No Vote means you will not be told of HS2 plans in Belsize

No VOTE No SAY!

I am shocked and appalled to have canvassed many local Belsize residents, especially if they are not on the voting register, simply appear to have been ignored by Camden and all the political parties in relation to HS2 consultation.  To further evidence my concerns I have only on Tuesday 16th May discovered that the recently announced HS2 Belsize Workshop with Camden Officers of 19th May 2pm to 8pm at Swiss Cottage Library was actually as reported to me by a Camden officer at the request of a Belsize councillor which smacks of political opportunism just 2 days before the local elections and only three days to the deadline for petition submission on the 23rd May. 

What is so scary that many of our local residents still do not know of the highly disruptive tunnelling and air ventilator shaft plans that will unless the HS2 route changes will go ahead through Belsize in 2019 with massive “utility” preparation works from 2016 – 2018 in Fellows Road, Eton Avenue and other surrounding streets, it is not yet known the full extent of the collateral disruption to our iconic leafy area. I call this the community party political disconnect. No Vote No Consult. How often have local politicians seen every day asking at the doors to find out if the electorate lives at an address, when told they don't have voting rights for what ever reason, the politician hastily makes a retreat. Is this a "true" sign of democracy. NO. When I have canvassed a non voter, I still capture their local concerns and inform, especially on matters such as HS2, which most certainly effects them on Eton Avenue. This is the BIG advantage of being Independent.

The disruptions to Eton Avenue will adversely affect the local school run to the large number of private schools there. Also Fellows Road together with parts of Adelaide Road will see the bulk of the disruptive preparation GAS and water mains replacement works ahead of the tunnelling operations currently scheduled to start anytime around 2019. The disruption to Belsize could last a decade,

Those that have been notified by local political party communications have been told that HS1-HS2 Link through Camden (Camden Town) has been cancelled, which it has, But many have been therefore by use of clever wording been falsely given wrong impression that Belsize HS2 route has been changed or cancelled, which it has not.

I am also surprised by the large number of people asking me about the phoney Tory referendum and the official HS2 petition. It is clear to many that the former is nothing more than a shrewd ruse to gather email, phone number, voter intentions intel-op, as for the later which is being promoted by Camden council is a “real” petition direct to Government Select committee, which must be delivered to Portcullis House together with a payment of £20. Many of the economically challenged families most likely to be hit along the council estates route from Euston all the way past Kilburn simply do not have spare money or access to legal advice on making the highly legalised worded formatted petitions. This is a very divisive and undemocratic process.

Groundhog Day Talks on HS2 revisited!

Copyright of (c) 2012 Ham & High, Cartoonist Ken Pyne

This cartoon about the stupidity of so-called HS2 Consultation was created by cartoonist Ken Pyne of Ham & High back in 2012 to accompany a letter that of mine that the paper had published about the craziness of HS2 and the "Deja Vu" effect that I later coined the phrase "Groundhog Day Talks"

This is the letter I wrote back in 2012 at yet again another HS2 Community forum. Not much progress has been made from 2010 to 2012 and little if any progress has been made to the present Day with now the consultation over and "only" the petition which is a very specific legal instrument that must be formatted and written in a very precise way, delivered to Portcullis House, House of Parliament by 23rd May 2014 and a submission fee of £20 to boot!

Just in case you are wondering "Deep Piles" is a technical expression and not actually a medical condition from sitting in so many consultation meetings, but one could easily think both was true!

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As I reported several weeks ago after attending a HS2 Primrose Hill to Kilburn route consultation HS2 Community Forum on 28th March 2012 at Swiss Cottage Library. I made several points.

Which the HS2 meeting chair / facilitator agreed with me;

1. Consultation is not making progress and learning in what has previously been gained from previous consultations.

2. The route has endless "wriggle room" possibilities with no real drive to create an effective and minimal impacting route.

3. Engineering uncertainties skewing route on risks based on "Deep Piles" and "Boggy Pockets" along the route, creating much uncertainty for the residents Gloucester Avenue and King Henrys Road, Primrose Hill.

A few days ago circulated to all meeting participants, I received a draft "Primrose Hill to Kilburn Notes" by email.

Where I was compelled to make this reply:

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"Dear HS2 Community Forum Chair HS2 Ltd.

If this is an example of a quality document (I am taking draft edition into consideration when I say this) capturing the views and opinions expressed at this highly activated and mobilised meeting then I am now compelled to revisit all my copious notes from the said meeting.

What has been attempted here is a distillation of thoughts and real concerns into a bubble diagram of key tag words.

'Boggy Pockets', 'Deep Piles' and numerous other concerns are there but statements from representatives on the almost unanimous consensual view that no one felt that this consultation process came anywhere close to being a meaningful actual consultation process is notable by its exclusion.

Please also note you have me listed as representing a Co-Op Housing Association at Camden Council!

I am a co-opted member of Camden Council Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.

Clearly, it appears that there is a cohesive luck of focus with attention to details on all HS2 Limited consultation processes this far. Which let me remind is essential to the of 'Duty of Care' and Due Diligence of HS2 consultation as stipulated in legal framework of consultative law.

Regards

Nigel Rumble
Co-Opted member of
Camden Council Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee."
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I received this statement from the HS2 Community Forum secretariat by email.

"I have amended the notes to cover members’ scepticism around the overall forums process."

So I have achieved a victory of sorts as I have managed to get recorded that there was members scepticism at the HS2 consultation meeting!

I will not pass judgement here of the response but just go back to my opening line "Groundhog Day Talks" you may have seen the movie, imagine every day starting again over and over. That's HS2 Consultation.

I was going to use the Möbius Loop as another metaphor, but settled on "Groundhog Day" due to its more closely fitting the point I was articulating.
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England's Lane "Time-Lapse Belsize "and HS2 facts.

Time-Lapse Belsize

Many of you may have seen and engaged with me in England's Lane when shooting my film "Time-Lapse Belsize" on March 9th 2014.

1 Day, 1 Junction, 3855 photographs, 1 film and 1 Independent.

A Day at the central hub of Belsize life, which will if HS2 goes ahead could be devastated for up to 10 years, with all Adelaide (main road) traffic being re-routed around this already busy junction.

Please join me on my venture and support me to become the first ever "true" Independent councillor in Belsize, Camden representing the area which is my home for more than 45 years.

The film has started to be widely seen and has earned a lot of hits on my YouTube channel. Which was the whole point to help raise awareness in and out of Belsize of the beauty of Belsize and to set the scene of allowing people to imagine the whole of Adelaide Road traffic being diverted through one of the hearts and souls of Belsize. We may not be able to enjoy a cafe late post 2016 / 17 with 100s of juggernauts driving in the area and diverted traffic past constantly.

It is highly expected that the Sulphur Dioxide SO2 and nitrate pollutants known to be responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year and countless asthma bronchial related diseases from vehicular construction and re-routed traffic will actually force many of these business to have to close there doors and have installed air filter scrubbers to purify the air to meet the "strict" European Health and Safety standard for air quality.

The so-called wise politicians of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats parties  "fail" to fully comprehend either the health risk associated with heavy re-construction in built up London areas namely Camden, or simply don't care. Other "No 2 HS2" campaigners like me are scattered up and down the whole planned route from Euston to Birmingham.

I am all for improvements to essential infrastructure in my country and to build for the future but at what cost? This "white elephant" of a project is in the view of Conservative Boris Johnson Mayor is quoted as saying;

HS2 'will cost over £70billion', says Boris Johnson

The cost of building the high speed HS2 line will cost around double the planed official estimates, according to Mayor Boris Johnson.

I would venture further, in my analysis of any very large government infrastructure project the start estimate always goes up by three to four times. Why? you may well ask, its because the scope of the project uses a linear planning model, it does not have a time line dependent and non dependent modular "Sand Boxed" build concept as is used by large multi nationals like Microsoft, Apple or Google. I should know,  I have worked for multi nationals as a project manager for many years and have actual "real-world" experience at project delivery.

Does CEO of Apple Tim Cook give out a blank cheque no off course not, but it appears the UK government does! Not in name but in practice. Once the HS2 tunnels core boring starts, does it stop no it goes on until finished, it can't stop. Any problems or snags on route will have to be reprogrammed into the project plan - called project creep, also known as "Cost PLUS" Cost PLUS was actually used by the UK government in project procurement, especially the Ministry of Defence projects back in the 70 and 80s. Later it became the favoured modus operandi for the Thatcher (last term of office for Conservatives) and even through the Blair and Brown Labour Government. But under a new name PPP (Public-Private Partnership) better known as PFI.

The commercial risks are still present but deflected away from the public body (Government) to private investors. But then as I have said above does a project like HS2 stop half way between Euston and Birmingham, no off course not. Again Cost PLUS and the TAX Payer pays the meal at the end of the banquet!

Oh did I write that the private Investor taking the risk is ultimately the British TAX payer, well it is each one of us will be footing the final bill one way or another for many years to come.

Will the HS2 "white elaphant" project truly create British jobs for British people, well no, why should it? Private enterprise will use thousands of contractors to deliver against the aggressive delivery schedules. Personnel will be brought-in, in ways that is completely out-side of Government's control.

The workforce will come from accross Europe all the way from North America and Canada, specialist workers with special advanced skills sets. It is expected that workers will come mostly from Europe, where the skill to wage ratio is at a premium currently in the construction industry.

An old adage. It is not the flow of the worker from deprived and unemployed UK to deliver but it is the flow of the cheapest wage ratio to employment market work force that will dominate. It is not expected that the UK jobs for British workers will feature as an overriding concern of the private investment companies wanting to bring in the project on-time and in-budget, especially where fixed delivery contracts are in force. 

Nigel Rumble, Cinematographer, Filmmaker and Photographer

Copyright (C) 2104 Nigel Rumble

Groundhog Day Reminisces in Belsize Park!

One of the most pressing concerns for local Belsize residents is and continues to be the shambolic HS2 botched plans for carving up Camden and especially the wild scale destruction and disruption to leafy Belsize for at least a decade, which could start from as early as post general election in 2016-17.

Despite what the political parties of the current sitting councillors for Belsize sending out communications by email and letters suggesting that that HS2 will not affect Camden that is only one half of the bigger story. Whilst it is true that the HS1-HS2 Link through Camden Town which would have decimated large parts of Camden Town and the iconic Camden Lock and have caused disruption to the residents there on a scale approaching what many of the oldest in our community there to be reminiscent of the aftermath of WWII blitz, in terms of construction working. Thankfully the boss of HS2 saw the light and cancelled that part of the project as being sub-standard so yes Camden Town is safe.

But that has not changed the "air shaft" in Adelaide Road nor the HS2 tunnel construction through Belsize.

Are you aware that if the proposed route of HS2 goes forward that three large tunnels each larger than the size of a London double decker bus will pass under Fellows Road and that is despite the recent mis-messages from your local Tory councillors and the misleading "fake" HS2 petition from Tory PPC Simon Marcus, which was nothing more that a name, email address and voter intention gathering intel op.

Most concerning is the close proximity of the three HS2 tunnels being constructed under the foundations of the large 22 storey old 1967 concrete towers with mostly unknown and undocumented foundation features with concrete in a declining state of repair in the lower basement areas. 

I have on record from a HS2 surveyor/engineer that the Chalcot "towers" will sink slightly (settle) and can lean over by several degrees over the proposed tunnels and that surface cracking in the structures is a possibility.

I have yet to obtain a more definitive statement from HS2 Limited on this key question concerning the safety and lives of more than 2,500 residents of the Chalcots.

HS2 Limited assures us that all planning permissions have considered these facts.

Do we trust them!

Illustration by (c) Gail Gibbons. My Daughter has approved this illustration for use here!