Brent’s Halloween Nightmare – its Morland Gardens planning consent has expired!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity 

 

“Altamira”, 1 Morland Gardens, on 30 October 2023 (a significant date).

 

I’ve lost count of the number of guest posts I’ve written about Brent Council’s plans to redevelop (and demolish!) this locally listed heritage Victorian villa, then home to Brent Start, since they first submitted a planning application in February 2020.

 

The proposed development was mentioned in a report to Brent’s Cabinet earlier this month, which said: ‘The Morland Garden project is experiencing significant viability challenges whilst also being subject to a significant delay in the project delivery timescales dependent on the outcome of the public inquiry in relation to the stopping up order.’

 

I pointed out one of the “significant viability challenges” in guest posts in July, including copies of open letters to Brent’s Chief Executive and to the Mayor of London. I showed that Brent’s claim to have achieved a “start of site” by 31 March 2023, in order to qualify for more than £6.5m in GLA 2016-2023 Affordable Homes Programme funding, was false.

 

At first Brent refused to accept this, but on 30 August I received a letter of apology from Kim Wright, including the following admissions:

 

‘In the past few days, I have been made aware of some delays to the works programme which have resulted in the GLA’s Start on Site definition not being met, and this is different to what I had been firmly assured by colleagues was the case and which I communicated to you.’

 

‘I have expressed my disappointment and frustration to those Officers involved, in that I should have been able to rely on the accuracy of what they were telling me, especially after I had probed this particular point thoroughly in order to satisfy myself as to the position.’

 

‘Having reviewed this with the GLA, the council is now aware that this means the Start on Site definition was not met …. The council informed the GLA as soon as we became aware of this error and we are committed to working closely with them to address any implications arising from it.’

 

So, currently NO funding from the GLA for this project, What about the delay caused by ‘the public inquiry in relation to the stopping up order’? The Mayor of London’s decision on 20 March 2023 advised Brent that a Public Inquiry would be necessary, but (as one of the objectors) I waited in vain to hear when that would be held. 

 

On 23 June I submitted an FoI request with a simple question:

 

‘Has a request to hold an Inquiry over the proposed Stopping-up Order been sent to the Inspector?’

 

All that it needed was a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Instead, on 31 July I received the following response from Brent’s Director of Property and Assets:

 

‘In relation to [your enquiry] above, I am unable to provide any of the information that you have requested, and, in this regard, I apply the EIR 2004 Exemptions set out in 12(4) (d) which states that the Council may refuse to disclose information where “the request relates to material which is still in the course of completion. This is because the Council is currently in the process of considering its options in relation to the Stopping-up-Order and no formal decision has been made as to how the Council will proceed.’

 

It appeared that the Council had not yet put the wheels in motion for an Inquiry into the objections (by four members of the public) against the proposed Stopping-up Order, but as the refusal to say “yes” or “no” seemed unreasonable, I requested an Internal Review. However, it appears that I didn’t understand how difficult it can be to provide a straight “yes” or “no” answer!

 

On 11 September, I received the Council’s response to that Internal Review (from Brent’s Corporate Director of Finance and Resources, no less). It included this statement:

 

‘With respect to the public interest considerations, I am aware of our obligations to enable greater access to environmental information. I am also aware of the public interest in promoting accountability and transparency for decisions taken by Brent, especially in relation to Morland Gardens and the stopping up order.  However, I am also of the view, that providing a yes/no answer as you suggest, at that time, could disrupt the process and thinking of officers. I am therefore satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure.’

 

However, the GLA funding and the Public Inquiry required over the Stopping-up Order were not Brent’s only problems over its proposed Morland Gardens development. They seem to have overlooked Condition 1 of the planning consent they received on 30 October 2020:

 

Condition 1 from the Decision Notice issued on 30 October 2020,
accepting Brent Council’s Morland Gardens planning application 20/0345.

 

The Council’s flawed Morland Gardens project has seen mistake after mistake, delay after delay. I will ask Martin to attach below a copy of the Open Letter I sent today to Brent’s Chief Executive, advising her that the planning permission for the Morland Gardens development has expired. It has lots of information, pictures and legal argument, should you care to read it.

 

1 Morland Gardens and the Community Garden, with the sympathetically redeveloped
(about 20 years ago) Victorian villa at 2 Morland Gardens beyond, 30 October 2023,

 

Brent may try to find a way to wriggle out of the latest mess they have got themselves into, but I hope they will now have the good sense to drop their current plans, and design a development which provides an up-to-date college for Brent Start, with some affordable housing, but retains the beautiful heritage Victorian villa and the Community Garden area in front of it.

 

Philip Grant.

 

 

The Barham Park Trust – two important questions that still need answers!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

On 4 September, ahead of the Barham Park Trust Committee meeting the following day, Martin published (with my permission) a copy of an Open Letter I had sent to Brent’s Chief Executive and the members of the Committee. I will ask Martin to attach the letter again, below.

 

Ground floor plan for the “Silver”, preferred option, redevelopment of the Barham Park buildings.

 

The Trust had already spent £25,000 of Brent Council money on a feasibility study, described as a Strategic Property Review. This was basically a plan to redevelop the Barham Park buildings, estimated to cost £3.2m, to generate more income for the Trust. It would do this by creating offices (in blue), shops (pink), a café (orange, where the present Barham Community Library is located) and two community spaces (light green, but which would be expected to pay commercial rents). The first floor plan showed all commercial business uses.

 

My Open Letter had raised two fundamental questions, which Council Officers and Trust Committee members did not appear to have asked themselves. If the answer to either of those questions was “No”, then any expenditure on this project (which the Trust still claims is ‘hypothetical’) would be a waste of money, because it could never happen.

 

Although Cllr. Muhammed Butt, the Chair of the Trust Committee, had acknowledged receipt of my Open Letter, I’ve received no answer to the questions, and there is no evidence that they have even been considered. With another meeting of the Barham Park Trust Committee scheduled for Tuesday 26 September, I sent this email to Kim Wright, Brent’s Chief Executive, this morning (Thursday 21 September):-

 

‘Barham Park Trust Committee on 26 September - Fundamental Questions to which answers are still needed

 

This is an open email

 

Dear Ms Wright,

 

I am addressing this email to you, as you are the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Brent, which is the Sole Trustee of the Barham Park Trust.

 

I'm attaching again a copy of an open letter which I sent to you, and the members of the Barham Park Trust Committee, on 4 September. I realise that time was very short to answer the two questions my letter raised, before the Trust Committee meeting on 5 September, and they were not mentioned or answered at that meeting. ( And they have not been answered since then.)

 

These two questions are still fundamental ones, which need to be answered, and the answers considered, before the Trust, or Brent Council, spend any more money on the Strategic Property Review. 

 

1. Would it be lawful for the Trust to carry out the proposed redevelopment? 

 

2. Would the proposed redevelopment comply with Brent’s Local Plan? 

 

The 5 September meeting resolved to allow the Director for Environment and Leisure Services in consultation with the Chair of the Trust Committee to spend more money, without considering these key points. If the answer to either, or both, of these questions is "No", spending more money on this "hypothetical" project would be a reckless waste of Council and/or Barham Park Trust funds.

 

These two questions need urgent consideration, and I would urge you to arrange for the relevant Council Officers to consider them, honestly, and present reports, and any recommendations, on them to the Barham Park Trust Committee meeting on 26 September. 2023.

 

I realise that these questions are not on the agenda for the meeting, but I am sure you can arrange with the Head of Executive and Member Services (I'm afraid that I don't know who she is now) to include them under item 7, Any Other Urgent Business. The urgency is to avoid the risk of unnecessary and wasted expenditure.

 

I would hope that the Committee Reports on these two questions can be published, with the agenda on the Council's website, by Monday afternoon, 25 September. Thank you. Best wishes,

 

Philip Grant.’

 

Five Minute Full Council Meeting approves new CEO

 

Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and Kim Wright, Brent Council CEO designate

 

It took just 5 minutes for tonight's Full Meeting of Brent Council to unanimously ratify the appointment of Kim Wright, currently finishing a short spell at Lewisham Council,. She is appointed Brent CEO and Head of Council Paid Services, in May 2023. 

Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, Anton Georgiou (Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) and  Suresh Kansagra (Leader of the Conservative Group) all spoke in favour of the appointment.

Brent Council set to appoint Kim Wright, presently of Lewisham Council, Brent's new CEO

 Kim Wright

 

Kim Wright is set to become the new Chief Executive of Brent Council subject to ratification from Full Council on Monday January 23rd.

Brent’s Senior Staff Appointments Committee (Councillors M. Butt, M. Patel, Knight, Krupa Sheth and Kansagra) has recommended Kim for the Chief Executive role following what the Council called  'a rigorous and competitive recruitment process.'

Brent Council on its website announcement said:

Kim Wright has been Chief Executive of Lewisham Council since October 2019 where she led the council’s response to the global pandemic as well as being the lead Chief Executive for South East London as part of the resilience arrangements that were set up at the time. During Kim’s time at Lewisham the authority has been praised for its work supporting homeless people while the number of residents saying the council runs things well and provides value for money improved significantly. There were also improvements in staff satisfaction levels.

Before joining Lewisham, Kim held a number of Corporate Director roles at Hackney Council which all involved working as part of the senior leadership team to drive improvement and change. Before that Kim worked at Barnet Council and before that Spelthorne Borough Council where she started her local government career in leisure services.

Kim holds a number of pan London roles – as Chair of the London Recovery Board’s Tackling Structural Inequalities sub group; as co-Chair of the London local government Tackling Racial Inequality Group; and as Deputy Chair of London’s Local Resilience Forum, representing all 33 local authorities.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said: "Kim is an outstanding Chief Executive with a fantastic range of abilities and skills that are just right for Brent. We have made lots of progress in Brent over recent years, despite the tough circumstances we have faced. I am keen to welcome Kim to Brent and continue that journey as we seek to build a better Brent and leave no one behind.”

Last year, Brent’s long-serving and highly respected Chief Executive Carolyn Downs announced her intention to retire in April 2023 after a hugely successful career in local and central government.

Kim is set to take up the role of Chief Executive from May 2023. She said: “I am delighted and excited to be recommended as Brent’s next Chief Executive as it is a fantastic place that is one of the UK’s most diverse boroughs, and which is bursting with opportunities. I know how ambitious everyone at Brent is to make a positive difference to local people’s lives. I am really looking forward to working closely with colleagues, members, partners, and residents to do everything we can to create a fairer and more equal borough.

“I’d also like to say what an honour it is to take over from Carolyn Downs who has been one of the most respected public sector chief executives in the country for decades. Carolyn has been an inspiration to so many people, including many women due to the glass ceilings she has broken, and I am determined to build on the impressive legacy she leaves.”