Lyon Park Avenue/London Road Railway Pedestrian Bridge to be inspected 'later this year' and any necessary action taken

 I have received this response from Network Rail about the poor condition of the railway pedestrian bridge  between Lyon Park Avenue and London Road:

Work Request - Bridge Improvement Required - Bridge ID: LEC1/32 - Between London Road & Lyon Park Avenue, HA0 4DX

Thank you for contacting us about the footbridge going over the mainline near Lyon Park Avenue.

 

I have raised this with the structures team and they have let me know that this bridge is due for inspection later in the year, and they will take necessary action following the examination.

 

 

Alperton councillor calls on Network Rail to meet with him and residents over decaying railway footbridge concerns

 

Following my story on the poor condition of the brdige over the main line and local line in Wembley LINK, Cllr Anton Georgiou has asked Network Rail to meet with him and residents to discuss action on the issue.

He wrote:

Dear Network Rail,

RE: Railway bridge from London Road to Lyon Park Avenue

I am writing regarding the railway bridge used by many residents in Alperton and surrounding wards in the Wembley area.

For many years, the state of this bridge has been a concern for local people. We do not deem it to be structurally safe, nor do we feel it is an inviting space to walk. The bridge stretches from London Road in Wembley Central, all the way across to Lyon Park Avenue. It should be a convenient route for pedestrians who want to avoid the longer journey into Wembley via the Ealing Road and down Wembley High Road. Sadly, many choose to avoid walking across this bridge as it has been left in a state of disrepair.

I have previously engaged with Brent Council Officers, who have been in touch with Network Rail directly. This has not resulted in the level of maintenance work needed to significantly improve the bridge. The local authority has said it is not their responsibility and have effectively washed their hands of further involvement.

Therefore, I would like to arrange a meeting in Brent with yourselves and local residents so that you can better understand our concerns and devise an action plan to make needed improvements to the bridge.

We are also keen to help clean up the land on either side of the bridge, which is full of rubbish. I am happy to take a lead on arranging community litter pick days, if you grant us access to this land.

Ultimately, we want to ensure that this asset is well used and made safe for all. I look forward to hearing from you soon and getting a plan in place.

Two FA semi-finals at Wembley this weekend and Euston Station is closed.

Bus replacement services - Easter Weekend

 It is going to be a busy Easter weekend in Wembley with the Emirates semi-finals taking place on Saturday (Manchester City v Liverpool k.o. 3.30pm) and Sunday (Chelsea vs Crystal Palace k.o. 4.30pm).

Euston Station will be closed throughout the weekend and this will prove particularly difficult for Manchester City and Liverpool supporters who use the West Coast line.

Mayors and supporters of both cities called on the FA to change the venue to no avail. The need for Wembley Stadium to hold as many events as possible to recoup the £757m cost of rebuilding the stadium. Hosting the FA Cup semi-finals was part of that day.

Network Rail say that the FA was given warning of the closure back in 2019.

The upshot is that 50,000-60,000 fans could be heading down to London by road on a Bank Holiday weekend.

On their website Network Rail say:

Over Easter (Friday 15 – Monday 18 April), Network Rail will be carrying out major upgrade works on sections of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Scotland. As a result, there’ll be no trains to/from London Euston, some journeys will take longer and may involve a rail replacement service.

We strongly recommend you travel either side of the Easter weekend (15 – 18 April). If you need to travel, please make a reservation, plan ahead, and check the Avanti West Coast website before travelling.

  Fans travelling to the FA Cup Semi-Final are encouraged to consider alternative modes of transport to get to the match at Wembley. Any fans who need to travel by train should plan ahead, allow extra time for their journey, and check the National Rail website before they travel

Things will be easier for Sunday's semi-final as both teams are London-based.

Meanwhile Brent Council states:

We want everyone to enjoy their visit to Wembley and the match. However we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour, so please behave responsibly.

Brent Council and its partners are enforcing a No Street Drinking Zone on Olympic Way and the surrounding area for the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals weekend on Saturday 16 April (Liverpool v Manchester City) and Sunday 17 April (Crystal Palace v Chelsea) as part of the current Public Space Protection Order.

Fans drinking on Olympic Way and the surrounding streets will be asked to hand over their alcohol and enforcement action may be considered.

 

 

Building plans for Wembley section of the Chiltern line green corridor

HUB developers have issued their early plans for a site alongside the Chiltern railway line in Wembley. They are already developing the former Chesterfield House site on the corner of Park Lane and the High Road.

The HUB website states:

HUB has purchased two pieces of Network Rail land on the Eastern Fringe of Wembley High Road, situated behind its Chesterfield House scheme.

Development of the sites will be carried out over two phases, delivering up to 300 homes, continuing HUB’s involvement in the revitalisation of Wembley High Road.

Glenn Howells Architects has been appointed to draw up plans for the first phase, which will consist of around 200 homes across two buildings.

HUB has been working closely with the London Borough of Brent to help ensure the sustainable and coherent development of the Wembley Housing Zone, within which this newest development will reside.

As its name suggests, the Wembley Link area is the crucial crossover between new developments in the town centre and those emerging in Wembley Park.

Given the height of the 'Twin Towers' that HUB are building on the site of Chesterfield House I asked HUB about the height of their proposed Wembley Link development.

The 'Twin Towers' with Chiltern line in foreground

 HUB responded:

At this point we are at the very earliest stage of formulating the plans for Wembley Link and so don’t have more information that we are ready to share. We will be conducting widespread engagement with the local community in advance of putting in a planning application, in order to ensure that the proposed scheme pays due regard to local aspirations and wider plans for the area. We will get in touch with you as soon as there is more detailed information to share.

Residents have expressed concern about the loss of  part of the 'green corridor' that not only acts as a passage for wildlife and provides a green space in a built up area but also helps alleviate air pollution and muffles the sound of trains to the benefit of residents.

Residents fear that following Network Rail's sell-off of land to HUB that the opposite embankment and that further north could also be sold for development.

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Brent Council cancels joint venture with HUB for 'commercial reasons'

From Inside Housing LINK

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Brent Council has cancelled a development vehicle it had proposed to form with developer Hub for “commercial reasons”.

A report to be submitted to the council next week LINK notes that the joint venture “is not proceeding at this time” and that the council as a result is focusing on a smaller housing programme in Wembley.

Brent had been in negotiations with Hub over forming a joint venture or a development vehicle aimed at delivering 651 homes, 215 of which would be affordable.

The proposal was to transfer both council land and land owned by Hub into the vehicle. Part of the point of the vehicle was to use it to purchase Network Rail land, as homes built on land sold directly to councils don’t count towards Network Rail’s quotas.

The cabinet voted in June last year to endorse the proposal, with full details to be decided in a following meeting.

It now intends to continue with a smaller development programme on the other, non-Network Rail sites.

The council also provided seed funding of £1.6m to the project, aiming to secure £8m of grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) for land acquisition.

One of the sites to be funded with GLA money, Ujima House, was purchased in June last year after the approval of the plans. 

Inside Housing has asked Brent Council about its alternative plans for funding this purchase.

Exciting race to get Wembley Central ready for Olympics

Will it be ready for Wednesday?

The refurbishment of Wembley Central station has been dragging on for years and this blog has frequently called attention to its state of dilapidation and suggested it makes a poor Olympic gateway.

Last week suddenly scaffolding was erected on the exposed and rotting shed like structure above the station and it looked like something was happening.  Alas, yesterday afternoon  at 3pm when this photograph was taken, no work was going on.

It is possible that one of those pinkish-purplish Olympic banners that are going up all over Wembley will be strung across the façade to hide the sins beneath, or will a glossy new station sign be erected in time?

The torch procession will be coming along the High Road outside the station at 10.45am on Wednesday morning. It looks like an exciting finish - will Wembley Central station be ready in all its refurbished glory?