Statement issued via Twitter today
WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Showing posts with label Delipod Hub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delipod Hub. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Sunday, 27 October 2019
URGENT: Delipod Hub Monday Deadline -please sign the petition to stop this physical, social & cultural vandalism
A message from the managers of the Delipod Hub
Link to Performance Compilation HERE
Link to Performance Compilation HERE
Hi All, Since we opened the Delipod Hub has attracted artists, artisans, writers and musicians along with customers from toddlers to grannies and the full diversity of cultures for whom Brent is home. Little did we know however that the Delipod Hub was held with such affection until the petition to save it was launched by a local resident’s association only a few days ago.
It has now over 800 signatures and rising, and the voices of support have been spontaneous, many and loud. For your information, we have now signed the lease surrender document as we had built up arrears and were under threat of legal proceedings - this after repeatedly trying to engage with Brent on this issue for well over a year.
I wrote to the local councillors on Friday. I have written again just now stating that we will not start to any significant dismantling of the Hub until Tuesday leaving the option open on Monday for a reconsideration. Perhaps this is too strong, but from the messages of support we’ve received, it’s almost like the Hub’s closure would be an act of physical, social and cultural vandalism.
Seee the one-minute compilation of some of the live music nights held at the Hub – it’s fab. Please do sign and spread the petition: LINK Monday!!!
Thank you, Peter (Billy) & Serena
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Willesden Greeners mobilise to save the Delipod Hub from closure - petition launched
Willesden Greeners have lost no time in launching a petition to Brent Council asking them to act to save the Delipod Hub at Willesden Green Library from closure (see yesterday's story).
The petition is HERE and states:
The recent decision to terminate the lease of Willesden Green Library’s Delipod Hub café has caused an outpouring of community support. We believe the decision to terminate their lease – regardless of the doubtless complex intricacies of the case – is a mistake and flies in the face of Brent’s stated aims to improve Willesden Green High Street.
After countless years in the doldrums, Willesden Green has recently started to show signs of growth and development; this is in large part due to the work of like-minded individuals within the community coming together. Our partnership with Brent Council seeks to improve our environment, reduce crime and foster growth on our High Street and has started to yield meaningful results. The small successes we have witnessed this past year have been helped by The Delipod Hub both as a focus of community activity and as a base for the community to meet and launch our campaigns. During the recent Rising Star High Street Award judges’ day, Brent Council touted The Delipod as a focal point for their consideration. Away from the watchful glare of media scrutiny, it’s pride of place at the epicentre of Willesden Green’s community hub should continue to be championed by the council.
Among Brent’s stated ambitions is to encourage the public to spend locally. You employ a full time Town Centre Manager to promote growth and regeneration on our High Street. In a peculiar turn of events, until mere weeks ago, the Town Centre Manager was excluded from any involvement in this matter.
While business rates are beyond your control and remit, we are aware it is within Brent Council’s gift to make rent reductions. It is the community’s understanding, The Delipod has been communicating through appropriate channels for over one year. They have patiently awaited an answer from Brent Council on a possible rent reduction. We also understand the owners were led to believe there was consensus within the council supporting a rent reduction; a reduction that would allow them to operate successfully while continuing to provide Willesden Green’s community hub with a much-needed resource. As happens, the decision-making process became a protracted episode prompting the assignment of this case across several different asset managers, until the most recent one issued a final ultimatum without benefit of a rent reduction.
If Brent Council is serious about investing in our local community, creating a thriving cultural centre hub within the main library and helping our town centre to flourish, then the community believes The Delipod Hub should be viewed as an asset of community value. Brent must allow its community value to take precedent over commercial considerations.
Assuming the council has made full consideration of the financial issues any business utilising this space will face in managing both the rates and the rent, we have to ask, under current parameters, whom do Brent Council envision will be capable of achieving success? There is understandable concern among the community this space will, in future, welcome a spate of short-term cafes offering no semblance of continuity or stability. This is not in keeping with Brent’s well-publicised ambition for the borough or with the Town Centre Manager and community vision for Willesden Green. Willesden Green deserves an equal chance to grow and develop along with other parts of the borough. If small, start-up businesses cannot expect and/or receive support from Brent Council how do you propose we achieve growth for the area and beyond?
We respectfully believe this decision to be short-sighted. Brent Council has a responsibility to represent the many while considering the long-term impact of removing yet another highly valued and much-loved facility from a ward fighting to devise a better place to live. We urge you to reconsider this misdirected decision.
The petition is HERE and states:
The recent decision to terminate the lease of Willesden Green Library’s Delipod Hub café has caused an outpouring of community support. We believe the decision to terminate their lease – regardless of the doubtless complex intricacies of the case – is a mistake and flies in the face of Brent’s stated aims to improve Willesden Green High Street.
After countless years in the doldrums, Willesden Green has recently started to show signs of growth and development; this is in large part due to the work of like-minded individuals within the community coming together. Our partnership with Brent Council seeks to improve our environment, reduce crime and foster growth on our High Street and has started to yield meaningful results. The small successes we have witnessed this past year have been helped by The Delipod Hub both as a focus of community activity and as a base for the community to meet and launch our campaigns. During the recent Rising Star High Street Award judges’ day, Brent Council touted The Delipod as a focal point for their consideration. Away from the watchful glare of media scrutiny, it’s pride of place at the epicentre of Willesden Green’s community hub should continue to be championed by the council.
Among Brent’s stated ambitions is to encourage the public to spend locally. You employ a full time Town Centre Manager to promote growth and regeneration on our High Street. In a peculiar turn of events, until mere weeks ago, the Town Centre Manager was excluded from any involvement in this matter.
While business rates are beyond your control and remit, we are aware it is within Brent Council’s gift to make rent reductions. It is the community’s understanding, The Delipod has been communicating through appropriate channels for over one year. They have patiently awaited an answer from Brent Council on a possible rent reduction. We also understand the owners were led to believe there was consensus within the council supporting a rent reduction; a reduction that would allow them to operate successfully while continuing to provide Willesden Green’s community hub with a much-needed resource. As happens, the decision-making process became a protracted episode prompting the assignment of this case across several different asset managers, until the most recent one issued a final ultimatum without benefit of a rent reduction.
If Brent Council is serious about investing in our local community, creating a thriving cultural centre hub within the main library and helping our town centre to flourish, then the community believes The Delipod Hub should be viewed as an asset of community value. Brent must allow its community value to take precedent over commercial considerations.
Assuming the council has made full consideration of the financial issues any business utilising this space will face in managing both the rates and the rent, we have to ask, under current parameters, whom do Brent Council envision will be capable of achieving success? There is understandable concern among the community this space will, in future, welcome a spate of short-term cafes offering no semblance of continuity or stability. This is not in keeping with Brent’s well-publicised ambition for the borough or with the Town Centre Manager and community vision for Willesden Green. Willesden Green deserves an equal chance to grow and develop along with other parts of the borough. If small, start-up businesses cannot expect and/or receive support from Brent Council how do you propose we achieve growth for the area and beyond?
We respectfully believe this decision to be short-sighted. Brent Council has a responsibility to represent the many while considering the long-term impact of removing yet another highly valued and much-loved facility from a ward fighting to devise a better place to live. We urge you to reconsider this misdirected decision.
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Kicking the 'Culture' out of the London Borough of Culture 2020 - Delipod Hub to close as charges renegotiation fails
When Brent Council decided to demolish the 1980s Willesden Green Library and sell the car park to a private developer they renamed its sucessor a 'Library and Cultural Centre.' In the course of the redevelopment they closed the cinema and denied any space to the well-loved and well-used Willesden Bookshop. The bookshop could not afford the high rent and overheads that would have been demanded by Brent Council even if an adequate space had been made available. The cultural offer was limited by a closure time of 8pm and a demand that any event going on after that time should pay an additional sum for security.
Now the Delipod Hub cafe, on the ground floor of the building, which has been attracting a local following, especially for its Friday night music sessions, has thrown in the towel in after a valiant attempt to keep going.
This is their announcement:
"With huge regret, next Friday will be our last live music event after which Delipod Hub will be closing, the last day of trading will be Saturday 26th Oct. After rates (which came in much higher than anticipated), rent and service charge there’s not much left and after over a year of trying to renegotiate them, we’ve been unsuccessful. We’d love to go out with a BANG so please come and celebrate our last evening of live music with the fabulous RumBand. Thank you for your custom and support, over the period we’ve been open.
Peter (Billy) & Serena"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)