If you go to Roe Green on Saturday, you are in for a big surprise

If you have never been to Roe Green Village in Kingsbury you are in for a big surprise if you pop into the Centenary Village Day on Saturday - there really couldn't be a bigger contrast to the blocks of Wembley Park even if the two places were hundreds of miles apart. In fact Roe Green is about three miles from the Stadium.

Roe Green Village in 1920 (courtesy of Brent Archives)

 

Roe Green Village today

 Get there at 12 noon to support the youngster of the Brent Concert Band and either take a picnic or choose from  Caribbean, Indian vegetarian or Greek food while you enjoy the performance.

There will be plenty for children to enjoy including Punch and Judy and children's games and there will be a fly past by a De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane at about 3pm.

Visitors from other parts of Brent will be very welcome, but please travel by public transport (302 bus to the Grove Park stop is the nearest, or Jubilee Line to Kingsbury Station or 183 / 204 bus to the Valley Drive stop, then 10 minute walk across Roe Green Park). 

Background from local historian Philip Grant HERE

Powerleague at Kingsbury High refused planning permission on noise grounds

Kingsbury High School's bid to run a Powerleague football facility in its grounds has been refused planning permission. The plans were strongly opposed by nearby residents in Roe Green Village. LINK

The Brent Planning Department refusal is based on the level of noise and disturbance to neighbours which would be caused by the late opening of the facility until 10.30pm:

The proposed development, by reason of the levels of noise associated with the use (including the ancillary activities), having particular regard to the hours of operation of the use and likely frequency of those activities throughout the week and year, will result in an unduly detrimental impact on the amenities of adjoining occupiers through the exposure to noise beyond levels that may reasonably be expected within this specific context. This is contrary to Policy DMP1 of the Brent Local Plan Development Management Policies 2016 and Policy 7.15 of the London Plan (March 2016).

 The delegated report elaborates: (bold is my emphasis)

Council officers are of the opinion that the submitted hours of operation (until 10-10.30pm), represent an excessive intrusion on the reasonable expectation of amenity in this location for local residents. In this circumstance the council would normally seek to restrict the hours of operation as suggested by the NPS.

As it stands, the proposal raises amenity concerns for the local residents in terms of the noise generated by activities inherent on the site when other background noise levels are low. Specifically, a number of football games occurring at the same time with numbers of people and cars attending the facility in hours considered to be sensitive.

Whilst these would reduce noise from the activities emanating from the facility, it is clear that the duration and length of time of noise and disruption resulting from this facility are a function of the late hours of operation.

It has been suggested that a condition be applied to any consent restricting the hours of operation. However, it is understood that a restriction in the hours of operation would render the proposal unworkable as the operators of the football centre rely upon the submitted hours in order for the scheme to be commercially viable.

Whilst this may be the case, it is held that the business model required by the operators cannot be at the expense of the amenity of neighbouring properties, particularly in a suburban setting such as this where an increase in noise, light, activity and vehicle movements is accentuated to the point of being intrusive in an environment of low-level ambient noise, movement and light that reduces even further as the evening progresses.

For this reason, the proposal is considered contrary to London Plan Policy 7.15 and DMP 1 and a reason for refusal based on these policies would be reasonable and sustainable.

Lack of necessary consent may delay Lucozade Powerleague development at Kingsbury High School

From Barry Gardiner MP (Labour Brent North). This indicates that the planning application may be delayed while Kingsbury High/LucozadePowerleague seek the necessary consents from the Education Funding Agency. The commercial operation has been opposed by residents of Roe Green Village.

 Barry Gardiner MP has received confirmation1 from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, Lord Nash, that the proposed development at Kingsbury High School by Powerleague Fives Ltd, t/a Lucozade Powerleague, does not possess the necessary legal consent from the Education Funding Agency and that the scheme also jeopardises the government’s commitment to tackle childhood obesity.

The response follows Mr Gardiner’s request to the Secretary of State for Education seeking confirmation as to whether the school had sought the necessary consent prior to the proposal to dispose of this land and the submission of the planning application2. The Minister confirmed it had not.

Mr Gardiner said:

Many of my constituents are extremely concerned about the way in which the proposed Powerleague Fives scheme at Kingsbury High School has been handled and we now find they have not obtained the necessary legal consent. It also cannot be right that schools may be required to advertise the very products we are attempting to restrict children’s access to. Allowing soft drink manufacturers to advertise on school campuses flies in the face of the government’s stated commitment to reducing childhood obesity and is at odds with Brent Council’s Obesity Strategy – especially given Brent’s worrying levels of childhood obesity and diabetes are far higher than other parts of the country.

Click on image to enlarge

Lucozade Powerleague's public relations firm breaks off public relations with Roe Green residents

In a further development over Lucozade Powerleague's bid to run a commercial venture at Kingsbury High School Academy the GKA public relations company representing Powerleague and the school has unilaterally broken off relations with Roe Green Village Residents Association.

In an email sent last Friday they said:

Having discussed the matter with the development team, there appears to be limited prospect of finding common ground between Roe Green Village Residents' Association, Kingsbury High School and Powerleague. We would therefore respectfully suggest that there is little to be gained through continued dialogue. As you know, Brent Council will now consider the application on its merits.

Residents are now in the situation of having heard nothing from their local councillors, received no planning application notices delivered to them from Brent Council and their offer of fundraising for alternative sports facilities ignored by the school.

Meanwhile an anaylsis shows that the project is a largely commercial venture:

Lucozade's spoonful(s) of sugar fails to sweeten residents' opposition Kingsbury Powerleague proposals

Since the battle over the building of the Ark Academy on playing fields in Wembley Park. which united Brent Teachers Association, Barry Gardiner MP and Bob Blackman, then leader of the Tory Group on Brent Council, there have been several other conflicts between schools and residents, including the long running saga over the expansion of Preston Manor LINK

The Kilburn Times LINK  has revealed that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, George Clark MP, is to consider intervention in the case of the expansion of Byron Court Primary School following the referral by Brent North MP, Barry Gardiner.

In many of the cases there have been complaints about the lack of consultation with residents in the neighbourhood of the school and in at least one case the Council has been forced to send out additional letters.

This appears to be the case with the latest proposal for Kingsbury High School where it appears NO letters have been sent out to neighbours and the consultation list is mainly internal to Brent Council and leaves out external bodies such as Historic England:

This proposal is for a commercial multi-sports facility in the grounds of Kingsbury High school comprising:

• One large 11-a-side hybrid football/hockey pitch
• One multi-sport pitch (MUGA)
• Four standard 5 aside pitches
• Two cricket nets
• A Club House
• Floodlighting for the pitches

The facility will be run by Lucozade Powerleague (for some reason on its website notice about the proposal Kingsbury High left off the 'Lucozade'). It is a business rather than a charity LINK  and of course has all the usual contradictions of companies selling unhealthy products promoting sports. Lucuzade has the equivalent of 12-1/2 spoonfuls of sugar in a small bottle LINK

The present grassland playing fields would be hard surface or  astroturf if the proposals go ahead. This is a view of the fields from the back garden of a house in Goldsmiths Lane, Roe Green Village:

The planned development of the playing fields in the context of the locality of Roe Green Village and neighbouring areas:

In exchange for making the facilities available to the school during school hours and a contribution to the refurbishment of existing sports hall and grassed area, Lucozade Powerleague get to rent out the facility with some concessions to community groups.  Readers can gauge the extent of this for themselves:

Kingsbury High and Lucuzade claim that the premises will not be licensed to sell alcohol but independent research shows that only 3 of 48 facilities do not serve alcohol and there appears to be nothing to stop them applying for licensing at a later date - especially if they can argue an economic case regarding the viability of the scheme.

Ark, Preston Manor, Byron Court and now Kingsbury High have all pitched what is seen as the interests of children (school places, additional facilities) against what is labelled (often behind closed doors) as the Nimbyism of local residents.  Increased traffic, noise, light pollution and the loss of open space is cited by residents.

This is pronounced at Kingsbury High where a unique conservation area, Roe Green Village, seems to be standing in the way of immense benefit to pupils at the school in an era of concern about young people's obesity (ignoring, for now,  the contribution of Lucuzade to that obesity).

Roe Green Residents in fighting an earlier application by a commercial company (see video below), offered to work with the school to improve the sports facilties through a fundraising drive, but this offer was not taken up.  The current headteacher of Kingsbury High, Mr Waxman, has reduced his working week and will be retiring in 2017, so this project, if it goes ahead, will be overseen by his successor.

Roe Green Residents have leafleted parents about their reservations on the scheme saying that they felt parents deserved full information about what appeared at first to be a great opportunity for the children. Local councillors' silence on this issue is said to be deafening but Barry Gardiner MP, has been responsive.

In fact of course, although Kingsbury High's academy status means that Council has no direct intervention rights, there is no reason why local ward councillors should not organise some meetings to bring the school, parents and residents together.

The proposal is yet another sign of the growing commercialisation and potential privatisation of schools through the academy programme.  The school will be paid an annual fee by Lucozade Powerleague in addition to the daily provision of sports facilities.

Residents will be taking on Lucozade Powerleague's  powerful public relations company GKA LINK which I am told has been actively lobbying councillors.

The ultimate decision on the planning application will be taken by the statutorily independent Planning Committee which should not be influenced by the council leadership.

Full details of the planning application can be found HERE
  
The video below was filmed some 25m from the Lucozade Powerleague facility at Mill Hill and gives some indication of the light and sound to be expected at Roe Green.