Butt to speak at Wembley Stadium Planning Meeting

I understand that Cllr Butt, leader of Brent Council, has requested to speak on the Wembley Stadium planning application at Thursday's Planning Committee.

Although he is likely to claim that he is speaking in his capacity as a ward councillor for Tokyngton, the ward in which the stadium is situated, he is also leader of the Council.  The Planning Committee is supposed to be statutorily independent of the Council and cannot be whipped or directed to vote in a particular way.

However, when the Leader of the Council and the Labour Group makes his views known on a very controversial issue that has pitched Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur and Brent Council against residents and local businesses the question must arise as to whether this constitutes the potential exerting of undue influence on Committee members - especially Labour ones.

I await the response to a query I sent on this to the Brent CEO with interest.

Apparently there are many requests to speaks from residents and local businesses and a list is currently being drawn up. It is usual to give precedence to those who live nearest or who represent a group of residents such as a residents' association.

We will be very interested in who is allowed to speak and who is excluded...

Brent Council apologises for misinformation on Wembley Stadium planning application

I posted a story on Saturday about the incompetence surrounding the management of the Spurs/Wembley Stadium planning planning application to increase the number of events and increase the crowd capacity at the Stadium LINK 

Some residents who had made submissions on the application received the following email from Brent Regeneration and Growth.

You will recently have received two separate pieces of information about the planning application submitted by Wembley National Stadium Limited to vary the cap which restricts the number of major events held at Wembley Stadium. We wrote to you because you commented on the application, and we now want to let you know about the next steps in the process.  

The first communication, sent on 16th March 2017 by either email or letter was a repeat of an earlier consultation letter giving you 21 days to comment, rather than the committee notification letter. I do apologise for this and would like to reiterate that the consultation period has now closed – please disregard this communication.  

 The second communication stated that the Planning Committee will meet to consider the application on Thursday 23rd March 2017 is correct, however, the meeting will COMMENCE AT 6.30pm – not the usual Committee starting time of 7pm, as stated as the default time, in the communication sent on 17th March 2017.  

Please treat this as the correct information:  

That the above application 17/0368 will be heard at Planning Committee on Thursday 23rd March 2017 and the meeting will start at 18:30 / 6:30pm at Brent Civic Centre.

Please accept our apologies for any confusion this may have caused.

This still leaves the problem of the frequency of occasions when the Brent Planning Portal was down and the erroneous classification of Objections to the planning application as 'Neutral' to be addressed.

Brent approves more high rise flats at Wembley Stadium

I wasn't able to attend last week's Planning Committee so I am afraid you will have to make do with Brent Council's PR gloss on the latest approval of tower blocks at Wembley Stadium.  As usual the 'affordable' designation remains unexplored. 'Affordable' for whom?

 Brent Council's planning committee last night (Wed 15 March) gave approval for the development of 743 new homes for rent on the doorstep of the iconic Wembley Stadium, part of 5,000 new homes to be built over the next seven years.

When completed the homes will be part of the largest new build rental-only scheme in the UK, surpassing the current biggest in East Village, Stratford which has 3,000 properties. The homes will be available through developer Quintain's build to rent business Tipi, which was launched last year.

Of the 733 residential rental units, 42 per cent (303) will be offered under the affordable housing scheme and the remaining 58 per cent (440) available for market rent.

The new dwellings will range from 12 to 26 storeys in height and will include residential landscaped gardens, a clubhouse, energy centre, 91 coach parking spaces to support Stadium event days, and 569 square metres of commercial space.

The approval comes as part of the regeneration of the area around the stadium by Quintain which includes 11,500 new homes.

The 25-year project will also create 10,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and business opportunities. By the end of 2017 there will be 3,000 homes under construction in the Wembley Park area within a development containing a new seven acre public park, a new landscaped London square, a primary school and a wide range of shops, restaurants and workspaces.

Cllr Shama Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills said:

We know that buying in London is out of reach for many and with rising rent costs we are pressing developers to deliver as many affordable units as possible. We are committed to raising standards in our private rented sector and these newly built and professionally managed homes will provide high quality and safe places to live.

The vision for this vibrant new residential area in Brent will take some years to deliver, but work is well underway. Innovative architecture and design combined with retail, green spaces and excellent transport links create a great place to live and work.

Brent Labour starts short-listing for 2018 Council Election

Short-listing for the selection of Labour candidates for Brent Council to stand in May 2018 is underway and there are a titbits of information already.  I understand that Cllr Margaret McLennan , deputy leader (currently Northwick Park)and  Cllr Wilhelmina Mitchell Murray (currently Wembley Central) both want to transfer to Stonebridge ward. Cllr Joshua Mitchell Murray (Northwick Park) is also heading south but this time to Harlesden.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that there are a number of current councillors who do not intend to stand again but it's early days and they may yet have temptation put in their way. The list includes veterans Bobby Thomas (Harlesden), Ruth Moher (Fryent), Jean Hossain  and Pat Harrison (Preston) and a more recent cohort including Bernard Collier (Willesden Green), Sam Stopp (Wembley Central) and Sabina Khan (Stonebridge). I was surprised at the suggestion that Kilburn by-election winner Barbara Pitruzzella would not be standing again.

The outcome will give some indication of the degree of support that Cllr Muhammed Butt commands although as one member said there is not much appetite among the more astute members of the Labour Party to become members of a Labour group with so little power. They are aware that Cabinet makes all the key decisions.

However candidates are likely to face some searching cross-examination from the more recent recruits to the Labour Party focusing on some of the controversial issues around the Sustainability and Transformation plan for the health servce and social care, education cuts, Prevent and probably most prominently affordable housing and regeneration.

Cllr Tom Miller has made his pitch for re-selection HERE

Inspiration and solidarity: Durham Lions pay tribute to the Grunwick Lions

Pictures courtesy of Grunwick 40

Amazing how the Grunwick dispute that took place 40 years ago is inspiring struggles today. All credit to the local activists here in Brent who got together to organise an exhibition, a mural and other events to commemorate the Grunwick workers' strike with the intention of making it relevant to current struggles around working conditions, women workers, migration and race - not just dry history.

Their success in doing so was summed up when the exhibition was visited by the Durham Teaching Assistants who are mounting a terrific campaign of their own LINK. They have spoken of how their struggle has been inspired by Jayaben Desai and her fellow workers and they deserve Aditya Chakrobortty's LINK description of them as the 'Durham Lions'. The photographs speaks for themselves - pride and solidarity.

The exhibition finishes on Sunday March 26th (closes at 5pm) so if you haven't seen it get down to Willesden Library as soon as possible.

Link to other Wembley Matters coverage of Grunwick HERE

Social care in Kingsbury...200 years ago

As well as looking at how social care was provided to the poor of Kingsbury Parish in the early 19th century, using examples of real people from original hand-written records now held at Brent Archives, this illustrated talk may help listeners to consider how attitudes to the poor have (or have not) changed since then.

Groups combine to discuss solutions to air pollution menace - Barnet March 23rd

Great to see a cross-party event supported by so many other organisations - an example to other areas.

The speakers are :

*  Jean Lambert Green Party MEP

Jean is a founder supporter of Clean Air in London , and as an MEP has pressed the European Commission to take action against the UK government for failing to meet legally binding EU air quality standards. She has also made numerous air quality consultation responses to the London Mayor and the UK government, and has published the pamphlet Air Pollution, London's Unseen Killer, which was widely distributed across London.

* Aaron Keily from Friends of the Earth England , Wales and Northern Ireland 

Friends of the Earth are currently running a campaign called Ditch Diesel

* Paul Drummond from UCL.

Paul has led work on looking fiscal ways of how a move away from diesel vehicles could be encouraged by taxation methods.

*    Andrea Lee from ClientEarth.

ClientEarth have successfully sued the UK Government for lack of action on implementation of measures to combat air pollution.

Each speaker will give a short talk, and afterwards there will be a Q & A session/discussion.

This meeting has the support of Barnet Residents’ Association, Barnet Trades Council, Barnet Alliance for Public Services, Barnet Friends of the Earth, Barnet LibDems, Barnet Labour Party and  Barnet Green Party.

Whilst entrance is free donations would be most welcome via this LINK
or ring 0800581051

This fund-raising action will be carrying on after the Barnet FoE Air Pollution Meeting.

When donating please mention “Barnet Air Pollution Campaign”.

Eventbrite link

Kids sing against school funding cuts - 'Schools just wanna have funds'