The current layout - the removed Soundshell in the foreground
Quintain have replied this afternoon to my request for information regarding the future of the Samovar Space at the foot of the Wembley Stadium steps. Apparently my earier communication to them went astray.
Over the last couple of weeks we have been in contact with Brent Councillors, Planning team, Landsby Residents and our Resident's Team at Quintain Living relating to Plot NW04 and the existing meanwhile uses of Market Square and Samovar Space clarifying the following:
To the Landsby Resident's Team:
Together with Brent Council we have a vision for the transformation of Wembley Park that will be delivered in phases. The later plots to be developed have been enlivened in the interim as 'meanwhile uses' with Brent Council's full support. The Samovar Space is a brilliant example of this. Designed with input from local young people and enjoyed by many.
The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space that will remain for at least the next 12 months. The Soundshell was moved to due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for upcoming Coldplay concert activations.
The 'NW04' site next to Landsby was granted outline planning approval in 2011 and was revised in 2018, and has formed one of our meanwhile plots for development later in the masterplan.
To Brent Council:
Samovar Space and Market Square form part of plot NW04 in the Wembley Masterplan. They are both meantime (temporary) uses of the plot until the building development is brought forward. Market Square and “Wembley Splay” were primarily built to facilitate a more direct pedestrian connection between Olympic Way and Wembley Park Boulevard around the old Pedway. Samovar Space was part of a project co-curated with young people in Brent.
NW04 has outline planning approval for either a Hotel or Office use and the form and position of the building on the site were approved in 2018*.
Designs are currently being prepared by Quintain for a Hotel on the site and it is intended that the Reserved Matters Application (RMA) will be submitted in early 2026. Engagement with residents and other stakeholders will take place as part of the process before the application is submitted.
Recent “construction” activity on site has been related to the various site surveys – topographical, ground investigation etc – that are necessary to inform the design.
There have also been quite a few event activities on the site, sometimes related to the various concerts and other events happening in the stadium this summer.
It is important to note that The Soundshell, which formed an integral part of Samovar Space, was removed due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for the upcoming Coldplay concert activations. The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space which will remain for at least the next calendar year.
The approved parameter plans for the NW04 site allow for the creation of two new public spaces. A combined space that fulfils the functions of Market Square and Samovar Space is created – effectively rotating the space through 90 degrees to sit along the Engineers Way frontage, linking Olympic Way to the Civic Centre and Wembley Park Boulevard. A second space is created as a “pocket space” that will sit as a terraced area roughly where Wembley Splay is located at present.
The Cherry Trees in the southern part of Market Square will be retained and reconfigured as part of the design. The various elements within Samovar Space were designed to be relocated and we will be reusing the structures where possible or donating them to local community groups, charities etc where this isn't feasible?
The overall construction process will be described in the construction method statement. There will be further liaison over the construction arrangements as has been the case for all of the plots constructed at Wembley Park.
Former Palace of Arts and Industry, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9
Proposal
Minor Material Amendment
to vary Condition 4 (Approved Drawings) of planning permission
reference 14/3054 (dated 21 October 2014) for an outline application for
the demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to
provide up to 160,000sqm of mixed use floorspace. (See previous
application record for full description of development).
The
minor material changes sought are to create a new south facing public
square fronting Engineers Way, to increase the height of the previously
approved main building from 88.5m to 100m AOD, the reduction of the
length of the previously approved block plan, changes to the massing of
the previously approved building form, the creation of a collonaded
single storey pavillion building along Olympic Way, increased basement
level, and the provision of pedestrian and public realm improvements,
and a bridge link to Brent Civic Centre.
Status
Approved.
Images from that application:
The alternatives from an early PowerPoint presentation:
Wembley Park visitors and residents of Wembley Park will be familiar with the Samovar Open Space with its concert shell and play area at the foor of the stadium steps. This is what Brent Council wrote about it:
Seen & Heard
and the Apprenticeship gave young people aged 16-24 a voice in the design and
management of their local public spaces at Wembley Park.The outcome includes
Samovar Space, a purpose-built area at the foot of the Olympic Steps and
Wembley Stadium, designed for and by young people as part of the Apprenticeship
in City Design.
Samovar Space is an inclusive space
designed for and by young. The aim was to design a place to ‘just be’. It
features dining, shelter and collaborative areas, including a purpose-built
platform that will play host to events for young people throughout the year.
The engagement with young people sustained
over four years and sees young adults aged 16-24, who are often overlooked by
conventional development and planning, working with architects and developers
to co-create spaces and places that are welcoming for them.
This is the space now following removal of the concert shell;
Now Wembley Park residents are protesting that they have neither been seen nor heard over potential redevelopment of the site butare suspicious after seeing surveying work in progress:
It seems as though Quintain have decided that they are going to
exercise their old planning permission for the NW04 site right next to Wembley
Library, which will result in the destruction of the Market Square and Samovar
Space community spaces.
The sound shell bandstand was removed from the Samovar Space, ironically during the night after Wembley Park’s recent Coldplay
community event, held in the sound shell. Wembley Park and Quintain celebrated
the event and the community space on social media that evening, though didn’t
mention in those posts that right after the event they were dismantling the
sound shell.
They aren’t being open with the local community or with existing
or new renters in their Landsby East building (which is directly next to the
construction) as to what their plans are, or that a major construction site
will be appearing next door.
The planning permission was granted many years ago, before there
was anything in the area, but now there is a significant local population with
large residential buildings all-around, plus the space between Wembley Library
and Olympic Way has become a vibrant and much used community space that is also
useful for Wembley Stadium events (the old Silver Car Park space is often used
for merch areas or fan zones).
It sounds as though they are planning to construct a mixed-use office or hotel in the space, with a small and uninspiring paved square as a concession
to Brent Council. This in no way replaces the trees in Market Square or the
multifunctional space that exists currently.
It’s
hugely disappointing that local residents are a) not being given any sort of
consultation opportunity and b) Quintain are not being transparent and
pro-active about informing the community of what is going on.
A resident spotted the sound shell dumped in the nearby Union Park:
The public space was the result of Brent Council reaching an agreement with Quintain not to build on NW04 in order to provide a public space beside the Civic Centre. This was part of the £17.8m CIL money that Brent Council paid Quintain for Olympic Way improvements, including the demolition of the pedway and installation of the stadium steps.
Cabinet approve a contribution of up to £17.8 million
towards the delivery of the Olympic Way Zones B and C.
2.2 That such a contribution would be contingent on
Quintain:
a) Not pursuing development of site NW04 adjacent to the
Civic Centre to the extent currently permitted in the parameters plans
associated with outline planning permission 10/3032
b) Working with the Council to deliver a development that
better complements the role and setting of the Civic Centre, in particular
creating a significant new square outside the Civic Centre Library
c) Agreeing a business plan and heads of terms, between
Quintain and the council, for the future sharing and reinvestment of net
income generated through assets on Olympic Way.
Apart from the Samovar Open Space, trees and the orange seating area the space outside the Civic Centre has also been used for market stalls:
Interestingly what appeared to be future plans for the space appeared on the website of Flanagan Lawrence, leading Wembley Park architects,https://www.flanaganlawrence.com/nw04 but the page was taken down, perhaps as a result of residents asking questions.
I am still waiting for answers to my enquiries of a week ago about future use of the site from Quintain and Brent Planning and have tried again today. Residents also report a wall of silence:
Several
residents have shared that they've since also reached-out to Brent Council (the
two Wembley Park Councillors and also Cllr. Butt) and have equally had radio
silence. One said they asked Wembley Park's event manager, who also evaded
answering the question.
Another said they had reached-out to Quintain Living's
head of operations for clarity seeing as they had just signed a 12 month
contract in the Landsby East building and no-one mentioned anything about
future construction work, again, radio silence.
It
seems as though they are trying to do 'something' with the site, but for
whatever reason do not want the community to know any details...
CHANGE OF MANAGEMENT – Emerald Gardens, North West
Village, Wembley, London, HA9 0FT
As you may be aware, FirstPort will sadly no longer
be managing Emerald Gardens from 19 August 2025. We are deeply disappointed to
lose you as a customer and we will ensure the handover of information is as
seamless as possible so that there is minimum disruption to you and your fellow
residents.
Your new managing agent is MLM - Michael Laurie Magar and they will take over
all management responsibilities on 19 August 2025.
The balance owed on your account at 18 August 2025 will be removed from our
system and transferred over to MLM - Michael Laurie Magar - this will include
any credits accrued on the account. All funds owed at that point will need to
be paid to your new agent and not FirstPort. If you pay for your charges by
Direct Debit, this will be cancelled on our system.
On behalf of FirstPort, I would like to wish you all the best in the future
with your new managing agent, and If you have any questions or need assistance,
please visit our Contact Us page at https://www.firstport.co.uk/contact-firstport/.
MLM confirmed to Wembley Matters they are taking over the management of several of Quintain's Wembley Park blocks in addition to Emerald Gardens but full details will only be revealed when a press release in agreed with Quintain.
Barry Gardiner MP for Brent West brought up the conduct of several managing agents, including FirstPort in the Westminster Hall Leaseholders and Managing Agents debate on the 28th February 2023 LINK
Gardiner said about FirstPort:
FirstPort’s response to those and the more than 500 more complaints like
them that I have received is to make no response and ignore things for
as long as possible—for months and years, not days and weeks. There is a
lack of accountability and transparency over what the residents are
charged for and whether the costs are reasonably incurred and reasonable
in amount. There is a total failure to provide leaseholders with a
breakdown of service charges. Many of my constituents can wait more than
20 months for accounts to be finalised.
Even when FirstPort
admits that refunds are owed to the leaseholder because of double
counting, overcharging or charging for services not provided, the
requests for the return of the overpayments are often ignored, or the
returns can take many months to be made. FirstPort also charged multiple
administration penalty charges of £60 each when someone queried the
costs. One resident ended up being billed for more than £400 of admin
charges and was then browbeaten into paying because of the threat of
legal action.
In 2019, Nigel Howell, the then chief executive,
conceded to me that it was unlawful for his company to impose late
penalty fees on leaseholders who had disputed their charges—but not all
leaseholders have been refunded. Nigel Howell also confirmed to me that
his company had charged costs for areas not under FirstPort’s management
and promised that a 20% refund would be given in the following year’s
accounts. Strangely, Nigel Howell was removed from his post as chief
executive.
After years of suffering, one brave, resilient
resident finally took FirstPort to the tribunal. FirstPort sought to
rely in its defence on two factors: it tried to rely on the payments
made by leaseholders—in other words, by paying up they had intimated
consent; and, especially ironic given the FirstPort practice of delay,
it tried to rely on the length of time the leaseholder had taken in
bringing the challenge to the tribunal.
On Friday 13 January, the
last working day before the hearing, I received the following email in
my office from my constituent at 5 pm:
“They are settling all of
the claim. Their lawyers harassed me all week and made the offer on
Friday afternoon, just hours before the hearing this Monday. They did
not want this case heard as they have been lying to Barry. They owe
money to 202 families.”
David Pinto-Duschinsky, who co-chaired the meeting
with FirstPort, said:
I’ve had dozens and dozens of complaints about
FirstPort’s unacceptable service charge hikes, poor service and lack of
responsiveness and transparency.
All too often they are using leaseholders as
little more than cash cows to be milked for every penny. People are paying more
and more, and getting less and less. Enough is enough, this group of Labour MPs has come together to do
everything we can to hold these unscrupulous managing agents to account.
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.
