BREAKING: Brent Council opposition groups unite to fight sale of 42 acres of Northwick Park public open space

 

The red line encloses the freehold under threat

 

In a unique move Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens have joined forces to challenge Brent Council’s decision to sell the freehold of Northwick Park Golf Centre, despite 205 objections and representations.

 

Brent’s three opposition groups have united in opposition to the Council’s controversial decision to sell its freehold interest in 42 acres of public open space at Northwick Park Golf Centre.

 

Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green councillors are demanding greater transparency and accountability over the proposed disposal, raising serious concerns about the loss of public ownership, the financial justification for the sale and the long-term future of one of Brent’s significant green spaces.

 

The council approved the disposal on October 12, despite receiving 205 objections and representations during the consultation process. The decision authorises officers to market the freehold interest in the site at 280 Watford Road, which is currently subject to a long-term lease.

 

The three opposition groups believe the Council has yet to demonstrate why selling an income-generating public asset is preferable to retaining it for future generations. They are calling-in the decision for scrutiny.

 

The cross-party challenge brings together councillors from across Brent who are calling the for the decision to be reconsidered and for residents’ concerns to be properly addressed.

 

Cllr Keith Perrin, Councillor for Northwick Park Ward, leading the call-in said:

 

The Golf Centre on the A404 Watford Road forms part of an important Public Open Space with a long history of recreational use by the community. It was originally purchased in 1913 by public subscription to protect the area from development and has remained an important part and lung of North Wembley since then.

 

As a ward councillor who has followed this site since 1995, I have serious concerns about selling the freehold, especially while questions remain around the existing lease’s powers, the income the Council receives and outstanding enforcement matters relating to unlicensed waste.

 

If the freehold is sold Brent Council could easily lose control of this green space’s future. It’s designation of Metropolitan Open Land, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and Public Open Space, along with its public footpaths could all disappear.

 

This is why I believe the decision to sell deserves proper scrutiny, and ultimately, reversal.

 

Cllr Suresh Kansagra, leader of the Brent Conservative Group, said:

 

We do not believe selling this site is the right decision for Brent. The Council already receives rental income from the land, while retaining the freehold also preserves its long-term value for future generations.

 

Once the asset is sold, that opportunity is gone.  But this is not just about money. This is a large area of green and

recreational land which has been part of the local community for generations and brings real value to the surrounding neighbourhood.

 

We are using every formal route available within the Council to ensure this decision is properly examined and every opportunity for it to be reconsidered is exhausted.

 

Residents also have an important role to play. We want people who care about the future of this site to make their views known and show the Council how strongly the community feels about what happens next.

 

The council should be able to demonstrate clearly why selling is better than keeping an income-producing asset with long-term value. We do not believe that case has yet been made.

​

Cllr Anton Georgiou, leader of the Brent Liberal Democrat Group,

said:

 

The Labour council’s decision to sell this important piece of public land without proper consultation sets a dangerous precedence. The administration is opening the door for potential developers to have free reign over what this open space will be replaced with.

 

The interest of our community isn’t typically the primary concern of developers and there is a risk that this decision will allow the expansion of high-density tower blocks into the area.

 

The reason I am speaking out and supporting the cross-party call-in, despite it not being in my ward, is to help get greater transparency of the deal for residents and prevent this same opaque tactic from being used in our other green spaces. Residents deserve to have a say when these kinds of major changes are proposed on their doorstep.

 

Cllr Mary Mitchell, Leader of the Brent Green Group, said:

 

Northwick Park Golf Course is far more than a commercial asset on a balance sheet. It is one of Brent's most important green spaces, providing vital wildlife habitat, absorbing carbon, helping to reduce flood risk, and offering an invaluable sense of openness in an increasingly built-up borough.

 

As a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and public open space, it plays a crucial role in both the ecological health of our area and the wellbeing of local residents. The proposed freehold sale risks removing a key layer of public protection and stewardship from a site that has been held for public benefit for nearly one hundred years. Once public land is sold, it is extraordinarily difficult to recover.

 

Residents are right to ask why Brent would relinquish control of such a significant environmental and public health asset at a time when access to green space, biodiversity recovery and climate resilience are more important than ever. We should be protecting this space, not putting its future at risk

 

The three opposition groups are calling on Brent Council to fully explain the financial case for the disposal, address outstanding questions surrounding the existing lease and the site’s management, and reconsider whether surrendering the freehold is in the long-term interests of residents.

 

Wealdstone Brook protected for now as planners turn down Woodgrange Close development

 Proposed houses and disused garages

 

 The site beside the trees of the Wealdstone Brook

 

Brent Planning officers have refused the application to build 6 houses on the site of disused garages near the Weladstone Brook. The application had received 19 objections including from prospective councillors for the area. LINK.

Planners set set out the reasons for refusal below. (Beware the double negative in point 1):

  

1.In the absence of sufficient information, it has not been demonstrated that the development, due to the close proximity to the Wealdstone Brook, would not adversely affect the Wealdstone Brook in terms of load bearing or induce torsional stress on the channel bank / wing wall, and would not prejudice the health and survivability of retained trees. This would be contrary to Policies DMP1, and BGI1 of the Brent Local Plan and with Policies 2019-2041 and Policies G7 and SI7 of The London Plan.

 

2. The proposal, by reason of a lack of sufficient accurate information, fails to demonstrate that the proposal would have an acceptable impact on trees, would meet the required gain in biodiversity, would not unduly harm protected species, a Wildlife Corridor and Grade 2 Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), or provide an adequate urban greening factor. This is contrary to policies DMP1, BGI1 and BGI2 of the Brent Local Plan 2019-2041 and Policies G6 and SI17 of The London Plan.

 

3. The proposed development fails to demonstrate safe and functional use for refuse vehicles because the submitted tracking diagram shows that the refuse vehicles would transcend the western site boundary and do not account for a ramped pedestrian access. The development is therefore contrary to policies DMP1 and BT3 of the Brent Local Plan 2019 -2041 and Brent Council’s Waste and Recycling Storage and Collection Guidance for Residential Properties.

 

4. The proposed development fails to provide a safe, step free, and inclusive pedestrian access route between the site and the adjoining footpath network. The lack of ramped or level access may force wheelchair users, pushchair users, or others with limited mobility to access the site via the northern entrance which would result in unsafe vehicular and pedestrian conflict. The development is therefore contrary to Policies D5 and T7 of the London Plan 2021 and policies DMP1 and BT1 of the Brent Local Plan 2019-2041.

 

5. The proposed development is not subject to a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Planning Act which would be required to ensure the delivery of the maximum reasonable amount of Affordable housing through an off site contribution. As such, the impacts of the development would not be mitigated and the proposal would be contrary to London Plan Policy and policy BH5 of Brent's Local Plan 2019-2041, together with the guidance set out within Brent's S106 Planning Obligations SPD.

 

In a comment on earlier coverage of this issue John Poole wrote:

 Cllr. Janice Long and I, John Poole, two prospective Labour Councillors for the Kenton Ward at the local elections next May, visited the site  and spoke with local residents at the Mural Bridge whose use Woodcock Park on a regular basis and they were shocked and surprised at the prospect of housing at that site and so close to the Wealdstone Brook. Cllr. Long wonders what else could the site be used for - the disused garages go back to the 1950s - and we all agreed that it is an ideal area for a greening project to add to Brent Council's increase in biodiversity in the area and supporting the Council's Carbon Net Zero policy.

Beavers Viable on the Wealdstone Brook in Woodcock Park, Kenton

Guest post by Tara Furlong on behalf of Friends of Woodock Park,

Residents petitioned Brent Together Towards Zero, who kindly funded the Friends of Woodcock Park to undertake the first stage of a beaver viability study on the Wealdstone Brook in Woodcock Park, Kenton.  Renowned expert, Derek Gow, undertook the long drive up from his 400-acre farm on the far side of Dartmoor in Devon with his extraordinarily well-behaved pup and trays of wildflowers for the banks of the brook.  Derek Gow is credited with re-introducing the beaver to the United Kingdom after a 400-year absence.  While beavers once again live wild on many rivers, their re-introduction into any area is controlled by Natural England on a 5-year license.  Beavers have been re-introduced to London in Ealing and Enfield.  However, if they are re-introduced on the Wealdstone Brook, it would be the first on a London river. 

 

The Wealdstone Brook is heavily culverted and has been subjected to manmade alterations along its course.  It floods heavily and local homes are at risk due to decrepit infrastructure, huge numbers of misconnections by businesses and residents, and over-building.  Despite the efforts of Thames Water, the quality of the water on the Wealdstone Brook is often very poor and can include untreated sewage in flash flooding events.  Local residents are determined to keep it out of their homes.  There are many red risk flooding areas along the course of the brook and one way of achieving a reduction in flooding is to hold water back in parks, gardens and green spaces where the earth can absorb the water before slowly releasing it. 

 

Local residents enjoyed a talk by Derek Gow on the history and habitat of the beaver last Wednesday, 31st January, hosted by Uxendon Manor Primary School.  After the talk, a panel fielded questions about the potential of re-introducing beavers.  There were many concerns, not least how much space would be dedicated to a beaver enclosure, how beavers interact with people and pets, and whether beavers could survive in polluted waters.  Beavers have crepuscular and nocturnal tendencies.  They live in family colonies in many cities globally, as well as in the wild, and mind their own business unless threatened or assaulted, when they will defend themselves.  Beavers are vegetarian: they eat herbaceous plants and roots and, in the winter, the cambium of trees.  They like to plant larders for themselves in the riverbed near where they live.  The channels they excavate out from the river to their food sources irrigate the earth.  They build dams: leaky weirs which slow and purify water and create ponds.   

 

Beavers’ natural behaviours change the landscape, producing new habitat out of an expansion of sunlight and water, which encourages a proliferation of biodiversity.  The Wealdstone Brook in Woodcock Park is designated as a Site of Interest to Nature Conservation (SINC) but over the years its health has declined.  Urban Riverfly Monitoring surveys since the summer have achieved a very poor biodiversity score of between zero and four out of a possible maximum of forty-two.  The brook is almost dead.  However, the recent dedicated activity of the Friends of the Wealdstone Brook, working with Thames Water, has helped improve water quality.  A recent annual survey by the Environment Agency spotted twenty sticklebacks in the park.  This is the first-time fish have been reported in two decades.  The Friends of Woodcock Park aim to see the return of small amphibians, mammals and birds to the brook.  A long-term ambition is to see the secretive woodcock which lives in damp woodland and which gave the park its name, and minute harvest mice that fall asleep in flowers after eating their fill of pollen. 

 

The morning after Derek Gow’s inspirational talk, he presented to pupils from Uxendon Manor Primary School and St Gregory’s Catholic Science College.  The children then planted the wildflowers on the banks of the brook: on the waters’ edge, mid-bank and on the upper bank. A Friends of Woodcock Park Community Gardening event the following Saturday secured biomatting around the young plants to help protect them.  Pupils will monitor the success of these plants across sites in the park.  Ideally, the wildflowers on the banks will establish, bloom and disseminate downstream to enrich biodiversity and contribute to stabilising the banks along the course of the brook.   

 

 

While the final report has not been released yet, early indications are that the Wealdstone Brook in Woodcock Park is suitable as a beaver habitat.  Its incised valley would encourage multiple tiered dams, leaky weirs, along its length.  This would help filter out pollution such that the outflow from the park would be clean water.  Careful planting would process pollutants and clean the water at source in the park too.  The Friends of Woodcock Park have applied for NCIL funding for the second phase of the beaver viability study, which uses computer modelling to investigate possible inundation extents of beaver wetlands if dam sequences were created.  It would analyse the impact on downstream flow regimes and therefore its applicability as a potential natural flood management option.  In an ideal world, we would see a chain of beaver habitats created along the River Brent: currently the most polluted tributary of the River Thames. 

 

Stay up-to-date on this ambitious project via the Friends of Woodcock Park website http://friendsofwoodcockpark.uk/ and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor.