The present Victorian era community centre
The current building in the setting of Hazel Road, Harrow Road and Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Residents' Association are opposing the demolition of the Hazel Road Community Centre (Harriet Tubman House) in Hazel Road that was built between 1890 and 1896 as a Mission but severed several different uses over the years. It is a well known and well loved building in the local area and creates a unique ambience.
The current owners, the 'Making The Leap' charity, have applied to demolish the Centre and erect a new, higher building, on the site.
This is what the Kilburn Green Residents have to say about the proposal:
DEMOLITION OF HAZEL ROAD COMMUNITY CENTRE
We are concerned by the proposal by ‘Making The Leap’ to demolish Kensal Green Community Centre at 28 Hazel Road and replace it with an office block. ‘Making the Leap’ wish to start the work in spring this year and have submitted their planning application to Brent. The link is below. Any comments on their plans must be made by Thursday 13th February 2025 LINK:
Here are a few bullet points raised by residents in regard to ‘Making The Leap’s proposal:
- The office block, as described, would consist of over four floors, but with each of the upper three floors being one-and-a-half times higher than the base floor. Furthermore, there is a fifth-floor structure, a black box on the roof, which appears in the plans to be as high as the base floor, so effectively it will be a six-storey office block. The proposed development would tower over the surrounding terraced streets dominating Hazel Road and our park, Hazel Road Open Space, and staff and clients of ‘Making The Leap’ would be able to look down into neighbouring houses, and down into the children’s play area in the park. 'Making The Leap' even acknowlege in their planning application that feedback from residents shows that: "Some are worried over the building’s height affecting nearby homes or that the building is too imposing." Their own survey indicates there will be reduction of between 23.9% and 36.5% sunlight to the homes opposite the new building which means a daylight distribution below the recommended level of 80%. The light surveyors also say they couldn't access the properties for their tests so the situation could be even worst for those poor residents.
- One
of the planning illustrations shows a paved walk-way from Harrow Road to
the new building which will divide the park. It doesn't appear to be
mentioned anywhere in the text.
- In
the architectural representation on Making The Leap’s website, the height
of the terraced houses opposite the proposed development and the trees in
the open space appeared to be artificially exaggerated to downplay the
office block’s scale. However, the reality is clear: this is a case of
over-development in an already highly developed area. We assumed that
Brent planning regulations restrict construction that exceeds the roofline
of existing housing. Additionally, the proposed office block’s lightweight
permeable façade, which will resemble painted cardboard, is completely out
of character with the neighbourhood’s predominantly red brick
construction. 'Making The Leap's own extension to the Community Centre is
even described in their own planning application as "an unsympathetic
feature". The new build will have the same texture.
- Making The Leap have allowed the current building’s façade to fall into disrepair, claiming they lack the funds for maintenance. This raises questions about their ability to finance a large-scale office block. There is a genuine fear that, should Hazel Road Community Centre be demolished, that the site might be left undeveloped for years, becoming a blight on the community, or sold off to developers, as has happened in other parts of Brent.
- Hazel
Road Community Centre holds historical and architectural value.
Originally built as a Victorian Mission Room between 1890 and 1896, it has
a unique facade with alternating brick patterns, gothic style window
openings and gables that are integral to its unique façade. The Heritage
Statement in the planning application states that 'the Site was nominated for addition to the Brent Local List and
as such may be considered a non-designated heritage asset. However, since
nomination the Site does not appear to have been added to the Local List.' An investigation should be
undertaken to find out why the building wasn't listed, especially as The
Victorian Society is now considering listing it among its top ten
endangered Victorian buildings of 2025. The horse trough across the road
outside The Mason's Arms is Grade II listed. The demolition of the
Community Centre would represent a significant loss to the architectural
heritage of Kensal Green.
Please email us at kensalgreenres@gmail.com if you would be happy to help us to leaflet the
neighbourhood and/or be part of an Action Committee. Any feedback will be
welcome. We hope to shortly organise a public meeting.
Editor's note: The Heritage statement is by a consultancy and is not an assessment by the Brent Council Heritage Officer. I cannot find a response from the Heritage Officer on the Brent Planning Portal.
UPDATE:
A reader has supplied the following information:
One of the directors Olakunle Akunmu BABARINDE (https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Unqv7UywINPsQuz6BWSLPag3vWs/appointments) is also a property developer and director of RINDE GROUP PROPERTY LTD (https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10894251
20 comments:
The Editor's Note at the end of the article above mentions Brent Council's Heritage Officer.
I discovered at the end of December that Mark Price, who had been that Principal (and only!) Heritage Officer, has now left Brent Council.
He has not yet been replaced, but Brent Council is currently advertising that post, with a salary of just over £50k a year, and applications required by 2 February 2025. When I "clicked" on the job advert on the Council's website, a "window" invited me to 'be the first to apply' (but my days of full-time employment are over).
The Job Description says this about The Post:
'The historic environment makes a substantial contribution to the character and distinctiveness of Brent as a place. We are recruiting an experienced heritage professional to support the protection, conservation and enhancement of the borough’s designated and non-designated assets. As a key member of the Placemaking team, you will principally act as a statutory consultee to provide expert heritage and conservation advice as part of the planning process. You will also work across a number of other teams and departments to provide heritage and conservation input on masterplans, site allocations and planning briefs.
Brent has a varied built heritage. From the iconic Wembley Stadium to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, and a wealth of historic buildings, sites and monuments in between, there is a lot to be celebrated in the borough. A range of architectural styles can be found across Brent, but it is best known for the vast swathes of ‘Metroland’ style suburbs laid out along the Metropolitan Railway in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
You will be responsible for ensuring that the growth, management and regeneration of the borough is character-led through a range of heritage-related workstreams and projects, as well as seeking new ventures through grant funding or revenue generating opportunities.'
I don't know why Mark Price left his post, but I don't believe he found the attitude of Brent's planners and decision makers lived up to the fine words about 'the protection, conservation and enhancement of the borough’s designated and non-designated assets'!
London Borough of B~ent
Making The Leap Charity are reprehensible wanting to destroy a local heritage building and put a block of flats on top. If this isnt a lister building there is still time to register it as such
Direct south (east- west) is Europe's biggest regeneration area OPDC 650 ha/ Kendal Canalside/ and the much wider Great Western City Tower Hundreds. Good to see the existing local community is wide awake. Maybe a look at Carlton Granville Centre in regen year 24, where beautiful main Edwardian community hall had a giant staircase cut in the centre of it to disable it and was then partitioned up into tiny enterprise units using GLA funds. Units could have been located many other places rather than destroy the main community hall heritage.
As a resident of a road leading off it, if this development were to improve the wider Hazel Road area - currently a "Hamsterdam" of drug use and intimidating/antisocial behaviour - I'd be all for it.
I feel unsafe walking along Hazel Road after dark, and reluctant to take children to the play area in the day. The pedestrianised section of Hazel Road, partially in front of the building it's being proposed to replace, is always full of drug users and intimidating drinkers (who sometimes cause a nuisance to children in the play area). It's also dark and largely concealed by bushes which makes it more intimidating. The road either side of it us often full of people revving cars and playing loud music. The park that surrounds the building, and the play area, is no better; ditto the benches around the football/basketball court.
The charity has done this on purpose, neglected it to encourage people to agree to let them develop the site
Who are “making the leap” what do we know about them, their directors and activities? Will the editor interview them
Mark Price moved to Ealing. He was probably over worked and fed up from all of Phil Grant's demands on his time! ;)
As a resident of Hazel Road, or "Hamsterdam" (never heard that one before!) I simply don't recognise what that resident is talking about. There have been a few problems in the past which have been largely eradicated now. We take our children to the play area all the time as do many other residents. Brent have just installed excellent new equipment which the children love. Building an office block won't solve any problems as it'll be closed after dark.
Thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Kensal Green Cemetery every year. As they leave the tube station and walk through leafy and pleasant Hazel Road Open Space to approach the cemetery, the first thing they’ll see will be that monstrosity. Kensal Green’s agreeable Victorian ambience is part of the charm and character of the world-famous cemetery; it’ll be like putting a tower block in front of Windsor Castle.
I have lived in Hazel Road for 37 years and do not recognise what is described. Raised children here, take my grandchild to the newly improved Hazel road playground, used to walk my dog day and night and have NEVER felt unsafe. But I am very much against this office block that would damage the look and feel of the area forever.
Philips point regarding no heritage officer being in post is certainly opportune for making many new developer 'leaps'. Camden is a 50% conservation area homes borough, what % is Brent?
With tenanted car-free towers comes neglect for yet more land. The Falcon and Cullen site allocation has been land bank fenced off for 10 years now with planning permission but no works starting and neatly creates a no-mans land at the heart of Queens Park when it should be its new centre bringing three communities together (the conserved protected, the tenanted car-free towered population growth town and Westminster QP).
New build here is easy to adapt into housing, ditto the new shops-not-shops of Peel Precinct.
You think they’re scammers to encourage demolition?
if they are struggling to maintain the building they currently own how can they afford to demolish and build a new office block? They could always move their operation to the Civic Centre I heard Brent Council is desperate to rent out their office space now they have cut the council down to its bare bones.
A developer front organisation.
And under one of his directorships his occupation is shown as property investor.
When and how did this building get taken over to become a property development operation opportunity for a charity rather than a resource to be used for local Brent residents?
I echo the comments regarding a move to the civic centre. It would be criminal to demolish a Victorian building to replace it with an inappropriate office block. Where is the money coming from? Hazel road is a quiet residential street. Leave the residents in peace!
Anonymous at 15:24 asks 'Where is the money coming from?'
The answer is, out of the charity's "unrestricted funds", raised by Making The Leap for their general charitable work, much of it from donations.
And it is not a small amount. Their accounts show that in the year ended 31 March 2024 they spent £120k in 'early stage costs' on this building project, and they have probably spent a lot more since, in paying for all of the expert consultants producing documents to support their planning application!
The accounts show that the charity's aim is to improve its financial sustainability, and they hope to 'stengthen their balance sheet by demolishing Harriet Tubman House and Hazel Road Community Centre.' [No, I don't understand the economics of that either!]
The notes to the accounts also disclose that 'the viability of the project has not yet been confirmed'. [Now, where have I read about the Trustees of a different charity spending thousands of pounds on plans for the redevelopment of another heritage property, which the local community opposes, and which would go against Brent's adopted planning policies, when the charity has no idea whether its plans will ever be viable?]
And another, as yet unanswered, question on Making The Leap's plans. They own the freehold of Harriet Tubman House,at 28 Hazel Road (allegedly sold to them by Brent Council in 2002 for £1), but they only lease the adjacent Hazel Road Community Centre, from Brent Council.
The planning application requires the demolition of both buildings. Would Brent Council agree to the demolition of a purpose built Community Centre, constructed in the early 2000s and apparently recently refurbished, on land which it owns (especially when the replacement community room in the proposed new development has only half the existing community centre space)?
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