lnvestec Real Estate provides Quintain with a £45 million investment secured against The Hive

 

The Hive

 lnvestec Real Estate has provided Quintain, developer  of the  mixed-use  Wembley Park regeneration specialist, with a £45 million investment facility secured against The Hive, a Grade-A office building in Wembley Park.

The loan refinances an existing facility and represents the first transaction between the two companies.

The Hive, which was completed in 2019, has 10,684m² of 'state-of-the-art' office space across nine floors, of which Casio occupies 929m² and Network Homes occupies 5,017m². There is  929m² of ground floor retail space.

Olympic Way tile murals will soon be on permanent public display!

 Guest post by Philip Grant. (Congratulations to Philip on this achievement as a result of his amazing persistence)

When I wrote last weekend about the heritage tile murals at Olympic Way being on display from 1^st to 21^st March, I mentioned that I was still waiting to receive a reply from Quintain to the New Year’s Day message I’d sent to their Chief Executive Officer.

 

Olympic Way murals on display in February 2020. (Photo by Mark Price, Brent Council)

 

I’m pleased to say that I have now received a letter from James Saunders at Quintain, and this is the good news:

 

‘Thank you for your letter dated 1^st January 2022. We have given your request careful consideration.

 

We share your commitment to celebrating the heritage of the murals and can confirm that when the current advertisement consent for the Spiritflex Vinyl coverings to the abutment walls outside of Bobby Moore Bridge to the South East (SE) and South West (SW) expires on 25^th August 2022 we will not seek to renew that consent.’

 

This means that these mural scenes, on the walls outside of the Bobby Moore Bridge subway at Wembley Park WILL be back on permanent public display by the end of August this year, after being covered with Quintain’s advertising, apart from short “reveals” since the autumn of 2013. 

 

Tile mural scenes on the east wall of the subway. (Composite by Amanda Rose, courtesy of Quintain)

 

I believe that this is an important step towards getting ALL of the murals, celebrating Wembley’s sports and entertainment history, back on permanent public display. But the battle for the murals on the walls of the subway itself (other than the “footballers” mural, which was put on display again in 2019, as a result of efforts by Wembley History Society) will be for another year.

 

The current “reveal” includes the remnant of the original Pop Music / “Live Aid” mural scene, on the west wall of Olympic Way, seen here in an old photograph:

 

The tile mural celebrating “Live Aid” as it originally looked.

 

Around 2006, TfL constructed a stairway down from the bus stop on the bridge to Olympic Way. In the process they removed much of this mural scene, apart from the drummer, and did a “patch up” with a different type of ceramic tile:

 

The “patched up” mural scene in 2012. (Google Street View image, courtesy of Quintain)

 

In his letter to me of 2 March, James Saunders wrote:

 

‘The newer (square format) tiling to the SW abutment staircase that was installed by TFL in 2006 was removed in c.2016 as the tiles were falling off the rendered wall. We would like to engage with you and the Wembley History Society to find the best solution for that area of the walls. The staircase would prevent a full recreation of the original section of the mural showing Mark Knopfler, Tina Turner and Freddy Mercury, but we are keen to reflect aspects of the original design, where possible.’

 

I’m sure that there are plenty of local people with more artistic and design skill than me! Before I take up Quintain’s offer to engage with them over possible design ideas, I would like to throw the discussion open to YOU. 

 

You can see the awkward, tapering shape of the area available for a restored (or new?) mural scene commemorating “Live Aid” at Wembley. Its scale at the subway end would have to fit in with that of the murals in the subway, which immediately adjoin it. Would it be best to retain the drummer section as it is, and design out from that? Or would it be better to replace, the drummer section, in order to give a larger “canvas” for a mural design? 

 

Close up view of part of a mural scene, showing how the tile designs are made.

 

It should be remembered that the mural scenes are made up of different coloured ceramic tiles which are oblong in shape, fixed vertically. The close-up example above (showing the way tiles were used to portray Michael Jackson’s dancing feet, in a mural scene currently hidden behind light boxes in the subway) gives an idea of how the mural designs are made.

 

This is the sorry state of the remains of the “Live Aid” mural scene now:

 

The mural scene, as “revealed” on a wet day in March 2022. (Courtesy of Quintain)

 

Can you help to design a much better tribute to “Live Aid”, please, which will grace the walls of Olympic Way as part of the murals celebrating Wembley’s sports and entertainment heritage for decades to come? If so, please suggest your ideas as a comment below, or send them (with a possible design, if you have one) to Martin. Thank you.

Philip Grant.

 

 

NEW YEAR’S DAY APPEAL TO QUINTAIN: Olympic Way tile murals – let’s get them back on permanent display!

 New Year Guest Post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

2022 is the year which provides an excellent opportunity to get more of the Bobby Moore Bridge tile mural scenes back on permanent public display. I’ve launched my campaign to get the murals on the walls of Olympic Way, just outside the subway from Wembley Park Station, returned to public view. On 1 January I sent an open letter to Quintain’s Chief Executive Officer, which I’ve set out in full at the end of this article.

 

The east wall mural scenes in Olympic Way, on display in February 2020.
(Photo by Mark Price, Brent Council)

 

Full details of the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals can be found in an illustrated article I wrote for Brent Archives. The murals were covered over with vinyl advertising sheets in the autumn of 2013, under a deal between Brent Council officers and Quintain. Wembley History Society campaigned in 2018 to have all of the murals put back on permanent public display. Quintain’s response in 2019 was to do this for just the central mural scene on the east wall of the subway, showing England footballers at the old “twin towers” stadium.

 

I had hoped I could persuade Brent’s Cabinet not to allow the murals in the subway to remain covered over, when Quintain’s Bobby Moore Bridge advertising lease came up for renewal in August 2021. However, in January last year I discovered that the lease had secretly been extended to August 2024 by Council officers, under a very dodgy deal in 2019.

 

Quintain contractors fixing advertising screens over some of the subway murals in July 2019.

 

Unfortunately, that lease extension means that it won’t be possible for the rest of the mural scenes, on both sides of the subway, to be seen again in time for the centenary of Wembley Stadium’s opening (for the F.A. Cup final in 1923). The only “good thing” in the extended lease was that Quintain agreed to allow Brent to request that the Olympic Way murals be put on display for up to 21 days a year. In fact, they were put on display for a full five weeks (wow!) at the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture 2020.

 

Now, I’m asking Quintain to “do the right thing”, and not to apply to extend their advertisement consent for the Olympic Way tile murals. I hope that they will respond positively, but if they don’t, I will be just one of many local people who fight their application all the way. I am confident that, if it comes to that, our objections should succeed in stopping the renewal of a consent which Brent’s planners should never have given in the first place.

 

This is my open letter:

 

To: James Saunders                                                          From: Philip Grant
       Chief Executive Officer                                                              
       Quintain Limited                                                         (address  removed)
       180 Great Portland Street
        London, W1W 5QZ                                                          

This is an open letter

                                                                                                                1 January 2022

Dear Mr Saunders,

 

Heritage tile murals at Olympic Way, Wembley Park.

Happy New Year! Quintain and its Wembley Park subsidiary have an important decision to make in 2022, and I am writing, as a member of Wembley History Society, to encourage you and your colleagues to make the right one.

 

The heritage tile murals at Olympic Way, celebrating sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and Arena, have been covered over with Quintain’s vinyl advertising sheets for most of the time since the autumn of 2013. 

 

In September 2013, Quintain applied for advertisement consent for a period of five years. Brent’s Planning department did not deal with that application until August 2017, and gave consent for five years from then. Although there was a later advertisement consent in 2019 for the Bobby Moore Bridge subway and parapets, the consent for the tiled walls in Olympic Way expires on 25 August 2022. I hope you will decide not to apply to renew that consent.

 

When Quintain first entered into a deal with Brent Council officers in 2013, over advertising at the Bobby Moore Bridge and on the walls of Olympic Way to the south of the subway from Wembley Park Station, the London Designer Outlet was just about to open. I can understand why your company then wished to use this “gateway” to its new Wembley Park developments to promote the LDO, and later its Tipi rental flats, Alto apartments and Boxpark joint venture. 

 

However, the LDO and Quintain’s other Wembley Park developments are now well established and widely known. There is no need for your company to put large advertisements on the walls of Olympic Way to publicise them, especially as you now have larger LED advertising screens on the parapets of Bobby Moore Bridge, and large banner advertising on the new lamp posts along Olympic Way.

 

That alone would be a good reason not to apply for consent to continue displaying advertisements over the tile murals in Olympic Way. But an even stronger reason is that these murals are part of a public artwork, designed to celebrate an important part of Wembley Park’s history, something which adds to the area’s “sense of place” for residents and visitors.

 

Quintain and Brent Council may not have realised the cultural and heritage importance of these tile mural scenes in 2013, but that is not the case now. I was one of the Wembley History Society representatives invited to the Mayor of Brent’s “reveal” of the Olympic Way tile murals, at the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture in January 2020. Brent’s publicity for that event said of ‘the heritage tiles at Wembley Park’s Bobby Moore Bridge’:

 

‘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 and date back to September 1993 when they were originally dedicated to the legendary footballer.’

 

 

Julian Tollast, speaking on behalf of Quintain at the “reveal” event (above), said:

 

‘The iconic cultural and sporting events at Wembley are celebrated in these heritage tiles behind us, and we are really proud to work with Brent and with Wembley History Society to make the reveal on a periodic basis of these murals possible.'  

 

Quintain / Wembley Park’s respect for the heritage value of these tile murals was also shown, in the welcome repair of damage caused by water ingress behind the tiles, in March 2021. 

 

I hope you will agree that the time has come for these heritage assets to be put back on public display, not just ‘on a periodic basis’, but permanently. Advertisement consent to cover the American Football, Rugby League and Ice Hockey mural scenes on the east wall, and the drummer image remnant of the Stadium Concerts scene on the west side of Olympic Way, expires in August 2022. However, if the advertising could be removed before then, in time for the Women’s Euros football final on 31 July, or the summer music concerts (such as those by Ed Sheeran in late June), so much the better. That would allow tens of thousands more visitors to Wembley Park to enjoy them.

 

I look forward to hearing from you that Quintain / Wembley Park will not be seeking to extend its advertising consent for the tiled mural walls on Olympic Way. 

 

Thank you. Best wishes,

Philip Grant.

Video of Union Park (South) first section of Wembley Park's new park

 

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Quintain's public relations company has been keen for Wembley Matters to publish details of the new park in the Wembley Regeneration area. Claims that it is the first 'new park' in Wembley Park are not quite true as we have the excellent Chalkhill Park in the locality, but on the other side of the railway line, which is maturing very nicely and really well used by the local community.

I responded that I would like to see the park for myself rather than base a story around the photographs and CGIs provided.

However, any green space is welcome amongst the concrete of the Wembley regeneration area. The southern section, south of Engineers Way,  has a considerable amount of concrete and we are promised a 'more rugged design' for the northern section on the site of the current Yellow car park on the other side of the road. (See LINK)

Today when I visited it was chilly despite the sunshine and there were few people about so the area seemed rather dead but I imagine on a warm day children would be having a great time in the fountains. A nursery will be opening soon on the edge of the park and they will be making use of it as an outdoor play and nature investigation areas. 

It was rather disconcerting to see so much water after I had led a walk on Saturday highlighting the danger of flooding in parts of the regeneration area!

Quintain say:

Union Park features a revolutionary water run-off system, which carries rainwater from around the area, filters it, and then releases it into one of the southern section’s lakes. Water features have been an important component of Wembley Park since it was first laid out by Humphry Repton in the 1770s, with the Wealdstone Brook and Brent River framing the then-manor and now-neighbourhood.

The park features a quotation from Humphry Repton on the side of what resembles a shed but is perhaps a pumping station, that is not entirely legible:

 It reads:

'The character of a place will take its distinguishing marks from the unified consideration of its situation and the extent of territory surrounding'

This gives the reader and visitor a yardstick with which to make up their mind about the park.

Quintain's press release said:

The first part of the park, which is open now, features amenities including a play park, paddling pools, outdoor gym equipment – which will be an extension of the super-gym right beside it – and a multi-use games area which will enable people to play a number of sports in view of the world-famous Wembley Stadium arch.

There is an adjacent cafe  at the foot of one of the high rises which is welcome but given the continuous sound of water, which is likely to induce a sense of urgency in bladders,  and the need for a place where wet children can change into dry clothes,  a public lavatory might be useful.

The park is not yet finished so there may well be one planned.

If you would like to see the park for yourself go along Olympic Way from Wembley Park Station and turn left along Engineers Way. It is a short walk to the Yellow Car Park and Union Park South is opposite. 

I would be interested in your comments on the park.

Philip Grant has left a comment  below and asked me to publish these images by way of explanation.

Postcard showing the North Entrance Gardens at Wembley Park in 1924

Painting of the gardens at the east end of the Lake in 1924/25 (now the southern section of Union Park)

Will these plans put the 'park' back into Wembley Park? Comments close Thursday 5th August

 Wembley Park 1895

Artist's impression of the hoped for Wembley Park from the station
 

If you are a Wembley  Park resident you may have been stopped by a visitor asking for directions to the park. One Wembley resident got so fed up with such requests and what appeared to be the vanishing prospects of a new park in the quintain development that she took to calling it Wembley-No Park.

Now a pair of planning applications (21/2517 Plot NE02) and 21/2424 (Plot NE03) give some clues to the future shape of the park on the former Yellow car park (North East Lands).

The relatively new Chalkhill Park is a testimony to how parks can help transform an area: aesthetically, environmentally and socially. Chalkhill is open to the railway on one side and bordered mainly 2-4 storey homes on the other sides.  The 'Northern Park' will be surrounded by  tower blocks of various sizes. These applications include for NE02 two block of 10-27 storeys comprising 487 residential uits, and for NE03 two blocks of 10-21 storeys comrising 282 units. There are more blocks in the surrounding developments.

This image gives a view of the proposed park between the blocks:

The proposed park from above Wembley Park station

It is interesting in the above image to see the green space around Danes Court and Empire Court between the Jubilee and Metropolitan line and North End Road - the architects of the time knew their stuff.  These residents are now concerned about their loss of light from the nearby towers and one concern will be how much shadow will be cast over the Northern Park by  tower blocks.

Some of the artist's impressions make the tower blocks look like a mirage rather than the pretty hefty buildings that they are:

The Park will be divided into 2 sections - separated by Engineers Way and there will be a fairly narrow entrance between blocks on Rutherford Way:

 This image gives some context but show the blocks  only on one side of the park (well you can catch a glimpse of balconies on the far right).

 

 The entrance to the park from Rutherford Way:

 

 

 

Rutherford Way/Engineers Way where the two parts of the park are separated:
 

It is clear that a great deal of work has gone into the planning of the park and I embed the relevant document below. It must be a wonderful relief to design a beautiful park with pleasure people's pleasure in mind rather than yet another human rabbit hutch!

Attention has been given to bio-diversity and different habitats as well as play areas for children.  Clearly maintenenace of the park is a key issue and lack of clarity h over this has been the downfall of many a similar project elsewhere.

 

Users would include residents of the surrounding flats as well as visitors although again there has been local concern about what was advertised as accessible public space becoming private. The plans envisage that the park could be used for outdoor concerts, firework displays and New Year celebrations.  After the recent Euro2020 disturbances and earlier problems on the green at Wembley Hill Road near Wembley Stadium  Station, consideration will need to be given to how the park will be used on event days.

The Neighbourhood Consultation on the building and park plans for these 2 Reserved Matters Applications closes on Thursday 5th August 2021.

To comment got to LINK and search for references 21/2517 and 21/2424

DETAILS OF THE PARK PLANS ARE MAINLY IN THIS DOCUMENT (CLICK BOTTOM RIGHT SQUARE FOR FULL SIZE)

 THIS DOCUMENT GIVES FURTHER DETAILS LINK

 

Wembley Park tile murals – a good news story!

 Guest blog by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

It makes a change for me to be able to share some good news with you about the heritage tile murals at the Bobby Moore Bridge and Olympic Way. But that’s what this article is about.

 

The January 2020 tile mural “reveal”, with some damage arrowed. (Photo by Francis Waddington)

 

When three tile mural scenes, which had been covered over with Quintain’s vinyl advertising sheets since the autumn of 2013, were revealed on 18 January 2020, at the launch of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture, damage which had occurred to the tiles could be seen. It was clear that water had seeped behind the top of the tiles in Olympic Way (just outside of the subway from Wembley Park Station), and two areas of tiles on the Ice Hockey mural had fallen off and broken.

 

 

A close-up of part of the damage to the Ice Hockey mural, February 2020.

 

I spoke about this to Julian Tollast, one of the Quintain representatives (who I first met at a heritage event in 2014) at the “reveal” hosted by Brent’s Mayor and Council Leader. He said he would ensure that this damage was repaired. I asked that Quintain should at least make sure that the “fillet” along the top of the tiles was made watertight, before vinyl advertising sheets were put back over the murals five weeks later.

 

During this time, I managed to make contact with a director of the company which had designed the murals, and supplied the tiles, in 1993. They had sold the tiles side of their business in 2000, but he was able to identify the type of tiles used, and give details of the German manufacturer which made them. I passed this information on to Quintain, who were hoping that the repair work could be arranged for the autumn of 2020, when there would be a changeover of the vinyl sheets.

 

Unfortunately, when the adverts came off again, for the three week “periodic display” of these mural scenes in March 2021, the Ice Hockey mural was still damaged. In fact, the damage seemed worse.

 

The damaged Ice Hockey tile mural, mid-March 2021. (Photo by Francis Henry)

 

When this photo was shared with me, I contacted Julian at Quintain again, to find out what was happening about the repair. After checking with Quintain’s Wembley Park Operations Team, he was able to tell me that the damaged tiles had been removed, and loose tiles secured. A waterproof mortar fillet had been installed along the top of the mural scenes. Matching replacement tiles had been obtained from a UK manufacturer, and these would be put in place by a specialist contractor by the end of March.

 

I was not able to visit Olympic Way to see the work on the tiles myself, but I was told that photos would be taken before the murals were covered over with adverts again. I looked forward to receiving these, so that I could share them with you, but there was a delay before copies were supplied to me. However, the pictures were worth waiting for!

 

The repaired Ice Hockey mural, end of March 2021. (Photo courtesy of Quintain / Wembley Park Ltd)

 

 

Panoramic view of the three tile mural scenes in Olympic Way, after the repair, end of March 2021.
(Photo courtesy of Quintain / Wembley Park Ltd)

 

I would like to publicly thank Quintain’s Wembley Park team for the repairs carried out to the Ice Hockey tile mural. They clearly realise what a valuable cultural and heritage asset these beautiful murals are for Wembley Park. It’s just a pity that they won’t put them back on permanent display, so that residents and visitors can enjoy them, rather than the bland advertising sheets which cover them most of the time!

 

How the tile murals in Olympic Way usually look, March 2020.

 

Philip Grant.