Dear All,

Thank you all for your previous interest and concern for the future of Newham City Farm and about the Beckton Parks Master Plan proposed by Newham Council. We hope you will welcome this update from our perspective after a long period of no news from the Save Newham City Farm campaign. We have not gone away and have just been awaiting developments. We will also be updating the Save Newham City Farm Change.org petition which has been signed by over 48,000 people. https://www.change.org/p/rokhsanafiaz-keep-a-community-farm-in-newham This petition was presented to Newham Council in October 2021. 

Please find below the links to the Beckton Park Master Plan Guide and Map which are now available on co-create and hard copies from Beckton Globe and Custom House libraries. In fact, as of very recently, if you type in Beckton Parks Master Plan, there is now a whole webpage dedicated to the Plan. 

https://www.newham.gov.uk/downloads/file/7771/guide-to-beckton-parks-masterplan

https://www.newham.gov.uk/downloads/file/7763/beckton-parks-map

Please note that it is now Councillor Miraj Patel, Deputy Cabinet Member for the Environment who now replaces James Asser, now MP for West Ham and Beckton, in presenting the Foreword on p4-5 of the Guide.

A number of documents have been published since East UK Architecture's Final BPMP Report of July 2023, the documents presented to Cabinet in January 2024 and the most recent public brochure. The others still exist on the new web page and Newham Co-create. It is not entirely sure which one is the "official" one and there are some differences which we have found somewhat confusing.

FYI Work has very recently started on the lake area of the Beckton District Park North part of the Plan. 

The park was open again in time for Autumn half-term and there are some significant changes. The fish stock, most if not all, has been removed (presumably rehomed, we don't know), trees and bushes managed / coppiced or cleared, protective fences and new benches installed around the lake, wild flowers sown and a new reed-bed installed at one end. Fishing is no longer permitted at all. As the club house has long been out of use, there had long been an issue with breaches of by-laws relating to the type of equipment allowed, licences, overnight camping, littering, injuring and even killing wildlife, drinking and using the bushes as toilets. 

The fence around the playground area has been removed altogether and, we think, some of the existing play equipment has been repaired. The park gates are now usually being locked at night time which was not previously happening.

There are boards displayed around the Beckton and Custom House Parks with a summary of what is proposed in the BPMP for each area subject to funding and suitable operators being employed for some of the amenities. The boards have QR codes with links to the most recent BPMP guide publication. 

There should, according to previous communications, be opportunities for residents and the parks users to ensure that the plan is implemented with community needs and interests at heart.

With regard to the "Community Farm with Green Skills Hub" aspect, whilst different documents make vague reference to the possibility of farm animals being included, these do not have the focus which we  persistently expressed is important to many and, from our interpretation, the choice of wording does not make it at all clear whether the "animal offer" which former Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for the Environment, James Asser publicly committed to at Council in October 2021, is guaranteed. Whilst the Green Skills Hub and Community Gardening proposal is exciting and welcomed, we had very much hoped to be reassured by the inclusion of James Asser's commitment to an animal offer with this explicitly honoured within the BPMP Community Farm proposal. 

We, of the Save Newham City Farm campaign, are still hopeful of an opportunity for an expert, dedicated external operator to take on implementing the Community Farm aspect of the BPMP which will take into account the need for animal interaction for all the various reasons and community members to whom this is beneficial and who may not necessarily benefit from the other aspects offered by the BPMP and farm. As we know, many community and city farms, supported by their local authorities, are operated successfully by external expert organisations in the UK and include animals within a wider provision. Often, it is, in fact, animals which are the greatest attraction and create the opportunity for revenue as well as education and discussion about conflicts of farming practices in relation to decarbonisation and climate challenges. We would also hope that any future community farm permits and values maximum community involvement and provides local people with opportunities for training and volunteering with animals as well as in green skills. We are also acutely aware of issues around youth violence and anti-social behaviour in the Beckton and Custom House areas and the need for more opportunities for them to keep out of trouble and have heard evidence from parents and carers that volunteering with and interacting with animals can help with this.  

If you do have further questions or concerns about the farm or BPMP, please do email the Cabinet Members for Environment, miraj.patel@newham.gov.uk, sarah.ruiz@newham.gov.uk, your Ward or relevant committee Councillors or beckton.parks@newham.gov.uk (copying us in if you don't mind doing so) or, if you are local, raise your questions with Ward Councillors at your local Councilor surgeries, details of which can be found here on the Council website: https://mgov.newham.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=ALPHA&VW=LIST&PIC=0 

Previously, Stephen Timms MP, as former Patron of the farm, has been very supportive of the campaign to Save Newham City Farm. However, now the relevant MP is James Asser, who championed the Beckton Parks Master Plan, so you could also try contacting him. 

Looking very much forward to positive progress on the Beckton Parks Master Plan and the Community Farm with Green Skills Hub AND animals!

Kind regards,

Alison McLucas
On behalf of the Save Newham City Farm Campaign Team