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Whats in Wapping

Network Wapping Meeting at 7.30pm – 5th September

by What's in Wapping on September 4, 2012 in What's on

Network Wapping Meeting at 7.30pm – 5th September

‘Network WAPPING’ invite everyone to join them for their monthly meeting at 7.30pm this Wednesday 5th September at Pollyanna, 1 Knighten Street, Wapping.

Network Wapping, led by architect John Bell held their first AGM last month and agreed the initial planning forum constitution [view PDF].

We understand that network Wapping has recently submitted an application for a Wapping neighbourhood planning forum to Tower Hamlets Council, who have accepted it for processing.

Around 21 people have stated that they wish to be part of the network Wapping planning forum.

We have asked for a list of network Wapping members to share, but this is not currently available and have been told permission must be obtained from individual members since there is no statutory requirement to make members names public.

Join the network Wapping meeting on 5th September

network Wapping 5th September 2012 flyer

 

Join network Wapping at 7.30pm on 5th September

Everyone is invited to join network Wapping – at 7.30pm on Wednesday 5th September and on the second Wednesday of every month at Pollyanna, 1 Knighten Street E1W 1PH [view map].

View previous posts and read the history about the formation of network Wapping here.

If you are unable to attend but would like to get involved visit www.networkwapping.org, tweet network Wapping on twitter @networkwapping or call 020 7488 2589.

Please help to let others know about network Wapping forum, by mentioning it to people locally, tweeting and sharing on Facebook.

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  • http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk Brock

    I went along, and am more swayed towards its aims. Bit wishy washy still, gist was John expanding a little on the “Why” options from the flyer, then getting the group to expand on the ideas or throw in their own. Difficult to do so without having first seen St Georges plans and ideas. One good idea I liked was trying to have more North/South routes through Wapping (it is a pain to have to go round the ornamental canal at times). Talk of linking these routes with North of the Highway; overall area covered by the forum seems to be Cable St, Highway, Wapping.

    On the organisation side, 24 names have been submitted to TH as members. TH has requested a one-sentence biography on each of them. There were a similar number of attendees last night.

  • Dan White

    I work nights and can’t make these meetings so apologies, but it strikes me as strange John Bell is absent from any online questions and discussions. I’ve tried looking at his Network Wapping website but like others I can’t make sense of it and also twitter but they only seem to post tweets, but never reply to anyone. Their Facebook Page has less than 10 likes and no discussion either.
    Not a good start as far as I’m concerned when we don’t even know who they are.

  • Susshmm

    This group does read like a design student’s school project, but the overeaction of some of the commenters on the fact that they haven’t publicised all the members of the group is laughable. Why didn’t the Turks Head’s crowds allotment association get the same level of scrutiny? I would have thought an allotment association that proposed to charge fees for membership when they didn’t even have an allotment was worthy of more ire!

  • Paul Kellaway

    In fairness to the group, they have made themselves known on WiW, twitter, the meeting at St Peters school with TfL, a stand at the recycling fair. They haven’t received any public money, so to expect them to leaflet the entirety of Wapping is unreasonable. As far as I can see, almost all of the drive to date has come from John Bell, who regardless of your opinions on some of his ideas is trying to do something positive. I would imagine that if as many residents as possible got involved and fed their views to the group that there would be a move away from some of the more outlandish ideas.

    However, having attended only one meeting I don’t speak for the group.

  • http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk Brock

    its like a puzzle website. There’s mentions of non-existent websites – http://www.wellclosevivarium.org,
    http://ravenarts.org/ (works but nothing there), wappinglunarpower.com (or lunarpowerwapping.com).

    Quite a few mentions about Localism Acts and what wonderful powers it will grant this group though. Now where have we heard that before?

  • http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk Brock

    I remain bemused. My best guess is that it is some sort of fantasy game where people can play at town planning with no power or influence….

  • Jan

    If there isn’t a practical purpose then I’d question why they should be given public funding? There are many causes more deserving in my view

  • http://twitter.com/baynesmark Mark Baynes

    I started reading this and thought it was a spam post then realised it was a quote from the Network Wapping site! Sorry Mark :) Have had another look at the Network Wapping site and am no wiser than before. At the meeting I will be asking for a published list of all the members of Network Wapping with addresses – as we need to ensure these currently anonymous people live in Wapping or Shadwell. I presume Shadwell is included?

  • http://twitter.com/baynesmark Mark Baynes

    I live on the Green Bank estate (800 homes) and have not had a leaflet through my door about Network Wapping nor any of my neighbours.

  • http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk Brock

    if people want to have debates about what might make Wapping better, then go for it; I might even join in if there is a practical purpose to it (not sure I’ve seen any yet). If they want to claim they represent Wapping however, that’s a whole different ball game.

  • Paul Kellaway

    Not as far as I am aware. I think larger blocks and those where freehold is held by a housing association or ALMO may have tenants meetings, none of the buildings I have lived in have done.

  • Paul Kellaway

    I believe there is some overlap in membership. I should however point out that I attended all of the meetings about the Town Council and it would be fair to say I do not see eye to eye with Mr Juden et al on the benefits of any additional tier of government.

  • Mark

    Does wapping not have a traditional ‘residents association’ with a nominated representative from each street/block/neighbourhood?
    The various flats and apartment complexes here seem to have good mini-democracies to handle their own issues.

  • Paul Kellaway

    Apologies for wobbly spelling, as well as struggling with over zealous autocorrect my phone struggles with disqus which makes proofing difficult.

  • Paul Kellaway

    I attended the meeting in July, which was advertised online, and was the first I had attended. I think there has been some confusion over the anonymity. WoW asked John, who chairs the group for a list of members and he out of courtesy emailed members to ask if they were happy. As WiW will confirm, I said I was happy to be named.

    I was someone who opposed the Town Council for many of the same reasons as discussed already, and I am seeing how Network Wapping pans out.

    I agree that recreating the climate of Tahiti is fanciful, but these are some things which John and the group have come up with as examples of blue sky thinking (though I have no specific knowledge).

    I hope the forum will be an opportunity for the community to come together and discuss the built environment and planning in the local area. We only need to look at the response to the proposed railings at Capital Wharf to see that there is interest.

    My hope is that network wapping will be an open organisation and for that reason I’m going along to see how it progresses and hope anyone who has concerns voices them here or at meetings.

  • Anne

    Is this anything to do with the group who wanted a Town Council and proposed having a Mayor of Wapping despite having no one to stand for it? Enough said!

  • Raza Khan

    I live in Shadwell which I love (also like Wapping and this website). I saw a poster stuck on a post near me today, in Shadwell. I work in Wapping and walk around here every day at lunchtime but nothing down here on any of the posts I can see which strikes me as odd. Wapping and Shadwell are neighbours but they are very different areas with different needs and should have different local planning forums.

    I looked at the Network Planning website a few times but can’t make any sense of it. Fluffy’s an understatement, they should get their act together and present something understandable rather than pie in the sky nonsense which surely the council can’t take seriously

  • http://www.facebook.com/robin.millward.9 Robin Millward

    Here’s another group wanting to use Wapping as their personal Monopoly board. I can’t understand why the members are afraid of having their identities made public – the alternative is for members to give their permission to have their names made public “for the purpose of identifying members of Network Wapping” or some such. If the network is really worried about data privacy and protection, the Information Commissioner’s office is very helpful http://www.ico.gov.uk/

    I’ve never been to a meeting as they are usually held on a day when I have another regular commitment. It’s enough fun dealing with those who are elected to represent us, where at least some principle of accountability is meant to apply, rather than a tier of unelected and unaccountable individuals who have decided to take advantage of flawed legislation.

  • Mark

    Have you read this? Comedy gold:

    ‘It is proposed that heat given off by the high voltage cables in the concrete tunnels some 40m beneath London, and otherwise vented to the atmosphere, will be channelled into the Vivarium to create the climate of say Tahiti, where Captain Blythe, one time Wapping resident sailed in search, with questionable intent, for breadfruit.’

  • Mark

    The “Network Wapping’ website is very ‘fluffy’ with hardly any information on who they are or what they actually stand for. It reads more like an art graduate’s spec ‘new places for financially self supporting, cultural community activity and performance, supported and inspired by internationally acclaimed performance and teaching’ – what does this even mean?

    I’m all for residents associations but they should be transparent, with membership lists, registers of interests etc.

    Agreed that anything with Wapping’s name should limit itself to Wapping. Tired of the name being misappropriated. Shadwell is not Wapping.

  • http://twitter.com/baynesmark Mark Baynes

    Er…what? These people want to represent the people of Wapping but Network Wapping will not say who they are? For the record Network Wapping does not represent me and I have a feeling they represent no one but themselves.

    I have never heard of an organisation anywhere that pretends to represent people yet hides behind anonymity. Even in Soviet Russia and Mao’s China you new who was telling you what to do.

    We need to stop this Network Wapping nonsense now. They are just as dangerous as the suits from Thames Water.
    Wapping and Tower Hamlets does not need ‘authentic design and art’ or ‘exemplery [sic] cultural activities’ when a lot of people need proper housing, a lot of children live in poverty and food banks are needed to feed people who cannot afford the basics.
    If an organisation which genuinely represents the people of Wapping is formed whose primary purposes is to support provision of the basics – food, housing, a common living standard – then I will back it.
    But Network Wapping is not it. I will be contacting my councillors and the Mayor to make my opposition to this clear. When I find out what the formal process for objecting to this is I will share it.

  • Jenny Fitzgerald

    What is the local area mentioned in the constitution? From the limited information I’ve seen this still hasn’t been agreed and seems much more focussed on north of The Highway and Shadwell. No problem with that but it should be called something else.
    First we have Wapping High School which isn’t in Wapping and now this. I’m getting fed up of people using Wapping’s name to get what they want.
    Also this group has been going over a year, so why are they still unable to publish names, it just makes it sound very suspicious!
    I can’t make the meeting time as I have a family to look after but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in some of the planning proposals (21 Wapping Lane, railings along the river etc)