Planning applications for housing blocks on both College of North West London Brent sites approved in exchange for new college building on Olympic Way

Tower blocks replacing CNWL Wembley Park building

Medium rise and high rise blocks on CNWL Dudden Hill site

Despite having doubts regarding the amount of affordable housing, lack of amenity space and fears of flooding (Wembley Park) and shared ownership and shading nearby 2 storey homes (Dudden Hill) members of Brent Planning Committee voted for the redevelopment of the College of North West London (CNWL) sites at Wembley Park and Dudden Hill. 

They were told that plans for a new college building in a prime site off Olympic Way could not go ahead without approval of both applications because the developments held fund the college building.  Promises of viability reviews at various stages of the process of development looked promising for increasing the number of affordable homes at first (just 69 social rent homes out of 1,000 at Dudden Hill) but later looked very unlikely when they were told the costs for the college new build could rise.

No one asked if a less expensive option than prime site Olympic Way had been considered for the college. Brent Council arranged a loan for United Colleges (merged CNWL and City of Westminster College) to enable the redevelopment project  at Wembley Park to go ahead.

A review of intermediate tenures other than shared ownership, generally considered not affordable, was agreed along with a £149,500 contribution to bus service enhancement at Wembley Park.  Again at Wembley Park, the developer will pay £100,000 towards improvement of nearby open spaces as little amenity space is offered on a constrained site.  There will be road layout changes and crossing enhancements and possibly a CPZ at Dudden Hill and Denzil Road.

The Planning Committee waas chaired by Cllr Saqib Butt in the absence of Cllr Matt Kelcher while his brother Cllr Muhammed Butt looked on from the public gallery.

New CNWL campus on the corner of Olympic Way and Fulton Road

 The twin developments will add many homes to Brent Council's target and there will be a new state of the art FE college, but there will be nagging doubts, not least in some councillor's minds, about whether a better deal could have been possible in terms of homes affordable for the many on Brent's housing list.