Join the Golden Memories Dementia Cafe at The Grange, Neasden Lane, for fun activities - every Wednesday 12-2pm

 

Brent Council's Utopian plans for Neasden at Cabinet on Monday

 

Brent Council's Cabinet will decide on Monday to go out to consultation on far-reaching plans for the Neasden Stations Growth Area (NSGA) Draft Masterplan.

The Masterpan envisages the long-term transformation of the often derided (particularly by Private Eye LINK) area with co-location (housing and industrial/commercial) development on 5 sites including that of the College of North West London on Dudden Hill. There will be a total of 2,338 new homes plus commercial and light industrial spaces.

"This Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) seeks to unlock the massive potential that the Neasden Stations Growth Area (NSGA) has to offer, and define a new place for the post-pandemic world that balances local choices within the wider metropolitan context. The delivery of new workspace, improved accessibility to the wider area, an interconnected network of green open spaces, enhanced public realm and a permeable movement network will create an inclusive neighbourhood that can support at least 2,000 new homes, and also serve as a distinctive gateway to Neasden. This Masterplan SPD sets out the overarching vision for NSGA, and the underpinning urban design framework, to help ensure that the transformation of the existing poor quality environment brings forward physical, social and economic regeneration for all the community."

At times the Masterplan is almost Utopian in its vision:

"A diverse Neasden will be a place that is used and enjoyed by all people, irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation or social background. The natural and built environment will be fairer and more inclusive, reflecting best practice through design to ensure the area is welcoming, responsive, intuitive, flexible, varied and convenient.

With around 25% of the local population aged under 18, Neasden will represent the needs of children and young people, and reflect London’s status as an increasingly youthful city. Children and young people will be able to access social and physical infrastructure and move around the area safely, independently, and without adult supervision, benefitting their physical, social and mental development and health.

Development at Neasden will be child-friendly, maximising opportunities for safe play and outdoor activities. Open spaces will support formal and informal play, exercise and rest, and be accessible to all with no segregation. Open spaces will be well-overlooked by homes and other active uses to ensure they are welcoming and benefit from natural surveillance, overcoming crime and the fear of crime.

With around 55% of the local population identifying as belonging to Black, Asian or minority ethnic groups, Neasden will represent both the needs and cultures of all people. Protected groups will be considered from the outset and given a greater participatory role in shaping how the area evolves through meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Development at Neasden will support different modes of living, catering for multi-generational households, young families, and over 60s, alongside a range of different domestic cultures. Buildings and landscapes will be as much for local people as for new residents, allowing the establishment of a mixed and balanced community that reflects the diversity of the area."

 

The summary for the preferred option is rather more down to earth:

Option 3 proposes vertical stacking of residential uses on podium floors with industrial below and some commercial/retail fronting Neasden Lane is proposed on Site 1 (LSIS) and Site 2 (LSIS). On site 3 (CNWL), proposes predominantly residential development with some commercial/ retail/community uses and retention of the existing housing estate adjacent. On Site 4 (LSIS), vertical co-location of residential uses with industrial uses is proposed. On Site 5, predominantly residential use with some light industrial use is proposed. Site 6 is proposed to be retained as existing and is deemed unviable for development.

The Masterplan is long-term. In Option 3 the estate next to the College of North West London (Severn Way and Selbie Avenue) is not down for redevelopment but it is within the development area and could come forward at a later stage. It does look rather vulnerable in the illustration between the two masses of tower blocks. A further possibility is a new station in the area on the potential West London Orbital line.

The existing green space beside the college at the foot of Dudden Hill/Denzil Road appears unlikely to be retained but instead space will be integrated into the new housing.

Details for each site:

 The 5 Sites

 

It is a huge document and the Cabinet is unlikely to discuss it in any great detail. I have uploaded it on One Drive for readers who wish to read further. Click on the bottom right square for full size version.

Good news for Brent as diverse bookshop opens its door at The Grange, Neasden roundabout

 As a young primary teacher in the 1970s I used to visit the New Beacon Bookshop in Stroud Green Road to buy books for pupils that reflected my multiracial classroom as well as books for my own self-education about Black history, culture and literature.

Now 50 years later the woman credited with saving New Beacon when it fell behind the times and could no longer provide the service modern customers  required, has brought her skills and passion to Brent in the form of Book and Kulture, an on-line book shop dedicated to providing books and cultural resources reflecting our diverse society. It will now offer an in-person service at its premises in the former Brent History Museum at the The Grange on Neasden roundabout.

New  Beacon was founded by Sarah White and her husband John La Rose in 1966 and it was John's grandson Renaldo La Rose, with his wife Vanessa who took on the task of  saving New Beacon from closure .

 Vanessa La Rose said:

It is important now more than ever that we create as many opportunities for Brent residents to access diverse books and crafts. As one of the most diverse boroughs in London, it’s astounding that we will be one of only three independent bookshops in the borough. We hope that by opening our doors we will encourage people to take more of an interest in reading and look at books that feature more reflective characters.

 

On Tuesday 1st June Book & Kulture will extend their online offering of diverse books and crafts to those living/working locally by opening their doors to customers allowing them to browse through their diverse range of books and crafts in store. Whilst the bookshop won’t carry the extensive range offered on the website, the selection gives customers an insight into the vast array of diverse books and crafts available. 

 

The Grange

Located in The Grange, the former Brent Museum in the centre of Neasden roundabout, the shop will open every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 11am – 4pm and on every second Saturday of the month from 10.30am – 6pm.

There is parking at The Grange and pedestrians can reach it by the pedestrian bridge (please don't try and cross the road on foot!)

Brent Council offer up to £25k to reactivate local shops in Church End, Neasden and Willesden town centres

 From Brent Council

Brent Council is on the hunt for landlords in targeted areas across the borough who would like to sign up to a regeneration scheme that aims to bring empty shops back into long-term use.

 

The council have launched a new pilot scheme to reactivate empty premises on local high streets and support local businesses. Vacant space activators Meanwhile Space have been contracted to deliver the scheme, and are working with Brent Council to engage landlords, offering grants of up to £25,000 for shop improvements.

 

The scheme aims to reactivate 3-6 empty shops in targeted areas of Church End, Neasden and Willesden Green town centres. Landlords have been contacted with details of the initiative and invited to make an application for their shop, with a closing deadline of Sunday 18^th April 2021. Improvements will be made to each successful vacant premises up to the sum of £25,000 per unit.

 

The pilot scheme will support local businesses in need of a premises but unable to take on a full lease, or who may struggle to pay rent on town centre premises. The pilot scheme will provide an opportunity for these businesses to develop a sustainable business model in the medium and long term with the aim of going on to rent a high street unit on commercial rates.

 

Alan Lunt, Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment at Brent Council, said:

 Our businesses and high streets have taken a big hit from the pandemic and now is the time to look for opportunities to turn that around and build back a better Brent for businesses and residents. Through activation of empty shops we hope to stimulate long-term demand for space in the area and support the economic recovery of our neighbourhoods.

 

Details of the scheme and opportunity for landlords can be found at

https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/regeneration/cu rrent-projects/meanwhile-pilot-scheme/

Police appeal for information and witnesses after fatal Neasden stabbing

 Leon Street

Detectives investigating a fatal stabbing in Brent are appealing for information and witnesses

The victim has been identified as 48-year-old Leon Street of Neasden Road North. He lived near to the murder scene with his fiancée. Mr Street was a father and step-grandfather and he worked as a delivery driver.

Police were called to Neasden Lane North, NW10 shortly after 21.30hrs on Monday, 11 January to reports of a man stabbed near the junction with Hazelwood Court.

Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London’s Air Ambulance and found Mr Street suffering stab injuries. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.

Police Appeal

Sadly, we have had a murder in Brent and two stabbings nearby. They were in Neasden, near to Dollis Hill Ward. Please pass on this information to your contacts. Local officers have increased patrols in the area, which will continue.

 

Just after 21:30 on Monday 11 January, Leon Street, a delivery driver aged 48 was stabbed in the chest and died outside the shops on Neasden Lane North near the junction with Hazelwood Court. The location is a short distance north of the Neasden junction on the A406, North Circular Road. Mr Street was a delivery driver who lived nearby, also in Neasden Lane North.

 

Ten minutes earlier, near the bus stop on Neasden Lane North close to Press Road, a man aged 47 was stabbed by a lone male who ran away. The victim has now been discharged from hospital.

 

At 09:50 on Sunday 17 January a man believed to be in his thirties was stabbed near the location of Monday’s fatal stabbing. He was taken to hospital.

 

The links to the police press releases are below. The first one includes a photo of Leon Street.

https://news.met.police.uk/.../further-appeal-as-neasden...

https://news.met.police.uk/news/stabbing-in-neasden-419091

 

Police believe the two attacks on Monday were committed by the same lone male. They believe that the suspect lives locally. Police are appealing for information if anyone:

• saw a man running near Neasden Lane North between 9pm and 10pm on Monday 11 January
• has seen a man hanging around the area in recent weeks
• knows anyone who has been acting suspiciously on Monday or since then
• know anyone who has been disposing of clothes
• knows anyone who seems agitated for no apparent reason.

Anyone with information about the murder and stabbing on Monday evening should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 6783/11Jan.

 

Anyone with information about the stabbing on Sunday morning should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 1943/17Jan.

 

To remain anonymous, anyone can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers_uk.org

The Welsh Harp Reservoir Story – Part 3

Thank you for joining me again, on this third stage of our journey through the history of “the Welsh Harp” (our local reservoir – not the musical instrument!). In Part 2, we saw how the enterprise of W.P. Warner had made the name of his tavern synonymous with the reservoir beside it. This time we’ll explore changes, on and around the reservoir, into the 20^th century.

1. The Kingsbury dam and its overflow, c.1900. (Brent Archives online image 1341)

At first, not much changed. The area of water was mainly surrounded by the meadows of local farms, and attracted visitors to the countryside just beyond the expanding urban sprawl of London. Water flowing over the dam to feed the River Brent was a popular sight, across the fields of Gravel Pit Farm at Neasden. West Hendon had developed slightly, but there was still lots of open space nearby.

2. Cool Oak Lane, with its causeway and bridge across the reservoir's northern arm, c.1900.
   (Barnet Local Studies Centre image 3284)

The Metropolitan Railway’s Neasden Works expanded, with a new power station to supply its electric trains, which were introduced from 1905. The Canal Company, which still owned the reservoir, refused to let the Metropolitan use water from its Feeder for cooling purposes, so they had to sink two wells for that purpose. It was the First World War that finally brought more industry to the area.

The airfield at Hendon already had a small aircraft factory, run by the Grahame-White company, when the war broke out in 1914. Other companies making planes for the rapidly developing aerial warfare were soon active in the area, such as the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (“Airco”) in Colindale and Kingsbury, Handley Page in Cricklewood and later Hooper & Co in North Wembley. In 1917, Handley Page designed a prototype seaplane, hoping to sell it to the Royal Navy, and their R200 was test-flown from the Welsh Harp. They did not receive an order, so the seaplane never went into production.

3. Scale drawings of the Handley Page R200 seaplane. (Courtesy of the R.A.F. Museum, Hendon)

By 1917, the slopes of Dollis Hill down to the reservoir were also the home of the Mechanical Warfare Department. Its role was to design and test tanks, for use to try and break the trench warfare stalemate on the war’s western front. By 1918, one of the designs it was working on was a modified version of the Mark IX tank, and on a misty morning in November 1918 the world’s first amphibious tank was tested on the Welsh Harp reservoir. 

4. A Mark IX amphibious tank entering the Welsh Harp, November 1918. (Image from the Tank Museum)

Earlier this year, a friend interested in military history sent me a link to a short film that includes (at the end) footage of this test. It had been used as part of a French article on First World War tanks, and was described as a ‘Duck Tank being tested on the pond of Dolly Hill’! This “top secret” Department remained at Dollis Hill until 1921, before being moved to Hampshire. Its main buildings, surrounded by a high wall, were in the Humber Road area. It is remembered in the street name, Tankridge Road, and a section of the wall remains at Walton Close.

5. Remaining section of Mechanical Warfare Department wall, Walton Close,     Dollis Hill, c.2010.

 6. Aerial view of the reservoir in 1919, with West Hendon beneath the plane’s wing, and Dollis Hill beyond.

The local aircraft industry was badly hit when the Government scrapped its contracts for planes once the war had ended. One company at Hendon made use of the unwanted aircraft to offer pleasure flights to paying customers. The photograph above appeared with an article on the subject in “Flight” magazine, in June 1919, and shows a view across the reservoir to Dollis Hill.

 7. The railway viaduct, seen from the Edgware Road bridge, 1921. (Barnet Local Studies Centre image 871)

The 19^th century had seen first canals, then railways, develop as important methods of transport. This scene from 1921, of the Midland Railway viaduct crossing the eastern arm of the reservoir, was soon to change dramatically as the rise of motor vehicles meant a need for better roads. The North Circular Road was constructed during the 1920s to help heavy commercial traffic avoid having to drive through Central London. Its proposed route would take it just south of the Welsh Harp, and by 1926 this section of the reservoir was filled in, and the River Brent put into a culvert, so that the road could pass under the brick arches of the viaduct.

8. New housing at Dollis Hill, and over the reservoir at Kingsbury, late 1920s. (Brent Archives image 570)

The construction of the North Circular Road opened up the northern slopes of Dollis Hill for development, and by the late 1920s new streets were appearing between Brook Road and Links Road. These can be seen in the photograph above, together with what must be the start of the Post Office Research Centre at the top of the hill. Across the reservoir, new suburban homes were also being built in the Church Lane and Wood Lane areas of Kingsbury. In 1928, Willesden Urban District Council bought 40 acres of land on the Kingsbury side of the Welsh Harp, planning to use it as a cemetery, which would lead to disputes that lasted until 1965!

The rapidly growing population at Neasden and Dollis Hill prompted Willesden Council to open a recreation ground on their side of the Welsh Harp. They also built a Neasden branch library, overlooking it, at the corner of Aboyne Road and the North Circular, which opened in 1931. In keeping with a growing fashion for open air activity, this had a reading terrace at first floor level.

 9. The reading terrace at Neasden Library, 1931. (Brent Archives online image 2926)

One of the open air activities which had grown in popularity at the Welsh Harp during the 1920s was “sunbathing”, although it was not popular with everyone. By 1930, there was growing opposition among local residents to the visitors who came to the reservoir’s banks to bathe in the nude. One man complained to the Council that, while walking home to the Edgware Road from Old Kingsbury Church on a Sunday evening, they had come across ‘a bunch of stark naked men…. Hardly a pleasant sight for a man to have to pass with his wife!’

Matters came to a head one weekend in June 1930, when 40 men and women of the Sun-Ray Club (‘some wore no clothes, others wore slips or bathing drawers’) were confronted by a crowd of around 200 local people. Despite the presence of four policemen, who told them that the sunbathers were on private land, with permission from the owner, and that they had no right to interfere, the crowd attacked the bathers and drove them away. Kingsbury Council dealt with the issue in a more dignified way, when they received a deputation (not a new idea) from the National Sun and Air Association in May 1931, although they also decided against sunbathing!

10. Extract from the minutes of a Kingsbury Urban District Council meeting on 6 May 1931. (Brent Archives)

On the reservoir itself, the Brent Sailing Club was formed at the Old Welsh Harp Inn in 1930. A less tranquil use of the water also began the same year, when the London Motor Boat Club held its first speedboat racing event at the Welsh Harp. Larger speedboats were also used to give thrill rides for paying customers, as shown in this newsreel film from 1932.

 11. A motor boat race on the Welsh Harp reservoir in 1937. (From the collection of the late Geoffrey Hewlett)

The 1931 speedboat racing season had celebrity guests at its opening, the aviator Amy Johnson and actress Anna Neagle. Amy had lived at Roe Green for nine months, before the solo flight to Australia that made her famous, and then had a flat at Vernon Court in Hendon Way. By coincidence, it was Anna Neagle who starred as Amy Johnson in a film about her life, after her tragic death in 1941, while flying as a wartime pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary.

12. Anna Neagle and Amy Johnson at the Welsh Harp, April 1931. (From: ‘Amy Johnson – Queen of the Air’)

The south-east corner of the reservoir saw rapid industrial development along its main roads, and on the reclaimed land, in the late 1920s and through the 1930s. One of the factories by the junction of the North Circular and Edgware Roads made mattresses. The company was Staples, and the busy corner was soon known by that name. The traffic lights here became well-known for the jams that built up, as seen below in 1937.

13. Staples Corner in 1937, with the mattress factory bottom left. (Barnet Local Studies Centre image 4920)

When war came again in 1939, Dollis Hill again had a part to play. Secret underground bunkers were built for the Admiralty at its Citadel office building, on the corner of the Edgware Road and Oxgate Lane, and for the Cabinet at “Paddock”, beneath the Post Office Research Station in Brook Road. It was rumoured that a flying boat was moored on the Welsh Harp, ready to fly Churchill and other key leaders to safety from their reserve War Room if necessary, but I have no proof for that story. It was the research station that developed the first electronic computers, used at Bletchley Park for code-breaking during the war, and Tommy Flowers, who led the team that made them, is remembered by the modern street name, Flowers Close.

14. The aftermath of the West Hendon bombing, February 1941. (Barnet Local Studies Centre image 5105)

It was not those key targets that were hit during the Welsh Harp’s worst bombing raids of the Second World War. Early in 1941, Germany was testing new designs of high-explosive bombs, and dropping a single bomb in a raid, so that its effects could be seen afterwards. One of these exploded above the Ravenstone Road area of West Hendon on the evening of 13 February 1941, flattening 40 homes, killing more than 80 people and making around 1,500 homeless. At the opposite end of the reservoir, a V2 rocket hit one end of Wykeham School in March 1945. Luckily no children were there at the time, but seven people were killed in nearby homes.

Just as it had during the First World War, the reservoir played its part between 1939 and 1945. A Hendon Sea Training Corps was formed in 1941, and its young volunteers learned some boating skills on the Welsh Harp, as well as on land at a school in Algernon Road. Production at many factories was changed, to produce equipment for the war effort. Hickman’s works on the North Circular Road had been shopfitters, but by 1943 their carpenters were building wooden landing craft, which were tested on the reservoir before being handed over to the Royal Navy. LCAs were “Landing Craft, Assault”, which carried a platoon of up to 36 soldiers, from ships around ten miles offshore, onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

15. The Hickman's workers aboard a completed landing craft, 1943/44. (Image shared by the son of a worker)

Next weekend we’ll visit the Welsh Harp in more peaceful times. I hope you will join me then, for the final part of this series.

Philip Grant

Brent Council, councillors & Network Housing fail to deal with 'extraordinary' flytipping and litter problem in Neasden

A Brent resident who moved from south Brent across the North Circular to Press Road, Neasden has met a brick wall when trying to 'Love Where you Live' and getting something done about the 'extraordinary' amount of litter that he has found in the area.

He told Wembley Matters:

In the last 15 months or so and after I moved to Neasden, something quite extraordinary caught my attention and that was the staggering amount of rubbish, fly-tipping and plastic waste. It is particularly bad around Press Road, near Neasden tube station and Neasden Lane on both side of the North Circular.
 
I have done everything I could to improve the neighbourhood. To my disappointment, my endless efforts have had very little effect if any. 
 
I communicated the issue with Brent Council first over a year ago and many times after. The Neighbourhood Manager from Brent Council was assigned to deal with the matter. They agreed that the situation with litter is very bad. But unfortunately they didn’t do much to tackle the problem.

In addition we have a huge problem with litter around our building, Printworks Apartments, on Press Road. The council advised that it was our building management's responsibility to deal with litter. But again, to my disappointment the management, Network Homes, could not care less despite charging a generous amount of service charge for maintenance and cleaning.

I think I have exhausted every possible option. I spent a considerable amount of time and energy trying to report the problem and work with both the council and our housing association to improve the situation, but the more I try the less improvement we see. Out of desperation, I contacted our  Welsh Harp ward councillors. But again they either didn't respond or didn't take any action. One of them mentioned that they are aware of the problem and they're looking into it. That was last summer.

Needless to say  the problem with litter and fly-tipping is not only very unpleasant, but also poses a serious health and environmental hazard.

 I hope Wembley Matters  can help to raise awareness and assist me to tackle this tragic situation in Neasden.  

It appears that the slogan should be 'Ignore those that want to Love Where they Live' ! Let's see some action on this.

Community Hub for Neasden: Consultation Saturday March 9th

Angry scenes as Swaminarayan parents protest against school closure

Things turned ugly at Swaminarayan School yesterday evening as parents gathered in the school hall to protest against the shock news of its closure.

A Brent Council spokesperson said: “Brent Council has no role in the decisions of independent schools, including the decision by the Ashkar Educational Trust to close the Swaminarayan School. 

“Any parent, resident in Brent, who is seeking a school place for their child can contact the Brent Schools Admissions Service by emailing school.admissions@brent.gov.uk or by calling 020 8937 3110. 

“In November 2016 the Department for Education approved a proposal to open the Avanti Free School, an all-through (primary and secondary) free school. Under DfE rules, a new school can only be open when a permanent site is identified by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, who are responsible for securing sites for new free schools.”