Good morning
Quiet few days on the wires, but two threads worth picking back up: the council's fight over developer contributions, and the ongoing repair job on Barnes Pond.
What's on
Free money and benefits advice at Castelnau Library
Age UK Richmond is running a drop-in clinic on Tuesday 29 September from 9am, offering free, confidential advice on benefits and financial worries, with tea and coffee on hand. SOURCE →
Follow-ups
Council pushes back on developer discount plan
Richmond wants ministers to cap developer relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy at 60 per cent rather than the 80 per cent proposed, arguing the levy already funds roads, parks and public spaces across the borough. The council is also asking for the threshold at which relief kicks in to be doubled to £1 million. It comes as Richmond faces the steepest cut to core government funding of any London borough. READ →
Pond gets a planting box after summer's bird deaths
Volunteers from the Barnes Community Association and the Men's Shed have sunk a planting cage into Barnes Pond to help lilies and pondweed re-establish, part of the response to suspected avian botulism cases over the summer. Carp were removed in August after contractors found them eating new plantings before they could take hold. The box is designed to keep birds off the plants while they grow. READ →