SAVE OUR MUCH USED & APPRECIATED PUBLIC SPACE IN FRONT OF WEMBLEY STADIUM. Object by November 19th & help build community amid the high rises

 

Note from the Editor. Below is the view provided by the developer for what the proposed hotel would look like from Wembley Park Boulevard. Captions added.

 

More detailed objections to Quintain’s plans for a hotel on Wembley Park’s Market Square and Samovar Space.- a space in regular use by residents, LDO visitors, football and concert fans and users of Brent Civic Centre & Wembley Library

Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

Pedestrians using Wembley Splay, and crossing the site of the proposed hotel.

 

Under a blog post on 16 June, “Wembley Park councillors call on the public to support the fight to keep the Samovar Space & Market Square in front of Wembley Stadium”, I added a comment saying ‘I will need time to study the application, and the previous consents, carefully but when I have done that I will submit my objections, and will share my thoughts with anyone who is interested.’ 

 

I submitted the first part of my comments to the Brent planning website for application 26/1351 in July, but never expected it to take so long for me to finish the task! For various personal reasons, and commitments that had to take priority, it was not until 16 October that I submitted the final part, and sent an illustrated document copy of my full objections to Brent Planning Officers. The application has yet to be referred to Brent’s Planning Committee (but could be at its next meeting on 11 November), so hopefully my delay is a case of “better late than never”. 

 

I will ask Martin to attach my objection comments document below, so that anyone who is interested, including any objectors who may wish to speak against the application when it does come before councillors for a decision, can read the reasons I have set out as to why the application should be refused, on proper planning grounds, in the hope that this assists in the fight to keep this site as open space for the local community and visitors to enjoy.

 

Philip Grant.

 

 

The petition to retain the Market Square and Samovar Space is still live and available to sign HERE

The application (16/1351) is on the Brent Council Planning Portal where comments in support, opposition or neutral can be made HERE.  The expiry date is November 27th 2026 but comments can be made up to the eve of the Planning Committee meeting hearing which may be sooner. It has not yet been fixed.

 

Barry Gardiner MP joins ward councillors in opposing the loss of Samovar Space and Market Square to hotel development

 

England fans on Market Square ahead of the 2020 Euro Cup Final - July 11th 2021 

(Credit & Copyright Alamy)

 

Barry Gardiner MP (Brent North) has joined Wembley Park ward councillors Cllr Ahamadi Moghaddam and Cllr Najib Warsame in opposing the building of a  hotel on Market Square and Samovar Space, currently in use as a public open space.

Barry Gardiner writes:

   

Planning Team

Brent Council

 

29 July 2026

 

To whom it may concern,

 

Objection to planning application 26/1351 for Plot NW04

 

I write to object to the above-referenced planning application for the erection of a hotel between two and 17 storeys tall on what is currently the Market Square/Samovar Space.

 

You may be aware that I do not normally intervene in planning matters except in exceptional circumstances, including if the planning application is a major infrastructural development. These developments have knock-on effects with wider political ramifications within the local community such as traffic generation, overcrowding of doctors’ surgeries, and inadequate number of spaces in local schools.

 

This application is one such exception. I have been alerted to it by my constituents and I agree with their concerns that these proposals would have severe detrimental impacts on Wembley Park, visitors, and most importantly, residents.

 

At the time of writing, the application has attracted 131 comments on your planning portal. Every single one of them objects. I note from these comments that residents have not been properly notified or consulted by the applicant. I am also aware of a Change.Org petition against the application which has almost 700 signatures to date.

 

Benefit of the Samovar Space

 

The Market Square/Samovar Space is one of the few free, open spaces in Wembley Park that people can spend time in. It hosts markets and community events and is one of the most attractive spaces in an area which is increasingly dominated by high-rise blocks. Samovar provides a free play area for local children, many of whom live in high rise flats that lack outdoor space. The plot is currently a much needed ‘third space’ in which people socialise and form community without having to patronize a business.

 

I understand that the proposals include plans for a new square. This does not afford the same community benefit as the existing space. It would likely suffer from wind tunnelling, and would effectively be the courtyard of commercial premises rather than a genuine public space. The space would also be completely lost with no alternative provision during multiple years of construction.

 

Supposed benefit of the development

 

There is already a plethora of hotels in the immediate vicinity. In Wembley Park we have two Premier Inns, a Holiday Inn, Best Western, Novotel, Hilton Hotel, Wembley International, St George’s Hotel, ARK Wembley, CityLiveIn, and the Ibis which is being refurbished. There are also a number of smaller establishments and further options in neighbouring wards.

 

A new hotel is of very little benefit to the residents who live here and does nothing to diversify the area. Residents actually benefit from community services such as the social and leisure space that already exists on the plot.

 

This is already an intensely developed area. Regeneration projects, commercial services, and the custom and footfall they create need to be balanced across Wembley and Brent, rather than further concentrated in Wembley Park.

 

Harms of the development

 

While the benefits of the proposals are extremely limited, this development would cause a range of active harms to the area, residents and visitors. On top of the loss of the community space, these harms include:

 

·     Years’ long construction causing noise and physical disruption as well as dust and debris;

 

·      Reduced sightlines and sunlight due to the huge scale of the proposed building;

 

·      Exacerbation of the Olympic Way wind-tunnel and echo effects;

 

·      Traffic from construction, hotel guests and ongoing servicing will exacerbate road congestion;

 

·      Trees are unlikely to survive relocation or, if retained, to survive the nearby construction;

 

·      Reduced attractiveness and vibrancy of the area.

 

Many of the consultation’s respondents have quite rightly raised critical safety concerns about the development.

 

Baroness Casey’s review into the disorder in and around Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 Final concludes that there was a series of ‘near misses’ in which serious injuries or fatalities were only narrowly avoided. She highlights issues with crowd control specifically on Olympic Way and Engineers Way, and notes that ‘excess crowds overloaded in confined spaces’ were ‘deemed to be one of the highest risk scenarios’ that day.

 

The existing plot provides much needed open space for event day crowds to gather and dissipate, as well as potential space for evacuation of the high volume of visitors we often welcome to Wembley Park. The proposals would remove the Wembley Splay route, which eases pedestrian congestion. Without this, event day crowds will be even further concentrated.

 

The Casey Review quotes a FA/Wembley official: ‘the outer perimeter [of Wembley Stadium] is hard to manage because of the residential blocks’. Constructing a further block so close to the Stadium and Arena can only exacerbate this concern.

 

Planning compliance

 

I understand that outline permission for this development was granted in 2011 under decision 10/3032. Since then, the Market Square and Samovar Space has become a well- established community facility, and Wembley Park has seen the proliferation of similar high-rise blocks. The Planning Committee must consider the site’s current use and setting rather than rely on 15 year-old proposals and assessments.

 

 

I understand that in 2018, Brent Council contributed £12.1 million to improve the site on the condition that the developer would not pursue the full outline parameters. However, I understand that this proposal of a 17 storey building does reach the full parameters. The planning committee must consider whether the approving this application would default on this agreement involving public funds.

 

The outline permission was granted ahead of various new policies such as the National Planning Policy Framework 2012, the Brent Local Plan 2019 – 2041 and the London Plan 2021. Application 26/1351 must be assessed against current requirements. Particular attention should be paid to the following:

 

The National Policy Planning Framework 2012

 

Section 8: Promoting Healthy and Safe Communities

 

102. Planning policies and decisions should promote public safety and take into account wider security and defence requirements by:

 

a. anticipating and addressing possible malicious threats and other hazards (whether natural or man-made), especially in locations where large numbers of people are expected to congregate…

 

103. Access to a network of high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities,

104. Existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields and formal play spaces, should not be built on unless:

 

a. an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space, buildings or land to be surplus to requirements; or

 

b. the loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location; or

 

c. the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.

 

105. Planning policies and decisions should protect and enhance public rights of way and access including taking opportunities to provide better facilities for users, for example by adding links to existing rights of way networks including National Trails.

 

Brent Local Plan 2019 – 2041

 

Policy DMP1: Development Management General Policy

 

Development will be acceptable provided it is:

 

a. of a location, use, concentration, siting, layout, scale, type, density, materials, detailing and design that provides high levels of internal and external amenity and complements the locality;

b. satisfactory in terms of means of access for all, parking, manoeuvring, servicing and does not have an adverse impact on the movement network;

i. resulting in no loss of, and where possible enhancing, community facilities or other land/buildings for which there is an identified need.

 

Policy BD1: Leading the Way in Good Urban Design

 

6.1.12 The policy seeks to create buildings and places of high quality that will be appreciated by future generations. High quality design is both visually interesting and attractive and should enhance local character. Good design is not just about what things look like, it is also about how places function and how individual buildings and the spaces around them contribute to the public realm and community well-being... Good design makes places that put people first, promote health and are welcoming, feel safe, are enjoyable and easy to use for everyone.

 

London Plan 2021

 

Policy G4 Open space

 

B. Development proposals should:

1. Not result in the loss of protected open space

 

Policy S4: Play and informal recreation

 

B. Development proposals should:

1. Increase opportunities for play and informal recreation and enable children and young people to be independently mobile

5. Not result in the net loss of play provision, unless it can be demonstrated that there is no ongoing or future demand.

 

Policy S5 Sports and recreation facilities

 

C. Existing sports and recreational land (including playing fields) and facilities for sports and recreation should be retained unless:

1. An assessment has been undertaken which clearly shows the sports and recreational land or facilities to be surplus to requirements…

2. The loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location; or

3. The development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.

 

Concluding remarks

 

It is my view that this application offers very little benefit to residents and in fact risks damaging the community, whereas the existing use of the plot as the Market Square/Samovar Space has visible and proven benefits.

Permission should not be granted without wider consultation of residents. I  support my constituents’ calls for the application to be heard at the Planning Committee with public speaking rights for local residents, and for a public explanation of how the developer has met the conditions to benefit from £12.1 million of public funds in submitting this application.

 

Nor should permission be granted prior to the publication of independent reviews on matters including wind, daylight, trees and construction impact as well as assessments from the Metropolitan Police, Wembley Stadium/the FA, the Safety Advisory Group, and any other relevant authorities.

 

I would be grateful if you could please register my objection and ultimately reject this application.

 

Yours faithfully,

Barry Gardiner

Member of Parliament for Brent West

 

To make your own comment follow this LINK Ref 26/1351 

Save Samovar Space & Market Square open spaces in front Of Wembley Stadium - submit objections by Friday July 31st

 

 

The campaign against the building of a 17 storey hotel in the current Samovar Space and Market square in front of Wembley Stadium and adjacent to Brent Civic Centre is gaining moment with the formation  of a WhatsApp Wembley Park Community Action Group JOIN HERE 

 

Current (from application document)

Proposed (from application document) - Brent Civic Centre now hidden
 

The campaign is asking for supporters to send in their Objections to Brent Council by Friday 31st July, the Neighbourhood Consultation Expiry Date. SUBMIT HERE

The campaign informs supporters that objection should focus on planning issues and makes some suggestions:

 You may wish to mention:

1. Loss of community space: Market Square and Samovar Space provide valuable public space for residents, markets, events and local businesses. Wembley Park needs more community infrastructure, not less.

2. Poor consultation and community engagement: Many residents were unaware of the proposal, and consultation failed to meaningfully engage the local community most affected.

3. Impact on the local area: The proposal would further intensify development in Wembley Park, increasing pressure on public spaces and changing the character of the neighbourhood.

4. Design and public realm: Consider whether replacing an active public square with a 17-storey hotel creates an attractive, welcoming and accessible place for residents.

 

Samovar Space and Market Square from above 

 

Remember: Planning decisions must be based on planning considerations. Explain how this proposal will affect you, your neighbourhood or the wider community. Personal experiences and local knowledge can be very persuasive.

 

Wembley Park councillors call on the public to support the fight to keep the Samovar Space & Market Square in front of Wembley Stadium. Say NO to another hotel.

 

The current open space that will shrink if the proposed hotel is built

The view along Olympic way with the hotel in place

In February this year Wembley Park councillor Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam came out strongly against plans to build on the Samovar Space and Market Square between Brent Civic Centre and Olympic Way, close to the Wembley Stadium steps.

 

He and his co-councillor Cllr Najib Warsame have today reiterated their opposition and have called on residents to support them in fighting  the loss of a space that has become the heart of the area; providing a breathing and relaxation place amongst the towers for football fans, concert goers, shoppers, the young and the elderly alike.

They said:   

Wembley Park has changed quickly in recent years, but too often development has happened without properly listening to the people who live here or taking into account their infrastructure needs. Our public spaces are being sold off to the highest bidder!

 

We are still in fervent opposition to the proposed hotel on Market Square and Samovar Space and we will fight it every step of the way. This is one of the few open, shared spaces in the area — used by families, markets and the wider community — yet many residents only found out about the plans when it was far too late to contest it. There is already an issue with a lack of community in Wembley Park which is developing into a concrete jungle with high rise prisons and we believe this hotel only adds to these issues and does not address them.

 

We will soon be planning our next steps and we would love anyone interested in showing support to contact us!

 

Join our campaign!

   

Cllr.Iman.Ahmadi-Moghaddam@brent.gov.uk

 

Cllr.Najib.Warsame@brent.gov.uk

 

The original public petition opposing the hotel development currently stands at 612 signatories.

 SIGN HERE

BREAKING: Quintain defy local opposition and submit planning application for a 17 storey hotel between Brent Civic Centre and Olympic Way

 

The new hotel and surrounding area

Quintain's plans to activate 2018 planning permission to build a new hotel on the open space outside Brent Civic Centre, currently occupied by Market Square and the Samovar Space, met with stiff opposition last year, not least from current residents of the Quintain estate. They and visitors to the LDO, Arena and Wembley Stadium had got used to using the space, making it a social meeting place amidst all the tower blocks.

This afternoon Quintain released the statement below:

Quintain Submits Detailed Plans for New Development at Wembley Park

Quintain, the developer and asset manager behind Wembley Park, has submitted a reserved matters planning application to Brent Council for Plot NW04, a key site within the developer’s continuing transformation of the 85-acre estate.

Plot NW04 forms part of Quintain’s wider Wembley Park transformation, which has evolved over the past two decades into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood comprising homes, jobs, cultural destinations, and high-quality public spaces.

The site already benefits from outline planning permission granted in 2018 by Brent Council as part of Wembley Park’s ‘North West Lands’ masterplan. That consent established the key development principles, including the scale, height, uses and the requirement to deliver public realm, including a new Civic Square. The newly submitted application seeks approval for the detailed design of the building and surrounding public spaces within these approved parameters.

The proposals include a building ranging from two to 17 storeys, providing a 358-bed hotel alongside ground floor shops and restaurants. A central feature of the plans is the creation of a new permanent civic square, which is larger than proposed under the outline permission and designed to host markets, community events and celebrations throughout the year.

This new public square will replace the temporary “meanwhile” uses previously delivered by Quintain at Market Square and Samovar Space and will complement other nearby public areas including Arena Square, Elvin Gardens and Union Park.

Quintain has undertaken a programme of community consultation to help shape the proposals. This has included engagement with local residents, an online public consultation, and dedicated sessions with the Brent Disability Forum. Feedback gathered has informed both the building design and the public realm.

A planning decision is expected towards the end of the year.  If permission is granted, Quintain will continue discussions with potential hotel operators during 2027.

Quintain will continue to work closely with Brent Council and local stakeholders as the application progresses.

For more information about the proposals, visit: Quintain's public consultation web page or contact development@wembleypark.com.

 

 

www.quintain.co.uk

 

11 Exhibition Way
Wembley
HA9 0FA

 From the Planning Application documents (Reference number 26/1351)  LINK

Olympic Way appears more closed in

Current view of Market Square and Samovar Space play area

 

 

Proposed hotel and Civic Square

Wembley Park Green Party Councillor backs locals in opposing the building of a hotel on the Market Square-Samovar Public Space close to Wembley Stadium

 The petition LINK against building on the Savovar-Market Square Open Space currently has 314 signatures

 Quintain's Proposed hotel

   

Brent Green Party councillor Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam has come out strongly in support of Wembley Park residents who are campaigning for the retention of the Samovar Space and Market Square in the heart of the Wembley Park Quintain development.

  

He said:

 

I join with Wembley Park residents in opposing the building of a hotel on the site of the Samovar Space and Market Square beside the Brent Civic Centre and in front of the Wembley Stadium steps.

 

The space has become an integral part of Wembley Park. Residents, visitors, shoppers, concert goers and sports fans have all made it their own and it has become an organic part of the Wembley Park experience.

 

As densification of the area becomes more intense it is important to keep a breathing space at its centre, it is as important for safety during events as it is for leisure, entertainment, and its markets,

 

I believe the original reasons that Brent Council gave in 2020 for reaching a deal with Quintain on maintaining a public space on NW04 are stronger than ever. Quintain and Wembley Stadium got the stadium steps out of the deal and the steps of course remain – so should the Samovar Space and the Market Square.

 

Too often, residents are left with the impression that decisions have already been made, which is deeply frustrating. Both the council and developers must do far more to listen to residents, engage transparently, and treat public space as something to be protected, not traded away.

 

Time for residents and visitors, and especially young people, to be seen and heard over hotel plans for Wembley Park public space

 Proposed hotel development from the stadium steps side of Engineers Way

I had heard that Quintain had advertised their plans to build a new hotel in the Samovar Space/Market Square at the site so I popped down on a very chilly afternoon to see for myself.

I searched around Market Square and found nothing, then spied this,  in the distance on the edge of  the Samovar Space:

 

 

Close up it was a rather tatty notice with a QR code to Quintain's presentation:

 

 

 

And that was it - there were no other notices or indications of the plans that Quintain expect to submit to Brent Council planners in February or March. No wonder Wembley Park residents are protesting and launched a petition which so far has over 200 signatures. (SEE THE PETITION HERE).

 

I talked to the few people who had braved the cold (although more young people would be there after school) and despite sitting close to the notice while supervising their children had no idea about what was planned and were quite shocked to find out.

 

The Samovar Space is past its best as Quintain took down the Shell Performance Stage and other bits and pieces and the play area has not been repainted, but the potential for a space in the centre of Wembley Park can still be seen.  Only a much smaller area will be left if the hotel is built. All photographs were taken about 3pm this afternoon.

 

 

When the Samovar Space was installed great play was made of the involvement of young people inits design when their voices are often not heard in major developments.

 

Julian Tollast, Head of Masterplanning and Design, Quintain, welcoming an Award for the Samovar Project, said: 

It is a sad fact that young people are often overlooked when it comes to the built environment. With this in mind, we are extremely proud of the work we have done, and are continuing to do, via Seen & Heard to make Wembley Park and the wider area a more welcoming place for all. To succeed at these awards and represent not only the Borough of Brent but London as well was an honour for all involved.

In this case it  seems it is not just young people who are not being 'Seen and Heard' but Wembley Park residents and  visitors.

What a contrast to the optimism of just over 2 years ago as demonstrated by this video:

     

• Date of planning submission February/March 2026.

• Planning determination will take around 3 - 4 months and if approved construction will not commence until end of 2026 at the earliest.

• Construction likely to take 2 - 3 years.

• If you wish to make any comments or have any questions on these proposals, please  send them to :

Development@wembleypark.com

https://www.quintain.co.uk/site-services/nw04

 

 IF YOU AGREE WITH THE OBJECTORS SIGN THE PETITION HERE