportunity to ‘know and
be known’ in their local community,
and to see people building
‘relationships that matter’ within and
beyond their cultural/ethnic group);
and
- Age-Link (an organisation that helps
isolated and often housebound
elderly people).
Climate Change Champions
Climate Change Champions is a community-based project which is
intended to reduce the vulnerability of local residents to the effects
of climate change. The scheme works with self-nominated
‘champions’ recruited from the local community to communicate
the message of climate change to their neighbours and peers and
to assist them to take the necessary actions to help mitigate its
effects. Working with Groundwork London, a pilot was run with
three target groups, from January 2010 until March 2010. Group
members were invited to attend an exercise to plan ways in which
they can take steps in order to mitigate and adapt against the
threats of climate change in Brent, which they are now acting
upon.
The Climate Change Champions model was proven to be successful,
and has the potential to continue to promote group efforts to work
towards more low carbon lifestyles.
National Indicator (NI) 188 – Planning to Adapt to Climate Change
Within the council, and with its partners in the borough, action is being taken to prepare for a
changed climate (e.g. higher summer temperatures), and more extreme weather events (such as an
increased risk of flooding). This work on adaptation has been committed to by the council and
partners, having signed up to the Local Government Performance Framework’s NI188 as part of
Brent’s Local Area Agreement (LAA). Adaptation to climate change is beginning to be integrated into
all council operations and services, to enable these to continue as successfully as possible into the
future.
In 2009-10, Brent Council achieved Level 2 of this Indicator (with levels awarded from 0 to 4). To
reach this level, the council has (amongst other actions) communicated its commitment to adapting
to climate change; undertaken a risk-based assessment of current and future vulnerabilities; ensured
Senior Managers are aware of the risks; identified priorities; and begun to implement adaptation
measures in priority areas. As the council progresses up through the levels, it will be supporting and
working increasingly with other members of the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), and embedding
climate impacts and risks across council decision-making, as well as monitoring and reviewing
adaptation procedures.
6
Carbon Emissions
Climate change is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Whilst a quantity of these gases exist naturally in the
atmosphere, since the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, humankind
has been releasing ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gases.
These trap more heat, amplifying the natural greenhouse effect, and
causing the earth to heat up.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant greenhouse gas released by
human activities. It is largely emitted from the burning of fossil fuels
like coal, oil and natural gas. By reducing our carbon emissions, we can
help to mitigate (reduce) the extent of climate change.
National Indicator (NI) 185 – CO2 Reduction from Local Authority Operations
Brent Council has also signed up to NI185, to reduce carbon emissions from
local authority operations. This requires action to manage and reduce CO2
emissions from energy use in council and school buildings, transport, waste
performance and street lighting, as well as those of its outsourced suppliers.
2008-9 was the baseline year for collecting data on the authority’s carbon
emissions, which has been audited and recently released by the Government.
The council and its suppliers emitted a total of 39,222.4 tonnes of CO2 during
the year 2008-9. This places the borough 22nd
(out of 33 – although eight of
these figures may be subject to change) in London.
CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme
From April 2010, Brent Council is committed to the national CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. This
carbon emissions trading scheme is a new regulatory incentive to improve energy efficiency in large
public and private sector organisations, in order to reduce the nation’s carbon emissions. The
council, as a participating organisation, will have to monitor its emissions and purchase allowances,
initially sold by Government, for each tonne of CO2 it emits. The more the council can reduce its
energy use, the less it will cost the council in buying allowances.
Energy Use
Reducing energy use can cut CO2 emissions significantly. Brent Council is committed to improving
energy management in its buildings and promoting energy efficiency amongst staff and across the
borough. In addition to the new post of Energy Manager that was recruited in April 2009, the
council now has a Schools’ Energy Advisor, who started in post in September 2009. Working with
Site Managers and other relevant staff at schools, energy use can be made more efficient and so
reduced – reducing CO2 emissions and saving the schools vital money.
Brent Council has developed an Energy Strategy based on the “Be Lean, Be
Clean, Be Green” hierarchy of principles. The intention is to reduce the energy
demand of the building to its absolute minimum by using simple controls and
passive features (Be Lean) and by the use of efficient heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment (Be Clean). Be Lean and Be Clean checklists
have been developed, with simple actions that staff can take to reduce
electricity and gas consumption. When demand has been reduced to the
minimum, the use of renewable technologies (Be Green) will be considered on
a building by building basis. This ensures that energy generated by the
renewable technologies is not wasted.
What do greenhouse gases
do?
Greenhouse gases act like a
glass roof around the earth,
trapping in heat.
The natural greenhouse effect
makes the earth a liveable
temperature, but excessive
emissions of greenhouse gases
are causing the earth to get
warmer.
7
Council premises Mahatma Ghandi House is leading the way on reducing energy use. Over the past
year (April 2009 – March 2010) it has reduced its electricity consumption (from the previous year) by
16% and its use of natural gas by 9.6%. This has given substantial savings in terms of financial costs,
as well as carbon reductions.
Schools
Many of the schools in Brent are seriously engaged with environmental issues, and there is a great
deal of positive focus amongst them. The council is engaging with 46 schools on energy efficiencies,
largely involving improvements of building operations and installing additional technology.
A Priority 10 Schools project began in September 2009. The highest reduction in energy use since
then has been at Northview Primary School (a 35.6% reduction in energy-related carbon). This was
achieved by installing valve insulation, burner management units, LED flood lighting, and T5 lighting,
as well as by focussing on their monthly energy bills. All of the Priority 10 schools for which up to
date Display Energy Certificate results have been received have improved in their rating over the
course of the year.
Roe Green Junior School commissioned the building of a sustainable teaching block, Evergreen, that
was completed in the summer of 2009. Pupils were heavily consulted throughout the process and
took part in the design of the eco-building. The resultant features of Evergreen include:
• Sustainable solid timber walls, floor and roof panels
• Renewable wind and solar energy
• An under floor heating system powered by geothermal energy
• Rainwater collection for flushing the toilets
• Large roof light windows positioned for maximum levels of natural daylight
• Real-time public display panels to show energy consumption, generation and water
collection.
The total carbon footprint of the building, during both its construction and operation, is zero.
Roe Green Junior School has applied for the Eco-Schools’ prestigious Green Flag award. 34 other
Brent schools have engaged in the Eco-Schools programme of their own accord. 10 of these have
achieved the Bronze Award and a further 5 schools (including Roe Green) have been awarded Silver.
10:10 Campaign
Launched in January 2010 by the Leader of the Council, the Chief Executive
and Director of Environment and Culture, the 10:10 campaign commits the
council to reduce its CO2 emissions by 10% by the end of March 2011.
The campaign focuses on changing the behaviour of staff towards energy efficiency and sustainable
transport.
The Environmental Projects and Policy Team run monthly events in the main council buildings to
engage with staff on ways to reduce their energy use and CO2 emissions. To gain a commitment
from individuals that they will help the council cut its emissions, staff are encouraged to sign a giant
pledge. Over 300 members of staff have already made this public commitment to reduce their
energy use and CO2 emissions. In order to monitor progress throughout the year, regular energy
audits are conducted in a selection of council buildings.
IT Strategy - Green IT
The increasing use of IT has some significant environmental implications - IT
equipment is a major consumer of electricity, a generator of heat, involves
the use of scare resources during manufacture and risks environmental
pollution during disposal.
8
However IT can also contribute positively to the council's environmental impact through initiatives
such as supporting home/remote working to reduce travel requirements and replacing the use of
paper by electronic media.
Brent Council intends to reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact from IT through:
• taking steps to reduce energy consumption through the purchase of more efficient hardware,
a reduction in the overall number of computer rooms by consolidating servers into a few
larger data centres and switching off computer devices when they are not required
• reducing paper consumption through increased use of electronic documents, more efficient
use of printers, multi-functional print devices and toner cartridges
• supporting environment friendly hardware manufacture and disposal (via purchasing and
disposal policies) and ensuring that the council meets the European Commission Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) on recycling and disposal of IT
equipment.
• improving education for staff and the public on best practice in the use of computer
equipment
• reducing transport related emissions through the use of electric or dual fuel vehicles and
greater use of home/remote working.
The consolidation of servers into a few larger data centres will reduce the number of smaller server
rooms with their separate power and air conditioning requirements but will also introduce a new
challenge to maximise the energy efficiency of the new data centres.
The IT Unit will review its environmental impact plans on a regular basis and consider the use of
international tools for best practice.
Transport
When undertaking the Residents Attitude Survey (RAS) for Brent (2,243 residents
interviewed between May and August 2009), Ipsos MORI asked what form(s) of
transport interviewees normally use to get to work. The results show that nearly
60% of respondents use the bus, tube or train for some of their journey, 18%
walk, and 5% cycle. However, 39% of residents still use their car for their daily
commute.
Figure 1: The form(s) of transport Brent residents normally use to commute to work.
9
A new bus route (228), both beginning and ending in Brent, commenced during the year. In
partnership with Transport for London, the council continuously works to improve the availability
and convenience of public transport from within the Borough.
Brent is the lead borough for NORP, the North Orbital Rail Partnership. NORP, which is to end in
March 2011, acts as a link between the local authorities served by the London Overground service
(16 London boroughs and Hertfordshire County Council, as the route
network extends to Watford); LOROL (London Overground Rail
Operations Ltd.), the franchisee that operates the network; and TfL
Rail, which oversees the London Overground, trams, the DLR and
TfL’s relationships with the national train operators. The partnership
exists to obtain the best results from investment to ensure
improvement to the train services and stations.
The end of NORP precedes the expected completion of the upgrades
of the North and West London Lines and stations (including an entire
fleet of new trains) by two months. The final piece of related work, to
be completed in 2012, in time for the Olympics, will be the East
London line extension (the ‘New South London Line’) to Clapham Junction from New Cross, creating
an ‘Outer Circle Line’ referred to as ‘OrbiRail’. Brent will have four stations on OrbiRail: Willesden
Junction, Kensal Rise, Brondesbury Park and Brondesbury.
In the past year, Willesden Junction has seen extensive work to accommodate longer trains and
improve security, connectivity (e.g. a new staircase between the two levels) and ambience. It is
already step-free between street and platform levels.
Street Lighting
The street lighting PFI scheme, which started in 1998, has just entered its maintenance phase. There
is no more capital investment money available. Additional investment is large, and has payback
periods beyond Brent’s guidelines (> 4 years, generally 5- 9 years). However, the scope for energy
saving is significant.
During 2009-10, 31 reflective bollards were installed in the borough. The internal lights are
removed, and the outside covered with a reflective coating, to reduce energy costs.
The council’s street lighting is powered by 100% green energy, with Renewables Obligation
certification (ROC).
10
Waste and Recycling
Disposing of waste in the general rubbish bin has three main negative
features:
1) It means more waste is sent to landfill – of which there
are decreasing amounts available;
2) This in turn costs the council money, due to annually-
increasing levels of landfill tax;
3) In landfill, the biodegradable waste will slowly rot down
– due to the lack of oxygen in landfill, this releases
methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.
It is therefore vital that we all try to reduce our waste (by buying less and reusing more) and recycle
as much as we can.
Council Office Waste and Recycling
An audit of waste and recycling at four key council offices was undertaken to establish internal
recycling figures for 2009-10. Across all of the buildings, there was a total recycling rate of 56%.
However, once contamination of recycling was taken into consideration, this dropped substantially
to 38%. The results highlighted variation across the buildings but that issues of recycling being
contaminated with non-recyclable materials need to be addressed at all offices. The target for 2010-
11 is to reduce contamination and thus increase recycling rates within council offices.
Figure 2: Percentages of waste, recycling contamination and recycling at key council offices.
Borough’s recycling rate
A host of activities have continued to be delivered to encourage
residents to recycle, leading to yet another increase in the borough’s
recycling rate. Unaudited figures show recycling reached 28% during
2009-10.
What is biodegradable waste?
Biodegradable waste is rubbish
that will breakdown or rot over
time (typically made from plant
or animal materials) – this
includes items such as kitchen
and garden waste, paper and
card.
11
Figure 3: Borough recycling rates for 2004/5 to 2008/9.
Continuing this upwards trend, the borough’s recycling rate
since the beginning of the year is 31% (16% organic waste
and 15% dry recycling).
Brent Council is currently working on a new Waste Strategy,
to dramatically improve Brent’s recycling rate, with a longer
term goal of 60% recycling. This target will be reached using
a host of different initiatives based on waste hierarchy
principles.
A children’s recycling competition was held at the council’s
2009 Respect Festival, at which 646 children took part.
Zero Waste Certification
Brent is one of only a few councils to be certified as a Zero
Waste Place. To fulfil the requirements the following
activities are undertaken:
• Educational campaigns
• Waste reduction, no junk mail stickers and
promotion
• Green Zones
12 Green Zones were set up in the borough. Although a
successful example of community engagement, the Green
Zones unfortunately had to be ended in 2010 as a result of
funding cuts by central government.
Within the Landfill Directive only
75% of the 1995 quantities of
biodegradable municipal waste
(biodegradable waste from
households) are allowed to be
landfilled by 2010, 50% of 1995
quantities by 2013 and 35% of
1995 quantities by 2020. If the
country fails to achieve these
targets, then it will face severe
financial penalties from the
European Union.
What does this mean for me?
This fines are likely to be passed
on to relevant local authorities,
which will impact on the finances
available to provide services to
residents.
What can we all do to help?
By composting our garden and
kitchen waste, and recycling
materials such as paper,
cardboard and tatty clothes (that
are beyond being taken to a
charity shop for reuse), we can all
help to reduce the amount of
biodegradable waste that is sent
to landfill.
This will be better for the
environment, help the Council to
avoid fines from the government,
and enable more sustained use of
resources.
12
Environmental Improvement
The council, its partners and Brent residents are all doing a great deal of work to improve the local
environment. There is much to be proud of, as outlined below – but, of course, these successes
need to continue and there is still much more to be done.
StreetWatchers
There are now 219 StreetWatchers in Brent, acting as the eyes and ears of the council.
To increase their environmental knowledge and encourage the dissemination
of environmental information through their community links, StreetWatchers
are taken on educational visits. In the past year they have been to:
• Envac in the Wembley City complex (a novel vacuum-tube waste segregation system, used
to take waste from apartments to segregated material stores, for recycling, organic and
residual waste)
• Compost processing site, in Harefield. This is the site where Brent’s organic waste is turned
into compost
• Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre.
Fly tipping
Annual fly tipping figures continued to decrease in the financial year of April 2009 to March 2010.
This is an improving picture in Brent, with a steady decline reported over recent years:
• 2009/10 – 6492
• 2008/09 – 7862
This decline can be seen in the trend of total reported flytips each month over the past three years:
Figure 4: Reported flytips for each month from April 2007 to March 2010.
The council hopes to see a further fall in flytipping once the free collection service for bulky waste is
restored from 1st
October 2010.
Clean up days and campaigns
From April 2009 to March 2010, Brent Council, in partnership with Operation Payback (the London
Probation Service) and other partners, such as the Police and volunteers, participated in 57 projects
associated with improving local environmental quality. These ranged from rubbish clearing and
graffiti removal, to painting and garden clearances.
13
Alley gating schemes
The council continues to work with local residents and business owners to clean up private
alleyways, keep out flytippers and discourage other enviro-crimes. Participants are encouraged to
take responsibility for their local environment and ensure it is kept in good condition.
The number of residences that abut, front or are accessed via gated alleyways went up from 746 in
2008/9 to 804 in 2009/10.
Pest Control
Annually, over 3,000 infestations on domestic properties are treated, of which over
50% are for rats, which are associated with the spread of disease and damage to
property. This service complements the work undertaken by the council to remove
rubbish and clear alleyways which removes sources of food and harbourage for
these pests. Environmental Health also works in partnership with Thames Water to
arrange sewer baiting for rats. Where colonies of rats can be targeted in the
sewage system, this can lead to a reduction in surface infestations.
Animal Welfare
The fatal attack on Ellie Lawrenson in Merseyside in January 2007 heightened national concern
about dangerous dogs. It was this tragic event that triggered Brent Council, the RSPCA, the
Metropolitan Police and the Mayhew Animal Home and Brent Housing Partnership to set up BARK,
London's first multi agency approach to tackle dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog owners.
BARK (Brent Action for Responsible K9s) is a unique way of promoting responsible dog ownership as
well as tackling anti-social behaviour linked with the misuse of dogs and mistreatment of dogs. While
protecting the public from potentially dangerous dogs remains paramount, the partnership is also
keen to work with dog owners and reassure them that the council is there to help.
This exciting initiative is leading the field in its approach to responsible dog ownership and is making
a real difference in the community. Since the conception of BARK in October 2007 there has been:
1) 124% increase in reports (Met Police stats Wembley)
2) 22 organised raids on properties throughout the borough, resulting in 48 dangerous dogs
being dealt with
3) 20 joint BARK patrols throughout the borough with all partners involved
4) 94 dogs microchipped
5) Neutered 206 Bull breeds for free
6) 8 Road shows throughout the borough promoting the BARK project and responsible animal
ownership
7) Brent’s BARK has been benchmarked throughout the country and is now seen as a model for
all local authorities to follow
8) Defra use the scheme as an example in their Dangerous Dog Law Guidance for Enforcers.
Environmental Noise & Nuisance
Environmental Health respond to over 3,000 reported environmental nuisances
each year, ranging from light nuisance from security lights, dust from waste
transfer sites, offensive smells from takeaways, smoke from bonfires, car alarms,
to illegal raves. The majority of noise occurs at night, which makes up most of the
reported nuisances. Over the last year the service has sought to work more
closely with private and social landlords in problem-solving cases to seek more
lasting resolution.
Drainage
Environmental Health deals with hundreds of cases of overflowing or blocked privately owned drains
and sewers each year to ensure they do not cause a risk to public health or environmental damage.
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Waste or foul water is sometimes misconnected to surface or rain water drains. This can lead to
pollution in local water courses and even localised flooding issues. Environmental Health works in
partnership with the Building Control service and Thames Water to reduce the number of
misconnections and ensure drains discharge to the appropriate place.
Contaminated Land
Brent has been implementing its Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy since it was published in
2001. Since it is the duty of developers to ensure that developments are safe for end users, Brent
Council regularly use the Planning process as a mechanism to ensure that contaminants found on
development sites do not pose a risk to health.
Development of land is the main driver of contaminated land investigation and remediation. In
2009/2010, despite the economic downturn, 26 sites were investigated in the borough for
contamination. 22 of these were through enforcement of planning conditions and 4 were through
investigations undertaken by the council. This equates to an area of 17 hectares of land.
Sites which, due to their former use may be contaminated, are also proactively investigated. Using
this as a process, 17 sites were verified as being suitable for use, either through investigation or soil
remediation works. This equates to an area of 8.4 hectares of land.
Air Quality
The council regularly monitors air quality and currently operates five continuous monitoring stations
as well as non-continuous monitoring using diffusion tubes to monitor nitrogen dioxide throughout
the borough. The council continues to meet the targets set for 1-3, butadiene, benzene, carbon
monoxide, lead, sulphur dioxide but has failed to meet targets for nitrogen dioxide and particulate
matter. In 2008-9, 74.6 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of nitrogen oxides (NOX) were emitted and 2.2
tonnes of CO2 equivalent of particulate matter (PM10).
Air quality management areas have been declared for parts of Brent, with the aim of targeting these
areas for specific improvement, as it is unlikely the targets will be met in the future unless specific
action (examples are outlined below) is taken.
Ozone is not within the council’s scope for control as it is a regional pollutant requiring wider
intervention to effect changes in local levels. To gauge the likely impacts of this pollutant on health
the council undertakes the continuous monitoring of ozone at the BT1 urban background monitoring
site in Kingsbury. The Government’s air quality objective, not to exceed 10 periods in a calendar
year, was exceeded for all years other than 2004. The year 2003 was notable for having a very hot
dry summer conducive to the formation of ozone; hence the much higher number of periods during
that particular year. The number of periods during which the air quality objective is exceeded each
year is now reducing and the target objective is closer to being achieved.
Figure 5: Number of
daily air quality
maxima readings
exceeding 100 µg m-3
each year (1999-
2009), based on 8-
hour running mean.
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What has the council been doing to improve air quality?
• Continues to review planning applications to ensure air quality impacts of development is
reduced during demolition and construction and in areas where air quality is poor. In 2009
Brent Council’s Environmental Health team reviewed 536 applications for planning.
• Continues to secure reductions in particulate matter at Neasden Lane, an area associated
with dust nuisance and other problems for a number of years. The number of times where
the daily mean has exceeded 50ug/m3
has decreased annually, from 191 exceedances in
2006 to 68 in 2009, a 64% decrease. The council is currently working with operators at the
site to enclose other dust generating activities to reduce this further and therefore expects
to report further decreases in particulates in the future.
• Brent Council is a member of the Airtext Consortium. This is a group of local authorities
providing free texts to alert users on high or moderate pollution days. Those with respiratory
disorders like asthma have found the service extremely useful in managing their condition.
The pilot was considered so successful that funding has been received to continue to provide
the service until 2012 (3 years after the pilot was due to end).
• A project has been piloted in four schools in Brent to educate children about air quality and
climate change. Using food miles and a simple emissions calculator, discussion is generated
around climate change and air quality, and understanding of their contribution to local air
quality is developed. The project was well received and is to be provided as a web-based
package for use in schools and for the general public in the coming year.
What are Brent Council’s plans to improve air quality?
• Evaluating air quality impacts of traffic calming mitigation measures
• Encouraging the use of lower emission vehicles through a “polluter pays” controlled parking
permit scheme
• Promoting car clubs
• Installing electric charging points for vehicles to help stimulate the market for alternatively
fuelled vehicles
• Procuring cleaner fuelled vehicles for council work and minimising the number of vehicles
used for council business
• Providing additional cycle access and secure cycle parking facilities.
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Built Environment
The built environment can have a huge impact on the natural
environment. The building sector, for example, accounts for 30-40 % of
global energy use, and urbanisation produces the urban heat island
effect. It is therefore imperative that endeavours are made to reduce
the negative impact buildings in Brent have on the environment.
Planning
During 2009/10, 33 major proposals were approved by the council, of
which:
• 91% were brownfield development
• 14 permissions (providing 999 residential units) were Code for
Sustainable Homes (CSH) Level 3 and 5 permissions (providing
1,060 units) were CSH Level 4
• 7 permissions secured BREEAM ‘Excellent’; ‘Very Good’ was
secured on a further 5 permissions
• Combined Heat and Power systems were proposed on 12
schemes
• 19 proposals included onsite renewables – this included 9 Photo
Voltaic systems, 3 solar thermal systems, 6 biomass boilers and
one ground source heat pump system
• 8 proposals included greenroofs.
Brent Housing Partnership
Brent Housing Partnership (BHP) undertook work on a sustainable energy
programme on the Brentfield Estate in Neasden. It is BHP's first green
estate and gives financial benefits for residents as well as being
environmentally friendly.
More than a quarter of the UK's greenhouse emissions come from
heating, lighting and powering electrical appliances in homes. BHP is
helping Brent Council to lower its carbon emissions and achieve its
government targets.
An external insulation cladding system was applied to 114 homes, with
84 also fitted with photovoltaic (PV) solar electric tiles. Other energy
efficiency measures include loft insulation, aluminium double glazed
windows and doors and using water butts to conserve water. New roofs
were also installed using an ecologic roof tile that removes nitrogen
oxide pollutants from the air and are made from recycled material.
The combination of retrofit upgrades, double glazing, external wall
insulation, loft insulation and the Lakehouse ‘Smart Roof System’ has resulted in a 33% improvement
in energy efficiency (rising from a low D to a very high C), and a 43% improvement in environmental
impact (rising from E to a high C).
The main goals of the project have successfully been achieved: residents are happier, they have
saved money on their energy bills, and substantial reductions in CO2 emissions have been secured.
The Brentfield Estate has so far been shortlisted for two national housing awards including the Inside
Housing Sustainable Housing Awards and the Association for Public Service Excellence.
What is the urban heat island
effect?
The urban heat island effect is
the phenomenon of higher
temperatures in built-up urban
areas, in relation to rural
environments. It is regularly
observed in London.
Why does it occur?
Urban areas comprise of
materials such as concrete, brick,
asphalt, etc, which absorb more
heat than plants and soil. These
materials also store heat for
longer, slowly releasing heat
back into the atmosphere during
the night. The height of buildings
in urban areas also often limits
air flow, reducing the cooling
effect of breezes.
Furthermore, many activities
that occur in urban areas
generate heat, for example,
vehicles, heat loss from
buildings, and heat exhausts
from air conditioning units. The
concentration of people in urban
areas also generally results in
more of these activities taking
place, in comparison to rural
areas.
In addition, there are relatively
fewer areas of green space and
open water in urban areas, which
naturally cool the immediate
area through the process of
evaporation and transpiration.
These factors combine to
produce urban heat islands.
What does this mean?
As a result, the temperature in
central London can often be 10°C
hotter than in surrounding areas.
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Natural environment, parks and open spaces
Brent is a highly developed urban area with a considerable shortage of public open space. The
council’s challenge is to ensure that everyone in Brent has access to the borough’s public spaces,
where they can enjoy safe, clean areas which are rich in wildlife and offer a variety of activities.
Fryent Country Park
Despite a lower frog spawn count from the previous year in 2010 (possibly due to the cold winter),
the long-term trend of increase continues. This is the result of Brent Council, in partnership with the
Barnhill Conservation Group, working on a large-scale restoration programme to reverse the decline
of the Common Frog in Fryent Country Park.
Fryent Country Park has retained its Soil Association Organic Standard. Since late 2009, the Organic
Standard has been extended to the woodlands and timber produce at Fryent Country Park.
Gladstone Park
Sports pitches at Gladstone Park are now in use following the installation of drainage and seeding to
create grass.
The Brent River Park Project
The Brent River Park Project is a partnership project between
Brent Council and the Environment Agency. Brent Council also
works with Friends of Brent River Park to maintain the quality
of the environment and promote the river park as a valuable
and enjoyable community green space. Events are organised
to engage local youth and residents in environmental
conservation, awareness raising and improve social coherence.
Make a Difference Day
On national ‘Make a Difference Day’ on Saturday 31 October, 2009, litter picking and the planting of
flower bulbs were organised at Brent River Park. Already, daffodils, which had been planted by
volunteers six years ago, blossom every year in the park. Many young people came along to do
their bit to help improve the environment. Jayna Mistry (aged 16) commented: “It’s hard work,
however, I very much enjoyed today. I’ll definitely volunteer at the next tree planting event”.
Tree Planting event
More than 20 local volunteers took part in a tree planting event as part of ‘National Tree Week’
activities on 28 November 2009. 20 Field Maple and Alder trees were planted by volunteers.
The proud planters then wrote their environmental pledges
on giant leaves which were tied onto the trees with edible
shoe laces. Young Friends of Brent River Park committee
member, Cassandra Cheng, said “we were very grateful to
see so many councillors come to support us and get
themselves muddy. We hope the newly planted trees will be
flourishing when we plant new ones next year”. Several
hundred trees were planted on other projects throughout
the borough.
The events were organised by the Young Friends of Brent River Park and supported by Brent Youth
Volunteers, Brent Planning Service, Brent Parks Service, Brent Estate Security Wardens and
Groundwork London. The young people received funding from the Youth Opportunity and Capital
Funds via Brent Youth Service to organise the event.
Smaller Parks
The Council also continues to enhance its parks where possible. This includes a new small park in
Chalkhill, and an extensive redesign of the Pocket Park on Tubbs Road (Kensal Green).
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Brent in Bloom
Brent in Bloom is an annual competition that gives local people the opportunity to
show off their gardening skills and aims to make the borough more attractive.
This year's efforts by residents to plant up their gardens, window boxes, school
grounds and businesses resulted in Brent receiving a prestigious Silver Gilt Award
in the London in Bloom competition. The Gold standard was awarded to Leopold
Primary School in Harlesden.
Biodiversity
The Grand Avenue verges form one of 62 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation in the
borough. This green space in a residential setting is divided into segments by side roads. The
amenity grassland is well-covered by trees and shrubs (including oaks, hawthorn, weeping willow,
ash, lime and purple cherry-plum), and provides a variety of habitats in an unusual situation.
Situated in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, this site provides shelter and breeding places for a
range of birds and insects.
The council’s Parks team aim to improve the wildlife and add colour to these verges, whilst
maintaining their amenity and sight-lines. Once changes have started, frequent inspections will be
held during the first year, to obtain information and to amend the management accordingly, to
achieve the best results. Litter picking would continue.
All options could involve introducing wildflower bulbs and plugs of e.g. crocus, wild daffodil, Lady’s
Bedstraw, daisy, Autumn hawkbit, meadow buttercup and ox-eye daisy. Areas near to the existing
shrubs could be planted with slightly taller wildflowers such as common knapweed.
As well as increasing biodiversity on the Council’s own land, Brent Council will seek to work with
partners to enhance biodiversity elsewhere in the borough.
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Public Opinion
In the 2008 national Place Survey 68.3% of residents were very or fairly satisfied with their local area
as a place to live. 71.1% of residents thought that the local public services are working to make the
area cleaner and greener; 67.3% were very or fairly satisfied with the parks and open spaces; and
71.7% of residents were very or fairly satisfied with the recycling service.
Between May and August 2009, Ipsos MORI conducted 2,243 in-home, face-to-face interviews with
residents, aged 16+, from across the borough, to provide data for the 2009 Residents Attitude
Survey (RAS).
The results showed residents consider the most positive things about living in Brent are public
transport (34%), shopping facilities (26%), open spaces (26%) and clean streets (21%).
When asked to rate a range of different public services and facilities provided by the council, those
which residents perceived as being most satisfactory were:
• refuse collection (+78, up from +70 in 2005)
• street lighting (+78, up from +61 in 2005)
• parks and open spaces (+74, up from +56 in 2005).
Responses were also analysed from just those who actually use the services being discussed. Among
this group, satisfaction was highest for:
• parks & open spaces (+81, up from +66 in 2005)
• libraries (+75, up from +65 in 2005)
• recycling facilities (+74, up from +70 in 2005)
Residents were asked how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with the quality of various services in
their local area. 86% of respondents were satisfied with the refuse collection, 85% of respondents
with street lighting, and 79% of respondents were satisfied with street sweeping.
Figure 6: Level of respondents’ satisfaction with refuse collection, street lighting and street
sweeping.
These responses acknowledge that Brent Council is providing highly satisfactory environmental
services to its residents. These positive responses are a target to aim to maintain or better over the
forthcoming years.
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Future Priorities
Brent Council’s key environmental priorities going forward are, over the next few years, to:
• lead by example
• work towards reducing its carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2014
• work in partnership with other public sector organisations in Brent; local businesses;
residents; faith, voluntary and community groups to implement the borough’s Climate
Change Strategy and prepare the borough for the impacts of climate change
• develop and work to a ‘Green Charter’
• make sustainable choices in the purchasing of goods and services
• increase the council’s own recycling rate and reduce its quantities of waste
• increase the borough’s recycling rate through, for example, broadening the range of items
that can be recycled in the borough and making it easier for people living in flats to recycle
• keep streets clean, free of graffiti and dumped rubbish
• improve the biodiversity of the borough’s parks and open spaces
• increase the amount of open space in Brent
• lobby the Mayor of London on strategic transport issues which matter to Brent, including
high-speed orbital bus based services connecting outer London town centres.
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