Sunday 14 October 2012

Will this fight follow the Queensbury rules?


A new fight is developing in Willesden over the redevelopment of the Queensbury Pub and the adjoining Conservative Club in Walm Lane. The building was owned by the Conservatives who have sold it to Fairview Homes for a development of flats.  The rather handsome building is in the Mapesbury Conservation area. This is the development proposal:


Demolition of existing Public House and Conservative Club and erection of a residential development of 2 to 10 storeys comprising 56 flats (19 x 1 bed, 26 x 2 bed and 11 x 3 bed). Formation of revised vehicular access from Walm Lane to basement car park comprising 23 parking spaces and associated amenity space, landscaping works and pedestrian access from Walm Lane accompanied by a Design & Access Statement and subject to a Deed of Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended (revised description to more accurately reflect proposal).

Locals have started a petition and are gathering a lot of  support, including from Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, Apart from the pub the venue is also used by Busy Rascals, a parent and baby group, and National Childbirth Trust's Bumps and Babies group.


On Monday 15th October at 2pm, the local press will be coming to The Queensbury to hear what the manager of the pub,  Busy Rascals, the pub staff and the local community have to say about the planning application.
A Busy Rascals mother said:
This isn't just an application for a few flats too, it's a whopping great 11 storey redevelopment which is designed to go right up to the street with no community space and will require about 50% occupancy parking spaces and during building work trucks will be accessing via Walm Lane. Apart from the disruption, removal of our beloved local community space and favourite pub and the nature in which Fairview Homes have decided what is best for our community, it is the most ugly proposal you've ever seen in an area that's supposed to be a conservation area. We must do something now!!
The petition against the development is HERE 

 Lodge your objection to the planning application HERE

4 comments:

Martin R said...

Here we go again. Part of our streetscape is to be demolished in order to chase massive profit for the developer and increased council tax revenue for Brent Council. So far the building opposite the station has been torn down so that a 7 storey example of Europap architecture (over Sainsburys) blots out the skyline, the Spotted Dog site crammed full of 43 luxury flats, Electric House at the corner of Willesden Lane closed ready to be developed into yet another 7 storey monstrosity. Then there is the continuing saga of the bid to build 92 flats on the WG Library and Car Park. If there is any doubt how inappropriate that this will be then pop down to Kensal Rise where the lavatorial yellow block has been built on a garage site. Finally there is now a giant new town in Wembley where the original masterplan is even now being compromised by infill blocks of all shapes and sizes, thus blocking out the views forever. If the Officers of Brent Council are actually interested in the ambiance of Willesden Green then they will recommend AGAINST this application. If Councillors were actually reflecting the interests of the electorate then they would be screaming from the roof tops their opposition to this crammed approach to planning. I suggest that its BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD by Fairview to create an appropriate refurbishment scheme to include public affordable spaces

Kate Spence said...

I agree. What seems to be seriously lacking is an update of the Brent Unitary Development Plan, this has not happened since Planning/ Regeneration priorities shifted in 2010. What is needed is an Local Development Framework (LDF) to address the specific needs of each area of Brent including Willesden Green. An LDF has been seen as appropriate for Wembley and Alperton. Why not Willesden? There seems to be a real disconnect between Town hall and the South of the Borough. Placing offices in Willesden in a new WGCC will be too late. The damage will have been done by a lack of thought at the appropriate time.
IN July 2010 a core strategy was written and uploaded to Brent's website but it appears that nothing has been written since then. The plans for the Queensbury are not in line with the core strategy.
I believe that this is the main point to be addressed by local Councillors. Why have our local councillors not pushed for more clarity on the matter of LDF in Willesden Green?

Anonymous said...

The council tax revenue is pretty irrelevant. What IS relevant is that people need homes and London doesn't have enough. Where do you expect people to live? On some tucked away brownfield formerly contaminated land?

This is the worst kind of nimbyism, it really is. Just because Mapesbury posh folk don't want to lose their precious and vastly overpriced pub. It charges twenty quid for a main course for heaven's sake - who do you think can actually afford that!

Anonymous said...

I have just signed the petition, adding the following comment:
I know little or nothing about 'Fairview New Homes' but the space arrangements described at
Wembley Matters: Will this fight follow the Queensbury Rules
seem more the invention of an offshore landlord than a local community.

Alan Wheatley