I had a peek at Union Park North currently under construction in Wembley Park this morning. It is claimed to take inspiration from Humprey Repton who created the landscape around Barn Hill from around 1793.
At this stage there appears to be too much concrete to my taste and a natural pond/lake would be more in the Barn Hill tradition but of course it is early days. Some tree planting has already taken place and plans include 'a community centre, public art, a dedicated area for pets to
enjoy some ‘pet time’ off their lead and a new bandstand for free music and
entertainment year-round.'
Quintain claim that there are two aspects to the name 'Union Park' one aspect is bringing together a new community and the other a tribute to
Walter Citrine, the first Baron of Wembley and
'one of the leading British and international trade unionists in the 20th
century. Baron Citrine was widely credited for providing the Trades Union
Congress with the administrative backbone it needed to become the respected
lobbying organisation it is today.'
It will be interesting to see what is planned to explain his contribution in the new park.
The south section of Union Park has been open for some time. It is reviewed HERE.
Sisk has successfully completed testing of a new
low-carbon technology to decarbonize concrete at its Wembley Park project site
in London. Initial test results demonstrate over 70 percent of carbon savings
compared to standard concrete.
The low-carbon demonstrator project received
£500,000 from Innovate UK
funding as part of its Contracts for Innovation to pioneer the use of ACT,
Ecocem’s low-carbon concrete technology in a structure, which is the first of
its kind.
The demonstrator project was based at
NE02/NE03, Wembley Park, where Sisk has been working on the redevelopment of
Wembley Park for its long-term client, Quintain
for the past 20 years. Sisk gathered with each of its consortium partners for
an event hosted at Wembley Park to discuss its findings.
The two-storey project used a range of
different construction methodologies and concrete mixes all based on ACT. From
floors to precast concrete stairs, columns and walls, the initial feedback on
the performance of each element is very promising. In each case the concrete
made with ACT met the design specification for each application assessed and
delivered a significant carbon saving of over 70 percent.
This innovation will
revolutionize low-carbon cement commercial viability within the construction
sector. ACT, is a breakthrough
cement technology which combines a range of technical innovations with the use
of widely available low-carbon materials to decarbonize the production of
cement by as much as 70 percent, while enhancing the strength and durability of
the concrete it is used to manufacture.
Ross Cullen,
Chief Engineer, Sisk said:
At Sisk, we have been
committed to sustainability for many years. Our low-carbon concrete journey
began with the establishment of various strategies aimed at reducing our
environmental impact. One of the key initiatives was the creation of an
internal low-carbon concrete working group. This was formed to deepen our
understanding of carbon in concrete and to explore opportunities and
technologies that can help us reduce the embodied carbon in our projects.
The construction
industry has a profound responsibility to reduce our climate impact. As one of
the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, it is imperative that we
take significant steps towards sustainability. The development of low-carbon
concrete is a tremendous leap forward in this endeavour. This innovation not
only reduces our carbon footprint but also sets a new standard for
environmentally responsible construction practices.
Quintain Ltd, the Wembley Park developer, has completed the refinancing the London Designer Outlet and the 627 unit 'Ferrum' build-to-rent developement with a £233.6 million load from the Bank of America.
Philip Slavin, Chief Financial Officer at Quintain Ltd, commented:
Whilst this is not the first facility we have secured from Bank of America,
it is certainly our largest and represents an ongoing, positive relationship.
Ferrum and the LDO are extremely important assets at Wembley Park and of which we
are particularly proud.
BRENT PLANNING COMMITTEE APPROVED THE EXTRA EVENTS APPLICATION WITH JUST ONE VOTE AGAINST. MINUTES WILL GO TO PLANNING COMMITTEE BECAUSE OF WIDER ISSUES RAISED.
The application by Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL) for additional major events at the stadium will be heard at 6pm tonight. The officer's report to the Planning Committee can be read HERE. The public can attend the meeting in person at the Civic Centre or watch online HERE.
While the full report can be read on the link above I print below two significant extracts. Quintain Ltd is the owner of some land within the planning application area and their developments around the stadium now has a large number of residents, many of whom have become restive over the impact of Wembley events on their lives:
QUINTAIN COMMENTS
The proposal is supported
subject to the following conditions:
From reviewing the
representations submitted by local residents, it is clear that event day management, and in
particular stewarding and post-event cleaning, are areas of significant
concern. Therefore, WNSL should commit to paying all the operational and management
costs associated with the additional events and/or any event that exceeds the
existing caps of 22 sporting events and 24 non -sporting events in a calendar
year.
WNSL have highlighted the
success of the triparty ‘Best in Class’ initiative between WNSL, Quintain and
Brent, which currently manages the impacts of event days upon the local area
and state this will be implemented for the additional events. Whilst we agree
that the ‘Best in Class’ principles covering stewarding, parking enforcement,
traffic management, toilets and street cleaning should apply to the additional
events, the increased costs associated with delivering these should be borne
wholly by WNSL.
To ensure residents’ amenity
is adequately protected, WNSL should commit to the following restrictions on
events: a cap on the maximum number of consecutive non -sporting events; a cap on the maximum number
of non-sporting events per week; and a cap on the maximum number of weeks in any
calendar year where the maximum number of consecutive non -sporting events or
maximum number of non-sporting events in a week can be held.
The above conditions should
be included in the s.106 Agreement (Deed of Variation).
Should they not be secured,
Quintain reserve the right to make further representations. As a participant in the Best
in Class initiative, and owner of land within the planning application boundary where
many of these measures will take place, Quintain would expect to be consulted on the
Deed of Variation before it is completed
We would also request that
WNSL, TfL and Brent work closely on mitigating the impact Stadium events have upon
existing bus routes and services to ensure residents are able to carry on their
daily lives and move around the area on event days with the minimum of
disruption.
THE OFFICER REPORT CONCLUSIONS (original report paragraph numbers)
144. The objections received
indicate that there is a level of impact currently experienced by local residents as a result
of events at the Stadium, with concerns predominantly focussed on anti-social behaviour,
transport issues, air quality and noise. Some impacts are to be expected, given the size of
the Stadium and its siting in a location surrounded by residential properties and businesses,
within a dense urban area, although it must be remembered that a Stadium has been in situ for
over 100 years.
145. The original cap on
events was imposed to manage the impacts until such time as specific transport
improvements had been made. Whilst most of these have taken place, not all of them
have been realised. Circumstances have changed since the original planning
permission in 2002, which suggest that the final piece of transport
infrastructure (i.e., the Stadium Access Corridor) will not be provided in its
originally envisaged form, but other changes to the road network have now taken
place. Therefore, the Council considers that the cap remains relevant.
146. Clearly, to increase
the number of higher capacity events to accommodate up to 8 additional major
non-sporting events per calendar year would imply an increase in the impact. However,
a wide range of mitigation measures have previously been secured and would continue
to do so to help mitigate these impacts. There are ongoing efforts to reduce
the number of vehicles on an event day, including additional parking
enforcement capacity and an updated Spectator Travel Plan to promote
sustainable travel patterns. WNSL and public transport operators work closely
to promote sustainable transport solutions and maximise the efficiency of the
network. This in turn contributes to reducing noise and air quality issues.
147. Infrastructure works
including two-way working in the area to the east of the Stadium and the
opening of a link between the western end of North End Road and Bridge Road to
provide an east-west route past the Stadium that is capable of being kept open
at all times before and after Stadium events has improved traffic flow in the
area and assist residents’ movements on event days.
148. The Trusted Parking
Scheme aims to ensure authorised car parks are responsibly run in a way that would limit their
impact on neighbouring residents and reduce local congestion, whilst the
Private Hire Management Scheme would reduce the number of vehicles in the area around the Stadium after
events have finished.
149. Employment and Training
benefits for Brent residents would also be secured by the proposed scheme.
150. With regard to
antisocial behaviour, a financial contribution would be paid by the Stadium to
Brent Council per additional major non-sporting event. This would go towards
mitigation measures as agreed between WNSL and the Council which may cover
measures to address anti-social behaviour.
151. Whilst it is
appreciated that local residents face challenges on event days, the direct economic benefits for the
local Brent economy of Stadium events are also recognised, including spending on
accommodation, food, drink and other ancillary items within the Wembley area. The uplift in
the event cap would also create additional event day steward and catering positions. Whilst
some types of business would suffer on event days, many would benefit from the influx of
people to the area.
152. In summary, it is
recognised that there is a level of impact associated with major events now, and that this would
increase with an increase in the number of high capacity major events. However, the measures
proposed would ensure that this is moderated as much as is reasonably achievable. All
are considered necessary to mitigate the increased number of major events which this
application proposes.
153. A further consideration
is that the Stadium can already be used for events up to 51,000 without restriction.
Existing mitigation measures would be extended to cover this increase. Measures including the
training and employment opportunities would apply more broadly to Stadium events, not just the
additional major non-sporting events for which permission is sought under this
application and would therefore provide wider benefits to local people and the local economy more
generally.
154. The proposal is
considered to accord with the development plan, having regard to material planning
considerations. While there will inevitably be some additional impacts
associated with an increase in the number of higher capacity non-sporting
events, a range of mitigation measures are proposed and some benefits are also
anticipated. The proposal is, on balance, recommended for approval.
Reading the report, although TfL mention the rail and tube routes they pay little attention to bus routes and their diversion and curtailment that impacts on residents.
Despite several protests over the curtailment of the 206 bus at Brent Park, affecting workers travelling to the industrial estates south of the stadium and school pupils when events are held on weekdays, no proposals are contained enabling the route to use the North End Road link.
The fourth and final part of the guest blog by local historian Philip Grant on a key piece of local history. Many thanks to Philip Grant for his tireless efforts to ensure our local history is acknowledged and celebrated.
1. The original (west end) entrance to Wembley Arena in 2003. (Image from the internet)
Welcome back for the final part of this story. As we saw at the end of Part 3, the Empire Pool had been renamed Wembley Arena, and although it was
still home to some sporting events, it was now being used mainly to stage music
and entertainment shows.
If I tried to name all of the acts who have performed at the Arena, the
list would take up the rest of this article. I will just mention a few, and if
I miss one of your favourites, you are welcome to add your memories of the
time(s) you saw them at Wembley in the comments below. Among the top British
bands that have performed here are The Rolling Stones, The Who, Status Quo, Queen,
The Police and Dire Straits. The first two of those both had drummers from
Wembley, in Charlie Watts and Keith Moon!
It would be unfair if I didn’t also name a few of the top acts from
overseas that have also performed here since the name was changed in 1978. Did
you see ABBA, AC/DC, Diana Ross, John Denver, Madonna, Meat Loaf, Dolly Parton,
Tina Turner, Whitney Houston or Stevie Wonder at Wembley Arena? If so, please
feel free to add your memories below.
2. A Torvill & Dean programme from 1985, and a recent Holiday on Ice
show. (Images from the internet)
One of the original purposes of the Empire Pool was to provide an ice-skating
rink. Although Wembley stopped staging its own ice pantomimes, spectacular touring
productions from the “Holiday on Ice” franchise have been a regular feature at
Wembley Arena since 1978. If you saw it on TV, as I did, you will never forget
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s gold medal-winning “Bolero” ice dance at
the 1984 Winter Olympics. The following year, as part of their World Tour, they
sold out the Arena for seven weeks with their own ice show.
The building was now more than fifty years old, and in the late 1980s
Wembley Stadium Ltd invested £10m to upgrade the Arena’s facilities for both
performers and the paying public who came to see them. The improvements allowed
even more spectacular effects to be included, as the 1990s saw more than 900
concerts performed at the venue. One of the most unusual for Wembley was an
arena staging of Puccini’s opera “Turandot” by the Royal Opera in 1991
(building on the popularity of the aria “Nessun Dorma”, which the BBC had used
as the theme tune for its coverage of the football World Cup in Italy the
previous year!).
3. Concert of Hope, George Michael singing in 1993, and watching other
performers with Princess Diana. (Images from the internet)
Charity events had been a feature of the Arena’s programme for decades. The
annual Concert of Hope for World Aids Day was supported by Diana, Princess of
Wales, and top performers, including another famous musician who grew up in
Brent, George Michael.
Cliff Richard, who first performed here in 1960 as part of a NME Poll
Winners’ concert, had 49 shows at Wembley Arena in the 1990s, and was still
packing the venue with his 50th anniversary tour in 2007. A
different genre of pop music also came to the Arena in the nineties, with shows
from boy (and girl) bands, including Take That, Boyzone, The Spice Girls and
Westlife. Two of those groups were from Ireland, but another Irish import,
Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance”, was so successful in 1997 that it
returned for 21 sell-out shows the following year.
4. “Lord of the Dance” programme and video screenshot. (Images from the internet)
February 1999 saw the first solo stand-up comedy act at the Arena (many
more would follow) when Eddie Izzard performed “Dress to Kill”, in aid of The
Prince’s Trust. Britain (and Brent’s) increasing cultural diversity also saw
Wembley Arena hosting more Asian / Bollywood music shows, by performers
including Amitabh Bachchan and Asha Bhosle.
5. Eddie Izzard programme and Asha Bhosle poster. (Images from the internet)
By the end of the twentieth century, the original Wembley Stadium was about to be
demolished and replaced. It had been
bought, together with around 100 acres of land that Arthur Elvin’s company had
acquired, by the Football Association’s Wembley National Stadium Ltd, but they
were not interested in redevelopment. In 2002, they sold some of the land,
including the Arena, to Quintain Estates and Developments Plc, which eventually
bought 85 acres of Wembley Park.
Wembley Arena was only eleven years younger than the 1923 stadium, and
Quintain were soon making redevelopment plans, including a major refurbishment
of the Grade II Listed arena. Work began in February 2005, and included moving
the main entrance to the opposite end of the building, with access from a new
Arena Square (it is actually a triangle!). The project cost £36m, and the “new”
12,500-seat Wembley Arena re-opened on 2 April 2006, with a concert by Depeche
Mode.
6. The Wembley Arena redevelopment in progress, 2005. (Image from the internet)
You can see the Arena being refurbished in the photograph above, but
beyond it you can also see an exhibition centre, a triangular office block and
a round building, Wembley Conference Centre, which were built by the Wembley
Stadium company in the 1970s. The Conference Centre had been the venue for the
annual Masters Snooker Championship since 1979, but after Quintain demolished that
building in 2006, to make way for its Quadrant Court flats development, “The
Masters” moved to Wembley Arena from 2007 to 2011.
7. Scenes from the Olympic badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events at
Wembley Arena in 2012. (Images from the internet)
We saw in Part 2 how the then Empire Pool was used for some sports in
the 1948 Olympics, and when the Games came to London again in 2012, the now
Wembley Arena played host to two different Olympic competitions. First it was
the badminton events, followed by the rhythmic gymnastics. Together they brought
hundreds of competitors, from more than fifty nations, and thousands of
spectators to Wembley.
8. Wembley Arena, with Hilton Hotel and LDO beyond, in 2013.
Redevelopment continued around the refurbished Arena and its square.
Forum House was the first of Quintain’s many blocks of apartment homes, built
between the western end of the Arena and Empire Way. The Hilton Hotel was
another early addition, just across Lakeside Way (remember that the Empire Pool
was built at one end of the British Empire Exhibition’s central lake!) from the
Arena entrance. The former Wembley exhibition halls made way for the London
Designer Outlet shopping centre, which opened in 2013, as did Brent’s new Civic
Centre, on part of the site of the former BEE Palace of Industry, across
Engineers Way from Arena Square.
9. Arena Square, with Brent Civic Centre beyond, summer 2014.
Arena Square, with its seasonal fountains, has become a popular open
space (especially since the trees planted along its Wembley Park Boulevard side
have grown large enough to provide some shade). Another of its features,
designed to celebrate some of the Arena’s most popular performers, is the Square of Fame. Although this is on nothing like the scale of the Hollywood Boulevard
“walk of fame”, it has become an attraction in its own right. Madonna was the
first star to have bronze casts of her hands put on display, in 2006. The most
recent addition is Dame Shirley Bassey, in 2019, sixty years after her
appearance in the first popular music show at the Empire Pool (although she
continued to perform here well into the 21st century).
10. A Square of Fame compilation, showing some of the stars who have made
their mark at the Arena.
In 2013, Quintain handed over the management of Wembley Arena to a U.S. music
promotions company (now known as ASM Global). They, in turn, entered into a
10-year naming rights deal with Scottish and Southern Energy, so that the
building became known as The SSE Arena, Wembley. This made little difference to
the shows put on at the venue, which included the annual live final of the
X-Factor TV talent show (with previous episodes filmed at Wembley Park’s Fountain Studios, until they closed in December 2016).
11. Outside and inside The SSE Arena on X-Factor finals night. (Images from the internet)
The Arena’s name changed again, after SSE sold its retail business to
another electricity supplier, OVO Energy, in 2020. What began in 1934 as the
Empire Pool is now the OVO Arena Wembley. And twenty years after buying the
Arena, Quintain sold it in 2022, raising capital to pay for the construction of
more buy-to-let apartments as part of its continuing redevelopment of Wembley
Park. Its owner is now ICG Real Estate, part of the private equity firm Intermediate
Capital Group.
12. OVO Arena Wembley, from across Engineers Way, July 2024.
I hope you have enjoyed discovering more about the history of this
famous Wembley Park landmark and venue. It is a story that I have wanted to
share for several years, and the building’s 90th anniversary felt
like a good time to do that.
As long ago as the 1990s, Brent Council and the Stadium company worked
together to celebrate the sports and entertainment heritage of Wembley’s
Stadium and Arena. They did this with a series of ceramic tile murals, which
welcomed visitors coming from Wembley Park Station through a new subway and
onto the newly pedestrianised Olympic Way. Unfortunately, in 2013, the Council
agreed to allow Quintain to cover those tile murals with advertisements!
13. Some tile mural scenes celebrating events from Empire Pool / Wembley
Arena history.
Along with Wembley History Society and a number of local residents, I
have been campaigning since 2018 to get these tile murals put back on public
display. In 2022, Quintain agreed to put the mural
scenes on the walls in Olympic Way, which
they own, back on public view. They include the ice hockey tiled picture at the
top of the image above.
The other four mural scenes in that image are on the walls of the
subway, which Brent Council own. I had taken a photograph of the mural
celebrating the Horse of the Year Show in 2009, but the other three images,
showing a female singer (Shirley Basey?), an ice skater and a basketball player
(Harlem Globetrotters?), are all extracted from old views of the walls. All
four of these murals are still hidden from view, behind LED advertising
screens.
Brent Council had the chance to put the subway murals back on public
view from the end of August 2024, and there was a strong case for doing so. Sadly, Brent’s Cabinet was unwilling to consider that case, choosing
instead to receive slightly more advertising rent. That decision will mean
these parts of the Arena’s history (and more scenes from Wembley Stadium’s
history) will remain hidden from residents and visitors for at least another
four years.
I was crushed by happy, smiling and excited 'Swifties' on the packed Metropolitan line yesterday but the mood amongst Wembley Park residents was rather different.
It started off early morning when the 206 route from The Paddocks to Kilburn Park was stopped before 9am affecting people from the area travelling to work, school or shopping.
TfL via Twitter denied all knowledge of the curtailment and suggested residents rang their customer service, depite the fact they are a customer service. Instead they devoted themselves to publicising their Swiftie alternative tube map. Whimsy is no substitute for a public bus service!
The TfL website failed to inform passengers of the curtailment and the result was confusion and over-crowded pavements. Particularly worrying was that school children at each end of the 206 bus route would find that their bus was not running (southbound from Wembley Park) or would be dumped at Bridge Park (if travelling north to Wembley Park). People working at Brent Park Tesco and Ikea as well as the industrialarea south of the stadiumwere similarly disrupted.
About half an hour ago I found a woman at The Paddocks bus stop vainly waiting for a 206. She had been waiting for more than 30 minutes and said she would demand a council tax rebate.
Unfortunately this feeds a feeling that as far as Wembley Stadium, Brent Council, Wembley Park LDN (Quintain) and TfL go the needs of Wembley citizens (and particularly bus users) come way down the priority list on event days.
Last word from a Wembley Central resident:
Last night when Wembley Hill Road and Wembley Triangle were closed to all but traffic exiting to travel down Harrow Road to North Circular Raid it was chaos . There were untold amount of Chauffeurs/Ubers/Taxi's etc all parked up on double yellows at the Triangle next to the railings, blocking the road into Wembley High Road. All drivers were out of the cars, on their phones no doubt calling their passengers to let them know where they were waiting, The traffic on the south bound High Road was at a standstill. It was complete chaos, I have no idea why Police or Traffic Wardens were not called to prevent this, it was still like this at 11.30pm. The concert did not officially end until 10.45 that's when the fireworks went off.
The consultation regarding Wembley Stadium's Planning Application to hold additional major events closes on Monday.
The Olympic torch tile mural, and the torchbearer about to light the
Olympic flame in 1948.
Brent’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 28 May will decide on the award of a
new advertising lease for the Bobby Moore Bridge, from 31 August 2024 for the
next four years. They have two options to choose from, and Council Officers are
recommending Option B for approval:-
Extract from the Officer Report for 28 May meeting. (Note that Officers can’t spell Bobby Moore!)
The Officer Report is heavily biased in favour of Option B, but I will
have a chance to redress the balance. More than 100 people signed a petition calling on Brent Council and its Cabinet to only award a lease for
advertising on the parapets of the bridge (Option A), so that the tile murals
on the walls of the Bobby Moore Bridge subway, celebrating Wembley’s sports and
entertainment history, can be put back on public display. This means that I can
present that petition to the Cabinet meeting, before they consider the award of
the advertising lease.
Most of the tile murals on the subway walls have been hidden behind
adverts, or LED light panels which can be used for advertising, for more than
ten years. They were installed as a public artwork, so it is important that
Cabinet members can see pictures of at least some of the mural scenes their
decision will affect.
I asked to include a short powerpoint slide show as part of my
presentation, but this was refused. Apparently, it is essential that all the
screens show the digital clock, counting down the time remaining, when a member
of the public speaking! I was offered the chance to provide my images in
advance of the meeting, which I have done. This pdf document has been shared
with Cabinet members, and I will ask Martin to attach a copy at the foot of
this article, so that you can see it.
This, for readers’ information, is an outline of what I hope to say
during my five minute petition presentation at the Cabinet meeting:-
Today you’ll decide on the new advertising lease
for the Bobby Moore Bridge. The petition asks you to award the lease only for
the bridge parapets – Option A – so that the tile murals on the subway walls
can be put back on display
You’ll see, from the photos in my presentation, why
those murals deserve to be seen again, permanently.
Brent commissioned this public artwork, and it was
specially designed to welcome visitors, with colourful murals celebrating
Wembley’s sports and entertainment history.
There are eleven mural scenes that have been hidden
away since 2013, including the Olympic torchbearer and flag at the start of
Olympic Way, an important reminder of Wembley’s 1948 Olympic Games.
Other hidden scenes cover a variety of subjects,
including famous concerts at the Stadium, and the Horse of the Year Show, ice
skating and Harlem Globetrotters at the Arena.
Wembley History Society has been campaigning to have
the murals returned to public view since 2018. Its efforts saw the footballers
mural, with its plaque unveiled by Bobby Moore’s widow in 1993, uncovered the
following year.
We joined the Mayor and Council Leader in welcoming
the temporary display of three mural scenes in Olympic Way, at the start of
Borough of Culture year in 2020, when the Council acknowledged that ‘the tiles
are part of Brent’s rich heritage.’
Quintain put those scenes, just outside the subway,
back on permanent display in August 2022.
Option A is the opportunity to allow every
resident, and visitor to Wembley Park, to enjoy all of the beautiful murals, as
Brent originally intended.
The tile murals don’t have legal protection, but
they are a heritage asset, with historic and artistic merit. Brent has a
commitment to value heritage assets.
A paragraph from Brent’s 2019 Historic
Environment Strategy.
Good lighting in the subway, and the safety of
everyone using it, is very important.
When improvements were made to Olympic Way a few
years ago, Brent gave £17.8m CIL money towards the work, but allowed Quintain
to organise it.
The lighting design for the subway was based on the
LED advertising panels Quintain wanted to install, even though they knew those
panels had to be removed when the lease expired.
There will need to be changes when the panels are
removed. I’m sure the Council can work with Quintain and its lighting designer
on those, though it may mean a short delay in taking down the LED panels, and
possibly some extra CIL funding.
But using the advantage of reflected light, off of
the ceramic tiles, could actually reduce energy consumption!
[Although I won’t have enough time to include this in my presentation,
when Quintain’s Head of Masterplanning and its lighting designer came to a meeting of Wembley History Society in
October 2018, to discuss their plans for the
Bobby Moore Bridge subway, it was suggested to them that the tile murals could
be lit in such a way that the reflected light would help to light the subway
itself.]
Second half of the Leader Foreword from the
Officer Report for 28 May meeting.
The social value benefits, mentioned in the Leader
Foreword, will be provided by the supplier under the new lease, whichever
Option you decide on.
A lease under Option A will guarantee the Council a
minimum rent in excess of ninety thousand pounds a year.
Option B would pay slightly more, but the amount
involved is a tiny part of Brent’s budget.
The financial difference would be less than the
cultural, social, educational and heritage value of putting all the tile murals
back on public display.
I commend Option A to you, and ask you to vote for
it.
I think my presentation makes a strong case for putting all the Bobby
Moore Bridge tile murals back on display. Whether this is enough to persuade
Cabinet members remains to be seen!
Philip Grant.
The webcast of the Cabinet Meeting can be viewed on Tuesday 10am HERE
