In response to the formal letter from the leaders of the Liberal Democrat and Green Groups on Brent Council, Kim Wright, the CEO of Brent Council, has decided that the right thing to do is to listen further before a decision is taken on removal of the Indoor Track at Willesden Sports Centre. The potential loss of the track, one of only a few in London, has led to a huge campaign of Track Academy members, local residents, athletes and sports clubs using social media, press and tv coverage and a rapidly growing petition.
Kim Wright said:
The decision on the final configuration, including whether the indoor running tube space is retained for athletics or reconfigured as proposed, is delegated to the Corporate Director of Service Reform and Strategy who plans to make that decision by 25 November 2026.
The Council is inviting representations on the proposals from existing and recent past users of Willesden Sports Centre. All representations previously received will be taken into account, so nobody needs to repeat or resend anything they have already sent us. Any further representations should be sent to leisure@brent.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 20 November 2026, and will be considered before any decision is taken.
Mary Mitchell, leader of the Green Group on Brent Council said:
This is very welcome news and a huge testament to the community who use the track. We hope that the Council will recognise the value that the track provides and will continue to support and invest in the youth services that Brent so desperately needs.
Anton Georgiou, leader of the Lib Dem Group said:
I'm pleased that Brent Council has decided to backtrack on its decision to demolish the much-loved indoor track at Willesden sports Centre
The climbdown is a direct result of a community-led campaign, which brought togeyher track users, Track Academy, Queens Park Harriers, residents and the Liberal Democrat and Green Council Groups.
Patrik Ewe of Track Academy told Wembley Matters:
This is a welcome and significant change of position. What we hope for now is a genuine consultation. Not just about whether the track survives, but about the whole offering: who benefits from this space, how it is used, and what it means for Brent. This is a rare and valuable facility and we are lucky to have it.
How we use it matters. It supports the council's own commitments to reaching the groups facing the greatest barriers in our borough: girls, disabled young people, young people with special educational needs and ethnically diverse communities. We want to work with the council to make sure that is properly understood before a final decision is taken.
We only have a week to share feedback so are asking every supporter and partner to email the council (leisure@brent.gov.uk) before 20 November.
5 comments:
Has this finally put Brent Master Developer off track?
Brent disqualified from being fit public gradians of public owned sports centres, community centres and precious green spaces. Are towers of car-free, no-garden, sky houses the only infrastructure C21 Bleak Brent requires?
Brent residents need to know the long view, the Brent Master Developer ultimate objective for WSC and King Edward 7th Sports Ground LAND. Is it regarded as being a brownfield opportunity by decision makers?
Brent would like more land to be in on the tower lord feudalism game, but only has community value assets such as this left to undermine, destroy, then exploit as brown land.
Think leisure is spelt wrong in that email
Thanks, corrected.
Key infrastructure. Needs a masterplan for WSC and King Edward 7th sports ground rather than bite-by-bite disturbances like this proposal to undermine it.
Why shouldn't Brent mega population growth have a state of the art all season sports training and competition facility to scale. Maybe another borough wants that investment, as for Brent, health and wellbeing cuts will always do, just cheap tower it over?
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