Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals – please sign petition to have them all put back on public display

 A guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

The Olympic Torch tile mural, covered over since 2013.

 

It is nearly six years since I first wrote about the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals at Wembley Park, and a request by Wembley History Society to Brent Council and Quintain that they should be put back on permanent public display. 

 

Now, at last, there is a real opportunity to make that happen, which is why I have launched an online petition, and why I am writing now to encourage Wembley Matters readers to sign it, please. The petition statement says:

 

We the undersigned call upon Brent Council, and its Cabinet making the decision on the Award of a Contract for the Bobby Moore Bridge Advertising Lease, to only award a lease from 31 August 2024 for advertising on the parapets of the bridge, and not on the walls of the subway, so that the heritage tile murals on those walls can be put back on public display.

The petition is on Brent Council’s website, and you can find it HERE.

 

Brent’s 15 February 2024 advert on the Contracts Finder portal.

 

The opportunity has come because the current Bobby Moore Bridge advertising lease expires on 30 August 2024. Following a suggestion I made to Brent’s then Chief Executive in 2021, the new lease is being advertised through an open tender process (rather than through a private deal with Quintain), which may mean that the Council receives a higher rental income. 

 

Crucially, again at my suggestion, potential suppliers must make two bids, one for advertising solely on the parapets of the bridge (with a minimum annual income guarantee of £90,000) and one for advertising on the bridge parapets and the walls of the subway (minimum annual income guarantee £100,000).

 

The advertising lease contract opportunity was published on 15 February, with bids to be submitted by 12noon on Monday 18 March. The decision on who to award the new advertising lease to, and which option to award the lease for, is due to be made by Brent’s Cabinet on 28 May. I’m hoping that the difference in the two best bids will be small enough to persuade Cabinet members to award a lease only for advertising on the bridge parapets! 

 

As the light panels which currently cover most of the tile mural scenes in the subway (between Wembley Park Station/Olympic Square and Olympic Way) were installed for advertising purposes, this would mean that they have to be removed, so that all of the remaining tile mural scenes can be put back on permanent public display.

 

Composite image showing tile murals on the west wall of the subway.
(Image thought to be by Amanda Rose, for Quintain, in 2019)

 

The documents issued by Brent Council for the tender process included a “location” sheet, with photographs of the tile murals on the subway walls. The composite view of the west wall mural scenes included some which I did not have images of before. The basketball player, with yellow shorts, probably represents the Harlem Globetrotters team, who played exhibition matches at Wembley Arena every year from 1950 through to 1982. They were a big attraction, and I remember watching them as a boy, on a black and white television set.

 

A Harlem Globetrotters basketball game at Wembley in the 1950s. (Wembley History Society Collection)

 

The singer, with accompanist on a grand piano, may well represent Shirley Bassey, who was one of the stars in the first popular music concert at Wembley Arena in 1959, and performed there most recently in 2003. These are just parts of Wembley’s sports and entertainment heritage that the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals celebrate. It is that heritage which I believe it’s important that Wembley Park residents and visitors deserve to have returned to them!

 

The petition is supported by background information, which I submitted with it. A Council Governance Officer informed me that they had made several ‘factual amendments’ to it, and although I told them that what I had written was factually correct, I had to accept their version, so my petition could be published. 

 

For those interested, I will set out my original text below. Council Officers did not want you to know that Cabinet members were not told about the tile murals when they were asked to award the current advertising lease, and that the lease was secretly extended by three years (in a very “dodgy deal”!).

 

Background information:

 

The Bobby Moore Bridge and subway were created under a 1991 Brent Council scheme to pedestrianise Olympic Way, in advance of the 1996 Euros football tournament. With support from Wembley Stadium, the Council commissioned a large public artwork to decorate the walls of the subway from the station, and the Olympic Way walls as you emerge from the subway.

 

That public artwork was a ceramic tile mural, made up of individual scenes celebrating a variety of sports and entertainment events from the history of Wembley Stadium and Arena. These Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals were designed to welcome the millions of people passing through the subway each year, on their way to stadium and arena events, with a colourful reminder of Wembley Park’s heritage. 

 

The subway was officially opened in September 1993 by the widow of the former World Cup-winning England football captain, who unveiled a plaque set into one of the mural scenes, showing England footballers playing at the “twin towers” Wembley Stadium, naming the bridge ‘in honour of a football legend’.

 

Stephanie Moore, opening the subway and its murals in 1993. (Courtesy of Ray Pepper)

 

In 2013, Brent Council granted an advertising lease which allowed a Quintain subsidiary to cover the murals on the tile walls with vinyl advertising sheets, and to erect advertising signs on the walls above both entrances to the subway. Brent’s Cabinet agreed to grant a further four-year advertising lease in January 2018, but were not told about the tile murals on the subway walls, which the adverts would continue to hide from public view.

 

In 2019, Quintain applied for, and were given (despite strong public opposition), permission to install LED light panels, to be used for advertising, on the walls of the subway, and larger advertising screens on the bridge parapets. The only concession they made, after campaigning by Wembley History Society, was to put the “footballers” mural scene on the east wall of the subway back on permanent public display. Later that year, Council Officers secretly extended the advertising lease for a further three years, to 30 August 2024.

 

During the 2019 planning process, Brent acknowledged that the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals were a heritage asset. At the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture, in January 2020, three of the large tile mural scenes on the east wall of Olympic Way, just outside of the subway were put back on temporary display. The Council publicised the event, saying:

 

‘The tiles, which show scenes from famous sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and the SSE Arena, Wembley, are part of Brent’s rich heritage.’

 

The tile murals in Olympic Way are now back on permanent public display.

The end of the current advertising lease is an opportunity to allow Wembley Park’s residents and visitors to enjoy all of the tile murals in the subway again, for the first time since 2013. Potential advertisers have been asked to submit two bids in the tender process for the new advertising lease. One bid will be for adverting on the bridge parapets only, and the other will be for the bridge parapets and the subway walls.

Brent’s Forward Plan shows that the decision on the award of the new advertising lease is scheduled for the Cabinet meeting on 28 May 2024. This petition aims to show the level of support from people in the borough for the tile mural scenes in the subway to be put back on permanent public display.

 

Composite image showing tile murals on the east wall of the subway.
(Image thought to be by Amanda Rose, for Quintain, in 2019)

 

I hope you’ll agree that these colourful tile mural scenes do deserve to be back on display, so that everyone passing through the subway can enjoy them, and get a feel for a century of Wembley Park’s history as “the venue of legends”.

 

It will only take a couple of minutes online to sign the petition, passing a couple of security tests to show that you live, work or study in Brent, and that you are a real person, not some automated “bot”. When you get to the final page, which repeats the petition, please scroll down to the bottom, where you will find the “SIGN PETITION” box to click on. Thank you!

 

Philip Grant.

Monday is 'Blue Bag Day' at Brent Council as 3,422 signature petition presented

 Recent storms have probably not helped the case for the blue bags introduced by Brent Council to improve recycling rates. Some residents report soaked cardboard (which once wet cannot be recycled) and bags blown away in  recent high winds.

On Monday a petition signed by 3,422 residents will be presented to the Cabinet and Cllr Krupa Sheth, lead member for the Environment, will respond.

The petition:

We the undersigned petition the council to cancel the blue bin bags and return to the single blue bin for recycling.

 

The blue bin bags are made of poor quality. The stitching is already coming apart and the velcro is of such poor quality it does not stick.

 

The bags cannot be left out in the rain as they will fill with water without the lid being stuck on properly.

In high winds, the bags will fly on to the roads causing hazard for vehicles and pedestrians.

 

The bags cannot be expected to be stored in peoples homes.

 

Earlier in the changeover to the new system a petition was launched on the Change website that collected 2,575 signatures,

 

In Brent the council wants to change the recycling position from paper being collected once a week, from a paper and glass bin, to collecting paper on a fortnightly basis. Furthermore, the paper will only be collected from a bag which is far smaller than the existing bin.

It will not be remotely feasible to keep up with regular deliveries or even receipt of a daily newspaper. Residents will have more paper/cardboard than can be recycled under this new system. 

If this is done, it will cause substantial inconvenience for residents due to the infrequent collection. This will encourage dumping as people will be unable to store their paper. This will affect the entirety of the borough. 

Brent needs to ensure the collection of paper is once a week and a bin is provided for this purpose.

 

Brent Council is due to implement a trial of a third bin for paper and cardboard in the Autumn after the first year of the blue bag scheme.

The Cabinet Meeting will be held at 10am on Monday in the Conference Hall. The petition is early on the Agenda. The public can attend in person or on line. LINK

Brent is NOT ditching the blue bags

There was a flurry of activity and some pretty pithy comments on Next Door earlier today when a resident posted a copy of a letter that seemed to suggest that the blue bag for the collection of cardboard and paper was to be ditched by Brent Council and mixed recycling re-introduced.

Cllr Georgiou checked it out and Brent Council confirmed it just referred to one specific street because of particular practical collection difficulties.

The 3,400 blue bag petition is due to be presented at Brent Cabinet on January 16th 2024.

Brent Council cite 'budgetary constraints' on providing a quality service after hearing petition on problems with the school transport service for children with special needs and disabilities

A presentation was made at Monday's Cabinet  regarding problems with school transport for Special Educations Needs children and those with a disability (SEND.  It is a joint service with Harrow Council who have the lead role.

Wembley Matters reported on the issues that had been raised by parents and carers at a Brent Fiightback meeting HERE

 

THE PETITION PRESENTATION

• Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak today. My name is Zaynab Alfadhl and I am a parent of a child with special educational needs attending a special school in Brent and residing in the borough.

• I raised this petition to plea that councillors listen to the voice of the most vulnerable; our children and young people with SEND and their families who represent their voice.

• I have spent approximately 4 years battling with Brent Council regarding the transport service not meeting my own child’s needs, and exacerbating my child’s SEND needs.

• Like many other families, I am a working parent with another child to take to and from school. It is not possible for me to take my SEND child to and from school and I heavily rely on this council service.

• In multiple complaints over the years, Brent council have failed to consider the wellbeing and their duty of care of my child in their decision making. Examples include my child being strapped in a harness which worsened his difficulties, against my wishes where I have been told ‘if I do not agree to a harness then the council will no longer be able to transport my child to and from school’. I have felt I was given no choice as I would have to consider leaving my job to take my child to and from school.

• Not at any point has the council looked at the number of children on the routes and the journey times being too long as a contributor to the distress he has been facing on the journey to and from school.

• Health professionals have been ignored including CAMHS recommendations for a shorter journey time and safeguarding concerns raised. This is a continuous concern raised by other parents.

• I have made complaint after complaint and I have not been listened too. The transport staff are rude, unsympathetic, bringing their personal lives into conversations, and refusing/resisting to give emergency telephone numbers for after hours when children are still not home. It left me no choice but to start a petition in the hope that the council will now act on this.

• Having recently joined parent forums it has come to my attention that I am not alone in this, and that many other families in the borough are experiencing the same problem with the journey times being too long, with too many children on route.

• Due to lack of specialist SEND provision in Brent many children have to travel outside the borough to school, or across the borough as there is little specialist provision in the North of the borough.

• Many SEND Children are not able to attend their most local mainstream primary or secondary school due to their complex special educational needs and are being forced to sit on buses in immense traffic conditions while being transported to and from school. Families have told me that this can range from 2-3 hours per journey, each day.

• The council state that the increase in travel times is due to the traffic and roadworks and have disregarded that there are too many children on the bus routes which is a significant contributor to travel times.

• The maximum journey time for a child of primary school age should be 45 minutes each way, and 75 minutes each way for a child of secondary school age. The council is no where near meeting this requirement.

• Brent buses have increased the number of children on buses to 12 on some routes in a ploy to save money at the expense of these vulnerable children.

• Our children are often not attending school on time and missing essential statutory education and not coming home at a reasonable time and missing essential family time. They are spending more time on the road than in school which is totally unacceptable.

• Our children’s SEND needs are being impacted by these long journeys with significant traffic delays and roadworks which is heightening their anxieties and causing immense distress both in school and at home.

• These SEND children are in need of routine, safety and predictability and are left anxious and upset while parents also wait anxiously for the service that they rely on.

• Children are not arriving to school in a state where they are ready to learn as they have already had a bad start to the day, which makes them dysregulated. My son is also an example of this. This would therefore result in behaviour difficulties, dysregulation and he certainly is not in state ready to learn.

• Another example is my son would arrive home some days between 6pm- 6.30pm. School finishes at 3pm. My son on occasions has soiled and wet himself on this long route and would come home extremely distressed as a result of being stuck on transport for 3 hours on the way home. This is one example of many that parents have too shared similar experiences.

• We urge the council to review the distress this is causing vulnerable young people and their families, and place some extra buses with less children on each route to reduce the journey times and conditions that the most vulnerable in Brent are experiencing.
  

 

BRENT COUNCIL'S RESPONSE

As a council we take the wellbeing of our children with special educational needs very seriously and are conscious of our obligations to provide suitable travel arrangements to help eligible children get to school.

 

All routes are planned by the Brent and Harrow Transport Hub using specialist software and local knowledge to arrive at school on time, no matter how many children are in the vehicle used.

 

The service uses both directly owned and operated buses, and vehicles provided by a robust group of approved contractors to ensure there is always enough capacity available to meet our obligations to provide suitable travel arrangements within the budgets available. For example, at present our directly operated routes currently run on average at two-thirds of vehicle capacity to reduce journey times.

There are however factors outside of our control that can cause journey times to be longer than planned, such as unscheduled roadworks and children not being ready to board the vehicle on time.

 

As every route, and the children on it, are unique, there can be teething issues when a new route is set up despite the best efforts of route planners, drivers, and passenger assistants. The performance of any new routes is therefore closely monitored and where required adjustments are made.

 

While we appreciate that the number of pick-ups on a route does influence the total journey time, we do have to be conscious of our responsibilities to use taxpayers’ money wisely and run efficient services within budgetary constraints. While this can be a difficult balance to get right, ensuring a good quality service is delivered for children and young people within reasonable journey times will always be our top priority.

 

Speaking to parents about the issue  it became clear that some were concerned that their children's human rights were not being recognised. IPSEA who offer independent advice to parents with SEND children wrote about the importance of parents being able to challenge local authorities over SEND provision last year. HERE

With less than a week to run the Blue Bag petition to Brent Council collects more than 3,000 signatories

 

 Sheila Darr's presentation on Blue Bags made at last  Monday's Full Council VIDEO LINK has made quite an impact on the Next Door website with many dissatisfied with the response from Krupa Sheth (Lead Member for the Environment).  Many of those commenting support recycling but think that the scheme is not fit for purpose. The wet and windy weather has not helped to convince residents.

The e-petition on the Brent Council website LINK has burst through the 3,000 signature mark and still has a week to run. It closes on Saturday December 2nd.

 

The Petition 

We the undersigned petition the council to Cancel the blue bin bags and return to the single blue bin for recycling.

 

The blue bin bags are made of poor quality. The stitching is already coming apart and the velcro is of such poor quality it does not stick.

 

The bags cannot be left out in the rain as they will fill with water without the lid being stuck on properly.

 

In high winds, the bags will fly on to the roads causing hazard for vehicles and pedestrians.

 

The bags cannot be expected to be stored in peoples homes.

 

The council tax has been increasing and the services are getting poorer.

New Petition: Save Barham Park from commercial development

 

A new petition has been launched on the petition site change.org LINK

 The Petition

Barham Park in Wembley/Sudbury (Brent) was donated to the 'public' for their recreation by Titus Barham the owner of Express Dairies in 1937.

The original buildings, some dating back to 1780, are currently rented out to local groups including Barham Community Library run by volunteers. The Leadership of Brent Council wants to get rid off all of the existing community groups and redevelop the buildings for commercial uses such as hotel rooms, supermarket, shops and commercial office space.

Local people oppose these plans and want to see them scrapped.

Barham Park used to be the home and gardens of the Barham family. We want the Titus Barham gift & legacy to be preserved for the enjoyment of the public.

Support our campaigning and help us send a message to Brent Council - HANDS OFF OUR PARK

 

LETTER: Show your support for the park petition as it is presented at Brent Council meeting on Monday at the Civic Centre 6pm

 Dear Editor,

Support the Barham Park petition,

 

The Petition signed by 1,170 people will be presented to at the full Brent Council Meeting on Monday 18 September held at the Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley starting at 6p.m.

 

The Petition calls for Barham Park to be protected from development so that it can continue to provide "recreation for the public" as Titus Barham intended.

 

Local people are angry at Brent Council for granting planning permission for extra houses on the site of two cottages despite the Sudbury Neighbourhood Plan specifically forbidding this. They are also angry at the Council leadership considering lifting a covenant which the Council put in place itself just over 10 years ago to prevent more house building on the site.

 

Lastly local people are amazed that Labour Councillors spent £25,000 on an architects study and are now considering kicking out long established community groups operating from buildings in the park so that they can go ahead with a £3 to £4 million "hypothetical" scheme to build hotel rooms or convert spaces for Airbnb accommodation for visitors to Wembley Stadium.

 

In doing this the Labour Leadership are ignoring the wishes of Titus Barham who gifted his home and gardens in 1937 so that local people could have a Public Park for their enjoyment and recreation. Barham Park is the 3rd most visited Public Open Space in Brent.

 

While the original buildings may not be special, they do have important historical connections which are of interest.

 

1. Part of the buildings date back to 1780s and are known as Crabs House after their owner.

2. In 1801 the land and the House were bought by John Copland who was a bursar in the Royal Navy and served with Horatio Nelson in 1805 when Nelson lost his eye.

3. In the years up to his death in 1843 John Copland acquired around 350 acres of land in Sudbury/Wembley which stretched all the way from the site of the former Copland School (now Ark Elvin Academy) all the way to Harrow on the Hill.

4. John Copland is buried in one of the inaccessible vaults at Kensal Green Cemetery.

5. His only son was killed while also serving in the Royal Navy and his land was inherited by his two unmarried daughters.

6. The daughters were big local benefactors and over the years they paid for the building of St John's Church in Harrow Road Wembley (George Gilbert Scott was the architect), a local village school, a cottage hospital and a workers’ institute used to train apprentices, and which contained the first local library. They lived in Sudbury Lodge - a large house built in the middle of what is now Barham Park. They too are buried in Kensal Green.

7. On the death of the sisters in the early 1870s their House and lands passed on to General Robert Fitzgerald Copland-Crawford. The adding of the name Copland to Crawford was one of the requirements. The General was a son of a soldier who served with Wellington at the battle of Waterloo and in his later years General Robert Fitzgerald Copland-Crawford claimed that he was the last man alive who could remember the sound of British guns as they were defeating Napoleon Bonaparte.

8. Two of his sons (educated at Harrow School) were great sportsman and played both cricket and football. They represented Scotland in the first 4 friendly Scotland v England football internationals that took place between 1870 and 1872. One of them scored the very 1st Scottish goal against England.

9. Most of the family died out in the mid 1890s and there is a family monument to them in the grounds of St John's Church.

10. Sir George Barham, the founder of Express Dairies acquired Sudbury Lodge and most of the lands in 1895. An express Dairies Farm existed in the current area of One Tree Hill Open Space, Chaplin Road and Farm Avenue. Barham Primary School stands on part of the old farmland.

11. Sir George Barham is credited with modernising and cleaning up the milk industry. He was at the forefront of improving hygiene and many inventions - including the introduction of milk bottles.

12. On his death in 1913 the land passed on to his two surviving sons George (always known as Titus Barham) and Arthur. Arthur later became a partner in United Dairies (formed during the 1st World War) which later became Unigate.

13. Titus Barham continued to grow Express Dairies which in the years after his death became the biggest operator of Supermarkets in the UK under the name Premier.

14. It is however because of this involvement in community causes that Titus Barham deserves to be remembered. He was a successful and wealthy businessman who used his wealth to support good causes. He supported the building of Wembley Hospital, donated money to buy the Tennis Club in Sylvester Road, welcomed local people to his home for his "Rose Sundays". In 1936, a year before his death, 8000 local people attended his open house event.

15. Titus Barham is referred to as "Wembley's greatest benefactor".

16. In 1937 Wembley received its Charter to become a Borough Council. Titus was due to become the Wembley 'Charter' Mayor' and donated £4,000 (around £300,000 in today’s money) for the purchase of the Mace and Chains of Office regalia. Sadly, he died in July 1937 on the same day that Wembley was officially due to become a borough and he its Mayor. The ceremonywas postponed until October.

17. Titus was keen to ensure that all Wembley residents had an opportunity to celebrate the creation of the Borough Council and he had  paid in advance for a "tea party" for the tens of thousands attending the old Wembley Stadium on 2 October 1937: 

 

 

 

18. Even more importantly on his death Titus Barham decided to gift his home (now renamed Barham Mansion) and his beloved gardens to local people for "the recreation of the public". With the house came his 'eclectic' collection of items collected over many years which eventually formed the founding collection of items used for the creation of the Brent Museum at the Grange (now in Willesden Library)

19. His gift eventually became Barham Park. While Barham Mansion, used during the 2nd World War by the military, fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1955 the Park and the original buildings remain. They have been home to the Barham Veterans Club since 1946. The Barham Park Public Library was opened on 31 May 1952 and served local people for almost 60 years - but was sadly closed by Labour Councillors in 2011 when half of Brent's libraries disappeared.

20. On a sunny day Barham Park is full of people enjoying themselves. The old buildings are a hive of activity - with the Community Library, run by volunteers, serving our local community.

 

I hope that this brief summary - highlighting the lives and contribution of the people who lived in Barham Park - explains local people believe that Barham Park should continue to be used for the "recreation" of local people and not to for developers profit or commercial interests.

 

 Local people love their local park and will fight to preserve it to be enjoyed by local people now and in the future.

 

The views of local people should not be ignored. We do not want more house building in the park or hotels which only benefit developers and not local residents. Please support us.

 

With best wishes

Paul Lorber

for Barham Community Library

14 September 2013

 

More than 400 people have signed petition calling on Brent Council to protect parks and green spaces from development. Please sign and circulate.

 

The petition calling on Brent Council to protect parks and green spaces, launched following public disquiet over the recent Planning Committee decision to approve four 3 storey houses in Barham Park, has reached more than 400 signatures.

As non-party political Philip Grant said in a comment on Wembley Matters:

Although the petition is shown in the name of Paul Lorber, the discussions leading up to it involved people from across political parties.

It was not just Lib Dems who stood up for the importance of the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan in considering the application affecting Barham Park.

As well as Cllr. Lorber, the Labour councillor for Sudbury Ward, Teo Benea, also spoke against the application.

The Labour councillor for Wembley Central ward, and former Chair of Planning Committee, Cllr. Ketan Sheth, had a statement read out at the meeting, in support of tje Neighbourhood Plan and the importance of upholding its Local Green Space policies.

A link to the petition has been circulated by Brent Parks Forum, Brent Green Party and Brent Friends of the Earth. 

Meanwhile it has been established that the Covenant on Barham Park is still in place and Brent Council officers are  looking at the process required if it is to be removed, which should include the price developer George Irvin would have to pay. Readers will remember that Brent Council said previously that no steps had been taken to seek a valuation of the Covenant and thus establish the amount George Irvin would have to pay.

The Covenant protection is managed by the Barham Park Trustees, chaired by Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt,  and with a membership consisting only of members of his Cabinet. There is no independent community representation on the Trustees Committee. The Trustees are charged with protection of Barham Park which was left to the people of Wembley for their enjoyment by Titus Barham.

The Barham family made representations to Brent Council opposing the development as against the spirit of the bequest.

I urge people to sign as with an expanding population, and lessons learnt from the pandemic, we cannot afford to lose any more green space. Stonebridge is still smarting from the loss of the green spaces around Stonebridge Adventure playground and outside Stonebridge Primary School.

Signing on Brent Council website is a bit of a palaver but please persevere as loss of space will affect generations to come who will be hit by cliamte breakdown.

SIGN HERE

We the undersigned petition the council to uphold its long standing Strategic Policy of protecting Brent Parks and Open Spaces at all cost.

We are concerned that Brent Council's Planning Committee has ignored Strategic Core Policy of protecting Parks and Open Spaces and also the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which designated Barham Park as a Local Green Space and developed a specific Planning Policy BP1 which stated that any housing building or redevelopment in Barham Park should be refused. That decision has effectively undermined Neighbourhood Planning, ignored the views of local people and put at risk other Parks and Open Spaces across Brent

Fields in Trust Interactive Map of Green Spaces LINK

 Brent area