UPDATED: Bridge Park consultation exhibition boards published. Unisys, Bridge Park, Morland Gardens, Twybridge Way, Roy Smith House, Bernard Shaw House are all affected. Second public consultation tomorrow 10am to 2pm

 The Unisys site

 

The boards for the Stonebridge/Bridge Park/Unisys/Morland Gardens development have been published today to coincide with the first public consultation:

Brent Start, Twybridge Way, London NW10 0ST on Thursday 28 November, from 3 to 7pm or Saturday 30 November, from 10am to 2pm (Note Saturday is a Wembley Event Day - England v USA).

 The Unisys site would provide more than 1,000 homes (tenure to be decided), a hotel and commercial premises. It appears that the current twin Unisys buildings on the site will be demolished.

Interesting it is now proposal to move Brent Start to Bridge Park rather than Morland Gardens as first proposed. The plans are for new council homes and community facilities here. It is not clear that this means the Altamira Victorian house will be saved from demolition as previously proposed. 

The online consultation can be found HERE. Please note this is much more than a consultation just about Bridge Park. The Hillside Regenration Corridor includes Unisys, Twybridge Way, Morland Gardens, Roy Smith House and Bernard Shaw House as can be seen below.

 

This is a portion of one board that points to 'High Level Views' - unfortunately the image leaves out 32 storey Stonebridge Place and 24 storey Argenta House next to 'The Wem'. You would have to be pretty high yourself to see past those blocks. In fact the two blocks in the corner of the Unisys Site (North Circular and Harrow Road) are 32 and 34 storeys high. The hotel on Harrow Road itself will be 16 storeys high.

Planned  new developments below with Argenta House in black. Stonebridge Park station is white roof in bottom left corner.

Below are some of the exhibition boards for you to review before responding to the consultation or visiting the exhibitions inperson and discussing with staff there.

Click right bottom X for whole page view. 

Bottom right to download a copy.

 

ONLINE CONSULTATION

UPDATE

I went to the exhibition yesterday and chatted to some of the architects and the developer but most importantly some of the local people who had dropped into the session.

The architects were proud of the work that had gone into the planning of the greens spaces and gardens that address flooding  and run off potential on the site. The site historically included an oxbow, a loop, in the River Brent to the south of what is now the North Circular over which was a stone bridge. The river was rerouted so it flows alongside the North Circular and is joined by the Wembley Brook at Argenta House. Place names on the south side give a clue to water courses in the area: Brentfield, Conduit Way, Miitchell Brook, Sladebrook and the canal feeder.

Bridge Park Leisure Centre is currently in the centre of the site but will be tucked into the southern corner under the current plans.  Residents were concerned that there was no car parking allocated or space for a coach to park to let off  parties of school children using the planned swimming pool.

The Morland Gardens site is earmarked for a community space and homes but there was no detail except that the Memorial Garden will no longer be built on and Brent Start adult education will not be housed there. The future of the Altamira Victorian villa appears to be subject to further discussion.

The plans showed Brent Start on 3 floors beneath a residential tower adjoined to the Leisure Centre and concerns were voiced that this would be insufficient for its needs.

 

There was inevitable scepticism about the proposals given the history and this was particularly true of the 1,000 new homes promised for the Unisys site. There were no details regarding tenure and one local insisted (without much hope) that they should be council or social rent homes.

The Unisys site is to be developed by Stonebridge Real Estate Development Ltd, owned by General Mediterraean Holdings. GMH were there (though their badges said GHM) and were a rather isolated group.  I was interested in the financial viability of the development with an eye on the inevitable viability assessment that would reduce the amount of affordable housing on site. They did not want to discuss the financial position of Stonebridge Real Estate but assured me that GMH had plenty of money if there were any problems.

GMH is registered in Luxembourg and has an interesting history. See LINK

 

Stonebridge Community Trust considering its position over Supreme Court legal clarification in Bridge Park case

Huge community meeting at the start of the campaign to save Bridge Park for the  the African and Caribbean community

 

 Following the Appeal Court Judgment on the Bridge Park case LINK and Muhammed Butt's reaction LINK, Stonebridge Community Trust (SCT) has made the following statement:

 

The three judges complemented Peter Crampin QC on the forcefulness of SCT's legal argument on behalf of the African and Caribbean community, but unfortunately they have judged in favour of Brent Council.

Jay Mastin (SCT) said:

 
We have studied the Judgment and whilst we have lost this Appeal hearing, SCT feels the argument remains in Law that by the actions of how the Land was purchased in that it took several different entities to contribute and raise the purchase funds to buy the disused Bus Garage. Those monies were given for the stated purpose of the social and beneficial needs of the African and Caribbean Community. A Charitable Trust existed by act of Law regardless of whether Brent intended this or not.

The three Justices appears to avoided making a clear ruling in relation to whether;

 
i) A Charitable Trust existed in Law

 
ii) Given the legal facts that the same Bridge Park complex is still in existence today; the needs of the community remain. It was argued that in Law a Charitable Trust must still exist and continue today even after the GLC's interest and the covenant was removed by Brent. No legal decision on whether a Charitable Trust still continues after one of the contributors/ settler is removed.

iii) The Judgement appears to say even though there was a covenant and separate agreement on the stated purpose for the Land for the African and Caribbean community, once the land was purchased as intended Brent could then immediately do whatever they wanted with the Land eg. Use it as a Council Staff Admin building. They had no further obligation to carry their stated commitments to the Community for the land.

The above leads SCT to believe that the Appeal Courts judges appear to have remained politically safe and avoided making the tough Legal Judgement that would give clarity in Law on these matters.

The judges appear to have left this to the Supreme Court to make the final decision on these points of Law.

SCT are considering its position in relation to the Supreme Court clarifying the legal position, on behalf of the African and Caribbean Community of Brent.

 

FULL JUDGMENT

For further background to the case search for 'Bridge Park' in the search box on right of this post which willbring up many articles and also see the video.