Sunday 24 July 2011

24/7 - The blog that never sleeps

Today is the 24th July - 24/7 - a date that has another meaning. We talk about 24 by 7 services, but how many things really are. If I want a meal in Mill Hill, the latest one I can buy is a 3AM Kebab at the Mill Hill Kebab house at the Green Man. If I want to have a drink, the pubs would have long since shut. I can get a Thameslink Train to St Pancras more or less every hour, where you can drink and eat to your hearts content.

The days are gone when the Telly went off at midnight. We all sit up all night tweeting, blogging and all manner of other things granny wouldn't have dreamed of (you have a filthy mind, I mean downloading videos of the Clash !).

Sadly there are other things going on. Last weeks murder at 3am in a brothel in Burnt Oak, showed that Barnet is not quite the sleepy suburb the Council would like you to believe. Anyway on this auspicious date, just consider this.  Most of us live in Barnet because it's not a 24/7 urban jungle.

When I look at the redevelopment plans for Brent Cross, with its huge towers and high density flats (sorry you can't call them that, but there will be Thousands more people per square mile), I wonder exactly what we are sleepwalking towards. Sweet Dreams

6 comments:

baarnett said...

Well, according to Mr Mustard's latest Barnet structure chart, HERE (which is not the one at the top of the blog), there seems to be a downgrading of "regeneration".

Add in the oneBarnet privatisation of the whole department, and I would not put any money on anything happening.

baarnett said...

Given the victory that Barnet Bloggers (bless 'em) have achieved over videoing the wise words of the Council at its meetings, let me draw everyone's attention to the same battle which is still underway, far, far to the west:
carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com

Those people will not doubt be pleased by any interest we show in their similar battle (so why not visit their site?). I'm a bit unclear which political strand opposes openness; it's certainly not the libertarian right, it's more Mr Mainwaring small-mindedness.

ainelivia said...

Ah.... i think i've got it... greater density of population in Barnet... means more income via Council Tax.... by god she's got it...

ok i figured that one out, but if the Council are cutting back on public services, what?? are they going to spend all that extra income on??? more Icelandic banking disasters....

baarnett said...

ainelivia: From stories in the press, "greater density of population in Barnet... means more income via Council Tax.... " is going wrong in a big way.

Brent Cross was going to have everything paid for by the developers, so the money would have rolled in to the council. Then the credit crunch came along, and the developers now want a SUBSIDY to start work.

I imagine there is a good chance the promised "savings" coming from privatisation of the council's services will go the same way.

In all these things, the profits are privatised, but the risk ends up back with the council.

ainelivia said...

thanks Baarnett, so the risk ends up back with the Council, in short means with the Council Tax Payer... i guess, whatever it is, it will sure be a giant wart on the face of the area...

baarnett said...

Last week, I happened to talk to a local resident, and she said the plans for Brent Cross go back well over ten years. So the giant wart has grown under all political parties in control of the council.

But I don't know what the solution is.