A 26 storey giant rises on the site previously occupied by Minavil House (below)
I would not deny that Minavil House (opposite Alperton Bus station) was ripe for development - but from 2 storeys to 26 is a mighty leap and a trip to Alperton today revealed its impact on the local rail and street scene. The original Minavil House became derelict and was damaged by a fire in 2018. The developer R55 was one of several invited to a three course dinner with the Leader of Brent Council and some council officers by property PR agency Terrapin Communications back in 2017. Questions were asked about the hospitality event and Cllr Butt answered. LINK
R55 is also responsible for the 255 Ealing Road development and The Workshop (Willesden) development near Dollis Hill - a development that is much bigger than the name would suggest. LINK
Questions were raised at the planning stage about the height of the building at the time and how it fitted in with the local landscape. In fact its height was later cited as a justiification for a 28 storey building almost opposite on the site of Alperton bus garage.
Minavil House from Alperton Station
From Bridgewater Road
The illustration below gives the height of the various towers in progress or planned:
Alperton High School bottom right and Alperton Station
On the way to Alperton on the 297 bus I took a photograph (below) of the building locally known as the 'Twin Towers', named 'Uncle' by its owner and on the site of the former Chesterfield House at the junction of Park Lane and Wembley High Road. It shows the visual impact of such a building from suburban Wembley Park Drive. The tallest tower is 26 storeys.
5 comments:
Proposed "modifications" to Brent's draft Local Plan are currently open for comments (but only until 5pm this Thursday, 19 August!).
In the section of the Local Plan headed "How Will Good Growth In Brent be Delivered?", on pages 28-29, at para.2 "Making the best use of land", the modifications includes the following additional point:
'd) Identifying appropriate areas for tall buildings and change that add quality to and complement Brent’s character and sense of place.'
At sub-para. b), they have also added "Intensification Corridors" (that's main roads in Brent, like Harrow Road and Forty Lane, which include "suburban" sections) to "town centres", as places for higher density housing. This would now read, if the proposed modification is accepted:
'b) Supporting higher density development in Brent’s town centres, Intensification Corridors and in areas with good accessibility to public transport.'
The new areas for tall buildings, and widening of the areas in the borough for higher density developments, are so that Brent can implement another proposed modification.
Instead of the Local Plan's current housing target for an average of 2040 new homes a year up to 2041, the proposed modification at para."6. Delivering the homes to meet Brent’s needs" reads:
'a) Housing delivery will be maximised, with sufficient planning permissions to support delivery of more homes than the minimum London Plan housing target of 23,250 between 2019/20-2028/29. A minimum 46,018 dwellings will be delivered for the whole plan period of 2019/20-2040/41 ....'
All of these points are part of "main modification" MM3 in the revised draft Local Plan out for consultation. If you wish to make any representations on this, or any other points BY THURSDAY at 5pm, details are on the Brent Council website at:
https://www.brent.gov.uk/services-for-residents/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/shaping-brent-s-future-together/
thanks, this is unacceptable
What's the point, Brent Council don't give a dam about what residents think and need. It appears it is all about what the developers want. Private meetings, wining and dining, then the rules change to the developer's advantage.
'Shaping Brent's Future Together'? What a joke!
The planners slip in major changes in policy during what is supposed to be a final tidy up of the Local Plan and hope no one will notice. Typical Bent Council!
It's not the planners, it's the Cabinet, they know what the developers want.
Post a Comment