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| Flyer issued by Kensal Trian gle Residents earlier this year |
Controversy over developments on the borders of Brent and other boroughs have been quite a feature recently: Brent Cross: (Brent and Barnet), Welsh Harp-West Hendon Estate (Brent and Barnet), Harlesden Incinerator (Brent and Ealing) and are now joined by the Moberly Sports Centre (Brent and Westminster).
Tonight the Moberly application will be heard by the planning committee and a lobby is planned by the mainly Westminster group, Save the Jubilee Sports Centre, to persuade Brent not to grant planning committee. Brent officers' with some conditions have recommended approving the application.
The Moberly is situated in Brent on the border of Westminster but owned and run by Westminster City Council.
Save Our Jubilee campaign has been given space on the blog
LINK of Westminster Labour councillors to argue their case:
The Save Our Jubilee campaign has been fighting Westminster City
Council to keep the much-needed sports facilities at the Jubilee Centre,
one of Westminster’s two most deprived wards.
Westminster’s plan for the new Moberly sports centre is part of a
wider plan which involves the demolition of the Jubilee centre and its
replacement by market housing. The plan involves combining most of the
facilities provided at the Jubilee and Moberly now in one new centre.
We think it isn’t a good deal for Brent residents. This is why.
1. No affordable housing will be provided to meet the desperate needs of Brent residents.
Brent’s Site Specific Allocations DPD identifies the Moberly site as
one that could be redeveloped to improve the existing sports and nursery
facilities and in addition to provide 104 housing units. Brent would
normally expect half of these to be affordable – a valuable contribution
to meeting housing needs in the borough. Westminster are proposing 71
flats (fewer than Brent thought the site might accommodate) and all
these will be market housing for sale with no affordable units included.
2. Loss of daylight and sunlight to neighbouring properties.
Westminster City Council’s decision to relocate services from the
Jubilee to the Moberly site has resulted in a massive new building,
seven storeys high at the northern end, which will rob neighbouring
homes in Brent of daylight and sunlight. As a result, properties in
Chamberlayne Road, City Heights and Noko will experience daylight levels
below BRE guidelines, while properties in City Heights and Noko will
have no direct sunlight at any time of the day. The Report attempts to
justify this on the grounds that the developers of Cityview and Noko
should have anticipated the redevelopment of the Moberly site. But they
were facing an open space. It was reasonable for everyone to assume that
this would be left undeveloped in line with Brent’s planning policies.
3. Loss of outdoor sports facilities. On the north
side of the Moberly site there is an 18 x 36 metre floodlit artificial
turf pitch used mainly as a football pitch by local youth clubs and
adult teams. The report Planning for Sport and Active Recreation
Facilities produced jointly by the London Borough of Brent and Sports
England in 2008, looked at the distribution of STPs (Synthetic Turf
Pitches) across the borough and considered that the south of the borough
was adequately served by the pitch at the Moberly. However, if
Westminster’s application for the Moberly site is approved, this pitch
will be lost and, as a result, wards in the south of Brent will no
longer meet minimum standards for outdoor pitch provision. The
replacement pitch offered is in Westminster, 1.2 miles away, nearly in
Maida Vale – and foreign territory for most of the Brent and Queen’s
Park youngsters who use the Moberly now.
4. Replacement, not better provision. Westminster
City Council argues that the benefits provided to Brent residents by
the new sports centre are so exceptional that Brent’s policies in
relation to affordable housing and overshadowing should be set aside We
say that, contrary to Westminster’s claims, the benefits offered by the
new development are in no way exceptional. The new centre will, firstly,
not provide any more usable leisure space than exists now and,
secondly, the facilities mainly replace sports facilities already
provided in the existing Moberly and Jubilee centres – which include a
25 metre pool, two sports halls, and gym and fitness suites..
For these reasons, we hope that the current planning
proposals by Westminster will be refused by Brent Council at the
Planning Committee meeting on 9th April.
There were 29 comments opposed to the proposal (along the lines of the above) and 12 in favour on the following grounds:
- The facility will provide excellent sports facilities in an area which does not have easy access to such facilities
- The proposed development will benefit sports provision in local schools
- The proposed development will increase visitors to the area which will be good for local businesses.
- The proposed sports facility will benefit the health of local residents.
- The building is of an appropriate size similar to neighbouring City View
- The proposal will be an improvement on the existing dilapidated facilities.
- The cost of the development will not be to taxpayers but the facilities will benefit all residents
Kensal Triangle Residents' Association have maintained a neutral stance on the issue with opinion divided between supporters and opponents.
There will be an arrangement giving Brent residents access to the Centre. The proposed facility would have a floor area of 9293
sqm and would include the following facilities:
- 25m 6-lane swimming pool;
- 8-court sports hall;
- Boxing hall
- Multi-use sports hall
- Community Activity Room
- Fitness suite
- Three exercise studios
- Health Spa
In its comments supporting the proposals Brent Parks and Sports Department is decidedly bullish:
Brent’s Sports and Parks service feel that the
redevelopment of Moberly sports centre will bring fantastic new opportunities for
Brent’s residents to take part in a wide range of sports and recreation
activities in this state of the art new leisure facility.
Brent has one of the most inactive adult populations in
England and the new opportunities that Moberly bring to increase residents
ability to become more active is welcomed. Brent has a number of health
inequalities across the Borough including high levels of diabetes and obesity
and a more active lifestyle through use of this new sports centre will help
people lead a healthier life.
The range of facilities is significantly greater than that
at the current Moberly centre.
The inclusion of swimming pools brings a new facility
dimension to the Kilburn area and will offer both adults and children the
opportunity to learn and take part in swimming. Swimming was the most
frequently participated in sports activity across England according to Sport
England’s Active People survey and the provision of only a third pool within
the Borough of Brent will enable more people to take part in this popular
activity.
The range of different facilities spaces available from
boxing to 8 court sports hall, studios and community space reflect that a wide
and ranging programme will be offered to the local communities.
From a strategic perspective, the Borough’s Planning for
Sport and Active recreation facilities strategy identifies the need for
additional publicly accessible fitness stations and upgraded sports hall
provision which Moberly will provide.
The Sport and Active Recreation Facilities Strategy has a
number of themes which the provision of a new sports centre at Moberly will
help to achieve, namely:
Theme 1: Increase provision of appropriate Facilities
Theme 3: Get more people active
Theme 5: Increase sports opportunities for young people
Theme 7: Improve partnership working
It will also help the Council deliver against it’s
Corporate priority of ‘a strong community’ and it’s associated outcome of
‘Excellent sports, leisure and cultural facilities used by more people’. Also
the priority ‘Improving health and well-being’ and achieving the outcome of
‘More people living healthier and longer lives’.
In the now familiar mantra associated with such developments (cf Willesden Green Library and the luxury flats sold overseas and the upcoming development at Bridge Park complex) Brent Council accepts the view that provision of ANY affordable housing on site is not viable given the developer's provision of the new Sports Centre:
After careful consideration of the viability issues and in
light the high quality sports and leisure facility that will be accessible to
Brent residents at the same prices as Westminster residents the lack of
affordable housing on-site will be acceptable provided there is an
appropriately worded clause in the section 106 agreement to claw back any financial surplus that could be
used to support the provision of affordable housing elsewhere in the Borough
It should make for an interesting discussion tomorrow night. The lobby/demonstration outside Brent Civic Centre is due to start at 6.30pm.
It may not be too late to apply to speak on the issue: Contact: Joe Kwateng, Democratic Services Officer
020 8937 1354, Email:
joe.kwateng@brent.gov.uk
Cllr. Muhammed Butt
Meg Howarth
