£6m plan to re-connect Bridge Road and North End Road in Wembley

The existing steps and ramp that provide pedestrians access to Olympic Way and North End Road from Bridge Road (closed when crowds leave the stadium)

The Brent Cabinet will make a decision on a £6m plus scheme to rejoin North End Road, Wembley Park to Bridge Road at its meeting on July 16th.  An artist's visualisation of the project will not be published until the day of the meeting but I expect the road extension to run close to the Michaela Community School. (see above)

The plans has been on the back burner for many years but has become a necessity as a result of the Council's decision to fund the removal of the Wembley Stadium pedway and its replacement by steps. That scheme plus other public realm improvements  on Olympic Way is costing £17.8m the Council has allocated from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the additional £6m is also likely to come from CIL.

The officers' report states:

A planning application has recently been submitted to remove the existing pedway that enables spectators to cross Engineers Way. This will require Engineers Way to be closed prior to events as well as afterwards, The outcome of this is there will be not east-west vehicular movements across the growth area for an extended period of time, further impacting on residents and businesses as well as reducing the number of buses able to access the twin centres and shopping areas (Tesco and IKEA).

If the pedway is replaced by steps the construction of the North End Road connection becomes essential to provide a vehicular route which is not impacted by the vehicular exclusion required on event days around the stadium. Additional benefits could be [my emphasis] buses would also not be required to divert away from the area enabling journeys to be completed without inconvenience. If implemented it is expected that the steps will be constructed in 2019.

I am not sure the residents of North End Road will welcome the transformation of what is currently a quiet road into a busy thoroughfare, perhaps with buses, although some motorists may welcome better access.  I will await confirmation from TfL regarding the practicality running buses on this alternative route.  Certainly residents on my estate, Kings Drive, are frustrated by the curtailment of the 206 bus service on Wembley event days.

In addition to this major infrastructural project the Cabinet will also consider proposals to introduce 'two-way working'  on South Way between VDC Careys and Great Central Way, Fifth Way and Fourth Way 'to improve the operation of the highway network on event days and provide some mitigation on the delay experienced by residents and business in North End Road through avoiding having to flow around the gyratory with event day traffic.' VDC Careys will accommodate the new Wembley Stadium coach park, becoming operational in January 2020.

Officers argue:

Two-way working is also proven to lower traffic speeds just through the experience of having oncoming traffic movements, this will assist in providing a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists to be in and encourage sustainable and active travel into this vehicle domination area.

The outcome is intended to achieve an appealing gateway to Wembley, improved public realm for the existing community and improve the environmental conditions to attract future investment.

Persuaded?

Brent Council to discuss motion on Gaza inquiry & arms control

Brent Council is to discuss a motion on Gaza at Monday's meeting put forward by the Labour Group:

Full Council – 9 July 2018 Motion selected by the Labour Group 

This council joins international condemnation of the recent killings of 130 Palestinian protestors by Israeli forces – firing live ammunition into crowds of unarmed civilians is illegal and must not be tolerated; any escalation in this long-running dispute is deeply regrettable. 

This council is appalled that more than two thirds of Palestinians are reliant on humanitarian assistance, with limited access to essential amenities such as water and electricity. 

This council supports the right to protest against such awful conditions, against the continuing blockade of Gaza, and occupation of Palestinian land, and in support of a viable two state solution. 

This council calls upon the UK government to encourage the UN Secretary General to renew his call for an independent international inquiry into these killings, and review the sale of arms that could be used in violation of international law. 

Councillor Kieron Gill Brondesbury Park Ward

All day road closures round Wembley Stadium on Sunday

From Brent Council

Sunday 8 July 2018, 11am to 7pm, Wembley Park, 5 Exhibition Way, Wembley HA9 0FA

Top of Form

The Color Run – billed as the “craziest, most colourful 5k race” – is coming back to Wembley Park on Sunday 8 July.

It is a five-kilometre, un-timed race in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colours at each kilometre point – and on the finish line too.

There will be several road closures and diversions in the Wembley area from 6am to 11pm. The following roads will be closed: 

• Fulton Road
• Fifth Way
• Fourth Way
• Atlas Road
• Hannah Close
• Great Central Way
• South Way
• First Way
• Engineers Way (Access to Civic Centre still available).
•  

A suitable signed diversion will be in place, however, there will be increased traffic in the Wembley area. View map of the road closures

Invitation to comment on HUB's plans for Chiltern Rail/High Road site

Following yesterdays post on the new blocks planned for the site alongside the  Chiltern railway behind Wembley High Road and the Chesterfield House development LINK I have received this email from Kaizan Partnership who are handling the Hub's public engagement:

Dear Wembley Matters

I am contacting you as part of the community engagement for a new proposed development called Wembley Link.

Very often community members feel that they are not consulted about development in their area and so we are making an extra effort to reach out to the wider community and are hoping that you will share this email and the attached flyer with your network, so they can see the emerging designs and give their feedback on them.

The Wembley Link site is a piece of land, alongside the railway line behind Wembley High St, close to the junction with Park Lane. It is next to the former Chesterfield House where HUB are currently constructing a new building. This part of Wembley is within a Housing Zone identified by the Mayor as suitable for ‘higher density’ housing. The buildings would provide about 250 new homes as well opening up the area around them which would  be a new public green space for the whole local community.

HUB are committed to working with the local community to ensure that the ‘Wembley Link’ scheme reflects local ambitions and contributes to positive development for the area. HUB have had a relationship with this area and the local community over many years through the process of designing and now building Chesterfield House and now look forward to continuing this relationship with Wembley Link.

The design team for Wembley Link have been working up plans for the 2 new buildings with public space and you can see the emerging designs here.

HUB are really keen to hear your feedback on the emerging designs – to understand what you like and don’t like so that this can be taken on board to improve the designs before they submit them to planning. The consultation will close on July 16th so please do have a look and tell us what you think.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Very best wishes

Jonny

Jonny Zander​ Director Kaizen Partnership

Love Chalkhill Festival returns on Saturday July 14th 2pm-7pm

Always a great community event in Chalkhill Park (behind Wembley Asda).

Heart of Wembley Festival Saturday July 7th 1pm-6pm

From  Wembley Futures

On Saturday, 7 July 2018 Wembley Futures will be hosting the third annual Heart of Wembley Festival. This vibrant community event will take place from 1pm-6pm on St Johns Road, off Wembley High Road by Primark. St Johns Road will be closed to traffic for the day, allowing the community to reclaim a street in the town centre for the festivities. The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Celebrating Family’, and the festival will truly have something for everyone in families both big and small.

The Festival is one of the activities by Wembley Futures, one of 150 recipient groups across the UK to be awarded funding by The Big Local. A long-term innovative programme that aims to achieve lasting change, The Big Local provides a mixture of funding, finance and support.

The Heart of Wembley Festival will celebrate the diversity and community in Wembley Central through a mix of both local and professional music, talented dance performances, fragrant food, bright colours and vivid fabrics of the performers’ costumes.

The atmosphere will be charged with much vitality and vivaciousness!  Stage will feature music spanning the genres including vintage music hailing from the 1940s and beyond, the sounds of acoustic guitar, and Afro-Brazilian harmonies that recall the band members’ far flung homelands.
Drumming workshops will run all day, their rhythmic beats inviting all festival goers to come and have a try on African drums and the Dhol drums, while dancers will conjure a voyage to countries from Ireland to Nepal and from India to Cuba with intricate, traditional dance performances. For a contrast, contemporary dancers specialising in street dance will also be showing their skills to the festival crowd.

Come and taste the flavours of cooking from around the world, with vendors offering authentic Nigerian, Caribbean, and Hungarian street food as well as a range of both sweet and savoury treats from Portugal, artisan brownies, and delicious cakes. Don’t forget a refreshing drink of fresh coconut as well.

Family activities will abound, with creative craft tables, an artwork display by Elsley School, and fantastic performances from children from Brent Music, Ark Elvin School, Elsely School, and the 360 Theatre group. Become a character, an animal or simply enjoy a gorgeous design with a visit to the Festival face-painters.  With a story area, including books and a storyteller, there will be plenty to carry away the imaginations of all members of the family. Let street theatre artists and magician woo you!

Be sure to cycle up a smoothie and repair your bike, courtesy of Brent Cycling; have a chat with the always-welcoming community stalls, try some aloe products from Forever Living, and stop by the Wembley Futures stall for more details about current activities and upcoming plans for the year ahead. Wembley Central Safer Neighbourhood Police will be on hand to hear any concerns you may have.

Francis Henry, Chair of Wembley Futures, said:

I hope to see both new and familiar faces at the Festival in July. We are building on the success of the previous two years’ Festivals and look forward to a great day out with friends, family and neighbours. Heart of Wembley Festival 2018 promises to be a fun-packed day.

Alperton Summer Festival Saturday July 7th

Alperton Summer Festival 2018
Saturday on 7th July 2018
12–6pm
Heather Park 
(Entry free)

There will be live music, a petting zoo, cricket simulator, face painting and more! (All free of charge, and of course we will be showing the England game live!) We will also be announcing the winners of the My Alperton Postcard Competition and raising money for local Charity and food bank Sufra NW.

Sufra adds:
 
Sufra NW London will be all over the Alperton Summer Festival this Saturday 7 July at Heather Park. As well as our information stall, we will be flipping delicious sweet and savoury pancakes on our new stall - Oh Crepe!

Consultation on more blocks behind Chesterfield House 'Twin Towers' closes on July 16th

Consultation is taking place on the building of two blocks, one of 16 storeys and another 18 storeys, behind the 'Twin Towers' (26 and 21 storey) replacement for Chesterfield House at the junction of Park Lane and Wembley High Road.

The consultation closes on July 16th. The buildings will be behind the shops on the High Road and bordered by the Chiltern railway line.  The designers make great play of a green 'Wemba Forest' corridor  around the blocks, name after Wemba who cleared a space (lea) in the forest in the area. Forest is perhaps a rather grand name for what is planned behind the shops but the artist's impression is extremely imaginative to say the least. Across the railway line there is a wooded embankment and the 2 storey houses of Park Court that will now be overlooked by four tower blocks.

I have published the design brochure below and the consultation  survey can be found HERE
Click lower right corner for full size version