Thursday 17 December 2015

Planning Committee sinks plans for a swimming pool at the former Brent Town Hall

The Kilburn Times has reported LINK that Brent Council Planning Committee has refused permission for the fee paying Lycee International de Londres Winston Churchill to build a 5 lane swiming pool sunken into the garden area in front of the former Brent Town Hall bulding, adjacent to Forty Lane and the Paddocks.

There were few objections to the plans and the Planning Officers' Report recommended approval  LINK  and continued to do so after members of the Committee visited the site and raised various issues  LINK 

The Kilburn Times quotes a Brent Council spokesperson: “The Planning Committee voted unanimously to refuse the proposal based, in particular, on concerns about its effect on the setting and views of the Grade II Listed Building on this prominent frontage site.”

This is an impression of the new pool building included in the planning application:


The refusal comes as a surprise and some local people and schools had been looking forward to the promised public access when the pool was not being used by the French School.

Around the corner there is some uncertainty over the promised community swimming pool, and the extent of public access.  on the site of the former Dexion House. This would be a 2,500 m2 pool in the basement of one of two new buildings which are given over to student accommodation.






8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a shame, the building is ugly and the community need a pool.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised by the Planning Committee's unanimous refusal of this application, and the grounds given for it. I have not always agreed with the views of Planning Officers, but the following extract from their supplementary report show that the Lycee would have a very strong case for an appeal against the Committee's decision:

'Impact of setting of listed building
As advised in the main committee report, the proposal has been subject to extensive pre-application discussions with Historic England and the 20th Century Society. Both of these statutory consultees have taken the view that the swimming pool building has been sensitively designed to respect the setting of the
listed building, and read as a subservient addition to the main listed building.'

Philip Grant.

Anonymous said...

No surprise really.You can always trust Brent Council to piscine your cornflakes.

Mike Hine

Anonymous said...

No surprise - green eyed monsters all of them.

Anonymous said...

Oh heaven forbid you give the Ctax payers what they so want and need. They are in the process of selling off most of our community assets, youth clubs and sports playing fields.

Oh ye of little faith, the officers of Planning Department of Brent Council have other fish to fry more awards are desired.
Top London Borough for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Voted No.1 Council for destroying the Olympic legacy of non participation in Sport.
No. 1 Unhealthiest Borough with the least amount of Sports Facilites per head of population.

As for the lame excuse about the view, what view does the French Lycee have at present? Asda, car park and petrol station, in the distance, numerous high rise blocks of flats, uninspired design, with cheap brick cladding, oh i do envy them.

Jaine Lunn said...

What a shame I was looking forward to that, oh I guess I will continue to use the excellent public facilities offered by our neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea, and Ealing.
Easy accessibility with parking, very clean, and reasonably priced.
Massive failure by LB Brent, I do hope the French Lycee appeal.

Anonymous said...

We were promised a Pool by Quintain many moons ago what happened to that?

Anonymous said...

A promise from a property investment and development company? You believed us?
Impoverishing you and enriching us is so easy it should be regulated ......