Wembley Park councillors call on the public to support the fight to keep the Samovar Space & Market Square in front of Wembley Stadium. Say NO to another hotel.

 

The current open space that will shrink if the proposed hotel is built

The view along Olympic way with the hotel in place

In February this year Wembley Park councillor Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam came out strongly against plans to build on the Samovar Space and Market Square between Brent Civic Centre and Olympic Way, close to the Wembley Stadium steps.

 

He and his co-councillor Cllr Najib Warsame have today reiterated their opposition and have called on residents to support them in fighting  the loss of a space that has become the heart of the area; providing a breathing and relaxation place amongst the towers for football fans, concert goers, shoppers, the young and the elderly alike.

They said:   

Wembley Park has changed quickly in recent years, but too often development has happened without properly listening to the people who live here or taking into account their infrastructure needs. Our public spaces are being sold off to the highest bidder!

 

We are still in fervent opposition to the proposed hotel on Market Square and Samovar Space and we will fight it every step of the way. This is one of the few open, shared spaces in the area — used by families, markets and the wider community — yet many residents only found out about the plans when it was far too late to contest it. There is already an issue with a lack of community in Wembley Park which is developing into a concrete jungle with high rise prisons and we believe this hotel only adds to these issues and does not address them.

 

We will soon be planning our next steps and we would love anyone interested in showing support to contact us!

 

Join our campaign!

   

Cllr.Iman.Ahmadi-Moghaddam@brent.gov.uk

 

Cllr.Najib.Warsame@brent.gov.uk

 

The original public petition opposing the hotel development currently stands at 612 signatories.

 SIGN HERE

BREAKING: Quintain defy local opposition and submit planning application for a 17 storey hotel between Brent Civic Centre and Olympic Way

 

The new hotel and surrounding area

Quintain's plans to activate 2018 planning permission to build a new hotel on the open space outside Brent Civic Centre, currently occupied by Market Square and the Samovar Space, met with stiff opposition last year, not least from current residents of the Quintain estate. They and visitors to the LDO, Arena and Wembley Stadium had got used to using the space, making it a social meeting place amidst all the tower blocks.

This afternoon Quintain released the statement below:

Quintain Submits Detailed Plans for New Development at Wembley Park

Quintain, the developer and asset manager behind Wembley Park, has submitted a reserved matters planning application to Brent Council for Plot NW04, a key site within the developer’s continuing transformation of the 85-acre estate.

Plot NW04 forms part of Quintain’s wider Wembley Park transformation, which has evolved over the past two decades into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood comprising homes, jobs, cultural destinations, and high-quality public spaces.

The site already benefits from outline planning permission granted in 2018 by Brent Council as part of Wembley Park’s ‘North West Lands’ masterplan. That consent established the key development principles, including the scale, height, uses and the requirement to deliver public realm, including a new Civic Square. The newly submitted application seeks approval for the detailed design of the building and surrounding public spaces within these approved parameters.

The proposals include a building ranging from two to 17 storeys, providing a 358-bed hotel alongside ground floor shops and restaurants. A central feature of the plans is the creation of a new permanent civic square, which is larger than proposed under the outline permission and designed to host markets, community events and celebrations throughout the year.

This new public square will replace the temporary “meanwhile” uses previously delivered by Quintain at Market Square and Samovar Space and will complement other nearby public areas including Arena Square, Elvin Gardens and Union Park.

Quintain has undertaken a programme of community consultation to help shape the proposals. This has included engagement with local residents, an online public consultation, and dedicated sessions with the Brent Disability Forum. Feedback gathered has informed both the building design and the public realm.

A planning decision is expected towards the end of the year.  If permission is granted, Quintain will continue discussions with potential hotel operators during 2027.

Quintain will continue to work closely with Brent Council and local stakeholders as the application progresses.

For more information about the proposals, visit: Quintain's public consultation web page or contact development@wembleypark.com.

 

 

www.quintain.co.uk

 

11 Exhibition Way
Wembley
HA9 0FA

 From the Planning Application documents (Reference number 26/1351)  LINK

Olympic Way appears more closed in

Current view of Market Square and Samovar Space play area

 

 

Proposed hotel and Civic Square

Wembley Park Green Party Councillor backs locals in opposing the building of a hotel on the Market Square-Samovar Public Space close to Wembley Stadium

 The petition LINK against building on the Savovar-Market Square Open Space currently has 314 signatures

 Quintain's Proposed hotel

   

Brent Green Party councillor Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam has come out strongly in support of Wembley Park residents who are campaigning for the retention of the Samovar Space and Market Square in the heart of the Wembley Park Quintain development.

  

He said:

 

I join with Wembley Park residents in opposing the building of a hotel on the site of the Samovar Space and Market Square beside the Brent Civic Centre and in front of the Wembley Stadium steps.

 

The space has become an integral part of Wembley Park. Residents, visitors, shoppers, concert goers and sports fans have all made it their own and it has become an organic part of the Wembley Park experience.

 

As densification of the area becomes more intense it is important to keep a breathing space at its centre, it is as important for safety during events as it is for leisure, entertainment, and its markets,

 

I believe the original reasons that Brent Council gave in 2020 for reaching a deal with Quintain on maintaining a public space on NW04 are stronger than ever. Quintain and Wembley Stadium got the stadium steps out of the deal and the steps of course remain – so should the Samovar Space and the Market Square.

 

Too often, residents are left with the impression that decisions have already been made, which is deeply frustrating. Both the council and developers must do far more to listen to residents, engage transparently, and treat public space as something to be protected, not traded away.

 

Time for residents and visitors, and especially young people, to be seen and heard over hotel plans for Wembley Park public space

 Proposed hotel development from the stadium steps side of Engineers Way

I had heard that Quintain had advertised their plans to build a new hotel in the Samovar Space/Market Square at the site so I popped down on a very chilly afternoon to see for myself.

I searched around Market Square and found nothing, then spied this,  in the distance on the edge of  the Samovar Space:

 

 

Close up it was a rather tatty notice with a QR code to Quintain's presentation:

 

 

 

And that was it - there were no other notices or indications of the plans that Quintain expect to submit to Brent Council planners in February or March. No wonder Wembley Park residents are protesting and launched a petition which so far has over 200 signatures. (SEE THE PETITION HERE).

 

I talked to the few people who had braved the cold (although more young people would be there after school) and despite sitting close to the notice while supervising their children had no idea about what was planned and were quite shocked to find out.

 

The Samovar Space is past its best as Quintain took down the Shell Performance Stage and other bits and pieces and the play area has not been repainted, but the potential for a space in the centre of Wembley Park can still be seen.  Only a much smaller area will be left if the hotel is built. All photographs were taken about 3pm this afternoon.

 

 

When the Samovar Space was installed great play was made of the involvement of young people inits design when their voices are often not heard in major developments.

 

Julian Tollast, Head of Masterplanning and Design, Quintain, welcoming an Award for the Samovar Project, said: 

It is a sad fact that young people are often overlooked when it comes to the built environment. With this in mind, we are extremely proud of the work we have done, and are continuing to do, via Seen & Heard to make Wembley Park and the wider area a more welcoming place for all. To succeed at these awards and represent not only the Borough of Brent but London as well was an honour for all involved.

In this case it  seems it is not just young people who are not being 'Seen and Heard' but Wembley Park residents and  visitors.

What a contrast to the optimism of just over 2 years ago as demonstrated by this video:

     

• Date of planning submission February/March 2026.

• Planning determination will take around 3 - 4 months and if approved construction will not commence until end of 2026 at the earliest.

• Construction likely to take 2 - 3 years.

• If you wish to make any comments or have any questions on these proposals, please  send them to :

Development@wembleypark.com

https://www.quintain.co.uk/site-services/nw04

 

 IF YOU AGREE WITH THE OBJECTORS SIGN THE PETITION HERE