24/02/2014 Inside Out London

Hello. Here is what is coming up on Tonight Show. It is home to some of

the UK's rarest wildlife but is it under threat from a proposed new

airport? 300,000 birds come here for the winter. To place an airport here

is of grave concern to us, this is of international significance. We

unveil how London plans to become the dance capital of the world. We

have the artists, the audience, we just need a bit more space and

infrastructure and then we will take London to the top of the Premier

League. And find out how the Post Office helped win the First World

War. Just five months after the outbreak of the war, 28,000 postal

workers have signed up to fight. The postal brigade made a fine site.

If London is going to keep pace with its European rivals, then expanding

its airport capacity is crucial. But deciding on the best way to achieve

this is a source of much heated debate. Now the Airports Commission

has already short listed proposals for new runways at Heathrow and

Gatwick. But it hasn't ruled out plans for a completely new airport

on the Isle of Grain in the north Kent marshes. We sent Naturalist

Mike Dilger to find out what this could mean for the large areas of

protected natural habitat there. It's this dramatic landscape that

inspired Charles Dickens in the opening sequence of Great

Expectations. "Ours was the marsh country?. The dark flat wilderness,

intersected with dykes and mounds and gates." It's not the most

romantic of places ` in essence it's wild, wet and windy. But alongside

that industrial backdrop the wildlife thrives.

There Roberti from all over the world, they're coming from

Greenland, Arctic Russia, Norway, Finland. Alter North Kent for the

winter. We're on a great flyweight, one of the five great migrator

re`routes on the planet. Some of the populations are core populations.

Third of all those birds that were here last winter were at this single

site. I have to say as a bird watcher this is as exciting as it

gets ` there is a massive swirling flock of Dunlin. But this special

area of conservation is currently being considered as a site for

London's largest airport hub. This is the Isle of Grain and if the new

proposed airport plans go ahead I'll be standing right at the centre of

an international hub with four runways and carrying over a 150

million passengers a year. The ambitious plans put forward by

architect Lord Foster include not just an airport but a new tidal

barrier to protect London from flooding and a high`speed orbital

railway. Over the next 20 years there will be a 20% increase in

population. We are talking about the region of the Medway towns.

Statistically, they are deprived, relative to the rest of the nation.

So there is an opportunity here to use the airport development to

regenerate those towns. Businessman Clive Lawrence believes the airport

is just what the area needs. He's set up the campaign group Demand

Regeneration in North Kent. Much as we love the area, this is not

paradise on earth. There are tens of thousands of people who are in

poverty. There is a lot that needs to be done. We need good management,

money, and neither is here. So when a project comes along like the

airport which promises to deliver something in the order of ?100

million a year to the local council for better public services, you can

begin to see what an attraction that can be. But those that live on the

doorstep of where the airport would be built disagree. This is already a

harp, it is a hub for birds, it is no place for an airport. It has

never come here. The proposers of the airport will say this area needs

recommit regeneration. We are south east of London. But I'm a realist. I

know if there was an airport Hilton head, I would move away and find

somewhere else to live. The new Forest is no place for an airport.

This is like the new Forest but even better. But nobody wants an airport

on their doorstep. Of course, but not everyone has a world`class

wetland. This is protected under local, national and international

law. It must be protected motors for the birds and wildlife but for

future generations to enjoy. It is a sky full of wings. That is

really, really nice. One of the biggest supporters of the

Isle of Grain airport is London Mayor Boris Johnson. Daniel Moylan

is his aviation advisor. I think the Isle of Grain is the only option

actually, because I think if you look at it, and realise Heathrow is

never going to be expanded, and that expanding Gatwick is not the right

answer. A new runway at Gatwick does not provide the hub capacity we need

to survive. The right place to go with the right support and services

from a social and economic point of view, would be to the eastern side

of the capital. Building an airport here would have a huge impact on

this internationally protected marshland. The reason why the north

Kent Marshlands are such a Mecca for birds from all over the northern

hemisphere is down to mile upon mile of this stuff mud glorious mud. It's

so chock`full of molluscs, crustaceans, lugworms `plenty of

food for a vast array of birds. I'm looking out on a big flock of waders

and there are primarily two species ` the black and white oyster catcher

with the orange bill and they are probing just under the surface and

then the other bird is the curlew with the huge anchor bill and they

are probing much deeper looking for lugworms to gobble down. The idea

that all of this would need to be destroyed and removed to make it

safe to fly aircraft, let alone build an airport on top of all of

this, it would be environmental vandalism, because this is one of

the most important sites are these migratory birds in the world. It is

on their flight path. To remove this chunk from their flight path would

be an absolute disaster. Under European Law, if this protected

marshland was built on, developers would have to relocate these birds.

Habitat relocation is something that is well understood because it has

been practised successfully on a large number of other projects, both

in the UK and elsewhere. Completely in compliance with European law.

There is no reason to think that can't be done in the estuary. But

the RSPB claim it's not that simple. The magic of this place and the

mystery is that in the heads of the birds behind this is a genetically

programmed flight plan, so they will be coming back, if the airport was

built here, these birds cannot be moved. If you satisfy European law,

then these birds are programmed to come back here, genetically. It

takes centuries to change that. The future of the Thames estuary remains

uncertain. The airport commission will decide by September if the Isle

of Grain is a viable option. The light's fading and it's just

about dusk at the end of a memorable day bird watching. And just out here

are a couple of Marsh Harriers. Just quartering the Marsh, looking for an

unwary prey it ` males with their lovely black and white wings. And

that shallow wing so distinctive. And the females, all brown with a

yellow head. Such a smart bird, a bird of the marsh land. And a great

end to the day. Still to come... The war meant that

Londoners saw something we weren't used to. Women were being employed

in temporary roles, they felt they needed to simplify the job so these

districts like N one, started to be introduced and carried on to this

day. Contemporary dance might strike some of you as a niche art form, but

things are changing. An exciting new wave of dancers and choreographers

have been pulling in record audiences for their shows, so much

so that the hunt is now on for a brand`new theatre to help establish

the capital as a global dance powerhouse to rival New York and

Paris. Audiences have been flocking to this

part of London to be entertained since the 17th Century. That means

punters have been buying theatre tickets here for more than 300

years. Today Sadler's Wells is on something of a roll. The audience

has come to see a piece by one of the most significant contemporary

dance choreographers of the last 40 years, Pina Bausch. Whatever is

going on here it seems to be working. Over the last few years

ticket sales are up by a third, and Sadler's Wells recently announced a

relatively rare event in London, plans for a new theatre. The success

at Sadler's Wells has been masterminded by this man. Alistair

Spalding is celebrating ten years as the theatre's Artistic Director, and

has plenty to smile about. Why is now the right time to look for a new

theatre? There is something going on now, dance is the thing, and we need

more room for expression and creation for more audiences. It

feels like this is an energy we want to go along with. Contemporary dance

has always had this reputation amoung mainstream audiences of

perhaps being a bit self`indulgent, inaccessible, maybe even

unwatchable, is that fair? I think people do have that perception of

dance, but it is a very different art form now. Matthew Bourne, his

Swan Lake is not like what you would see at the Royal Ballet. It is a

different art form now. Pina Bausch has led the way in combining speech,

music, movement and imaginative sets to appeal to audiences. The whole of

the stage is covered in real grass setting Sadler's WellS technical

director, Emma Wilson something of challenge. We have never done this

before. We are in the middle of the football and rugby season so we can

get turf and we got it delivered. Every four or five days we may have

to change it. Over the two weeks we might get away with two coatings of

turf on the stage. We may need to have three. How does the audience

react to it? If you like at projection and digital imagery. All

of those are quite interesting. You might have a performer that is

interacting with animated movement. He is alone on the stage, but with a

huge amount of animation on stage that he can interact with. This

gives it a new dimension. It is not something you could do ten years

ago. It is an exciting time to be working in theatre.

Sadler's WellS is one of London's oldest theatres. Its current

incarnation, this modern design opened in 1998.

There have been six different theatre buildings on this site since

it was founded in Islington in 1683. How did this theatre come to be

here? Well, it is because there was a well. There was a man called

Richard Sadler and he discovered a well and you get Sadler's WellS. And

it was a time when taking the waters was popular. He thought it would be

nice if he built a music house on the side to entertain people and

that's how it starts. It had more colourful episodes in

its history, didn't it? They started to use the water to brew beer. At

that point it really rowdy. There was a stampede in which 18 people

died and there was also things like they used to flood the area and put

sea battles in and the crowd were really, really rowdy. Charles

Dickens said that it was famous for its rowdiness and a fight could

break out at any moment! Fights and rowdy behaviour are a thing of the

past. But saddlers wells hasn't lost its ability to surprise. This is the

company of Elders, rehearsing for a hip`hop performance, all the dancer

are over 60. Pam Zinkin is 82! I don't like ballroom dancing. I don't

like being pushed around by a man! Good for you!

Contemporary dance is a lot of freedom and creativity. Do you get

the sense that contemporary dance is becoming more popular? Oh

definitely, yes. This group for instance, it has closed. There is a

waiting list and people can't join us. We would love them to come, but

there isn't any room. The contemporary dance now featuring

can trace its race back to the turn of the last century. The bare feet,

loose hair and free flowing dresses, a rebellion against the rigid

formality of classical ballet. This wall has the faces of today's

leading lights of contemporary dance. They are associate artists

performing here and across the world. They include Sylvie Guillem

who continues to mesmerise audiences in her late 40s.

This is the choreographer. The young Israeli choreographer who whose work

brought him worldwide acclaim. I caught up with him on the stage

that helped make his name. How important has this place been to

your career? It was part of a project where my work performed in

three differe theatres, from a small one to a medium one and the last

performances were here. Since then my company has grown and

become really international. They are continuing the journey with me.

So yeah, invaluable. Really amazing. Hot new choreographers like Hofesh

Shechter have helped Sadler's Wells become a powerhouse. New York and

Paris have lots of different spaces of different sizes for dance to go

to. We are lacking that in London. We have the artists. We have at

audience. We need more space. If we have that, we will take London to

the top of the Freeing the Premier League of dance cities around the

world. There is the issue of finding the money to build the venue which

could be ready 2018. There is a more immediate problem to solve. So what

are you going to do with the grass once it is finished? We are trying

to dispose of it as sustainably. We have contacted local farms,

allotment societies, anybody in the staff who knows local schools.

Anybody that can come and take it, they are welcome to. The more it

gets reused, the less we have to compost. I like the idea of having a

bit of turf in my garden that's been danced on? It is theatrical turf. It

might inspire you in the summer. You never know!

The First World War began 100 years ago this year. Back here in London,

the general post office played a vital role in keeping the war effort

moving as well as boosting people's morale. Lucinda visited its archives

to find out more and unearthed a few surprises along the way.

On my way to the fighting lines, I found the body of Captain H Peel who

I gather from the letters lying on his side was your husband. Captain

Peel was killed in action and a died by the wounds received without

suffering. That was one of the many millions of letters that were sent

and received during the horrors of the First World War and one I fear

that poor Mrs Peel would not have wanted to get. As well as bringing

horrific news, the post was used to keep morale up and convey military

information and it went through the GPO in London. The sorting office in

Mount Pleasant is one of the largest in the country and in its basement

lies the archive, a murky and yet intoxicatingly room that holds the

secrets of what the Post Office did 100 years ago. So how was the GPO

affected by t first war? In a big way. It was a huge impact on the

Post Office and the effect of the whole process of sorting and moving

the mail was on a massive scale that the Post Office never encountered or

experienced before. At one time you are having 19,000 mailbags crossing

Channel and in the run`up to 1915, you were looking at 500,000. The

sorting office at Mount Pleasant which was a massive sorting office,

it wasn't big enough. They had to build a brand`new temporary

structure in Regent's Park. It was the largest wooden building anywhere

in the world. The largest wooden building in the world? Yes. That's a

thrilling statistic that it was. You have got a wondrous mass of stuff in

these archives. How do you come by most of it, any of it, all of it?

Most of the archives are transferred from Royal Mail. We acquire material

from auction. A lot of items people have given us to safe keep for the

future. This item related to William Cox. This is a letter that Cox wrote

back it his brother and sister. He writes, "One of our fellas was

killed and I'm sending you one of his waistcoat buttons as a relic. He

was struck by a shell and his body was blown to pieces. I'm sending you

a small piece of a small that went over our office." 28,000 postal

workers had signed up to fight. Their postal brigade made a fine

sight, but this meant the Post Office suddenly became very short of

staff and so, for the first time ever, female postmen were seen on

the streets. There were sorting duties to be done which necessitated

duties at the office at 5am or 6am. I thought I knew my London well. In

the early morning when there is a quality of freshness and cleanness

in the air that strikes one with wonder, this was written by Mary

Hughes a post woman at the time and it shows that they took to the job

with vim and with vigour and with much delight. You might like to see

this. What I have got in this box is a post woman's hat from 1916. Look

at that. You can see this hat is made from straw. It has got this

lovely ribbon and the GPO badge which let people know these were

post women and they were one of the many thousands of post women who

joined up. How many thousand? At the start of the war there were about

2,000. By a year later, there were 22,000 more and by the end of the

war, there were 53,000 more in temporary positions. So by the end

of the war, they made up half of the workforce. As if having women

delivering our mail wasn't change enough, the war meant that Londoners

were to see something that now we take for granted, the postcode, it

was introduced for the first time. London was already divided down into

a number of districts, north district, south`east district, as a

consequence of the First World War and temporary workers felt they

needed to simplify the job to allow for the fact that people were new to

it and so they introduced the districts as a consequence of that

change and so these numbered districts like N1 started to be

introduced and carried on through to this day.

So the First World War is responsible for London's postcodes,

but it turns out it was also responsible for some of our first

bomb shelters. At the time, the Post Office was developing its own

underground railway for moving mail and it was used to store some of the

nationa portrait gallery's most precious art. So this is where they

brought all the paintings. Tell me more? Correct. Well, for the first

part of the war, the gallery was storing its collections in the

gallery's basement, but by August 1917, they were increasingly

concerned about the threat of aerial attacks. They were advised to move

the collections underground. There was only one member of gallery staff

who was on duty at any one time. Government advised we may want to

arm them with revolvers to maintain the security of the portraits, but I

don't think they wept ahead with that. Was it top`secret? I think it

was top`secret. A lot of the records we have are stamped secret and in

confidence and there was a very small list of people who were

authorised to come down into these tunnels and to be around the art

works. Top`secret, those words made me

think. Surely all this letter writing backwards and forwards and

to and from the front would not go uncensored. Censorship was very much

in force from the beginning of the war and the Post Office were

responsible for managing and overseeing that service. This was

from a chap called Harry Brown who was writing to his mother. It gives

a limited range of information that one can write. If you put anything

on it other than that it he wouldn't be sent. It would be destroyed. It

was to enable people let people know all was well.

The war went on for four ghastly long years with the GPO beavering

away to keep things going. Sad news was being delivered of lost loved

ones with a consistency, but the letter to Captain Peel's, which I

read earlier, shows there was a modicum of decency. I feel it as a

human duty to communicate you this sad news. The letter was in fact

written unposted by a German soldier.

If you want more stories about world war one, there will be more on the

BBC website. If you missed that, I will give it to you before the end

of the programme. That's about it. Let's have a look at what's coming

up next week: We join the Fraud Squad and reveal

the latest council house scam. We have five cases this morning. All of

allegations that the property has been sublet. We are hoping to catch

the sub tenant in the property. Why these gardeners are fighting the

Government to save their athe lotments. Add `` allotments. Adding

700 houses this this area is madness. Building houses on an

allotment site is immorale. And when brains meet brawn, the rise

of chess boxing. It goes back to an old concept of warrior poet who is

emotionally sensitive and capable of thought and planning.

That's all from this week's Inside Out London. If you missed any of

tonight's show, catch up on the iplayer. Go to:

Thank you very much for watching. See you next week.

Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. Two women and four

dogs have