Guest post by local historian Philip Grant in a personal capacity
The Victorian villa, “Altamira”, at Hillside, Stonebridge, in October
2023.
When I was growing up in the 1950s, there was a song by Bing Crosby that
I often heard on the BBC Light Programme (now Radio 2). It was fun to listen
to, and the words have stuck in my brain: ‘We’re busy doing nothing, working
the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do ….’
I’m beginning to wonder whether the Council are singing that tune over 1
Morland Gardens. It is now more than four months since I wrote that Brent was reviewing its plans for this site in Stonebridge, after the 2020 planning consent for its
proposed development there had expired. A report was supposed to be prepared,
for submission to Brent’s Cabinet, with new proposals for the site. No report
has yet emerged, and there is nothing on the Council’s Forward Plan for such a
report to go to Cabinet in April or May 2024.
Although the original plans were flawed, including as they did the
demolition of a locally listed heritage building and the construction of flats
over a community garden, causing air quality problems, the site could still be
used for a sensible development. This could include an updated college facility
for Brent Start (currently stuck in a temporary home that the Council moved it
out to, at a cost of £1.5m), or other community use, and some much needed
affordable housing, while retaining and re-using the 150-year old Victorian
villa, which was, until recently, in excellent condition.
Doing nothing with the now vacant Council-owned building would be worse
than doing something. And damage caused to the building, while it was in the
hands of contractors last year, is in urgent need of repair. So, what is Brent
Council planning to do?
In order to find out, I sent this open email to Brent’s Chief Executive
and Head of Capital Projects on 25 March, headed: 1 Morland Gardens, NW10 - its
future, and the protection of this Victorian heritage building.
This is an Open Email
Dear Ms Wright and Mr Martin,
1. I was told last November that, following the
expiry of the Council's planning consent for its proposed 1 Morland Gardens
development, a review of future plans for the property was being carried out,
headed by Mr Martin, and that this would report back with proposals to Brent's
Cabinet for a decision.
I submitted a paper to that review on 20 November 2023, but four months
later, the report of that review has not yet been published or submitted to
Cabinet, and it is not shown as an item for decision during the next two months
on the Forward Plan.
Please let me know whether the review has been completed. If it has,
when will the report be submitted to Cabinet, and made publicly available? If
the review has not yet been finalised, please let me know the reason for the
delay, and the date by which the report and recommendations on the future of 1
Morland Gardens are expected to be ready.
2. In my open letter of 30 October to you, Ms
Wright, I finished by including a photograph of damage to the slates on the
roof of the Victorian villa (which had been carefully restored by Brent Council
in the mid-1990s, to provide a permanent home for its adult education college).
I wrote: 'please ensure that urgent action is taken to replace the missing
slates on the roof of 1 Morland Gardens, so that the condition of the empty
property is not allowed to deteriorate further.'
Following the unsatisfactory reply to that point by Mr Ghani, on your
behalf, I wrote again on 20 November, saying: 'There have been further strong
winds and heavy rain since I saw the heritage building three weeks ago, so that
point is even more urgent now, if expensive damage to the fabric of the
property is to be avoided.'
It appears that nothing has been done to address this damage to the
property, and it has got worse during the winter weather. Here are three
photographs, taken yesterday (24 March) by a fellow "Friend of
Altamira", with arrows indicating the damaged areas:-
Front view of 1 Morland Gardens, showing missing slates, 24 March 2024.
1 Morland Gardens from corner of Hillside, showing missing slates on
south wing of Victorian villa.
1 Morland Gardens, showing serious damage to slate roof on north wing of
Victorian villa.
The initial damage was not present when the building was occupied by
"Live-in Guardians" up until January 2023, so was probably caused by
contractors during the time that 1 Morland Gardens was under the control of the
Hill Group (possibly during asbestos survey work). I realise that those
removing slates at the edge of the roof thought at the time that the building
would be demolished, so that failing to put them back in place did not matter.
However, this locally listed heritage asset (one of only two in
Stonebridge Ward) is not currently due for demolition. It would be a travesty
if its condition was allowed to deteriorate further, particularly if this was
deliberate neglect by Brent Council, to use as an excuse for further proposals
to demolish this much-loved, beautiful and still eminently usable Victorian
building.
As a reminder, if any were needed, Brent's own adopted Historic
Environment policy on "Valuing Brent's Heritage" states:
'The effective preservation of historic buildings,
places and landscapes and their stewardship is therefore fundamental to the
Council's role.'
I am copying this email to the Lead Member for Customers, Community and
Culture, and to the councillors for Stonebridge Ward, for their information.
I look forward to receiving an update on the situation over the review
of the future of 1 Morland Gardens, and to hearing that the necessary repairs
to the roof of the Victorian building are being carried out. Thank you. Best
wishes,
Philip Grant.