WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Get up to speed with the Say No to Waymo campaign led by Brent Green Party 💚 councillors Amandine Alexandre and Suzanne Gallagher, ADCU (App Drivers and Couriers Union) and Pull the Plug 🔌
🗓️ Thursday 18 June
🕰️ 12.30pm-1.15pm
📍Online
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/332833596016648?p=UKNooZqLCpdK3fKDWh
The event is open to everyone.
Having got through Planning Committee, with a change from Bingo Hall to Adult Gaming Centre, the applicants are at Brent Licensing Committee tomorrow applying for a gambling licence for the former Lloyds Bank at 1 Walm Lane, Willesden Green.
On Sunday afternoon there was a community demonstration on the traffic island opposite the building. People held up placards with quotes from the many objections to the application.
I took part in the protest
At a community meeting earlier this week called by the police and Brent Council, residents expressed concerns about the deterioration of their neighbourhood, especially in terms of personal safety. Council leader Muhammed Butt attended but did not speak.
There are 245 documents on the Licensing Committee agenda for this application that will be heard tomorrow morning 10.30am at Brent Civic Centre - a lot of reading for Committee members.
There is a document from the police that declares them satisfied with the 24 undertakings given by the applicant and therefore making no representations to the Committee. That document is dated 16th April 2026 - a lot has happened in the area since then but no revised document has been submitted at the time of writing.
Cllr Mary Mitchell (Green, Willesden Green ward) has submitted an up to date statement that is the last on the list of 245 documents. It deserves wider circulation and I reproduce it below:
Supplementary Statement from Councillor Mary Mitchell, Ward Councillor for
Willesden Green Application 37891 – Adult Gaming Centre, 1 Walm Lane, NW2 5SN
Having reviewed the applicant's supplementary submission, I wish to draw the Committee's attention to a number of matters which I believe require careful consideration alongside the representations already submitted by residents and community organisations.
1. I am concerned by the applicant's characterisation of resident objections. The fact that many representations raise similar concerns should not diminish the weight attached to them. Residents are responding to the same proposal within the framework of the statutory licensing objectives and it is therefore unsurprising that common themes emerge. The consistency of concerns relating to vulnerability, gambling harm, crime and anti-social behaviour is, in my view, indicative of the depth and breadth of local concern rather than evidence that those concerns should be discounted.
2. I am concerned by the extent to which the applicant seeks to challenge or minimise the relevance of Brent's public health evidence, including the severe risk of suicidality and mental health denigration linked to gambling addiction. These documents have been developed to help the Council understand local need, deprivation and risk. The Committee should carefully consider whether the applicant has adequately engaged with this evidence when assessing the suitability of the proposed location and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures offered.
3. I ask the committee to consider the applicant’s remarks about the regulatory framework as ‘costly’, citing initial fees of £1400 and annual regulatory costs exceeding £1500 alongside the true cost of gambling borne by the people of Brent.
According to independent data from GambleAware, gambling-related harm costs the Brent infrastructure an estimated £18 million annually across emergency housing, mental health services and criminal justice interventions.
4. The applicant attempts to placate the committee by offering restricted opening hours. However, it is a well-established tactical playbook for Adult Gambling Centres to secure a foothold in a community with compromised hours, only to apply for a 24-hour extension shortly after, as demonstrated in the very case law the applicant cites. The applicant provides no binding permanent reassurance that they will not aggressively pursue a 24-hour rollout after the premise is up and running.
5. Since my original representation was submitted, further incidents of anti-social behaviour, violence, and the tragic murder of a 15-year old boy have been reported within the immediate vicinity of the proposed site, which compromise even further the position that a gambling premise would not cause harm to vulnerable individuals and increase crime and disorder.
These include:
• The murder of Jamal Ringrose, on Dudden Hill Lane on 30/05/26 (CAD9258/30MAY)
• An assault, under investigation, near Willesden Green train station on 31/05/26 (CAD6615/31MAY)
• An assault, under investigation, near Willesden Green train station on 07/06/26 (CAD 969/7JUN)
I do not suggest that the proposed premises would be directly responsible for such incidents. However, I believe the Committee should consider this evidence as part of its wider assessment of the local environment and whether the licensing objective of protecting vulnerable persons from harm can be adequately upheld at this location.
More than 200 representations have been submitted in opposition to this application. Taken together, these representations raise serious concerns regarding the suitability of this location for an Adult Gaming Centre and the potential impact on vulnerable members of the community.
I therefore respectfully ask the Committee to give careful consideration to the cumulative weight of the evidence before it and to satisfy itself that the licensing objectives can be upheld before any licence is granted.
The meeting will now be viewable on line here:
When clicking the link, there is no requirement to enter your email address, on the 18 June at 10.30am, click ‘Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub Committee’ to view.
https://brent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1102285
From Brent National Education Union
NEU members at Woodfield School, run by Compass Learning Partnership- a special school catering for children and young people with complex needs and autism- are still trying to save the jobs of 47 highly experienced and skilled teaching assistants. The importance of these staff was highlighted when a pupil absconded from the school, unsupervised, on a strike day. Striking workers intervened to try to protect the pupil.
Staff have been supported by Brent Council, a number of parents and school transport staff, local union groups, MP Barry Gardiner and the Green Party. It seems that everyone in the community except the Trust itself can see the importance of this campaign.
Lucy Cox, Joint District Secretary stated today on the picket line:
Fire and Rehire will soon be illegal by law- this shows how desperate the Trust is to cover up their misuse of public money
Strikers continue their campaign on the picket line TOMORROW Wednesday 17th June 7.30-9.30 at NW9 7LY and OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION, Great Smith Street, Westminster 12 NOON TOMORROW
Monday's Cabinet meeting will take the formal decision to move to a statutory consultation on the expansion of Phoenix Arch Special School at St Raphael's Estate to the vacant Strathcona site in Preston. The consultation will take place over just one month, June 29th to July 27th.
This follows an informal consultation that Brent Council say demonstrated support for the proposal.
The proposal to expand the school is a response to increasing demand for special school places across the borough for children who present with autistic spectrum condition (ASC). The proposal, that has the support of the Governing Board, would use the expertise at Phoenix Arch Special School to provide for a larger cohort of children than presently.
The Strathcona site was previously used by Roe Green Infants School for primary classes at the time of rising primary school rolls. After closure it was considered as a site for Islamia Primary but this was not popular with parents and Islamia is due to open on the former Leopold site in Brentfield Road.
Phoenix currently has 55 pupils and Strathcona would provide 50 more places, doubling the size of the school. The two sites are some distance from each other and will provide some logistical challenges.
As well as the consultation reported above there was also a public meeting attended by 30 people. The Cabinet paper reports the issues raised by both consultations:
The reasons respondents provided for supporting the proposal include:
That it creates more places in specialist provision for children with SEND, of which there is currently a significant shortage in Brent. This will mean that children with SEND are not left to struggle in an education system that is not tailored to their needs.
That it will provide dedicated spaces for children with complex sensory and behavioural needs which can make mainstream settings unsuitable for these children.
That it will provide for a variety of therapeutic interventions to take place.
That Phoenix Arch School has a proven track record of delivering excellent outcome for students, evidenced by various anecdotal testimonies.
That Phoenix Arch is well-run and has a good understanding of the children it supports.
That it will create jobs and provide opportunities for staff development.
The view that 50 additional spaces was positive, but it may be insufficient to meet need.
The proposal being an opportunity to provide a range of provisions, including sensory calming areas within classrooms; therapeutic spaces outside of classrooms; safe playground equipment in outside space; space for Year 6 students who may not transition to mainstream to get used to changing classes; spaces for assessment and therapy.
Concerns raised, primarily at the public consultation meeting, include:
that the proposal would increase noise levels during school hours which would reduce the peaceful character of the neighbourhood.
that the proposal would lead to an increase in traffic on local roads around the Strathcona site and that the increase in traffic could consequently lead to an increase in air pollution.
that the proposal could lead to a rise in unsafe parking, which could raise risks for pedestrians and other road users.
that access to Wembley Commercial Centre should remain unrestricted 24/7 and that proximity to Wembley Commercial Centre would lead to increased noise levels within the school, which could negatively impact students with additional needs who may be particularly sensitive to their surroundings.
concerns that the satellite site could be expanded further in years to come
The Council's response is documented in the Officers' Report HERE
TIMELINE
The current open space that will shrink if the proposed hotel is built
The view along Olympic way with the hotel in place
In February this year Wembley Park councillor Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam came out strongly against plans to build on the Samovar Space and Market Square between Brent Civic Centre and Olympic Way, close to the Wembley Stadium steps.
He and his co-councillor Cllr Najib Warsame have today reiterated their opposition and have called on residents to support them in fighting the loss of a space that has become the heart of the area; providing a breathing and relaxation place amongst the towers for football fans, concert goers, shoppers, the young and the elderly alike.
They said:
Wembley Park has changed quickly in recent years, but too often development has happened without properly listening to the people who live here or taking into account their infrastructure needs. Our public spaces are being sold off to the highest bidder!
We are still in fervent opposition to the proposed hotel on Market Square and Samovar Space and we will fight it every step of the way. This is one of the few open, shared spaces in the area — used by families, markets and the wider community — yet many residents only found out about the plans when it was far too late to contest it. There is already an issue with a lack of community in Wembley Park which is developing into a concrete jungle with high rise prisons and we believe this hotel only adds to these issues and does not address them.
We will soon be planning our next steps and we would love anyone interested in showing support to contact us!
Join our campaign!
Cllr.Iman.Ahmadi-Moghaddam@brent.gov.uk
The original public petition opposing the hotel development currently stands at 612 signatories.
From Brent Council (Note they really did use match terminology!)
Wembley Stadium will be hosting the following concerts for Harry Styles Together, Together tour in June 2026 on following dates: Wednesday 17 June, Friday 19 June and Saturday 20 June.
Please read below to see how this might affect you.
Timings
- Harry Styles Together, Together tour concert doors will open 5.00pm and road closures will be in place at 1.00pm for all above events.
We expect the area around Wembley Stadium to be very busy before and after this event so please avoid the area if you can, unless you have a ticket for the event.
Event day parking
Event day parking restrictions will be in place from 8am to midnight on main roads and from 10am to midnight on residential roads on Wednesday 17 June, Friday 19 June and Saturday 20 June.
If you have a paper permit, please make sure you clearly display it in your vehicle. If you have an electronic permit, you do not need to display this.
Drink-free zone
We want to create a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
To crack down on anti-social behaviour, we will be enforcing a ban on street drinking in the streets around Wembley Stadium before this event, as part of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).
If we find anyone drinking on Olympic Way or
in the surrounding streets, they will be asked to hand over their
alcohol and enforcement action may be considered.
Road closures
As usual, the following roads will be closed to traffic starting four hours before kick-off and for the duration of the event to help keep pedestrians safe:
Approximately 45 minutes before the final whistle, Empire Way will also close southbound at the Esso Petrol Station on Wembley Park Drive. This will be followed by closures of Wembley Hill Road from the Triangle (Harrow Road) and the Tesco roundabout on Empire Way. These measures are there to create a safe route for spectators returning to Wembley Central Station.
Latest information
For up-to-date information about Wembley events, please visit the Wembley Stadium website
