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Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Some Home Truths About the South Kilburn Regeneration for Brent Council and Developers to Ponder
Pete Firmin, South Kilburn resident and chair of a residents' and tenants' association, spoke at Kilburn Connects online meeting tonight about the poor quality of new housing on the estate, the dire amount of social housing and the experience of living though a regeneration that will not be completed until 2041.
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17 comments:
South Kilburn DEgeneration!!!
Courtesy of Mo Butt's Brent Council.
I watched the video above of Pete's clear and frank assessment of Brent's South Kilburn Regeneration project.
The recording ends with the Chair (Councillor ?) saying: 'Thank you for your point of view, Pete.'
Was there any response from the Council representatives at the Kilburn Connects meeting to the valid points which Pete had raised?
None whatsoever, Phillip. I'm afraid that's what those of us who have been raising these issues for years are used to.
This is spot on Pete.
Thank God the residents have someone resilient like you, to stand for them!
The council never admit or acknowledge their faults, yet they want interaction from the community!
Where there is no trust, it's not possible.
Whilst they continue to neglect the torture they're inflicting upon residents after their lies and manipulation, in order to get them to vote and win the bid, they will continue to face the battle of disengagement.
As a former resident, who was moved out of the area because of the broken regeneration promises, I miss my community dearly.
I am committed to supporting my community in the ways I can and with the things I know are needed.
Great that someone like Pete is speaking truth to power, but when those in power ignore the truth, and do nothing to improve things for us, our only hope is to put them OUT OF POWER. Roll on the 2026 Brent Council elections!
Re anonymous yesterday, I would say careful what you wish for. It should be obvious I have no truck with Brent Council's handling of the regeneration of South Kilburn. But I'm pretty certain that Tories, Lib Dems or Reform would be no better, if not considertably worse. I'm more interested in a revognition of the problems and a change than simply arguing over which Party runs the borough.
How do you know? It clearly could not be any worse so kicking the arrogant Labour with their hopeless Leader may be worth a try.
If the current leadership at Brent Council will not even respond to the mess they are making of South Kilburn, and fail to take any action to improve things for residents, what alternative is there?
Started in 2004 and ends in 2041?!!
Hahaha you’re desperate
Anonymous23 May 2025 at 09:39
It’s the attitude “be careful” and “you have no other options which has led to the rise of reform. It’s complete contempt of the public by labour and it’s supporters and councillors which is going to allow Reform to waltz in as the next government. This is a direct result of labour’s contempt for the public, rather than being a real alternative. They brought it on themselves for the treatment of corbyn, who would have been prime minister now if he carried on. Instead, it is going to be angela rayner after disposing Starmer
Given the Lib Dems were responsible for the Granville Homes fiasco, the Tories have no interest in housing working class communities (plenty of evidence there, including from neighbouring Westminster, and racist Reform would want many of my neighbours deported rather than given decent housing, its fairly obvious to me that they offer no alternative to this disastrous regeneration scheme.
Given the Lib Dems were responsible for the Granville New Homes fiasco, given the Tories are certainly not concerned with building decent homes for the working class (plenty of examples from neighbouring Westminster), and given Reform would probably want to deport many of my neighbours rather than provide them with decent housing, it seems to me that none of them are an alternative.
Very easy to blame others. Local people were involved in the design of these buildings - was Pete Fermin one of them? The Council Officer mentioned below is now a Labour Councillor.
https://theglasshouse.org.uk/our-work/innovating-practice/granville-new-homes-south-kilburn/
No, I wasn't involved, and it looks like any resident involvement was hand-picked, as is usual with brent Council. It doesn't change the fact that the Grsanville New Homes blocks are going to cost more to put right that the original cost. Thats down to arhitects, developers and the planning committee, nmot residents.
There is a harsh contrast for all to see now between- 'Not Kilburn' (South Kilburn 'Re, Re, Re, Re, development now in year 24), with 'Kilburn's' new Neighbourhood Plan 2025 with its strong rules protecting its zones community, families and welfare state infrastructure facilities from design by and for greed colonisations bit-by-bit.
South Kilburn has had many plans since 2001(in practice that means no plan). And note the Community-led Neighbourhood Masterplan of 2004 was binned in 2016 by Brent, with the 2010 Brent Local Plan having already fatally wounded it.
Protect and invest South Kilburn Park in year 24, its Brent Kilburn's only remaining park size park amenity, open 24/7 and essential from some 'points of view' for 4 bedroom tower house families living adjacent health, wellbeing and community. Surely the new in 2025 park squatter encampment can be re-housed away from the sheltered housing and children's playgrounds of South Kilburn?
Note. The large wasteland in South Kilburn zone between Queens Park Town Brent and Queens Park Town Westminster. For 20 years brownfield kept out of use and for the last 11 of those years with full planning permission to build housing and retail join up Queens Park as one place in two boroughs. Yet nothing has happened on this land, this the 2025 developer club benefit of having no South Kilburn residents board since 2008. Developers in 2025 far more fixated on building on South Kilburn's 60 years old 2ha park amenity. Land greed developer anarchy zoned. Nothing to see for Chief Executive or our Labour MP who sits in Cabinet?
Since the 2019 Brent Local Plan, South Kilburn is a 51m tall building zone. Yet 2025, there is still no tall building masterplan for this population growth Brent policy. If a conservation zone needs a plan, why not a towers zone?
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