December 2021

A new virtual high street service that aims to support local shops will launch in Redbridge on 7 December.

“Residents can use Click It Local Redbridge to buy from any participating local shop and have it delivered on the same or next day. From weekly food essentials, gifts and treats to last-minute basics, customers can buy what they need from as many shops as they like, with one payment and one delivery,” said a Click It Local spokesperson, which is launching the initiative in partnership with Redbridge Council.

Visit wnstd.com/click

Usman Karim, who organises the monthly market on Wanstead High Street, outlines his plans for a special Christmas event this month

Having worked for a local authority in the licensing department for many years, I decided it was time to venture out and start my own business in the field I was most passionate about… markets!

Being a member of my local neighbourhood committee gave me the opportunity to connect with many local residents and businesses, and once I put my idea out there, there was instant support from all. I managed to obtain my first contract with a local authority in west London and it all took off from there.

My motto has always been to bring locals together through shopping and food – the two things people enjoy most – and at the same time, help struggling youths get into work. I have worked alongside many local youth support networks and can proudly say I have managed to help 65 wonderful individuals get into the market trade and become successful market traders.

Having worked with Redbridge Council on a number of projects in Ilford Town Centre, an opportunity arose for me to run the Wanstead market. With the support of the local authority, I put all my resources into improving the Wanstead event.

We were then hit by the pandemic, but this did not stop us from growing. Today, we run a successful market with 30 stalls ranging from arts and crafts, artisanal products, fresh produce and hot food. Some 30% of our vendors are local residents and businesses, and without the support of the local community, we would not be where we are today.

My exciting news is that we’ll be adding to our usual monthly market (which takes place on the first Sunday of the month) with a festive Christmas market to be held on Saturday 18 December from 10am to 3pm. It will be a family-friendly, joyful event, with an emphasis on bringing the community together, shopping local, keeping safe and bringing in much-needed festive cheer.

The Christmas market and our local businesses will have something for everyone, with lots of gift ideas, decorative items and, of course, delicious food for all the family to enjoy. Plus, we are organising a choir to sing carols outside the Oxfam shop for half an hour from 1pm. In addition to the music, festive stalls and food, we are also aiming to create lots of activities for children to play, make and do, so the whole family can spend the day together enjoying the festivities.

Do get in touch if you want to be involved with a stall on the day or have an idea for an activity at the event.

The Wanstead Christmas market will take place on the High Street on 18 December from 10am to 3pm. For more information, visit wnstd.com/market

Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee talks about adverse possession – sometimes colloquially described as squatter’s rights – and the issues landowners should be aware of

If you own a house with a front and rear garden with fencing along each boundary, adverse possession – a squatter asserting that they are in occupation of part of your land – will not likely concern you. But if, for example, the end of your garden, or part of it, is fenced off by an adjoining owner who then cultivates or uses it in some way to demonstrate that you as the true owner are no longer in possession, you might, after a lengthy period, find yourself facing an adverse possession claim.

The legal position on this aspect of the law changed in 2003 with the introduction of the Land Registration Act 2002. Before the Act came into force, if a squatter could prove they had been in control of the land for 12 years or more, then they could oust the true owner’s legal title. That remains the position with unregistered land, but the 2003 Act changed the law with registered land.

From October 2003, the length of time to prove adverse possession was reduced from 12 to 10 years. If the squatter after that period makes an application to the Land Registry for an order to cancel the true owner’s land title, the registered owner can then serve a counter notice opposing registration of the squatter’s title, in which case the squatter’s application will fail.

However, opposition to the squatter’s application could be rejected if it would be unconscionable to do so. This could arise if the true owner had, over the years, behaved towards the squatter in such a way that demonstrated they did not object.

Another example could be if the squatter had been in adverse possession of land adjacent to their own under the mistaken belief they are the owner of it. This could arise if the squatter altered the line of the fencing between your land and theirs to produce a straight line and you made no objection. After 10 years, that outcome could result in the loss of a small amount of your land.

For an adverse possession claim to succeed, the squatter needs to demonstrate physical control together with an intention to possess it, which is normally deduced from the actions of the squatter. In addition, the possession must be without the owner’s consent.

The 2003 change in the law means it is now almost impossible to obtain title by adverse possession. But just remember that any act by an adjoining owner over a 10-year period which incorporates part of your land with theirs without objection could result in the loss of your legal ownership of it.

Wiseman Lee is located at 9–13 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, E11 2PU. For more information, call 020 8215 1000

The brutal murder of David Amess MP was a viciously personal act, but it was also an attack on democracy, says Leyton and Wanstead MP John Cryer, who believes technology giants are creating hostility

MPs must be accountable to their constituents through things like public meetings, surgeries, coffee mornings and local forums. We must not allow blood-witted maniacs to win and undermine our democracy.

I often disagree viscerally with those in other political parties. That does not mean my opponents are evil, just that I happen to believe they are wrong. I spoke about this and about David Amess in the recent parliamentary tributes to him.

Most of the country is familiar with the murder of Jo Cox in 2016 and the attempt on Stephen Timms’s life in 2010. Considerably less well known is that in 2000, Andrew Pennington, a caseworker for Nigel Jones MP, was killed by a constituent with a sword.

After Jo’s death, there was some consensus that politics had become personal and abusive and that situation had to change. The consensus was fleeting, and within a short time, normal service was resumed. Much of the poison emanates not from the mainstream media but from the online world. It is very clear that some of the technology giants have deliberately adopted an approach which inflames any given situation and creates hostility. The Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, recently gave very compelling evidence that her former employer deliberately fostered extremism and hatred in the headlong pursuit of profit.

I am not arguing that technology companies are directly responsible for violence but they certainly foster an atmosphere where violence becomes more acceptable. ‘Lone wolf’ terrorists – to use a phrase I detest – do not exist; someone, somewhere is responsible for grooming and exploiting the young men – and they usually are men – who commit monstrous acts. The technology giants make this easier. Personally, I would like to see Mark Zuckerberg and others standing at the bar of the House of Commons accounting for their contemptible actions but, more importantly, there should be criminal sanctions brought to bear on their activities.

Long-standing residents may remember that in 1965 there was a by-election in the old Leyton seat, during which the Nazi Colin Jordan tried to sow hatred and fear around the issue of migration. It reached a high point when Jordan led 100 Nazis into a public meeting in Leyton Town Hall. That poisonous intervention took weeks to plan and organise. Fascist sympathisers could live for years in neighbouring streets without knowing of one another’s existence. Today, extremists in Leyton and Wanstead, or anywhere else, could be in touch and start organising in minutes.

I wait to hear what measures the government and the Speaker of the House of Commons intend to introduce to protect MPs.

To contact John Cryer MP, visit johncryermp.co.uk or call 020 8989 5249

Bruce the black swan became entangled in fishing line on Hollow Pond last month.

“After tempting him over with sweetcorn, I managed to catch him. The discarded line was wrapped around his left wing, which I managed to untangle. I then examined down the length of his neck to feel for an internal fishing hook. Thankfully, there was no hook, so I slowly pulled the line out from down his throat, checked him over and released him,” said Louisa Green, a volunteer rescuer from The Swan Sanctuary. Visit wnstd.com/swanrescue

The great hype that was COP26 in Glasgow has passed with a whimper of diluted agreements and lowest denominator promises, says Troy Da Costa from Wanstead Climate Action

COP26’s lofty aim of ‘uniting the world to tackle climate change’ was reduced to a “pathetic limp rag of a document,” as described by prominent environmental writer and activist George Monbiot.

What was billed as humanity’s last chance to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial temperatures by 2050 got off to a poor start. A leaked document exposed lobbying by Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia to play down the need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels as stated in the UN’s IPCC Climate Change Report 2021. World leaders from China, Brazil and Russia were a no-show, and as if to prove the hypocrisy beyond doubt, many who made the trip did so by private jet.

The IPCC report outlines the facts, stating in categorical terms: “Observed warming is driven by emissions from human activities,” the majority of which come from extracting and burning fossil fuels. It further outlays the current observable effects of global warming and uses models to predict a grim reality the world will face at just 2.5ºC hotter.

Regardless of this stark warning by the scientific community, industry and world leaders have decided against the health of the planet, choosing instead to pander to the almighty economy.

On the streets of Glasgow, Wanstead Climate Action and thousands of other protesters marched to put pressure on proceedings. For us the vision is clear: continued life on Earth requires a radical change in human behaviour. The bottom line is there is no profit in change, but not to do so will cost us everything.

Targets set by the Paris Agreement in 2015 were never met and agreements at COP26 have no basis in law, meaning they can be changed, forgotten and ignored without consequence. The hypocrisy continues as Alok Sharma wags an accusatory finger at India and China for watering down the already weak agreement to stop using coal to generate electricity by 2040 while standing only a few miles from where a new coal mine has been approved in Cumbria.

What has been agreed? A worldwide carbon tax on the worst polluters? An immediate halt on burning fossil fuels? An international fund to be allocated to the worst affected communities? A statute on which Jonas’ brother is the cutest? None of the above. The fossil fuel industry sent the biggest delegation and came out the biggest winners.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said about the approved texts from COP26: “Collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradiction…Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe.”

For more information on Wanstead Climate Action, visit wnstd.com/climate

There is public concern that recent planning decisions and Redbridge Council’s approach to planning do not respect the special character of Wanstead, says Crispin Acton of the Redbridge Liberal Democrats

Permission for the demolition of a Victorian house on Sylvan Road and its replacement with a much bigger block of flats and approval for the construction of a café kiosk on Christchurch Green are two examples of the cause for concern. The former was decided by Redbridge Council’s Planning Committee in March, despite more than 200 objections. The latter was decided by one councillor at the end of August, despite 192 objections.

And a recent reply to a Freedom of Information request to Redbridge Council shows that only two enforcement actions have been taken in seven years in the Wanstead Village Conservation Area.

Most residents we have spoken with do not wish to oppose any and every development outright. For example, residents of Sylvan Road asked for changes, such as reductions in height, but, frustratingly, had no response.

It is unfortunate that Redbridge Council does not engage with residents on planning applications, other than the minimal consultation required by statute. In our view, this makes the process unbalanced, since there are extensive discussions with developers. It gives the impression that planners see their role as facilitating a development rather than giving a fair hearing to the concerns of residents – many of which will be ‘material considerations’ in planning law. There is, surely, an onus on Redbridge Council to go ‘the extra mile’ to involve residents and to follow democratic process, especially where it is, in effect, approving a planning application from itself. Vision, which put forward the refreshment kiosk on Christchurch Green, is an arm of the council.

We are deeply concerned for the future. The government tightened the Housing Delivery Test in 2020, making local development plans invalid where an authority delivered less than 75% of the target over three years – it was 45% in 2019. We think this manipulation of the National Planning Policy Framework is wrong, implying the pandemic had no impact on the achievement of the targets. We believe this should be challenged by Redbridge Council and not simply accepted.

We also think it wrong to suggest planning committees are now required to wave through any and every development. In our view, they still need to exercise judgement and to consider objections seriously where these are ‘material considerations’. There is certainly no reason why the council should not take the trouble to engage more with residents, as the best councils do. This can help to achieve a solution that meets the needs of the local community and the developer. Insensitive developments should not be imposed on residents in ways that detract from the special character of Wanstead.

Crispin Acton is secretary of the Redbridge Liberal Democrats. Visit wnstd.com/rld

Residents gathered on George Green last month to watch local milkman Steve Hayden switch on Wanstead’s Christmas tree lights.

“The event was a great success and an opportunity for the community to come back together as last year’s event didn’t take place due to lockdown. For many, the switching on of Wanstead’s lights has come to mark the official start of the Christmas season. Our thanks to panto characters from Redbridge Drama Centre and the Wanstead Church School choir,” said Councillor Jo Blackman.

Local businesses have accused Redbridge Council and Vision RCL of not supporting them following the decision to allow a pop-up Christmas tree market on Christchurch Green.

“There are at least seven shops in Wanstead that traditionally sell Christmas trees. They pay rent, rates and VAT. As a charity, Vision does not have these overheads. This venture is unfair competition to businesses struggling to survive. Please shop local; the shops are here for you all year,” said Darrell Toakley Williams of the Wanstead Business Partnership.

A statement from Wanstead Village ward councillors: “We understand there have been some concerns about the pop-up Christmas tree market on Christchurch Green. We have been assured the vendor must leave the Green undamaged as part of their agreement and that they have paid the market rate for use of the space, which will be ploughed back by Vision RCL into local leisure and parks maintenance. We hope the market will bring more visitors to Wanstead and we encourage residents to shop locally on our High Street.”

A statement from Vision RCL: “We are working with Tree Amigos to bring a Christmas tree fayre to Christchurch Green. Alongside selling trees, there will be family activities, such as wreath making, storytelling and face painting to create a Christmas spirit… Our focus is on bringing more people to the local area, supporting the High Street and providing a festive aesthetic… The Tree Amigos are also based in Lloyd Park in Waltham Forest. All income generated is invested in the ongoing maintenance of Christchurch Green.”

Local golfers presented a cheque for £18,125 to Cancer Research UK last month.

The money was raised during a biennial event at Wanstead Golf Club, attended by over 100 players. The gathering – which took place in October – included a BBQ, karaoke competition and a raffle and auction. “The captain, Steve Johnston, and I arrange this charity event every two years. This is our fifth time over the last 10 years, and we have now raised over £40,000 altogether,” said golfer and local handyman Gary Cox.

The AGM of the Wanstead Society took place last month. Members of the committee reported on different aspects of the Society’s activities, which Acting Chair Eileen Flinter outlines here

During the pandemic lockdown, the Society waived membership fees for the year (normally £10 per household) and urged people to spend the money in local businesses instead. Nevertheless, several unsolicited donations from members meant the Society ended the year in a financially healthy state.

Our key fundraiser, apart from subscriptions, is the annual calendar of Geoff Wilkinson’s photos, generously sponsored by Petty Son and Prestwich. No calendar was produced for 2021, due to Moments, our key retailer (after the Wanstead Festival, which didn’t take place last year) being closed for much of 2020. Happily, the calendar is back for 2022 and is proving very popular (despite, or maybe because of, two overlooked printing errors!)

There was some discussion at the AGM concerning the forthcoming refreshment kiosk on Christchurch Green and the selling of Christmas trees on the same site. Some members were concerned that both ventures offered unfair competition to local businesses at a time when they are still trying to recover from the prolonged closures. Vision RCL is a charity and, thus, exempt from business rates and VAT. The committee is monitoring these developments and is in touch with local councillors and will report any updates through the Society’s website and newsletter.

Included in the invitations to attend the AGM, members were invited to donate food and personal hygiene items to Tin in a Bin as well as new underwear for the The Corner House Project. In true Wanstead style, donations were generous and several people emptied their wallets so that £60 was then spent on warm socks and thermals in addition to the large bags of items collected on the day.

The Society was sorry to say goodbye to Iris Vandenberghe, who has decided to stand down after many years chivvying the council to provide litter bins in the quest for a cleaner Wanstead. The committee and members expressed their gratitude, and Iris agreed to become an honorary committee member and attend meetings which need her expertise.

Scott Wilding, the Chair, was unable to attend the meeting due to testing positive for Covid, but he is standing down from this position for a while and I was appointed as Acting Chair.

The meeting closed with thanks to all who attended – the largest and most participative turnout for some years. Finally, thanks were also offered to The Cuckfield for offering their premises for the meeting and providing refreshments for all attendees.

The Wanstead Society 2022 calendar is available from Moments, 69 High Street, Wanstead, priced £8.

For more information on the Wanstead Society, visit wansteadsociety.org.uk