Densification along with misleading figures on community space and green space provide ammunition for South Kilburn residents to fight for a better deal

 

As tables were being cleared after the usual community meal at the Granville Centre in South Kilburn, Leslie Barson  of Granville Kitcheh stepped forward to introduce the evening's rather special speaker.

 She said, 'I have been thinking - you can't have a project without a place to do it. And you need a project for the place.'

The Granville and Carlton Centres have done so much, so many projects, over the Coviud crisis and proved its essential role in the community along with Rumi's Cave (now relocated in Harlesden) and had kept people together: 'We now understand its relevance.'

The planning application approved at the beginning of 2020 is to be actioned over the next few months.

Dr Pablo Sendra from UCL who had led the research project 'Co-designing social infrastructure for resilient communities in post-Covid cities' addressed the crowded room full of local residents. A rare collaborative effort between community and academics.

In his talk Pablo made a number of key points:

Researchers estimated that the Granville Centre over 65 weeks had provided £344,760 worth of volunteer labour,

Quoting the Mayor of London that organisations, projects and buildings need to be more connected and relevant he asked, 'How can the community be more involved in how the building and its spaces work?'

As a result of regeneration South Kilburn had increased in density and needed more community spaces. The 'Community Hubs' hailed by the Council were places to ask the Council for support, rather than for organising activity. Bland spaces were being provided that people did not feel comfortable in. [Later I mentioned the 1970s 510 community centre in the Harrow Road with its old settees and arm chairs, kettle in the corner, that people treated as home from home and housing many organisations involved in anti-racism, immigration, education and campaigns against SuS.]

The former hall in the Granville where people used to meet has been converted into an 'enterprise space' . Overall the research showed that the Council estimate of a overall loss of  community space of 5% had not included the Granville, Carlton and Rumi's and in fact the loss was 60%.

The workspaces were rigid, enclosed office spaces but the UCL survey showed that people wanted much more creative spaces for activities such as pottery and music.  At a time when people were used to working from home the space offered had to be more than a desk and internet - otherwise people would continue to work from home.

Green spaces were also important. Brent has a very low ratio of green space per person and regeneration will decrease the amount of green space.  And of course densification is going to increase the population significantly. During the pandemic green space became an important outdoor safe space for mental and physical health as well as a place to catch up with neighbours.  It also lent itself to food production and community gardening.

Summarising the recommendations (full details below) Dr Pablo Sendra listed:

1. No loss of community space

2. Creative and well-equipped workspaces

3. Address potential conflict between users (quiet activities versus noisy or messy)

4. Welcoming space to socialise

5. Diverse types of community spaces

6. Spaces for emotional support

7. Activities for young people

8. Flexible and well-equipped green space

9. Local food production and gardening

10. Inclusive process for decision making

11. Involvement of the community in the running of the buildings

12. Work on a resilient funding model.

In discussion questions were asked about the possibility of legal action against Brent Council over its decisions in the light of the research findings. whether the council had carried out a lawful consultation and how the council's action stood regarding the Equality Act.

Asked what next Pablo said that it was now a matter for the community to mobilise itself using the research findings to ensure that they maintained, managed and improved the good space that they had.

After the meeting Leslie Barson said:

Granville Community Kitchen is  very pleased to have this research that identifies and clarifies what needs to be done and why to safeguard The Granville and The Carlton as multi purpose community spaces. We hope the Council will find it useful too and help the South Kilburn community achieve the report's recommendations.

Pete Firmin, a local resident, queried:

When Brent says there has been little loss of green space with regeneration in South Kilburn, I wonder whether they take account of the fact that much of the green space previously was open to all, yet now much of such space is reserved for residents of certain blocks. And green space now is more more patchwork - many smaller spaces, rather than larger ones which allow for ball games etc.

 

The report implies that the Granville/Carlton Centres, whatever else is going on there, are under community control. They never have been and are not now. They are under the control of Council-appointed bodies, with South Kilburn residents having very limited say in their use.

South Kilburn lobbies Brent Council to save Carlton and Granville Centre community spaces

Scrutiny to consider Carlton-Granville proposals after 7 councillors call-in the Cabinet's decision

Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Butt, confronts David Kaye who was making representations

 about the proposals

The Cabinet decision of 11th March 2019 on South Kilburn has been called in. The Cabinet had approved a scheme to allow 23 social homes to be built on Granville Carlton site and The South Kilburn Trust to be given management of the entire site.

A special meeting of the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee will be held on Wednesday April 3rd at 7pm to consider the call-in. 

Seven councillors made the request for a call-in, including the three Kilburn Councillors, Cllr R Connelly, Cllr F  Hussain and  Cllr A Abdi.

In his request for the call-in Cllr Abdi said:

I would like to suggest that we do not part develop this site. The population of South Kilburn is increasing and this decision risks the future use of the site as a community facility. I am in favour of option 4 of the report presented to the cabinet. 

Any shortfall of social housing can be put right by increasing the number of social homes on the Peel site, which is approximately 20/30 metres from the Carlton-Granville Centre. The proposed number of homes on the Peel site is 308, of which 42 properties  are at social rents.

I suggest that we find alternatives ways of investing and making the Carlton and Granville Buildings fit for purpose.

Residents and campaigners  working to keep Granville Carlton as multi purpose community space run by an Alliance of community organisations have welcomed the  opportunity to present their full arguments against the Cabinet decision to the Scrutiny Committee.

Leslie Barson who has worked in Granville Carlton for over 26 years said:

We are very pleased this decision has been called in with the support of our three councillors. With the population of South Kilburn planned to more than double  and with no new multi purpose community spaces planned  we are determined to keep Granville Carlton site for the community.

South Kilburn GE2017 Hustings on Wednesday May 31st

Questions to: granvillecommunitykitchen@gmail.com

Details of the vital services provided at the threatened Granville Centre

Wednesday's Scrutiny Committee will receive several reports when considering the Granville/Carlton call-in. One appendix describes the work of the various users of the centres. Following on from Zadie Smith's talk last night I thought it would be useful to publish it here in full so that readers are aware of what is currently provided.  

Background Information on Granville Plus Nursery School

Granville Plus Nursery School is a Nursery School, Nursery Schools have a different distinction from a nursery. The Maintained nursery schools: the state of play report (March 2015, Early Education: The British Association for Early Childhood Education) identifies that “maintained nursery schools are local authority funded schools, with a headteacher and qualified teachers leading a team of specialist early years practitioners”, they also identify that just over 400 remain in England. Within Brent only a few Nursery Schools remain.

The latest Ofstead inspection report for the Nursery School (they are inspected under two separate Ofsted frameworks, in the Nursery School (including Horizon, their Additionally Resourced Provision for children with autism), and in their Rainbow provision), both received a “Good” from Ofsted. The Maintained nursery schools: hubs for quality in the early years (Early Education: The British Association for Early Childhood Education) report states that “Nursery Schools are inspected under the Ofsted criteria used for primary schools, rather than those used for early years settings in the private and voluntary sector, with inspections lasting two days rather than half a day.”

Council Officers visited with the Nursery School Headteacher on the 8 September and were shown around the building which includes a recent extension. Key points highlighted included the importance of the outdoor space as an educational tool and for children who live in the surrounding area which is predominantly flat accommodation. The Nursery School has an identified offer for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities. Below is information provided from the Headteacher in regards to the Nursery School.

Officers also met with the parents and with the Governors on two separate events. Information from these meetings are imbedded into this report. From all three meeting the clear message was that they wish to stay on their current site and would not wish to be part of a nursery attached to another school (this is driven partly by not wishing to lose the status of being a Nursery School).

Information provided by the Headteacher:

·      74% of the children are from NW6, with a further 14% from NW10 (Harlesden). 


·      94% are from ethnic minorities, and 86% have English as an Additional 
Language. 


·      17% of our children have significant Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 
(SEND), including 11 in our additionally resourced provision for children with autism, and a further 8 places for children with a range of significant needs including physical disabilities and medical needs. 


·      The children with SEND are fully integrated within our mainstream environment, and our SEND provision, including the autistic provision, was judged outstanding in our latest Ofsted. 


·      8% of places are for Children in Need (usually with social care needs, including child protection) 


·      All these specialist places are allocated by a borough-wide panel. 


·      We are open 8am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year, with a flexible fees 
structure, to support parents back to work or college. 


·      51% of places are babies and 2-3 year olds, with nearly all the 2-3 year olds 
funded by the “vulnerable 2 year olds” NEG2 funding. 
  

·      We provide training placements for NVQ Level 3, and in
 partnership with the Institute of Education have trained staff to become qualified teachers. 


·      We employ a number of local people, some of whom had their children here and whom we supported back into employment. 


·      Many families have a long association with the school, emphasising their sense of community, so that ex-pupils bring their children to us, and in some cases their grand-children, due to our early years education specialism and ethos. 


·      We equally welcome new arrivals, providing a place and an approach that connects them into a community network. 


·      The Nursery garden is an integral part of our early years curriculum, and an oasis within a highly urban environment for children that do not have gardens and who are reliant on public space. 


Background Information on Barnardos Children’s Centre

Barnardos received a contract in 2016 to deliver Children’s Centres for Brent Council. Barnardos are based within the Granville centre. They are commissioned to deliver 14 Children’s Centres in the borough for a 4 year period with an option for a fifth year.

During a meeting with officers from Barnardos they stated a preference that they wished to stay within the Granville Centre, as the families which they work with come from the local area. They also explained that children’s centres could not “just be closed down”.

Information provided by representative of Barnardo’s following the meeting

Granville Plus Children’s Centre, Granville Road, Kilburn
NW6 5RA
 Supporting all families in the local area with children aged 0-4. Services delivered By Barnardo’s on behalf of Brent Local Authority.

The purpose of our Children’s Centres is to support families of children from conception to 5 years to improve outcomes for the future by supporting the earliest years of a child’s life where there are opportunities to enhance their development. Centres promote outreach services to engage families in their communities rather than expect them to access buildings. Varied programmes and activities are offered that include working with partner agencies including Health Visiting, Midwifery, Citizen’s Advice Bureau Services and Speech and Language Therapists.

The vision for Barnardo’s Children’s Centres in Brent is to provide excellent support, guidance and services for all of our children and their families so they achieve their full potential. We want to ensure that their intervention has a positive and lasting impact on each and every family that they are in contact with, for better outcomes and to improve their life chances. 

 

Background information on the Granville Kitchen and Otherwise Club

The Granville Kitchen and Otherwise Club occupy space within the Granville Centre. During the meeting the following was discussed in regards to the range of activities carried out by the two functions:

Providing free meals to those in need – they receive food donations from local retailers including the newly opened Mark and Spencer’s Simply Food in South Kilburn. This can be up to 150 meals at a time.
Provide donated items for people to take freely such as clothes

Provide children’s activities
Provide fitness activities
Has a community garden where people can learn about food and where food used in the kitchen is grown
Provide meeting space
Provide access to computers

One of
was that the space that they operate from was welcoming and that people felt comfortable to come into the space to have a meal.

the key points raised in regards to the Granville Kitchen and the meals it provides

Information provided directly by representative following the meeting:

The Otherwise Club has 50-60 families a year who are members since we started at the Granville Plus Centre in February 1993. We also have at least 2 families each month who just visit.

That amounts to more than 250 individuals using our services a year; as a family is made of at least 2 people and often up to 6 or 7. One long term member family has 9 people in it.

We are mostly self-funded but also receive some small grant and volunteer run. We are a registered charity for over 15 years (Charity number 1071831)

Last year we had 8 young people taking 20 GCSEs between them, with 90% passing with B or above. We have done numerous trips within the UK including an annual trip for 30 people to a farm outside of Glastonbury.
We have taken groups of young people to Germany 4 times, Spain twice, France, 3 times, Italy 4 times and are planning a trip to Cuba in December 2016

We started Granville Community Kitchen over 2 years ago
It is now serving 120-150 meals at our weekly free community dinner.
We have regular film nights and dance nights with up to 30 people attending these evenings
We serve lunch on Thursdays in term time serving 30-50 meals each week.
The Kitchen ran a Summer Scheme in July -August 2016 with 85 children and young people attending mostly from the South Kilburn area
We collect surplus food from the local Marks and Spencers since the day it opened and from M&S Kilburn for nearly a year.
We also receive surplus food drops from food redistribution charity City Harvest London.

We are seeing our numbers increasing weekly, and expect these to rise further with the coming benefit cap. 

The Granville Kitchen and Otherwise Club would want to stay on site.

Granville & Carlton Centre users assured that they will be included in plans for the future of site

I was unable to make tonight's Cabinet meeting where the Granville and Carlton Centre plans  were on the agenda.  However an observer tells me that Cllrs Conneely, Duffy, Jones and Warren spoke for the occupants of the buildings. Lesley Benson, head of Granville Nursery Plus amd Momata from Granville Kitchen also spoke.

Several contributors said that it has been the worse decision making process that they had every seen.

Apparently the Cabinet was contrite and Cllr Butt and Cllr Mashari said that they wanted to reassure the Granville and Carlton users that they would be included as contributers in the future, rather than just consulted.

The Cabinet approved the report. LINK

Cllr Mashari rejects call for her resignation over Granville redevelopment

Kilburn Times story

Cllr John Duffy (Labour, Kilburn) took the unusual step yesterday of circulating an email to all councillors calling for the resignation of Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Labour, Welsh Harp) who is the Cabinet member leading on Regeneration and Employment.

Cllr Mashari promptly rejected the call which was based on alleged incompetence over the redevelopment of the Granville and Carlton Centres in South Kilburn.  After a campaign by residents and users new proposals are to be put to the Cabinet on Tuesday November 15th which include, in Phase 2, proposals for the Granville Kitchen, Granville Nursery Plus and Otherwise Club. These were covered in an earlier post on Wembley Matters LINK.

Duffy wrote after coverage of the issue in the Kilburn Times which reported Zadie Smith's support for campaigners LINK: (Duffy's email appear to have been written in some haste and I have corrected typos)

All Councillors, 

This scandal attached came about because the cabinet agree to knock down a school  in Kilburn  they did not know was there . I know that is hard to believe particularly because it is a Brent school. How could anybody miss a school is beyond me.

Cllr Mashari in true cabinet style, failed to consult the school , the local community centres or local Kilburn Councillors. Her incompetency  put £2million investment in local employment from the  Soth Kilburn Trust and £750k from the GLA at risk. The incompetency also put the school and community  through unnecessary anguish . During the cabinet meeting to knock down the school not one question was raised by the cabinet about the lack of communication and consultation with users of the community centres and Kilburn Councillors.

It was only after the intervention of the local Councillors Rita Conneely, Barbara (Pitruzzella) and myself , where we demanded  a meeting  with the Leader and the CEO, did the leader agree to reconsider change the decision and consider options to ensure the future of the user groups and school.

This is not the first time the cabinet have have put funding at risk , due to their previous incompetence  , they previous nearly gave the street cleansing contractor up to £400k by failing to notice the report said all extra revenue from the green bins should go to the contractor (Veolia) and not the Brent council.

I believe Cllr Mashari should apologies  to the residents of Kilburn for  her breathtaking incompetence and resign  from the regelation portfolio .

Cllr Mashari replied:

Thank you for your email.

The decision on the future use of Granville that went through cabinet earlier this year did not come from Regeneration, but rather through property, which now sits under the Leader's portfolio. I understand that this may be confusing, but I have taken the time to sit down with Cllr Conneely to explain the division of responsibility here.

I understand that the leader has met and spoken about this matter with you on a number of occasions.

As far as the future of the building is concerned, I am now taking forward a paper through regeneration which outlines the next phase of the project in the context of the South Kilburn Regeneration scheme and I assure you that the process will be collaborative going forward.  I am happy to further discuss the upcoming cabinet paper with you and your ward colleagues.

I had also asked that Richard Barrett from our Regeneration team meet individually with each of the tenants and local stakeholders to capture their feedback and concerns. This has been done in addition to several other consultative meetings and exercises.

While I agree that the original decision could have been undertaken more collaboratively with councillors and community stakeholders, you will appreciate that I was not the lead member on this and that myself and Regeneration staff are working hard to establish a more consultative approach to make this project a success now it has passed from Property to Regeneration.

With regards to your assertion that I should resign, I feel this is a wholly inappropriate response on the back of a Kilburn Times article and clearly before you had taken the trouble to check which cabinet member led on the original decision.  

Nonetheless, I am determined to find a way forward for Granville that means all local stakeholders are at the heart of the design and function of the new enterprise hub and I hope that you will continue to work closely with Richard Barrett and myself to ensure that happens.

Cllr Duffy responded thanking Cllr Mashari for her clarification but went on to list the reasons she should resign: (typos and minor corrections)

There are four reasons I think you should  resign and apologise.

(1) It is not about the issue of who made original decision, it's the fact you left the parents and governors of the school  and users of the community centre in limbo , not knowing if the school and community centre would  close.They were left not knowing for over 3 months.During that time  there were many meetings  concerning  the centres both in Kilburn and the CC  (Civic Centre) since the July 25th meeting. You have not even attempted  to visit the school you have not visited the community centre you have not attended SKT or to my knowledge you have not even set foot in Kilburn since you were elected or since the meeting of the 25 July.

(2)Your action to ignore my plea to start consultation put £2.75 million much needed  investment in Kilburn at risk and it was only the actions and pressure of the local community and Rita, Barbara and myself that secured the funding.

(3) You say you have asked officers from the generation team to meet with local stake holders,this is true. Unfortunately you only asked officers to meet with stakeholder this week which is 105 Days after the meeting of the July 25th and 115 Days after I sent you the email outlining the lack of consultation.I find it quite disingenuous for you to  pretend  you have taken actions , when you ignored Kilburn residents for over 3 months. 

(4) I do believe you even bother to read the reports (sic) on the demolition of the Granville and Carlton on the 25th May This is borne out  by your confusion with the dates and believing you were not the lead member at the time.

Cllr Mashari you can try and blame Cllr Butt and Cllr McLennan (Deputy Leader) , but both of those along with Cllr W. Mitchell- Murray  have come to Kilburn to reassure residents while you have ignored them.

I  say again you should resign  as I believe  the residents of Kilburn will not have any confidence in you to deliver regeneration which reflects the needs of their community. 

Hope for Granville Plus Nursery and Granville Kitchen in new Cabinet Report

The Granville Plus purpose built extension - will it survive?

 A new Cabinet report going before the Brent Cabinet on November 15th gives some seeds of hope for those campaigning for the Granville Nursery Plus, Otherwise Club and the Granville Kitchen. LINK

The report admits that there was a negative public reaction to the proposals for the Carlton and Granville Centres:

Key feedback from the consultation and through officer meetings has been that the community has been upset that there has been a lack of consultation prior to the 25 July 2016 report and that they were not presented with options for the site. It should be noted that the 25 July 2016 Cabinet paper was focused on meeting timescales in order to adhere to a tight timescale for the Greater London Authority (GLA) funding (described below). There has been upset that the occupiers were not engaged and that the services which are being delivered were not understood by the Council. There was a large response that would not wish to see the buildings being demolished and for the current facilities to stay within the buildings. The current occupiers, whilst also wishing the building not to be demolished, would be amenable to development as long as they stayed on the site. 



Phase one would be the refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Granville Centre to allow an Enterprise Hub to be established.

Phase 2 would require further consultation and a £1m fee for design and consultancies. Decisions on the plans will be delegated long-term to Richard Barrett, head of South Kilburn Regeneration. The report appears to show that the officers have listened to the concerns of campaigners as put forward on this blog LINK  LINK  LINK but of course there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and lip.

• The work of the design team will also include proactive consultation and engagement with affected stakeholders, service users and residents with protected characteristics such as:  
•  the diverse group of children, the majority of whom are from BAME backgrounds and with English as a second language, attending the Nursery School and Barnardo’s operated Children’s Centre and their parents/families 
• SEND children and service users with disabilities 
 
•   Residents, elderly and economically disadvantaged groups who use the Granville Kitchen and Otherwise Club*

Although is must be remembered that proposals are subject to consultation, discussion with various bodies and a Cabinet decision next year the report outline what they anticipate:

The Council is seeking to review options for Phase2 in light of the consultation provided within this report. The Council would seek to engage with a Design Team to take forward a review of the options for the site and to conduct in-depth engagement with the local community. The Council would envisage that the site would still deliver an Enterprise Hub, Education/Community Space and Housing, with the priorities being: to secure a permanent enterprise hub, to secure the future of the Nursery School, to secure the future of the Barnardo’s operated Children’s Centre (within the South Kilburn area although not necessarily on this site) and to secure the future of the Granville Kitchen and Otherwise Club as being incorporated into the Enterprise Hub space. 


The Council would seek that a Nursery School would remain on site, though the location within the site may change as part of a redevelopment. One important aspect to note in regard to the Nursery School is the importance placed on the external area which, in an urban area such as South Kilburn where a number of the children can be expected to live in flats with no external play area, provides a safe environment for them to explore; it is also an integral part of the educational aspect of the Nursery School therefore the re- provision of suitable external space, if this area is to be utilised in any redevelopment, will be highlighted in the specification provided to the appointed team. 


The Council would anticipate that the Granville Kitchen and the Otherwise Club would integrate within the Enterprise Hub space. The Council would envisage that a Children’s Centre would continue to be operated within the South Kilburn area, but that this may not necessarily be from the Carlton and Granville Centres Site, though the intention at this time is that it would stay on this site until more detailed options are examined. 


Brent Start is due to leave the Carlton Centre in 2017 as they are developing their own property strategy which will see them reduce their permanent physical presence whilst maintaining their offer to residents and a more detailed separate report will be brought to Members in due course to outline this strategy. However for the purposes of this report it is believed reasonable to presume that a future Brent Start function operating within this site is not envisaged beyond mid-2017. As the Concorde Café does appear to be linked with Brent Start, when Brent Start vacates the Carlton Centre, officers would need to consider if the café can continue to operate and it may not be suitable to accommodate this on site. In the longer term the Council would need to consider if a café function is appropriate in this building, especially as a new café is proposed as part of the “Peel” site. Therefore officers will need to enter into discussions with Concorde Café regarding the future of their operation post vacation by Brent Start. 


*The Otherwise Cub is a resource centre for Home Educator families.