Mixed response to proposal to rename section of Meadow Garth after Neasden Temple founder

Brentfield School Nursery entrance - the main school entrance is the other side of the barrier

The Mandir on the left - Meadow Garth section that could be renamed ahead

The Cabinet next week will decided whether to agree to rename a section of Meadow Garth in Neasden after the founder of the Neasden Temple (BAPs Swaminarayan Mandir) Pramukh Swami, the spiritual leader of the Swaminarayan sect until his death in 2016.

He inaugurated the Mandir in 1995 and the 20th anniversary was celebrated in 2015.

 

The proposal is to rename the section of Meadow Garth from Brentfield Road to the barrier (see first photograph) 'Pramukh Swami Road.'

Brentfield Primary School objects because the proposal splits the site with the nursery entrance in Pramukh Swami Road and the main entrance in the retained section of Meadow Garth. They point out that the school has recently rebranded with the Meadow Garth address and in addition say that  the change does not reflect 'our community or th school community.'

The change is strongly supported by several residents in the affected section of Meadow Garth but other residents object on ground of the inconvenience, stress and expense that will be caused.

The London Fire Emergency and Planning Authority (LFEPA) object:

The proposed name is not the easiest to pronounce and could be received wrongly during call handling. It is always better to act on the side of precaution when choosing street or building names to minimise the risk of delay when attending an incident. We do object to the renaming of part of 'Meadow Garth Road' as it currently doesn't present any issues for us in terms of locating this address. The guideline states that renaming/renumbering existing streets and buildings is normally only considered when changes occur which give rise to problems for the occupiers, post office, emergency services etc.

This was later qualified by the LFEPA Borough Commander who said that this was advice from the national guidelines, 'but you are free to make any decision you wish.'

The officers say the Cabinet should take the objection seriously as delays of a few minutes in response times can have serious life consequences for firefighters and residents.

On the cultural and visitor attraction aspects the report states:

The Temple is an important asset to Brent, both for residents and as a visitor attraction; it provides valued facilities to many residents and visitors. Although the rationale for applying for the name change has not been clearly set out in the application, it is important to recognise the desire of the Temple to have a street presence which reflects its culture and that of its thousands of attendees and visitors.

 The report leaves the Cabinet to make a 'finely balance' decision:

Clearly the statutory responders and the school are not in favour of the name change along with some residents of Meadow Garth. On balance this would often lead to a rejection of the name change. However, given the need to reflect diversity in the borough and the significance of the Temple to the life of the Borough, Cabinet may well decide that this is a change which they would wish to support.

 

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Primary expansion programme hit by delays

Brent's primary school expansion programme has had a patchy start this month. Preston Manor Primary School is not yet ready and will not be completed until half-term. Places have been offered instead at the temporary building in Ashley Gardens and the children will transfer later. Not the best start for young children settling into school for the first time.

Building work at Brentfield Primary which is expanding has been disrupted because asbestos has been found resulting in part of the building being cordoned off. It is reported that some parents have temporarily removed their children from the school because they fear for their safety.

Brent personnel are dealing with the issue as a priority and there may be an impact on the timetable for completion of some of the 'bulge' classes being installed for the children currently without a school place.

Although the asbestos find is a one off, the problems do draw attention to the impact of cuts on Council services. School building works used to be managed by the Asset Management department of Children and Families  but to increase efficiency this was merged with other council departments to create the Major Projects and Regeneration Department. However at the same time a number of posts were deleted and key staff were lost from the Asset Management department. Insiders report that although the merger has resulted in a more coherent strategy that staff are considerably over-stretched due to the large number of projects underway.  Time pressures on the provision of more school places and the variety and number of the projects undertaken means that when something goes wrong it has a knock-on effect.

It would be interesting to know if the savings made by the staffing reduction have been exceeded by the additional costs of delayed projects. The social cost of children not attending school whilst hard to express in financial terms must also be taken into account.