Community's Bridge Park Complex legal battle is declared over as it runs out of road

 

The long and spirited legal battle for the Bridge Park Complex has been declared over by campaigners following the Supreme Court's decision that there was not sufficient legal public interest to hear the case.

The Bridge Park Community Council and Stonebridge Community Trust issued the following statement this afternoon:

Our Appeal to the Supreme Court has ended they did not grant a hearing on the basis that the argument is not of   sufficient Public Interest. We firmly disagree, but have no further avenues.

 

We have therefore come to the legal end of the Save Bridge Park Campaign.

 

Many thanks to all for your commitment to the battle for Equality and Justice and in particular for our great Afrikan and Caribbean legacy worth of £200million and being sold (given away) for up to £12miilion to private developer General Mediterranean Holdings (GMH)

 

We know that proceedings could have gone differently; had we been allowed to fight the Trial with the original legal arguments.

 

The Community need is very much there, and Brent will not allow a community ownership or control in its projects  and considering the millions Bridge Park is worth the amount Brent is investing back directly in the Afrikan Caribbean Community amount small handouts and no ownership of assets there is not one multi-million pound project or development we control or have long term funding guaranteed.

 

Our 2035 Vision is still credible see our website for details.

 

1. The general cost of our Save Bridge Park Campaign to date:

 

£750,000.00 in Legal work

 

Of that 2. Community donations:

 

£16,500.00

 

And

3. Benefactors:

£18,000.00

 

In the meantime thank you all for your hard work, donations and tireless support.

 

On behalf of

BPCC and

SCT Ltd

Save Bridge Park Community campaigners welcome a 'powerful decision' in their favour

From Bridge Park Community Council Steering Group

 

BRIDGE PARK COMMUNITY COUNCIL STEERING GROUP

PRESS RELEASE

SAVE BRIDGE PARK CAMPAIGN

Community campaigners welcome a powerful decision in their favour

Appeal Court agrees to hear Stonebridge Community Trust case for being allowed to make its Charitable Arguments:

On 30 July, Master Clarke accepted the local authority’s argument that as the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, MP, had not joined the proceedings, then the Charitable Trust argument had to be struck out from the defence.  That result would have dealt a blow to the community campaigners’ defence.

On 13^th September, leave to appeal the decision was refused by Master Clarke, so the community campaigners applied for permission to appeal this legal point to a higher Judge, resulting in this latest successful outcome. 

On 6^th November 2019, at the High Court Appeal Centre, the Honourable Mr. Justice Birss ruled that the community campaigners be granted permission to appeal the orders of 21^st March and 13^th September 2019.

At the Appeals Centre, the Honourable Mr. Justice Birss, explained that “…..the decision of the Attorney General not to join the proceedings does not prevent the community and those who represent them from maintaining a Charitable Trust argument.  He concluded by saying, “.the arguments put forward as grounds of appeal on behalf of the defendants have a real as opposed to fanciful prospect of success at trial. 

 ‘Community campaigners welcome TWO powerful decisions

 in their favour’.

1.    Feb 2020 – “Community Activist threatens Community’s Legal Defence”

In the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday Feb 6, 2020 -

Patricia Grace Guthrie a local activist based in Camden, states that she teamed up with a Daniel Galimore and Nigel Goodison, as they thought that they could fight the Save Bridge Park campaign better than BPCC (who have blocked the sale for three years and fought and won the legal case at the first key test hearing February 2019).  Grace tried to persuade the High Court to let her join on behalf of her new team and she submitted privileged BPCC evidence and made erroneous statements in support.

Her legal arguments, were in effect against BPCC, so would have helped Brent to sell Bridge Park by attempting to remove our claim that

 *1.* HPCC were promised the Freehold (Estopple by convention), and;

 *2.* of there being a Charitable Trust by the actions and method of the purchase (in 1982) demonstrated by the protective GLC covenant which Brent removed.

Fortunately, The High Court agreed with our legal position (this without making any judgement on the merits of the main case in relation to Brent and ourselves, to be heard later this hear circa July 2020). The Judge threw Grace's arguments and case out (stating amongst other things.... that it had no basis in Law)! Brent won their costs against her. Whilst she was hostile towards BPCC/ HPCC we still persuaded our lawyers to show goodwill and not to apply for their entitled similar costs. So ONLY Brent Lawyers were awarded their costs £14,000 (within 28 days) against Patricia Grace Guthrie.

We have the full backing of the Cllrs, Lawyers, Press, Public and most importantly, our Community - proof backed up by their signed and written questionnaires also a petition.

www.bridgeparkcomplex.com/our-vision

Jay Mastin, Chair, Bridge Park Community Council Steering Group (BPCC) said

“This is a very powerful decision in favour of the community.  BPCC recognises the commitment from the community to support the Save Bridge Park campaign.  We also recognize our accountability to the community.  To that end, BPCC have produced the Chair’s Report covering the start of the campaign in June 2017 to date.  (see our website: www.bridgeparkcomplex.com).

The Current Position

We are pleased to report we have gone on to win our appeal hearing (attached) and will now go on to full Trial, with a window between July - Nov 2020. 

The Save Bridge Park campaign lost a decision in relation to the Attorney General and being able to continue our Charitable Trust arguments in our defence. We put in an application to the High Court to appeal that decision and the costs awarded A copy of the 29th April 2020 Judgement, Order and Attorney General's letter can be viewed on our website www.bridgeparkcomplex.com.

I trust you will agree our case is unique and maybe legally exceptional, please consider supporting in our favour www.bridgeparkcomplex.com/donations . Our appeal hearing was granted on 9th November 2019. This was the opening to a potentially landmark moment.    

 “This successful Appeal which was heard during the Covid-19outbreak in March 2020, is another big step in our steady fight to victory for the Community. No one believed in our arguments but we know the story, gathered our own evidence and slowly persuaded those in the know. Bridge Park Land & Complex is unique and is the largest project of its type in Europe. I feel our fight for justice may go on to create a legal precedent. Please see our story visit us on - www.bridgeparkcomplex.com”.

Jay Mastin, Chair, BPCC Steering Group and Director, Stonebridge Community Trust

Community urged to rally to the support of Bridge Park on Sunday afternoon as Brent Council moves to seize back the site

The Bridge Park Development site

Wembley Matters has been reporting the community's attempt  to claim back possession of the Bridge Park complex ahead of Brent Council's decision to sell the site for development to an off-shore developer. LINK LINK

The latest round of the battle will take place this Sunday, December 9th, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm following reports that Brent Council is to apply to the Land Registry for a summary hearing to lift the restriction on the sale won by Bridge Park Community Council (BPCC)  last year.

The Centre was started in the early1980s by a group of young black people from Stonebridge who wanted to contribute something positive for the community at a time when there has been uprisings against racism, police oppression and discrimination in Brixton and several English cities. LINK

The meeting is at Bridge Park Centre itself on the Harrow Road. 18 bus or Stonebridge Park station.

The Kilburn Times LINK quoted Jay Mastin, chair of BPCC:

In August 2017, an application was made by BPCC to the Land Registry to restrict Brent Council from selling Bridge Park. BPCC made several offers to negotiate with Brent Council. However, they have chosen to not come to the negotiating table. Instead they have apparently sided with commercial interests and have used council funds to take the community to the High Court. We would like support from the local community. This is our legacy. It is a building we own, we raised the money through grants, Brent are merely the custodians of it.