Utilising 'dead spaces' - empty shops and offices - for community use - Zoom call 29th August 7pm-9pm

 

Wembley Matters readers aware of the number of 'dead spaces' in Brent may be interested in this discussion:

From City Hall Greens - Tuesday 29th August 7pm-9pm

High streets and office buildings are all too often blighted by empty shops and unused office space. Yet, your community probably has a multitude of ideas for bringing it back to life, maybe as a filmmaking studio, upcycling zone, food waste project, climate emergency centre, library of things, repair café, gallery space, charity hub, and so much more. So many possibilities, but so many barriers to accessing the site. 

 

This online event – following on from Sian Berry’s Dead Spaces report exposing 100s of empty publicly owned buildings and facilities across London – will help you make this happen. Come and hear from the four teams of speakers we have assembled, who have first-hand experience of bringing unused properties back into use by communities, and meet other people like you to share knowledge and advice.

 

The event will be introduced by Assembly Member Sian Berry. Each speaker will tell their story for 10 minutes, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session. There will then be breakout rooms for discussion and networking with each of the speakers for 30 minutes, based around the following topics:

• Community activism – Halima Tuli and Maria Cordara-Soanes, Think & Do Somers Town
• Offices and councils – Mahmud Sonny Shahnawaz, The Utilize Project
• High streets and retail – Shaylesh Patel, ASTOP and TUAID
• Young people – Azzees Minott, 2-3 Degrees
  

 

Sign up to our Zoom event now to grab your place. The Zoom invite will be sent to you 24 hours beforehand.

 

SIGN UP

LETTER: Please let me know your views on the impact of redevelopment in Wembley - positives and negatives

 Dear Readers,

I’m an A level student studying Geography.

As a part of my studies, I have undertaken a research project on the Positive and Negative impacts of the redevelopment of Wembley for the local community.

As local residents, your views would give me a very accurate picture of the perspectives of the local residents 

What has changed since the regeneration projects have seen tall tower blocks sprung up?

 

How safe do you feel? Has anything changed in your sense of belonging to the place?

Your input and comments would really mean a lot!

The data will be used only for academic purposes and will be completely anonymous.

I will also share my findings of these data collection for you to gauge an overall picture of the perception of the local residents.

The following are the links to short survey questions.

Many thanks in advance

 

Questionnaire for access to green spaces in Wembley

 Survey-Community engagement and sense of belonging in Wembley after regeneration

 

LETTER: Now is the time for Brent Council to publish all the documents required under the Building Safety Act

Dear Editor,

Now that the government have published almost all of the Building Safety Act, including the 5 sections that were laid before parliament yesterday, can Brent Council now publish all their documents covering the Act as well.

A Brent resident (details supplied) 

DLUHC Publishes Five Regulations Under Building Safety Act

17 August 2023

Newsflash

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has published the following five Regulations under the Building Safety Act 2022 online:

 

• The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023,
• The Building Regulations (Higher-Risk Building Procedures) (England) 2023
• The Building (Approved Inspectors etc. And Review of Decisions) (England) Regulations 2023
• The Higher-Risk Buildings (Management of Safety Risks etc) (England) Regulations 2023
• The Building Safety Act 2022 (Consequential Amendments etc.) Regulations 2023

 

 

The regulations deliver the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt in her report Building A Safer Future and cover the technical detail underpinning the new, more stringent regime for the design and construction of higher-risk buildings, wider changes to the building regulations for all buildings and the details of the new in-occupation safety regime for higher-risk buildings.

VeggieFest2023 Sunday 20th August 11.30am-5.30pm Cricklewood Lane

 

 Sunday 20th August 11.30am - 5.30pm 25 Cricklewood Lane, NW2 1HP

Library of Things in the swing at Willesden Green Library. Borrow tools for your home projects

From Library of Things - Willesden Green Library

 

Nothing more satisfying than a good before and after pic

 

As Summer is in full swing , bookings for the Hedge Trimmer from Library of Things are coming in thick and fast.

 

For just £10 a day (£7.50 with our concession rate), you can hire the Hedge Trimmer and spruce up your garden to enjoy the longer days .

 

We have a great selection of tools at our kiosk in Willesden Green Library and 13 more locations across London that you can reserve from £1 a day. From Hand Sanders to SDS Drills, Dehumidifiers, Tile Cutters, Angle Grinders, Staple Guns and more.

 

We love to see all your amazing projects, send us a photo for the chance to win £20 credit to use on anything you like! And remember that one-day borrow includes the day you pick up the thing and the day you return it; plus, we offer a 25% concession rate to everyone that can't afford the full price.

Check the full catalogue of things and sign up here: https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/willesdengreen

 

Not ready to hire yet? Sign up to our newsletter to hear about exciting opportunities in your area to borrow things you need, join skillshare events and access discounts to help you save more, here: participate.libraryofthings.co.uk/newslettersignup

 

Thanks to our partners at @brentcouncil for helping us bring affordable rentals to Willesden Green locals

Rogue Wembley landlord banned from letting - one tenant lived beneath lean-to made of pallets and tarpaulin with no lighting or heating

 From Brent Council

 

A criminal businessman has been slapped with Brent’s first ever rogue landlord banning order.

So-called property dealer, Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, who lives with his family in Swinderby Road, Wembley Central, has been banned from letting out houses in England and engaging in any sort of property management work in the country for the next five years.

 

A judge issued the ban after the council proved that Valand, aged 48, had been responsible for multiple housing-related offences in Brent.

 

Valand was one of four slum landlords found guilty of raking in £360,000 by packing up to 40 tenants into a four-bed semi-detached home in Napier Road, Wembley, back in 2018. Enforcement officers discovered one of the Napier Road tenants living in a lean-to shack made out of pallets and tarpaulin with no lighting or heating.

 

Although he was slammed with a £5,000 confiscation order, Valand went on to exploit more vulnerable tenants. In January 2022, he was found guilty of breaching housing regulations at a licensed HMO property in Wembley Hill Road. Enforcement officers discovered fire safety violations, accumulating waste, disrepairs and unhygienic conditions under Valand’s management while he pocketed £1,400 a month from tenants living in unsafe conditions without tenancy agreements. He was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £3,347 in costs by Willesden Magistrates Court.

 

Valand also declared that he didn’t own a business in the UK, but Brent officers were able to demonstrate in court last year that this was a lie. He was ordered to pay in fines and costs £6,190 for this lie.

 

Councillor Muhammed Butt, the Leader of Brent Council, said: 

 

This is the first ban we have issued since Brent was given the powers in April 2018 to ban serial rogue landlords under the Housing and Planning Act 2016. If Jaydipkumar Valand breaches his five-year ban, he will face a prison sentence.

 

Brent Council takes a zero-tolerance policy against rogue landlords such as this, and we will use everything in our powers to hold them to account to safeguard our vulnerable residents.

 

The new selective licensing scheme that we introduced on 1 August is part of our commitment to protecting renters’ rights and securing a decent standard of living for all residents. Landlords who rent out properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green are now legally required to have a property licence.

Wembley Brook now running freely after remedial works on the Argenta House flood site

Trench works at Argenta House

Asked for an update on works at the Argenta House site, opposite Wembley Park Station, following the floods a spokesperson for the Londonewcastle Latimer joint venture, told Wembley Matters:

Henry Construction – who are no longer on the project – carried out work at our Argenta House site. The local area is an area with known and longstanding issues with flooding. 

 

We are aware of the view that Henry’s temporary works to the nearby brook may have been a contributing factor, alongside exceptionally adverse weather, to the recent floods. After taking back control of the site following Henry’s administration and having received notification from the Environment Agency that remedial works were needed, we removed the temporary work as a precautionary step. We can see the brook is now running freely and we continue to monitor the site.

We remain in regular contact with key stakeholders including the council and the Environment Agency to support ongoing investigations in the wider area following the flooding.

 

 

Wembley High Road Post Office 'temporarily closed' - will it reopen?

 

A reader responded on Twitter:

I was in the post office on the last day it opened. The staff have been made redundant and are very sceptical about a new premises. Apparently this is normally sourced and opened prior to a closure.