The current layout - the removed Soundshell in the foreground
Quintain have replied this afternoon to my request for information regarding the future of the Samovar Space at the foot of the Wembley Stadium steps. Apparently my earier communication to them went astray.
Over the last couple of weeks we have been in contact with Brent Councillors, Planning team, Landsby Residents and our Resident's Team at Quintain Living relating to Plot NW04 and the existing meanwhile uses of Market Square and Samovar Space clarifying the following:To the Landsby Resident's Team:
Together with Brent Council we have a vision for the transformation of Wembley Park that will be delivered in phases. The later plots to be developed have been enlivened in the interim as 'meanwhile uses' with Brent Council's full support. The Samovar Space is a brilliant example of this. Designed with input from local young people and enjoyed by many.The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space that will remain for at least the next 12 months. The Soundshell was moved to due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for upcoming Coldplay concert activations.The 'NW04' site next to Landsby was granted outline planning approval in 2011 and was revised in 2018, and has formed one of our meanwhile plots for development later in the masterplan.To Brent Council:
Samovar Space and Market Square form part of plot NW04 in the Wembley Masterplan. They are both meantime (temporary) uses of the plot until the building development is brought forward. Market Square and “Wembley Splay” were primarily built to facilitate a more direct pedestrian connection between Olympic Way and Wembley Park Boulevard around the old Pedway. Samovar Space was part of a project co-curated with young people in Brent.NW04 has outline planning approval for either a Hotel or Office use and the form and position of the building on the site were approved in 2018*.Designs are currently being prepared by Quintain for a Hotel on the site and it is intended that the Reserved Matters Application (RMA) will be submitted in early 2026. Engagement with residents and other stakeholders will take place as part of the process before the application is submitted.Recent “construction” activity on site has been related to the various site surveys – topographical, ground investigation etc – that are necessary to inform the design.There have also been quite a few event activities on the site, sometimes related to the various concerts and other events happening in the stadium this summer.It is important to note that The Soundshell, which formed an integral part of Samovar Space, was removed due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for the upcoming Coldplay concert activations. The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space which will remain for at least the next calendar year.The approved parameter plans for the NW04 site allow for the creation of two new public spaces. A combined space that fulfils the functions of Market Square and Samovar Space is created – effectively rotating the space through 90 degrees to sit along the Engineers Way frontage, linking Olympic Way to the Civic Centre and Wembley Park Boulevard. A second space is created as a “pocket space” that will sit as a terraced area roughly where Wembley Splay is located at present.The Cherry Trees in the southern part of Market Square will be retained and reconfigured as part of the design. The various elements within Samovar Space were designed to be relocated and we will be reusing the structures where possible or donating them to local community groups, charities etc where this isn't feasible?The overall construction process will be described in the construction method statement. There will be further liaison over the construction arrangements as has been the case for all of the plots constructed at Wembley Park.
*Planning reference 2018/0968 LINK
Former Palace of Arts and Industry, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9 Proposal Minor Material Amendment to vary Condition 4 (Approved Drawings) of planning permission reference 14/3054 (dated 21 October 2014) for an outline application for the demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide up to 160,000sqm of mixed use floorspace. (See previous application record for full description of development).
The minor material changes sought are to create a new south facing public square fronting Engineers Way, to increase the height of the previously approved main building from 88.5m to 100m AOD, the reduction of the length of the previously approved block plan, changes to the massing of the previously approved building form, the creation of a collonaded single storey pavillion building along Olympic Way, increased basement level, and the provision of pedestrian and public realm improvements, and a bridge link to Brent Civic Centre.Status Approved.
Images from that application:
The alternatives from an early PowerPoint presentation:
31 comments:
Absolutely shocking… Just when I thought Quintain actually cared about the community. We don’t need a hotel to be crammed into that space, we need our community spaces!
I recently moved into the Landsby building next to this space and to say we as residents were consulted is a blatant lie. When we signed our rental contract there was no mention of these plans and there have been no messages from the resident team apart from telling us the sound shell was being removed. They ignored my reply asking why it was being taken away. Disgusting, how dare they keep us in the dark about this and then claim to have consulted us!!!
There is no space in this permanent re-development zones model being Brent applied, and no transparent forward or final plan ever but that of greed. In South Kilburn an estate park reduced to 1/3rd of its original size by development and then remains green upgraded in 2010 as 'part of the the final masterplans green space strategy ', is today locked- up 'meanwhile' with no public access for three years, become a ' developer community garden' (and they really have plant funds for these 'sites') with developer to be on this green site building 2026. There is no plan or right to community inside the growth zones....
Contrast conservation area residents who have rights and protections of community and shared space use. Two very different Brents and we know why there is such a business clamour to be rid of the Human Rights Act.
Yes I totally agree that we need more community spaces here.
I live in Marathon House, across Olympic Way from the space in question. So far they haven’t used the space for anything during the Coldplay concerts, not even for large official merch stands like for Oasis. So I don’t understand what they mean when they say they moved the sound shell in part “to allow space for upcoming Coldplay concert activations.”
And what ‘urgent repairs’? Yes it definitely needs a new coat of paint, but then so do all the installations in that space as Quintain have hardly focussed on keeping it looking fresh over the years.
If the removal is temporary, when will the sound shell be moved back?
Quintain seem oblivious to the feelings of the community that they supposedly take pride in. They certainly love to win those awards for how great a community Wembley Park is. The original planning permission was granted WHEN THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY here. They chose not to construct the NW04 plot as part of their original construction. Had they done that, it would have always been there. Since then a vibrant community has grown-up, with thousands of people living directly around the NW04 plot and the ‘temporary’ spaces in samovar space, silver car park and market square have now become integral, much used community spaces for the whole local community, not just Quintain’s own residents. Having such a big open, versatile community space to break-up all the tall buildings is welcomed.
So we have a fundamentally different set-up on the ground to when the original planning was granted and a ‘temporary’ community space that has become, in the eyes of the community it serves, something rare and important.
For Quintain to make a conscious decision to press ahead with this project beggars belief. Despite their assurances that they’ll include a replacement space in the new development, we’ll have to endure years of construction and will likely end-up with the usual developer ‘community space’, likely a paved, uninspired, generic space in the shadow of the new hotel that in no-way replaces the space, light and versatility of what we have now.
Doesn't Quintain have planning permission for a hotel on the current Olympic House site along Olympic Way? And planning permission to expand the Novotel? Why can't they just do that, which would provide a new hotel and help regenerate the area as Olympic House has been derelict for years? Do that instead of choosing to ruin our community spaces.
As has already been said, we don't need a new hotel, or any other building, built there. Quintain have alternative locations they can use. They have planning permissions coming out of their ears as Brent Council lets them do what they want. Trying to sweet talk us by saying they're going to create two new community spaces isn't fooling anyone. Right now we have a great community space already that any construction will destroy. Care more for the existing space. Refresh the paint regularly to keep the space looking vibrant. Continue to use it for all the great community events and farmers markets. Don't alienate the community you work in.
So it seems they lied about consulting their residents and also about needing to move the sound shell for concert activations. Does the sound shell actually need repairs? Or is that another lie to cover-up its removal?
Wasn't the reason Brent Council gave £17.8million of our CIL money to multibillion pound developer Quintain (for their vanity project steps outside Wembley Stadium) to stop Quintain building anything more in that area near to the stadium, particularly next to the Civic Centre???
If they are going ahead with this development perhaps we can please have our £17.8million back please to build some local community spaces outside of Quintain land!!!
Quintain only care about themselves and their profits - the big boss of Quintain we spoke to lives in a tiny village in Bedfordshire whilst overseeing the destruction of Wembley with tower blocks everywhere!!!
Wembley Matters covered the reasons why Brent Council gave Quintain £17.8million of our CIL money - are Quintain breaking the agreement to cash in on another development??? Can we have our money back???
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2020/07/theres-more-to-quintains-steps-than.html?m=1
Here https://www.quintain.co.uk/news-and-media/press-releases/2021/olympic-steps it says "Olympic Way upgrade has been a long-held ambition of both Quintain and Brent Council, who have co-funded this project"
"This elegant new public space celebrates Wembley Park’s history, embraces its future and will be a welcome new space for the residents of Wembley Park and the millions more who will visit the neighbourhood to work, shop and play. As we look to a post-pandemic future, it’s more important than ever that developers like Quintain give space back to the people who call our neighbourhoods home. The Olympic Steps, as well as the wider transformation of Wembley Park, is doing just that."
And yet they qre now going to cram in another development going against all this mention of giving space back!
Is another hotel ftom Quintain the reason why Brent Council are pushing for a tourist tax for concert/football goers?
They need to be transparent about the timings for this. One piece of their statement says 'at least the next 12 months' - which I would read as meaning they'll start construction in August 2026 - and another says that the market square and samovar space will remain 'for at least the next calendar year' - which I would read as meaning construction may not start until early 2027...
If that's true, is there an opportunity to stop this? For the Council to block it / residents to overturn it? Or maybe even Quintain seeing sense and changing their minds about proceeding?
This is a shot across the bows for us all. Quintain have planning permissions that also cover building an office building where the children's play area / paddle tennis areas are near the LDO. Another community resource that is potentially at risk at the whim of Quintain. I don't think anyone could argue that the children's play area is underused! It's always rammed because of people shopping at the LDO.
The community should fight any attempt by Quintain to excercise old planning permissions if they involve the destruction of community spaces that have become a part of community life here. Quintain may see them as 'meanwhile' temporary spaces, but to us they are vital community resources.
What urgent repairs did the sound shell require and when will it be put back?
I doubt that it will be back. Someone photographed it apparently dumped in Union Park. See https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/wembley-park-residents-encounter-wall.html
What does a ‘vibrant’ community look like? Most of those towerblock flats are empty.
Great to see the developer no plan ideology of meanwhile/ permanent development in Brent 8 Growth Areas being local challenged at Wembley Park.
Why do the tower permanent development zones need no community space outside these new homes being piled-up high? Why are only Victorian family houses with private gardens front and back, the only neighbourhoods deemed worthy of their neighbourhood parks being protected and continuously green invested in year on year?
South Kilburn Growth Area/ tall building zone 45 ha of permanent development. The 60 year old 2 ha park here with woodland bat colony, provided excellent urban cooling in this Britain's hottest summer. Yet this key green lung park is for decades much converted 'brown land' by developers/ politicians, not green invested as yet in regeneration year 25, but locals here do defend it and its been 25 years now since a developer plan was submitted to build on it was thrown out by Brent (following local protest and petition) as "not being in the public interest." What is the public interest now with the population of South Kilburn doubled and its permanent development process being re-designated a tall building zone in 2019?
For climate resilience Wembley Park needs a mini-woodland just like South Kilburn's ready-made one - its really cool.
Permanent development and meanwhile (ism) is the road to mega density slums and London inequalities- 'you ain't seen nothing yet', on this present developer-led path of greed and the total exclusion of local rights and assisted living protection.
Dominic "the worse the better" Cummings apparently still lurks around this developer-led toxic politics at Westminster even under Labour. Where is the change? South Kilburn's current MP sits in Cabinet. Where is the change?
To use a football analogy, this is a total 'own goal' for Quintain. Instead of moving forward with one of their other numerous planning permissions around the Wembley Park area - some of which would genuinely help regenerate and benefit the area - they choose the one that is going to destroy a much needed space for the community that is heavily used.
It's as if they sat in a meeting to choose which development to take forward and the theme was "which one will upset the local community the most".
I believe they hope renters won't care and broad community will sit by and do nothing. council will do nothing, mp will do nothing. big business wins again and community loses
If Quintain genuinely cared about the community here in Wembley Park they would give up the planning permission to construct a building there and instead invest in up-scaling the existing community space to make it an amazing public area.
Quintain: Keep the space clear of any more buildings, please build your hotel somewhere else and show us you actually care about the Wembley Park community.
I’m sorry but the current council has been unashamedly pro tower blocks for a long time, if people actually want responsible development they’ll have to vote for that at the next election. That’s not to say a change in leadership or party will actually cause much change as when Harrow changed from labour to Con, they dropped the Tesco tower heights by only a few stories - but we have to keep making our voices heard. If you do a quick google search, we should be thankful that we don’t have a giant casino at our doorstep which the council at the time objected to. You find a space they will add it to the local plan and build on it. As time has gone on they have become more and more lax. If you want nice proper green spaces, roads, customer service, rubbish collection, libraries, you need to vote for a people who will drive change. Not a council that will hoard SCIL cash from developers and throw it at a few departments a few months before local elections. Can anyone please advise what the current have achieved in the last few years? I don’t think there’s anything to note.
Pavements - “medium priority defects” not repaired
Roads - Residents are reporting loads of potholes, you have to be grateful if your defect gets selected for “possible repair”
Parks - Full of rubbish and flytipping increasing, a last ditch attempt to put enforcement officers in parks
Streets - Apart form town centres which are relatively clean, what are they paying Veolia for?
Flytipping - increasing exponentially across the board the might as well give people free collection from homes rather than spend huge amounts of money collecting dumped waste
Housing - council has been given a low rating by the regulator, and they don’t appear to get the amount of housing they are building right when they publish it in the magazine. Affordable housing, down. Unaffordable housing, up
High streets - Completely run down, gambling and chicken shops everywhere and council don’t give a fudge about planning on these streets, just want the council tax and business rates $$$
I am sure we will get the usual upcoming letter to say they have no option but to increase council tax and make further cuts - what will they be?
The joys of this council.
You really cannot make this up…
It's a valuable open space for residents to meet but also for visitors to the stadium to gather and sit before events - there are precious few other open spaces in the immediate area.
Brent Council are now asking stadium visitors to pay a hotel levy on stays near the stadium and are pushing the government to allow them to put a local tax on stadium tickets too yet they treat our visitors like dirt cramming them in between tower blocks with very little seating places.
Not everyone can afford the local restaurants and bars after they have paid for their event ticket and travel costs. Not everyone can stand around after the walk from the station 😞
So the developer has allowed access to the space for several years before building on it as the permission allows and they get criticised. Had they kept it hoarded off all this time and not allowed any access to it I presume they would also be criticised by the same people? Nowt as queer as folk.
Well Quintain did get £17.8m in CIL for the steps and other improvements to Olympic Way.
I doubt it as in that case the space would never have had a chance to become the important and much used community space it is today. When they got their original permission there was nothing in the immediate vicinity, no apartment buildings and no Wembley Park residents to comment / have a chance to object to the planning application. Now the status quo has been in place for over a decade and the space is a part of daily community life in Wembley Park.
Multi-billion pound developer Quintain doesn't desperately need to earn money from this space - why not donate it for the use of the people of Wembley and stadium event goers???
Despite this blog post having been up for a week there's still been no communication to Quintain Living residents from them. I think they're hoping residents won't notice and will just go-on not being aware. Meanwhile they still aren't mentioning anything to new tenants. I bumped into a new couple moving into Landsby and when I told them about it they were shocked and said the Quintain Living team hadn't said a word to them when they signed their rental agreement. They even said they asked directly if any construction was planned nearby as they had seen lots going on around the development and were told, in their words, "you're fine, this side of the development is finished, all future construction will be over around union park". Lies.
Sadly Quintain dont care about the community. They have a monopoly in wembley park and are only interested in making money from the footfall from stadium/arena which Sadly won't change. They have the council in their pocket as a result of the commercial benefits they bring to wembley park. Neither the council or Quintain want to or care about the community especially the closer that community is in proximity to the stadium. The amount of investment in wembley over the years is impressive and its crazy to see how many build to rent tower rise buildings have been built over the years. Sadly though there has been little to no consideration for the residents who have decided to make wembley their home. Quintain dont consult with residents on anything. The council fluff around making it look like they care but really with the money quintain have brought them they aren't going to stop anything Quintain want. Pure greed!
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