Brent Business for the Environment environmental information for business

Welsh Harp Eco Park:
Proposals by the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre Action Group

1. The Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre Action Group is a small group of individuals and representatives of various organisations, all who have an interest in the future conservation and improvement of the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre and the Welsh Harp Open Space. The group was formed in March 2002 following arson attacks on the sports facilities at the eastern end of the Welsh Harp and shortly after an arson attack, which destroyed one of the buildings at the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre.

At the same time there was a continuing debate at the London Borough of Brent as to whether the Environmental Education Centre could be adequately resourced. Since 2002 there have proved to be five different Heads of Centre operating the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre.

The job has proved difficult if not impossible for successive educationalists who have suffered from a sense of isolation at the centre with inadequate support both in terms of guidance and adequate financial resources. Consequently no educationalist has stayed in the post for long. The job currently entails a mix of- administration, marketing the courses to schools and other end users, giving the talks to visiting school children, physically managing the site, preparing reports and budgets to committees. The job involves far too many different activities for one person to adequately cover in the time and too many different skills for one person to be capable of carrying out well.

The group met on several occasions and began to develop a strategy for how to improve the situation in a positive way. A Vision Document was developed by two members of the group (John Drake, Brent Business for the Environment and Roger Kelley, Brent Energy Network), which proposed a way of upgrading the Environmental Education Centre by the addition of complementary activities. It linked the Education Centre to a wider area of the Welsh Harp adjacent by way of offering interpretation of the Welsh Harp to all visitors and not just school parties. The Vision Document also included within it proposals in outline for the development of Energy Conservation and Energy Production facilities which could link, via a sustainability theme, the Eco Park and Environmental Education Centre. These proposals after a lengthy period of discussion within the group and subsequent modification became the basis for the commissioning of consultants to provide a factual basis upon which this vision for the Education Centre and the Welsh Harp could be put out to a wider audience.

Following a fund raising programme and drawing up a short list of possible consultants and interviewing these a preferred consultancy was appointed in July 2004 to carry out a Feasibility Study into the Proposed Welsh Harp Eco Park. These consultants, Centre for Alternative Technology Consultancy Services, completed the study in April 2005. During the course of their study they consulted with a wide range of consultees and submitted an interim report to the Welsh Harp Eco Park Environmental Education Centre Action Group, which was discussed, modified and ultimately agreed with consultants. The final report, known as the Welsh Harp Eco Park Feasibility Study version 3, is that report which the Welsh Harp Eco Park Environmental Education Centre Action Group finally accepted and can be downloaded from this site.

We believe that the Bottom Up Approach- involving local people, building support and developing the vision by a step-by-step method is the one most likely to succeed over the long term.

This approach is still visionary in that it includes a series of aims and improvements to the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre and the Welsh Harp Open Space. But these improvements are evolutionary and undertaken as funding/volunteers become available.

Our plan for the Welsh Harp Eco Park is subject to the overriding concern not to damage any of the principal habitats of the Welsh Harp but to enhance their protection and add to the habitat complexity of the site where possible.

1. Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre. This would be a secure fenced area with access under supervision by school parties. A new classroom facility for Secondary School pupils would be built together with a new toilet block facility and covered protected area available for school children to have packed lunches/refreshments on a site of low habitat value. Additional experimental/demonstration habitats such as additional ponds near the centre buildings for school study. Safe pathways through the habitat associated with the Environment Centre. Funding on a regular long-term basis to cover costs.
2. A New Circular Walk. A circular walk around the Welsh Harp Reservoir which would enable people to walk and, or perhaps, in part cycle around the entire Welsh Harp through a series of visually and ecologically interesting spaces. Such a circular path would require detailed discussion with the British Waterways Board, the Sailing Club, the Welsh Harp Conservation Group and English Nature etc. to allow the path to function without damaging their interests. Equally, it will be necessary to ensure that the current privacy and security afforded to wildlife is not compromised by opening up areas, which may create opportunities for vandalism. The path, for example, may require in places it to be fenced off and only open during daylight hours.
3. Sustainable Energy Centre. A new Sustainable Energy Centre will be developed on a site of low habitat value. It will be linked to the Environmental Education Centre by a pedestrian path to create a two centre learning environment for school children as well as being open to all visitors at the Welsh Harp. Its location, size, format and management will be the subject of further detailed planning and discussion with interested parties.

The above three proposals would all require detailed planning and full discussion with all stakeholders on their best development and secure long term management. Once this first phase was completed the operation would be reviewed in the light of how many visitors it attracted. If successful, a second phase could begin which might include the following seven parts:

1. Welsh Harp Visitor Interpretation Centre. A focal point in the Welsh Harp where visitors can see an exhibition of what is happening at the Welsh Harp and understand more about the ecology of the site and the plans for its continuing conservation. A point also where visitors and local people can have face to face contact with the Ranger staff who can receive information about incidents occurring at the Welsh Harp as well as being a place where work parties and volunteers can meet to carry out improvements. Clearing house for information about the Welsh Harp. This may be linked to the Environmental and Education Centre in terms of use of some of its staff but is located outside the area of the Environmental Centre.
2. New Signage. A discreet but effective signage system to be incorporates into the Welsh harp to explain what the different habitats represent and the carrying capacity of such habitats and the species which may be observed within them. The signage would relate to brochures and information sheets, which could be given out at the central information and interpretation point.
3. Park Rangers. For a series of Park Rangers to be appointed on a full time basis to maintain the security of the park and carry out essential maintenance duties. These Rangers to be clearly visible and on duty during daylight hours with police backup at night.
4. Car Parks. Fop the existing car parks to be open, maintained and protected by such means as necessary including video cameras with lights to deter dumping of rubbish and other abuse of the car parks for the benefit of genuine visitors to the park.
5. Development. For areas which are not of great existing habitat value to be the subject of discussion and as and when funds become available to develop these areas into either:
a. Additional new habitats which might admit through their careful design additional public access, for example new ponds constructed with hides and careful fencing to allow a higher density of public access without adversely affecting wildlife and without pressurising the wildlife on the main body of water of the Welsh Harp.
b. Areas which might accommodate more interactive behaviour or recreational type leisure uses such as space for barbeques, children to build huts and other such uses which might normally be associated with peoples requirements to creatively engage with the countryside without adversely affecting the existence of SSSI or high value habitats.
c. To develop additional facilities which might be proposed and be complementary to the Eco Park.
6. Water Quality. The water quality in the Welsh Harp to be improved with reduction in pollution particularly of dangerous pollutants to wildlife and the Sailors of the Welsh Harp by tighter control by the Rangers of pollution and more funds available for quicker response to such pollution.
7. Ongoing Conservation. For money to be available on an ongoing basis to fund projects carried out by volunteers of local people to build new paths, plant new woodland, excavate new water channels and enhance the conservation of the Welsh Harp.

We believe that this plan is one that would command wide spread support particularly if we adopted the bottom up approach and involved local people. We have no doubt that there is immense good will amongst local people and the local authorities of Brent and Barnet as well as other users of the Welsh Harp to achieve the above vision. What is lacking is the finance to implement it now or in the immediate future. There are simply too many other requirements for funding which enjoy a higher political priority. We do not believe that the Welsh Harp and Environmental Education Centre can continue to be put 'on hold' because the antisocial behaviour, vandalism etc. clearly indicate that the Welsh Harp is under threat. It is also a flagship site, which could change people's attitude toward sustainability and biodiversity if properly managed.

Malcolm Scott
Chairman of Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre Action Group
16th September 2005

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