Enraged locals campaign against Carlton Tavern vandalism

Carlton Tavern after demolition

and before...

Anger is building on the borders of Brent and Westminster over the demolition of the Carlton Tavern on the eve of the building being granted Grade II status by Historic England.

There were rumours today that the company concerned  had gone into liquidation to avoid legal  action.

A demonstration is planned for the evening of Sunday April 26th, more details when it is finalised.

Meanwhile a 38 Degrees petition has been set up LINK with this preamble:

A historic pub in Kilburn which survived being bombed in the Second World War has been demolished by developers behind the backs of the local community.

Developers ripped through the Carlton Tavern on Friday 10th April, despite being considered for statutory listing.

Local Cllr Jan Prendergast from Westminster City Council said:

“I'm horrified for the local residents that this has occurred. It came as such a shock to everyone. There was no prior warning to the council, no approvals and no proper health and safety procedures in place.

“This was a lovely pub and I'm sorry to see it go, but I'm more concerned for the residents in Maida Vale for whom they showed no consideration whatsoever. It was the last building standing in Carlton vale after the WW2 bombings.

“I've lived in the area for 35 years and have never seen anything like this before. We need to take very careful legal advice as to what steps we can take.”

The demolition of the Carlton Tavern demonstrates how vulnerable communities are to speculative and aggressive development tactics. It also demonstrates a complete disregard towards the historic social infrastructure of Kilburn and the wider UK pub heritage stock.

Local pubs are at the heart of our communities and allowing valued pubs such as the Carlton Tavern to be demolished in this way is ludicrous and is denying local residents a say in the future of their neighbourhoods.

James Watson, Regional Pub Protection Advisor for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said:

"Although we welcome the recent changes to planning law which came into effect on 6th April 2015, which afford some protection to ACV-registered pubs, the tragic case of the Carlton Tavern demonstrates just how vulnerable pubs are to rapacious development. We now urge the Government to take this case into consideration and amend planning law to ensure that such demolitions are prohibited unless planning permission is first obtained. This would ensure communities like Kilburn have a say in the future of their local pubs."

The Save the Queensbury, fighting for the pub in Willesden Green, has expressed solidaroty and meanwhile have issued a revolutionary manifesto that challenges all the political parties to match the vision which they percieve through the bottom of a glass LINK

Determined and defiant Kensal Rise clears mess left by All Souls College

My National Libraries Day visit to the three events organised by campaigners fighting to reopen libraries closed by Brent Council turned out to be an emotional roller coaster. Common to all of them was determination to carry on the struggle and the immense value they place on books and community.

The wind and rain did not deter early arrivals at Kensal Rise intent on clearing up the mess left by All Souls College

Kensal Rise after the events of this week deserves a posting of its own. I arrived in the rain  this morning  to find people already working at clearing up the mess left by security guards hired by All Souls College.  They were under orders to clear the pop up library so that that All Souls could hand over the site to developer Andrew Gillick on the completion of the sale. The sale went through despite the on/off police investigation into fraudulent emails that supported Gillick's planning application for the site..

A large number of books ruined by exposure to the rain were being thrown into a skip bag while volunteers were sorting through others. The pop up's piano was also ruined beyond repair. Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has arranged with the Campaign to get the books removed to a safe and dry place this coming Monday. Unfortunately too late for some of the books.

The ruined books and pianos ended up in a skip

By the late afternoon the surviving books and shelves had been neatly packaged ready for transfer

Campaigners remain defiant as sun replaces the rain

New Chalkhill Park hit by joy riders

Car in the park (contributed)

Residents on Chalkhill reacted with consternation when they discovered a car had been driven into the new Chalkhill Park which is still under construction.  Locals, and especially the children, have excitedly been watching the park taking shape over the last few months and plans are in progress for an opening celebration in May.

I hope that this is just a one-off act of vandalism, probably fuelled by alcohol, but perhaps a warning that the local community will need to work together to defend their new park.   I would suggest the early formation of a Friends of Chalkhill Park as a first step.

UPDATE: When I visited this morning the car  had been removed.  A workman dealing with the aftermath said 'a fair amount of damage' had been done. The car had been driven directly at construction fencing which lay twisted on the ground. Turf had been churned up and a bench and recently planted  bedding damaged.

The plans for the park involve no fencing around the perimeter but the workman said that bollards may be installed at the point of entry of the car which is opposite Wellspring Crescent.

Barnhill councillor Michael Pavey said:

I was truly saddened to see a car dumped in our beautiful new park. This goes against everything we are trying to achieve in Chalkhill. 

But I know the local community will rally against this and protect the park from further abuse. 

I warmly welcome and fully support the proposed formation of a Friends of Chalkhill Park. I look forward to working with them to celebrate and preserve this fantastic space.