'Delay South Kilburn Masterplan until community has reviewed it,' request Granville and Carlton users

Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods, representing the users of South Kilburn's Granville and Carlton Centres are unable to attend tonight's Cabinet meeting which will consider the Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document. They have submitted the following comments for consideration by the Cabinet and a request that the Cabinet delay acceptance of the plan to enable the community to review what should be their plan.

The South Kilburn Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is over 180 pages long over 3 sections. The people from South Kilburn were given 6 weeks to comment on this document which lays out the plans for their homes, parks, health, education, small businesses, and community services in the area for the next 10 -15 years. Each site is given 2 A4 pages in the document. The first half of the page gives the details about where the property is with the second half of the same page incorporating a short paragraph about each of these three issues: ‘Description’, ‘Justification’ and ‘Design Principles’. The second page gives a vague shadow drawing of a huge block or blocks in the place of the current buildings. 

1.   Firstly this is not an adequate amount of time or information for the community to read, understand , digest  and examine the implications of such a massive plan. This can be seen by the small number of community responses to the SPD. Surely changes of this magnitude cannot be accepted on the basis of numbers of responses  in double figures when there are over 8000 people living in the area?

2.   Secondly, all the buildings in the chapter called ‘Site Specific Principles’  are to be replaced with new buildings.  Much of the plans arguments for this demolition are simplistic and debatable such as there is a lack of clarity about what is the front or the back of the property” (Crane and Zangwill) or the property “is currently in a prominent gateway position and the current development does not capitalise on this” (William Dunbar and William Saville Houses). This needs to be properly examined, each building on its own merit, before lives are disrupted for years and changed forever.

3.   Thirdly, you are deciding on Monday 19 June 2017 that this SPD replaces the one was developed over some years WITH the South Kilburn Community and then voted on. How can a plan created by the Council and its consultants replace a plan voted on by residents? The 2005 SPD may need updating with changes to law occurring since the first was voted on but the scale and magnitude of the changes make this SPD beyond all recognition of the SK residents plan

                                                                                                             

Therefore I ask the Cabinet to please delay the acceptance of this plan and help support the community  to review THEIR 2005 Masterplan in a long term in-depth manner as befits a document of this size and importance and with such huge ramification for the residents of South Kilburn.

Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods representing the Users of Granville and Carlton

Save the Granville and Carlton Centres - they bind our communities together

This guest post is by Leslie Barson. It is ironic that at Brent Council's Time to Talk event on Extremism earlier this week, a strong theme from workshops was the need for neutral, accessible, affordable spaces where different communities could mix and get to know each other.  Like Stonebridge Adventure Playgound, demolished by the Council, these are examples of existing spaces that do precisely that job being threatend by Brent Council's actions.

Please watch the short film above and sign the petition HERE

Many of you will have heard about the 'consultation' that ended recently concerning the South Kilburn Master plan and the plans to include The Granville Plus Centre and The Catrlton Centre. The plan is to tear both buildings down and replace with them  with flats, businesses  and community spaces.

The plan to tear the heart out of South Kilburn by getting rid of these iconic buildings is scandalous. These two loved buildings that carry the memories and history of the area. You may remember going to youth club there, having a special birthday party there, a Christening or even the funeral of your loved ones. You may have learnt a trade in Carlton  or gone to school there. Your children may have gone to nursery there, or your young people attended the Youth Service activities in Granville.

We are told the buildings are 'under utilised'. If this is so it is because of Brent Council's policies over the last few years. I know it the case of Granville: the building was full to the brim in 2013 with events every weekday and weekends. There was a problem with  neighbours and noise. The money was found by the council to deal with the problem by upgrading the windows and installing sound insulation.

However, suddenly this money was taken back by the council  and the work did not go ahead. Instead the Granville was told to no longer hold functions emptying the building. The Brent Youth Service was scrapped 31 March this year with the loss of classes and activities  to over 800 young people a year in Granville.

The Granville Community Kitchen with the local community decided to do something to remedy this. As a community with the help of John Lyons Charity we held a 2 day a week summer scheme and had over 85 children and young people attend over the 5 weeks; This shows the tremendous need in the area for free local services for children and young people. We all know the need for community space is there so if these buildings are under used its due to policy not need.

Both these buildings are also in need of renovating. There is no denying that. This again is used as a reason to tear them down. But actually they are run down again due to  council policy, but Granville has attracted £1.8 m of GLA money in May this year. And the South Kilburn Trust are adding £2m to that to renovate Granville. So there is no need to argue that the buildings need renovating,. We agree and the money can be found!

These buildings were both built around 1908 to serve the people of South Kilburn, The Carlton  Centre as a primary school and the Granville Plus centre as a mission hall.  They are still serving the people of South Kilburn:

We need  that continuity in the area.
We need our rich history and heritage  buildings  more than ever with such massive changes happening in South Kilburn.
We need a place that is distinctly South Kilburn.
We need community memories and community history that bind us.
We need Carlton and Granville  renovated for the people of South Kilburn to use for generations to come.