George Irvin's plans for houses in Barham Park
Readers of this blog will know that many questions have been raised about Cllr Muhammed Butt's refusal to allow any scrutiny of Trustees' actions over Barham Park.
Barham Park was gifted to the people of Wembley by Titus Barham (HISTORY HERE) but Butt gained control of the Trustees by making himself their Chair and other members of his Cabinet fellow Trustees. They claim that they represent the people of Wembley and refuse any other representation.
In his role as the all-powerful Chair, Cllr Butt has refused to let people speak at meetings of the Trustees to raise issues over the accounts, plans to redevelop and privately market park buildings, his relationship with the developer and fairground entrepeneur George Irvin, the sale of two workers' cottages in the park to Irvin, and Irvin's gifts of free fairground ride tickers to councillors (see links below).
There is a Trustees' meeting on Monday morning where a payment bu Irvin to the Trustees of £200,000 will allow a restrictive covenant protecting Barham Park to be removed, enabling Irvin to build four three storey houses inside the park on the site of the cottages. (CGI above). Irvin has already received planning permission for them from the Council pending settlement of the covenant issue. Observers reckon given the sale value of the proposed private houses, situated in a beautiful park with vehicle access and nearby rail connections, the payment is quite a bargain.
Unsurprisingly, local councillor Paul Lorber has asked to speak to the Trustees about the issues raised. Equally unsurprisingly Chair of Trustees and Leader of the Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt has refused:
The Brent Officer concerned responded:
As is usual practice I’ve consulted with the Chair and, as a result, can advise he is not currently minded to allow any requests to speak at Monday’s meeting. Whilst it will not, therefore, be possible for you to address the meeting in person you’ll obviously still be more than welcome to attend to observe proceedings. We’ll also be webcasting the meeting live, which you’ll be able to follow, as an alternative, via the following link:
In other words you are at liberty to silently watch us sell out the people of Wembley...
BREAKING: Barham Park Trustees' £200,000 deal with George Irvin to enable him to build four 3 storey houses in Barham Park
Trustees set to rubber stamp process to remove covenant restriction on building in Barham Park
Brent Council on Barham Park Covenant: 'Move along, nothing to see here.'
Barham Park Trustees approve original accounts in 7-1/2 minute meeting after refusing representations
Butt again refuses representations on Barham Park. Time for the CharityCommission to intervene?
Speechless - really don't know what to say except thankfully all of this will be logged and fully minuted so that history will show exactly which Brent Councillors were responsible for the demise of our much loved historic park 😞
ReplyDeleteAgree with anoyn @22:34, usually what we hear is oh we can’t stop gambling shops as if we do the applicants will appeal and it would be costly for the council. Here, the covenant was on the councils and community side, and could have been an easy rejection. It’s a shame the trustees appear to have neglected the park so much. There is so much potential, and I really hope in the 2026 elections we are given hope for another path in Brent, development is needed, but development that respects and values the local community. I think people in Brent are quite tolerant, we don’t have NIMBYs as such, but the removal of the covenant is unprecedented. Recently, I saw the outside of Ealing Road Library, and it has basically been turned into an advertisement for the cafe, (I’m Asian myself, I enjoy a good cup of tea and respect the fact that it is a small business in Brent), but the owners have plastered advertisement over both of the extensions (one of which was apparently a community hub???). Who on earth thought a restaurant playing loud music would be appropriate outside a library? I am extremely worried that the trustees could let such development like this happen in Barham park in the future… and I sincerely hope that in 2026 we have the option for a new start in Brent. Councillors who will stand up for us! Why are all the Wembley Central Councillors silent about this issue in Barham Park, why are they letting this brush past? It’s unacceptable
ReplyDeleteLondon Borough of Very B~ent
ReplyDeleteIt's like living in a communist state, no democracy to the working people and cultrel history of brent and surrounding counties.just destroy beauty,all corruption same old thing money talks.
ReplyDeleteI spoke to Wembley Central Cllr Ragan Seelan about Barham Park last year - he said but it's not my ward it's in Sudbury ward - I said it moved into Wembley Central ward at the last local elections when you were actually elected - he was flabbergasted, clearly had no idea of the area covered in the ward he was elected to represent 😡
ReplyDeleteJust about sums up our local Labour Councillors!!!
Not all Wembley Central councillors are unaware that Barham Park is in their ward.
DeleteCllr. Ketan Sheth (also Labour) opposed George Irvin's application at Planning Committee in 2023, as a ward councillor, although his objection statement had to be read out as he had to attend another meeting that evening.
Sadly, his Labour Party colleagues took no notice of his (and Cllrs. Lorber and Benea's) valid objections, and approved the planning consent, having been misled (in my belief) by Planning Officers over the effect of the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which should have meant that the application by George Irvin's property company was refused!
Yes the Labour Councillors for Wembley Central are useless. Cllr Shah is never around and Cllr Seelan is totally out of his depth and on another plant. Barham Park is as much in Wembley Central ward as it is in Sudbury Ward. The nearest residential properties to the two old cottages are in Sudbury (Elton Avenue on other side of the rail embankment) and the former Barham Park Estate flats opposite. So if the Sudbury Lib Dem Councillor Paul Lorber is prepared to stand up for local people and represent their opposition to the Council's betrayal about NO MORE BUILDING ON BARHAM PARK why are my Wembley Central Labour Councillors doing nothing?
DeleteHave they been threatened with de-selection if they fail to do Butt's bidding?
When did Wembley Central councillors do anything? least of all engage with the residents that elected them. Butt's puppets and they only dance to one tune and that's the one being played by him, his bro and his cousins
ReplyDeleteIt's always the same tune.
Butt is the Putin of Bent
ReplyDeleteWhy does Butt not allow anyone to speak or debate? What is he scared of? Does he see if he allows anyone to object to anything it threatens his Dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteEverything, except his constant propaganda endangers his Dictatorship and his continued drive to create a Distopian Borough called B~ent
DeleteUnlike Putin, Cllr. Butt and all other Brent councillors will have to face a free and fair election process in May 2026. *
ReplyDeleteIf enough people in the borough want him out of office, they will need to turn out and vote for change when the local elections come round.
Many residents will vote for him and others because they have "Labour" after their names on the ballot paper. Others will be persuaded to vote for them because of all the favourable publicity for Cllr. Butt and his Cabinet colleagues issued by the Council's Communications Team.
If you want change, you need to spread the news that change is needed, by word of mouth, through residents' associations and other groups, and by encouraging as many people as possible to use sources of real information, like "Wembley Matters"!
* [However, Brent Labour will have a large fund available in 2026 for election leaflets etc., as all 49 of their councillors are expected to give 10% of the members' allowances they receive, out of our Council Tax, to local party funds - that's over £1,200 a year from each of them into "the kitty".
When Labour won a large majority at the 2014 local elections, Cllr. Butt proposed, and his councillors agreed, that the annual allowance should be raised from £4k a year to £8k a year - now it is more than three times as much as it was before May 2014.]
What did we do in our previous lives, to deserve Butt and Co?
ReplyDeleteResidents need to vote Labour out at next local elections.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the Charity Commission have a say?
ReplyDeleteYes, it has to finally approve by the Charity Commission.
ReplyDeleteSo what are the actual points the Charity Commission will listen to if we raise objections?
ReplyDeleteButt ignores opposition because the officers and councillors are in his pocket via patronage and ability to make officers redundant
ReplyDelete