Friday, 6 December 2024

Wembley Library and Resident Hub Celebration tomorrow Saturday December 7th 11am at Brent Civic Centre, Wembley


 From Brent Council

Join the fun at Brent Civic Centre Saturday 7 December!

The new Resident Hub and Wembley Library will celebrate it’s grand opening with a day bursting with free activities, live entertainment, and a special visit from Santa! Mark your calendars and bring the whole family for an unforgettable day of fun and excitement.

Here’s what we’ve got lined up for you:

  • Yummy refreshments: Enjoy a variety of tasty festive and Brazilian treats available for everyone throughout the day.
  • Live entertainment: Get ready to groove with drumming, dance performances, rap acts, and a DJ spinning the best tunes.
  • Raffle prizes: Win amazing prizes with our exciting giveaways for all ages.
  • Santa’s special visit: Don’t miss Santa Claus during the Booktrust story and rhyme session, spreading joy to our youngest visitors – starts promptly at 11am!
  • Kids’ stories and craft workshops: Throughout the day from 11.45am, let the little ones unleash their creativity with a circus skills workshop and engaging stories and fun craft activities.
  • Face painting: Transform into your favourite character with our fun face painting sessions – three artists will be at the event all day so that no one will miss out!
  • Health and wellbeing stalls and activities: Pick up valuable tips and advice for leading a healthy lifestyle; including feeding, speech and language and oral health for children and diabetes and general health checks for adults. You can also take part in free exercise taster sessions from Our Parks at 1pm and 1.30pm and ESOL and IT sessions from 1-4pm.
  • Sustainability stalls: Learn about waste, recycling, and climate change through interactive displays and expert advice. Plus family workshops, including 12noon - 3pm festive creative workshop from WE RESTART repurposing and upcycling everyday items. 


The celebration starts at 11am with Santa’s appearance during the Booktrust story and rhyme session. Throughout the day, children can dive into face painting and craft and story workshops designed to spark their imagination.

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Enjoy a variety of live entertainment perfect for the entire family, including dynamic drumming and dance performances, and music from a local rap artist and DJ that will keep everyone dancing.

Plus, you can explore a range of informative stalls where you can find out more about how the council and local services can help you live well, make healthy choices, stay safe and embrace sustainable living.

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Resident Support and Culture, said:

We are thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of these new services with our customers and residents. The brand-new Resident Hub area provides a more accessible, comfortable, and confidential space to better serve residents, while the upgraded library, with dedicated areas for study, children, and public PC use, has become a vibrant hub for learning, study, and cultural activities.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic event! Join us at Brent Civic Centre on Saturday 7 December, 11am - 4pm to celebrate the opening of these fantastic new community services.

Christmas at Chalkhill tomorrow 12-4pm at the Community Centre


 

Up and down Wembley High Road as new developments get underway - video recording

 

 

 The High Road, Wembley has gone through many changes in the last decade or so with the most significant the Uncle twin towers on the site of the former Chesterfield House at the corner of the High Road and Park Lane.

Work has now started on either side of the High Road further towards Wembley Triangle. There is a major development on the former Copland School site, part of the Wembley Housing Zone (see LINK) and opposite it student accommodation is being built on the former Fairgate House and Ujima sites (see LINK).



Copland/Cecil Avenue
 

 Student accommodation

 As well as the construction of these developments, in the new year, starting on January 6th 2025, a 16 week programme will start reconstructing part of the High Road.


 

Thursday, 5 December 2024

Application for pre-Carnival weekend event in Fryent Country Park to be considered by Brent Council. Comments close on January 1st 2025.


 The venue: Upper Hydes field (Fryent Country Park) from Barn Hill Conservation Group map

 


 Event layout

 

Event organisers have applied to Brent Council for an open air event, attended by up to 3,500 people, in Fryent Country Park to celebrate the start of next year's Carnival season.  Consultation closes on January 1st 2025 for an event that takes place on the weekend of July 5th and 6th.

The organisers describe the event:

J’ouvert is a cultural festival to mark the opening of the carnival. It is an important ancestral tradition that still exists in countries such as Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil, the French Antilles and other countries around the world. The event is design to display our cultural identity and tradition to people globally.

 

The first Jam J’ouvert was held at Cranford Community College in June 2018. The event was a tremendous success, as people from different ethnicities BME community and communities attended the event. Approximately 2000 patrons attended the event, as this was the first time such an event was held in London.

 

In June 2019, the event was held at the same venue, as it was the ideal location to hold such an event. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic in 2020 the event did not take place. However, the event resumed in 2021.

 

Jam J’ouvert is an opportunity to come along and dance to the pulsating rhythms of Steel bands, African and Caribbean music, celebrate the culture, be adventurous, and have a fun time. There are other aspects to enjoy such as our food, beverages, live entertainment, and body painting. Mingle UK Ltd has been building a reputation for quality events across London since 2016. These events include Mingle All White at the Cavendish Banqueting Suite, Mingle Beach Wear on the River Thames London, and The Annual 473 Camo Wear at the Tottenham Leisure Centre. As event’s organisers, we pride ourselves not only on providing a great occasion, but a high-quality community experience to all nationalities and demographics.

 

The London Borough of Brent is a diverse borough where people choose to live and work. Therefore, it is important that they are given the opportunity to share our culture.

 

• To dramatically improve on building better community relationship and encourage people from different ethnicities to integrate and enjoy the diverse nature of the event.

• This event will help to improve and maintain our cultural identity, as this is the first event of its kind in the Borough of Brent.

• Promote positive energy throughout different communities within London.

 

Hello Summer Saturday 5th July 2025

 

• This is a new event which was introduced in 2022. The vibe of the event is a welcoming to summer season in sophisticated chic style.

• This year the dress code is pastel colours accompanied with matching decor and photo opportunities including 360 photo booths.

• There will be local and international Soca artists, (Soca means the Soul of Calypso). Also, represents a fusion of African and Caribbean Kaiso, Calypso and South Asian rhythms. The Soca acts will perform on the main stage on the event.

• There will be a designated VIP area for the patrons to take photos with their favourite artiste and performers.

 

Jam J’ouvert Sunday 6th July 2025

 

• Traditional face and body painting will be carried out as part of the J’ouvert tradition.

• The event will include elements of traditional food and beverages being sampled and sold at the event.

• Live artist will be performing during the event.

• Live amplified music will be played during the event.

 

Cultural/religious events have been held here before and a long time ago there was an annual Brent Countryside Day that was abandoned one year because the fields were water-logged. It never reappeared. Recently there has been controversy over the use of the field for Event Day parking when public transport was disrupted.  Given its financial position Brent Council has adopted a policy to maximise income from its parks.

The short period for consultation, and it taking place over the holiday season is meeting criticism from residents.

The overall event would start at 10am and finish at 9pm on both days. Dance would take place from 12 noon until 9pm and the sale of alcohol between 12 noon and 8.30pm.

Organisers have submitted a slideshow of arrangements, embedded below as a PDF. Click on the X bottom right for a full page view.

 

 

 LINK TO APPLICATION WHERE YOU CAN LEAVE COMMENTS FOR OR AGAINST 

Brent Council states:

Representations (comments) will usually be expected to relate to at least one of the licensing objectives.

The objectives are:

·       preventing crime and disorder

·       public safety

·       preventing public nuisance

·       protecting children from harm

Wednesday, 4 December 2024

Overview of CNWL Dudden Hill Planning Application to be decided next Wednesday

 


 
 CNWL Dudden Hill Phase 1 development building heights in storeys
 
As stated in yesterday's article on the College of North West London (CNWL) Wembley Park site that and the CNWL  Dudden Hill site are separate items on the December 11th Planning Committee Agenda they are conjoined as both site sales contribute to the cost of the new CNWL building in Wembley Park that will eventually house both campuses.

The Dudden Hill site currently consists of a variety of buildings that are claimed to be no longer fit for purpose. They do, of course ,sit on a large site which is a redevelopment gold mine.


Bottom left College Green at the junction of Dudden Hill and Denzil Road. Above it is the College site and to the right, either side of the railway line is a SINC (Site of importance for nature conservation). Originally the plan was to build on the Green but its improvement is now part of the plan.

The development of the site will take place in 2 phases.


Phase 1 is to the right (East) of the red dotted line. To the extreme left of the image is an estate of two storey houses  on Selbie Road that (at the moment) are not part of the redevelopment zone.

The tallest buildings (C,D and E) are alongside the railway line, mid-height (11 to 17 storeys) in the centre of the Phase 1 development. The lowest (4 or 5 storeys) are  along Denzil Road with a small park separating them from Phase 1 and opening on to Denzil Road. There are courtyards within each cluster in both phases.

It is Phase 1 in detail that is going to Planning Committee and Phase 2 is in outline and subject to change.

The timetable covers 10 years from this Planning Committee Meeting:

May 2025 Phase 1 college buildings are vacated and staff and activities decanted to Phase 2 buildings.

Summer 2025 Demolition of Phase 1 collrge buildings and construction begins
 
2027-2032 Phase 1 housing completed
 
September 2028 completion of new CNWL facility on Olympic Way
 
September 2028 vacant possession of Phase 2 buildings secured as staff and students move to Olympic Way.
 
September 2028 demolitionof Phase 2 buildings  and new build commences 

November 2034 Phase 2 completed

 

Hill Group in their planning statement say:

Phase 1 comprises 1,076 homes across 11 buildings/blocks ranging from 4 to 28 storeys. These are:

• Building C is 24 storeys with a 20-storey shoulder and provides 187 apartments for traditional sale/rent;

• Building D is 28 storeys with a 24-storey shoulder and provides 223 build-to-rent apartments;

• Building E is 22 storeys with 18 and 10-storey shoulders and provides 196 build-to- rent apartments;

• Buildings F and G are 11 storeys each and provide 162 apartments for traditional sale/rent;

• Buildings H, J and K are 15, 17 and 11 storeys respectively and provide 239 apartments for traditional sale/rent; and

• Buildings V, W, and Y are 4-5 storeys and provide 69 affordable apartments all of which (100%) are offered at social rent.

 

Phase 1 has been designed to be the focus of the commercial uses at ground floor where the majority of homes and taller buildings are located. This part of the development is the most likely arrival point from Dollis Hill station, bus stops, and Willesden town centre, and it is prominently located with regards to passing trade along Dudden Hill Lane.

Accordingly, a precise and tailored commercial offering is proposed for Phase 1. Key elements of this include the anchor facilities of a food store and food & beverage premises located either side of the main gateway to the Site from Dudden Hill Lane. Flexible retail units (which could be small shops, restaurants, or cafes) are positioned a little deeper into the development along the east-west route, and on the corner of the neighbourhood park/Denzil Road; where they will still benefit from a good level of passing trade

They are at pains to point out that these shops are a local offer and not designed to compete with high street retail. 

A nursery is proposed that if no provider came forward could be replaced by a community facility:

The nursery size and location is also robustly secured in the Development Specification and Parameter plans. It is proposed to be located at the lower density part of the development on the corner of Denzil Road and Selbie Avenue, where it has the opportunity of taking some of the available defensible green space as a private garden for play. In the event that a commercial nursery operator cannot be found, this unit would instead come forward as an alternative form of social/community infrastructure e.g. opticians, dentist, post-office etc within Use Class E or F. It is worth noting that in the likely event that a nursery operator is forthcoming, these other forms of social/community infrastructure could still and likely will come forward within the other flexible Class E floorspace across either base.

The financial viability assessment (FVA) concluded that the overall development would make and this would mean no affordable housing. However an 18% 'affordable' element was negotiated but only a small proportion is council housing and the intermediate level shared ownership:

As a general principle, Phase 2 includes a higher proportion of family housing than Phase 1. This reflects the typology of buildings within the respective phases and the locations most suitable for family homes. Phase 1 includes the taller buildings along the trainline, together with the majority of the retail, commerce, and workspace. It will create the densest and most vibrant part of the new neighbourhood. Phase 2 comprises lower-scale buildings set amongst generous green space that better lends itself for a greater quantum of family homes (and indeed the nursery and community centre). Taller, thinner buildings are naturally more suited to smaller units orientated around a central core, whilst lower, wider and longer buildings lend themselves more easily to larger family homes.

 

In addition, Phase 1 is the first phase of a regeneration scheme for which first-time buyers are the target market initially (given the very high demand). The cost of a smaller 1 or 2 bedroom unit is more attractive and affordable to this market. Phase 1 also includes build-to-rent tenures (which lend themselves to young professionals and new families) are proposed in the taller blocks. This approach is supported by London Plan policy H10 acknowledges that a higher proportion of one and two bed units are generally more appropriate in more urban locations closer to stations and town centres. The proposed mix for Phase 1 assists with the viability and deliverability of an important regeneration scheme and ability to facilitate the relocation of the CNWL.

 

All of the affordable housing proposed for Phase 1 is provided as either shared ownership or social rent, which is understood to have a greater local need than Discount Market Rent products. The Applicant has undertaken initial discussions with potential Registered Providers to ensure there is strong interest and the product and building align with market expectations. The location and product of the Affordable Housing has been carefully considered to ensure its suitable and desirable by the eventual Registered Provider.

So families needing social housing will have to wait for the second phase that starts in 2028 and is completed in 2034 - market conditions and financial viability may change the tenure. As in the Wembley Park officers' report, affordability is measured by habital room, rather than housing unit. The gives a higher percentage figure for larger properties.

It has proved to find amongst the documents any image of the whole development but the screen grabs below should give you  some idea:

Lower rise buildings along Denzil Road


Buildings at the back of College Green (junction of Denzil Road and Dudden Hill Lane)


Junction of Cooper Road and Dudden Hill


Tall building E and  lower building F looking west along Cooper Road


Looking south from the petrol station across the railway line - the new flats on the ex-plant nursery site appear to be missing.


Visible from a slightly different angle


View from arrival square along the new east - west route

 

 Hill Group summarise their case:

 

Social

 

✓ Delivery of approximately 1,934 high quality new homes across this Site (c. 1,627) and Crescent House, Wembley (307), akin to 84% of LBB’s annual London Plan requirement.

✓ Provision of 20% (by habitable room) affordable housing across the two Sites, significantly exceeding the maximum viable amount.

✓ Provision of the following at College Green alone:

o Circa 1,627 homes.

o Circa 236 family homes, including 4-bed properties.

o 18% affordable housing (by habitable room), up to 50% (123 units) of which are affordable family homes.

o A wide variety of sizes and tenures, all of which are high quality homes that balance fire regulations, dual aspect, outlook, daylight, and thermal comfort and efficiency.

✓ Delivery of a multi-use community centre suitable for indoor sports, leisure activities and community events.

✓ Provision for a new nursery and/or similar social infrastructure.

✓ Provision of local amenities including convenience store, food and beverage premises, gym, and Build to Rent lounges.

✓ Provision of flexible workspace with potential for ‘maker space’.

✓ At least 1.45 hectares of new and enhanced green space, including:

o c. 0.29 hectare of retained and enhanced public open space (on Selbie Avenue and Dudden Hill Lane).

o c. 0.38 hectare new publicly-accessible neighbourhood park.

o c. 0.78 hectare of communal courtyards and podium/roof terraces for tenants.

✓ Fully policy-compliant play space provision on Site for all ages.

 

Environmental

 

✓ Landscape design ethos around women and children’s (physical and perceived) safety, achieving safer pedestrian connections and through-routes.

✓ Landscape-led development with integrated sustainable drainage strategy, planting of over 350 new trees, achieving an exceptionally high Urban Greening Factor score of 0.57. This is almost 50% over the policy target and would be one of if not the greenest developments proposed in Brent to date.

✓ A sensitive landscape response to the adjacent railway SINC.

✓ Hill to act as long term stewards of the development, managing the landscape and public realm to a high standard.

✓ Local townscape and streetscape benefits (and no heritage harm).

✓ All electric energy strategy, with glazing optimised to balance daylight with overheating.

✓ Operational carbon reduction of over 80% beyond Part L 2021; far surpassing the policy minimum target of 35 % and reflects the detailed consideration to sustainability in the project design. This will minimise energy bills for residents with 25% achieved through lean measures that reduce actual energy use.

✓ Non-residential units to meet BREEAM ‘Excellent’.

✓ Responsible sourcing of construction materials.

✓ Car-free development, except blue-badge parking and car-club spaces. Overall net reduction in parking and vehicle trips compared to existing college, bringing air quality and transport network benefits.

✓ Upgraded Dudden Hill Lane / Cooper Road junction including new pedestrian and cycle crossing point, improving access to Dollis Hill Station.

✓ Pavement widening on Denzil Road.

✓ Air Quality Positive development.

 

Thjere are only two resident comments on the Brent Council Planning Portal - both neutral.

 

https://pa.brent.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=DCAPR_169398

 

Looking at the overall context it is worth remembering the scheme for Neasden Goods Yard, not far away, where most of the proposed towers are higher than the highest on the CNWL site at 30, 40, 42, 43 and 51 storeys. LINK
 

 

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

Wembley Park planning application to build 31 storey and 18 storey building on Olympic Way college site to be heard at Planning Committee next week

 

The new buildings from Bobby Moore Bridge (Bridge Road opposite station)

The College of North West London building that will be demolished

 

 In 2017 I predicted that the merger of the College of North West London and City of Westminster College as United  Colleges would lead to deals involving their property portfolio but I rather underestimated the extent of change that this would involve. Will property deals follow CNWL and CWC merger?

In Brent the plan involve the sale of both College of North West London College sites (Wembley Park's Crescent House and Dudden Hill's College Park) for housing development with  the profit funding a new college building on Olympic Way/Fulton Road. This was  given planning permission in July 2023 on the site of the Olympic Office Centre, formerly the HQ of Network Housing.

 

New Wembley Park Campus building

Brent Council was involved via a loan given to United Colleges to help set up the deal. CNWL has already sold its Kilburn site and sold its other Wembley Park building to the Education Funding Agency to provide accommodation for Michaela School.

If your head is spinning perhaps this explanation from Brent Planning Officers will help:

Officers have carefully weighed up the conclusions drawn by the viability assessment and the policy requirement for the delivery the new college facility in order to enable the release these two sites for development. Officers also have attached weight to the benefits associated with the delivery of the new college. Officers consider that the inter-relationship between these two schemes and the delivery of the new college facility is material to the consideration of this application, and a Section 106 obligation will prevent the implementation of these two applications unless the construction of the new College building is going ahead.

 

It is therefore considered reasonable and appropriate for the Council to place weight on the financial contribution that the sale of these two sites will make towards the delivery of the new college building and officers have also evaluated the scheme on this basis. However, it is for the decision maker to determine what weight should be applied to the facilitating role that the sale of these sites play in the delivery of the new college facility.

 

Officers consider that this should be given substantial weight given that the new college facility cannot be delivered without the sale of these sites to the College, not only for financial reasons (as the sale is required to fund the college) but also for planning policy and legal reasons (as Section 106 obligations will prevent the implementation of these two applications, if approved, unless the new college facility is going ahead).

This is rather a lot of pressure on Planning Committee to agree the application, particularly as Brent Council helped facilitate the deal.

The impact of the 18 and 31 storey building on the views from Wembley Park Station and Bridge Road is enormous. It will loom in front of the more distant views along Olympic Way to the stadium as well as from vehicles travelling between Wembley Central and Wembley Park.


 

 The problem will the piecemeal approval of the various Wembley Park applications is that the wider context is not always evident. For example the view below doesn't show the tower blocks under construction at Wembley Park station  along Brook Road, opposite the proposed buildings. In the illustration you can barely see the station itself.

 

The pink buildings in the illustrations are buildings in the pipeline for the approved Fulton Quarter. This the area behind the college building made up of the Stadium Retail Park, McDonalds and the Troubadour Theatre. LINK

The Fulton Quarter will provide 995 homes.

I have tried to show the overall impact by roughly placing the two towers in context below. The numbers refer to the number of storeys in each block.

 


 The viability assessment referred to in the officers' remarks is about how much affordable housing can be supplied and still give the developer a return. The officers make the figures at Wembley Park more palatable by combining the two ex-college sites:

The affordable units classed as intermediate by officers are shared ownership. Not affordable for most Brent residents and the Council itself is aware of the product's shortcomings. See LINK.
 

It is surprising given the magnitude of this application that the Brent Planning Portal LINK states only 6 comments have been received. The only comment actually shown is from Ilford:

I object to this planning application for these two buildings of 18 and 31 storeys in height for various social, environmental, public health and fire safety reasons. For example Wembley has now seen more than enough high density housing schemes in recent years that has put an overall strain on local social infrastructure. Also the townscape has been greatly changed which has had an inevitable effect upon local heritage around here too. This particular housing scheme is also being funded by a private building firm so therefore these flats are highly unlikely to be genuinely affordable to local residents. Fire safety has to be another major consideration in planning terms especially with the tower block fires that we have seen across Greater London in recent years as well.

The application for the Dudden Hill College Green CNWL site will also be heard at the Planning Committee next week, December 11th. I will review that later. LINK

 

Christmas at Chalkhill Saturday December 7th 12-4


 

Monday, 2 December 2024

Brent's Community Infrastructure Levy funds at record levels but without government policy change unavailable to offset planned £16m cuts

 

SCIL: Strategic Infrastructure Levy NCIL: Neighbourhood Infrastrure Levy

The latest Brent Infrastructure Funding Statement showing how Brent Council has used the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)  in 2023-24 strengthenss the case for relaxation of the restrictions on spending of the funds raised. £143m of Strategic CIL remains unspent and £15.5m of Neighbourhood CIL. 

The Council's 2025-2026 proposes £16m of cuts to council services.

Strategic CIL cannot be used currently for the day to day running of the Council. The Lead Member for Finance in her Forward to the report states that the current shortage of funds for that provision can only be addressed by the Government increasing local government funding.

However, following a suggestion made by Liberal Democrat councillor, Anton Georgiou, Cllr Muhammed Butt and Cllr Shama Tatler have written to the Government LINK calling for more flexibility regarding CIL spending to relieve some of the pressure in the short term:

Easing restrictions does not mean abandoning fiscal responsibility, rather adapting to current realities and the challenges councils are facing. Councils can still practice sound financial management while using CIL more flexibly. Establishing clear guidelines and accountability for the use of CIL funds would ensure that the funds are used effectively and responsibly.

The figures speak for themselves:

 

CIL spending and allocation:


 

Neighbourhood CIL allocations and spend are reported in the Brent Infrastructure Funding Report and too detailed to include here but well worth reviewing. See LINK. 

Overview of area spending


 In addition to CIL Brent can also raise money through Section 106 agreements with developers and these have become significant particularly in housing. Again there is a significant amount of money unspent in the fund:
 
 

 
 

 301 'affordable units' were secured through Section 106 but only four were social rent: