Caroline Shah
Strategist and Analyst
Twitter: @JustWantClarity
07737 610605
I have lived in this area all my life. I was born and brought up near Heathrow Airport and now live in Kingston. I am married with two children
I believe that, as human beings, we need to feel that we belong somewhere. I also believe that we need to preserve the natural world and our cultural history, not just for the survival of the planet, but for our own well-being
My mother was English and my father was Indian. My dad came to England when he was 16 years old after the second world war and was one of the first Indian immigrants in this country. My dad became a chronic alcoholic after arriving in London where he struggled to adapt to life in a culture that was foreign to him and in which he did not feel he belonged. Our family lived in relative isolation and, at 15 years old, I was fostered.
I know what it is like to feel alone and the importance of nature and heritage to sustain you
So I am fighting to keep London a place where people and nature can not just survive but thrive together
My research over nearly 5 years has exposed watered-down public policies and flawed and manipulated decisions that reflect a disregard for the well-being of people and which are in the process of destroying London's unique and rich historical and natural environment and ostensibly protected biodiversity
I want to let people across London know how growth plans in the Mayor of London's new "London Plan" will cause significant harm both to the historic and natural world and to the mental and physical well-being of Londoners, particularly the more vulnerable amongst us, and to insist that the plans are stopped before it is too late
I am willing unflinchingly to stand up for people's and nature's legal rights and will fight for these rights to be protected and honoured
Please help me to protect London from The London Plan
We need to act together NOW