November 2022

James Ball was one of the winners in the Wren Wildlife Group’s photography competition, announced in Wanstead last month as part of their 50th-anniversary celebrations. Here, the estate agent explains the development of his interest in photography and local wildlife

I’ve been interested in wildlife for as long as I can remember. This continued into my teenage years when I also became interested in photography whilst travelling. Eventually, during my mid 20s, the two collided and I’ve been photographing wildlife for some time now!

As the years went by, my interests grew into a passion and I started exploring further afield. I ended up spending most of my spare time in Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and other places, basically, almost anywhere outside of London! All in search of different species of wildlife. Then, lockdown happened.

The restrictions lockdown brought us, the jump in fuel prices and environmental consciousness all really opened my eyes to focus more locally and lower my carbon footprint.

The Wren Wildlife Group provided me with lots of valuable information and those I’ve met so far have been very friendly and knowledgeable. I recommend anybody who has an interest in any nature-related topics to visit their website.

Working in a very busy environment at Theydons estate agents in Leytonstone can be full-on at times, but having the tranquillity of Hollow Ponds and Wanstead Flats so nearby offers a great lifestyle balance. 

I’ve been lucky enough to photograph owls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, foxes and kestrels, all within one mile (as the ring-necked parakeet flies!) from my home in Leytonstone.

The photo shown here was taken ahead of one of our busiest Saturdays at work earlier this year. An early morning walk over Wanstead Flats was required to reset before back-to-back viewings. The sun had not quite risen enough to reach this particular corner of Alexandra Lake, creating the crisp blue tone which I feel complements the grey down feathers of the cygnet. I also like the droplets still visible on the young swan’s bowing head.

Laying on my belly not only covered me in mud, but also allowed me to get eye-level with the subject, hopefully creating a connection with the viewer and adding emotion to the image.

As we approach the winter months, I look forward to not having to wake up at silly o’clock for a sunrise walk! Winter migrating birds will offer new photographic opportunities, and hopefully, I’ll finally get a nice photo of a redwing!

James has a display of his local wildlife photographs in Stone Mini Market, 721 High Road Leytonstone, E11 4RD. To follow James on Instagram, visit wnstd.com/jamesball

For more information on the Wren Wildlife Group, visit wnstd.com/wren

Redbridge Council is making progress towards its carbon zero target, but there is more to do, says Councillor Jo Blackman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Civic Pride 

The impact of climate change is impossible to ignore. As well as the temperature rising, we have seen locally the impact of more extreme weather conditions, with flash floods last summer and record-breaking heatwaves. 

At Redbridge Council, we declared a climate emergency in 2019, which led to the development of our Climate Change Action Plan, adopted last year. This is a three-year plan with 114 actions to help the council reduce its emissions and make progress towards being carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050. 

The plan is driving departments across the council to consider more carefully their impact on emissions. The report on the first year of progress under the action plan showed a reduction in emissions by 16.2%, thanks mainly to a switch to renewable energy sources across the council estate as well as energy efficiency measures for hundreds of low-income households delivered through the Go Green grant administered by the council. We have also reduced the pension fund’s overall carbon footprint by 31%.

Transport was identified as the second-largest source of emissions after buildings, so we need to do all we can to promote active travel and reduce emissions from vehicles. New, segregated bike lanes in the west of the borough, as well as new cycle parking (20 hangars and 100 bike racks) across the borough are helping people switch from cars to bikes. We’ve just introduced four new School Streets schemes, bringing our total to 11, with more planned for consultation.

Where people have to drive, we are supporting the transition from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles by increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points ten-fold – to 600 in 2023. 

Thanks to the introduction of wheelie bins and the expanded range of materials that can be recycled (with the addition of plastic pots, tubs, trays and foil last year), our recycling rate has increased by nearly 10%. Reducing the amount we consume and increasing the amount we reuse is even better than recycling. And that’s why repair cafes have been held across the borough to encourage people to get broken items fixed. Composting can also help reduce waste and we have a new community compost bin on Wanstead Place. 

Action to reduce emissions can also deliver multiple benefits, like improving air quality, making roads safer, improving health and reducing obesity through active travel. And faced with a cost of living crisis and escalating energy costs, improving energy efficiency is a vital cost saving measure, too. 

We have lots more to do to become carbon zero, but we’re making progress.

To view the Redbridge Climate Change Action Plan, visit wnstd.com/ccap

Trees along Wanstead High Street will be pruned before the end of the year, with two dead trees to be felled and replaced in January.

“Highway trees in Wanstead Village were inspected earlier this year, and pruning work was recommended. This will mainly be to remove low branches and cut them back from street lights and buildings, but some trees will require more work and so will lose height or be pollarded,” said Councillor Jo Blackman.

Council-maintained street trees are inspected annually for safety.

We live in a world of regulation where you need a piece of paper to tell you that you have complied with a regulation, says Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee

Try selling a property without the correct pieces of paper and your or the buyer’s solicitor will soon be asking whether you have the planning permission for this, or the Building Regulations (BR) consent for that, and where is the BR completion certificate and the FENSA certificate for your windows? The list goes on.

Does this mean you will have to apply for a retrospective consent for whatever is missing or can you get an indemnity policy to provide an insurance answer because of the absence of that piece of compliance paperwork? This, of course, can lead to stress and delay when the selling or buying chain you are in is asking you to hurry up and find a solution acceptable to your buyer.

In complete contrast, but still on the compliance theme, many of us of a certain age think about whether we should make a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). A legally binding LPA will be found wanting unless at the time of signing you had mental capacity; in other words, whether you or someone else such as your doctor is able to judge whether you had the ability to understand what you were doing when you authorised your attorney to administer all or some of your affairs and possibly make decisions about your health and welfare.

But what if, sometime after the LPA is in operation, doubts emerge as to whether at the time it was signed, the person entering into the LPA had the mental capacity to do so? All kinds of complications can ensue. Did a learning disability exist which affected the person’s ability to sign a valid LPA?

The Office of the Public Guardian which oversees these situations can apply to the Court of Protection to resolve any mental capacity issue which existed at the time the LPA was signed, but challenging the position at court will no doubt be stressful, time-consuming and, inevitably, expensive. So, we are back to the ‘C’ word: compliance, and even if you aim to be paper-free through your computer, someone is bound to ask for a piece of paper at some stage. 

Finally, there is the recently introduced change for trustees where trusts which cover income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax among others have to be registered with the HMRC Trust Registration Service where the trust existed on or after 6 October 2020. Failure by the trustees affected by this change to so register could expose them to financial penalties.

Compliance paperwork. Happy days.

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