What has Brent got to offer tourists?

Old St Andrew's Church, Kingsbury, Brent's only Grade 1 listed building - not on the tourist list

As part of its Inclusive Growth and Regeneration Strategy Brent Council is looking at what would attract tourists to the area. A report going to Scrutiny tonight seeks to go beyond Wembley Park, aound the Stadium and Arena which has many hotels to look more widely at the borough.

People will have their own ideas but it terms of heritage I would includes Old St Andrew's Church in Kingsbury, dating from the 12th century and incorporating Roman brick from an earlier villa and much more recent mural at the Bobby Moore Bridge have been left off - presumably because the Council has covered most of it with advertising! Classifying Boxpark as a market seems a bit odd

This is the list (unedited):


Event destinations: 

o   -  Wembley Stadium

o   -  Wembley Arena 

Arts, culture and heritage: 

·       -  The Kiln Theatre, Kilburn

·       -  Troubadour Theatre (meanwhile), Wembley Park

·       -  Lexi Cinema

·       -  Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden

·       -  Shri Vallabh Nidhi Mandir, Ealing Road

·       -  Shree Swaminarayan Mandir temple, Kingsbury

·       -  Brent Museum and Archive, Willesden

·       -  Gaumont State, Kilburn

·       -  Churchill’s Bunker, Neasden

·       -  Metro Land (Brent contains some of the best Holden Stations)

·       -  Blue Plaques

·       -  Public art – murals and street art (e.g. Kilburn, Willesden, Church End,    Ealing Road)

·       -  It should also be noted that heritage and culture can be seen in Brent’s town centres through the food, drink, music, and clothing. To name a few; Harlesden Town Centre’s Caribbean, Brazilian, Polish and Somali influences, amongst many others; Ealing Road’s South Asian; and Kilburn’s Irish heritage. 

  

          Pubs and clubs 

 

o   -  Ace Café

o   -  Paradise Pub for club scene

o   -  Windermere is best statutory listed 1930s pub

o   -  Emerging night time economy in Kilburn

Parks and open space: 

 

o   -  Fryent Park

o   -  Gladstone Park

o   -  Welsh Harp Reservoir

o   -  Roundwood Park

o   -  Barham Park

o   -  Kind Edwards Park 

               Retail 
 

·       -    Ealing Road

·       -    LDO (including Cineworld)

  

Markets 

·       -  Church End

·       -  Kilburn

·       -  Queens Park Farmer’s Market

·       -  BOXPARK 

            Brent Town Centres

·       a)  Ealing Road and Kingsbury – destinations for South Asian food, clothing and jewellery.

·       b)  Harlesden – global array of music, cuisine and clothing, with prominence of Caribbean, Brazilian, Polish and Somali in particular.

·       c)  Kilburn – night-time economy offer, including pubs and restaurants, with The Kiln as the cultural anchor. Also the night tube at Kilburn station and great connectivity across 4 stations in total

·       d)  Willesden – food and drink offer (highlighted in the recent nomination for the Great British High Street ‘rising star’ award. 

The report notes the Joint Events Committee in Wembley Park and continues:

In addition, the council also deploys its own operational teams to manage the impact of each event on the local neighbourhood. This includes traffic management, enforcement of event day parking restrictions, street cleaning before, during and after each event, CCTV support, and other enforcement around licensing and trading standards. A new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) is proposed to extend enforcement powers to control other anti-social behaviour such as ticket-touting, littering and street urination. The council is also a committed partner in a programme to make the Wembley zone a ‘best in class’ sporting venue. This includes delivering on proposals to upgrade road signage, wayfinding and toilets and improvements to the public realm, better coordinated communications and a comprehensive network of crowd security measures including ‘hostile vehicle mitigation’ installations.

The report reviews public toilet provision in the area and concludes that there is sufficient - something that is likely to be disputed by many locals.

Further footfall is not likely to be welcomed by the residents of Pinnacle Tower who were unable to access or exit their properties during the recent NFL events. There had been an unauthorised 2 hour closure of Fulton Road but nonetheless Brent Council told the property manager that such difficulties were inevitable on such a site as a result of event day increases in pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Mapesbury asphalt compromise?

A rather excited Cllr Dar has posted this on Twitter:

Although not mentioned in Cllr Dar's tweet the pavement survey LINK and petition must have been influential.

This is what the MaPRA circular says:

Pavements. Met with Council Officers today.  Faced with opposition from Cllr Lia Colacicco and also a residents’ petition against asphalting the pavements in 3 streets in the Mapesbury Conservation Area, the compromise they are offering is to give up their plan for wholesale replacement of the pavements with asphalt and instead (starting with Dartmouth Road) to carry out much-needed systematic repair. This would mean replacing/rectifying many cracked and defective paving stones with new paving stones (not asphalt) and providing a new treatment around the trees which is not yet defined/specified. There is an option for trees of either a surround made up of grey, recycled synthetic rubber balls, which are porous and don’t crack like tarmac or paving stones, or, if people want, there could be a built-up tree pit around each tree allowing residents to come together and plant and tend small plants around the base of the tree outside their home. The Council is open to suggestions from MapRA.

 

The proposal represents a good compromise; less cost than either wholesale replacement by paving or asphalt, lower environment impact, maintains the paving stone look in the MapRA area with less disruption while work is carried out. It should leave paving free of trip hazards. It may, however, not leave all of the pavements quite as smooth as new asphalt or completely new paving stones.

Brent Council by-election will take place on January 23rd 2020

Barnhill ward

The by-election for the two vacant seats in Barnhill ward will take place on Thursday 23rd January 2020.

The vacancies follow the resignations with immediate effect of Sarah Marquis and Michael Pavey.

The notice of election will be published on the Brent Council website on December 13th 2019 and nominations will be accepted from December 16th to December 24th.

A busy time for Brent Electoral Services...

Let Brent Breathe! Clean Air report goes to Scrutiny on Wednesday

A very thorough report by  the Air Quality Scrutiny Inquiry, chaired by Cllr Thomas Stephens, will go to the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday December 4th. Cllr Stephens was aided by 6 fellow councillors and two co-opted organisations, Clean Air for Brent and Brent Cyclists.

Cllr Stephens seems to be a bit of a Mystic Meg when he writes:

We are pleased that the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee gave full formal endorsement to this report, and its recommendations, at its meeting on Wednesday 4 December 2019. We now look forward to each of these recommendations being considered by, and respond to, by Cabinet at the earliest opportunity in the New Year.

Never mind, the report is very welcome and if implemented effectively will make a major contribution to improving air quality to the limited extent that one can do it in one borough. I have posted the full report below for detailed appraisal but these are the 10 recommendations which are elaborated in much more detail.

List of recommendations

• Recommendation 1: That the Council update the Air Quality Strategy, and set out an aspiration to meet World Health Organisation limits on air pollution, commit to addressing inequality in air quality and complement the wider climate emergency agenda. We should also lobby national government where we are unable to effect change ourselves.
• Recommendation 2: That the Council, in consultation with Transport for London and the Football Association, agree a strategy to reduce the air quality impact of non-resident car usage in Brent.
• Recommendation 3: That the Council set up a Green Brent Partnership: a forum with organisations impacting air quality in Brent – including the private sector, community organisations and campaign groups – to agree shared targets to improve air quality locally. We should also lead by example by taking steps to reduce the air quality impact of Brent Council’s own activities.
• Recommendation 4: That the Council closely monitor and review the air quality impact of current policies, most particularly the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, and consider implementing and/or lobbying for stronger measures if necessary. It should also keep the provision of air quality monitoring sites under constant review.
• Recommendation 5: That the Council make the delivery of healthy streets a central corporate and political priority across the borough, working closely with local residents to expand the number of healthy streets locally.
• Recommendation 6: That the Council outline, publish and consult on a clear strategy for engagement with Transport for London on active travel initiatives – including the planned Willesden-Wembley Cycle Superhighway, measures to improve public transport provision and any future initiatives to improve accessibility over the North Circular.
• Recommendation 7: That the Council expand the number of initiatives for dealing with the air quality impact of housing and the built environment, and engage closely with experts to consider further steps as new evidence and technology emerges.
• Recommendation 8: That the Council continue to promote green space as a way of supporting active travel, and because of its wider benefits to health, the climate and biodiversity, but ensure that measures to improve greening are not promoted as a alternative to dealing with the underlying causes of poor air quality.
• Recommendation 9: That the Council continue to promote measures to improve air quality in our schools, and where possible enhance and expand on existing initiatives. It should work in partnership with schools and students to agree a shared approach to improving air quality in the borough.
• Recommendation 10: That the Council, working with the health sector, statutory partners and Brent’s public health team, spearhead a public health awareness and behavioural change campaign about air quality. The local NHS should also play its full part in delivering this, and lead by example in the measures they take to improve air quality.

Background Illustrations

 

Click bottom right corner for full page view:

New Brent 'Gateway to Support Services' launches tomorrow without a website

I understand the 'Gateway to Support Services' provided by Age UK (Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon) at a cost of £1.5m will launch tomorrow without the promised website.  This leaves residents wanting to use the new advocacy and carers service unable to find out about referrals or contact them.

Readers will recall that the contract was awarded without Scrutiny due to 'officer oversight' LINK and has affected the financial viability of several Brent voluntary organisations.

The new organisation is due to offer:

• Care Act Advocacy
• Mental Health Act Advocacy
• Mental Capacity Act Advocacy
• Carers Services
• Social Isolation Prevention Services

Ironically Brent Advocacy Concerns, operated by unpaid volunteers from their  Willesden Community Hospital closed on Friday after 31 years as a result of the high rent demanded by NHS Property Services. A tiny fraction of that £1,5m would have enabled them to survive.

EXCLUSIVE Lottery Community Fund withdraws support from Wembley Central Big Local Partnership

The Wembley Central Big Local area

The  Trustees of the Local Trust that manages the Big Local programmes funded by the Lottery have dissolved their formal relationship with the Wembley Central Big Local Partnership LINK .

The public face of the Partership is Wembley Futures LINK  Among the partners listed on its website are Ark Elvin Academy, Elsley Primary School, Barham Community Library, Federation of Patidars, Wembley Crime Prevention, Daniels Den, SAAFI, Daniel Estate Agents and The Hub Group (developers of the 'Twin Towers' on the Chesterfield House site).

The Local Trust explains Big Local:

Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents in 150 areas around England to use at least £1m to make a massive and lasting positive difference to their communities (over 10years).

It is about bringing together all the local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make their area an even better place to live.

The decision by the Local Trust follows complaints by members and previous members of the Partnership outlining a number of conflicts and concerns regarding the Wembley Central Big Local and formal concerns by the Trust itself over the Partnership not meeting minimum criteria and unacceptable standards of behaviour by Partnership members  witnessed by the Trust itself.

They conclude that the current Partnership is dysfunctional in its current form, there is mistrust amongst many of its members and no credible plan to move the Big Local programme forward to deliver the local priorities previously agreed.

The Local Trust suggest there is a high level of risk in terms of investing the Big Local funds appropriately and a reputational risk locally and more widely.

The Trust will now 'take ownership' by following up with CommUNITY Barnet as the Locally Trusted Organisation.

They conclude that though they regret having to take such action there is no workable alternative.  In doing so they say they are acting in the best interest of the individuals, the area and the  programme.

Brent Young Green writes on how the Green Party harnesses the radicalism of the school strikers

This article by Brent Young Greens member Macsen Brown was first published on the Bright Green blog LINK  yesetrday and is republished with the author's permission.

The campaign for the 2019 General Election is well underway, and the parties are well into the rhythm of things. The Lib Dems are cranking out their dodgy bar charts, the Tories are hitting the scene with a steady stream of lies and deception – and everyone is insisting that they’re the only party that is taking the climate emergency seriously.

But it seems to me that there is only one party that is even remotely close to understanding the radical political, economic and social change that beating this civilisational crisis requires – and that is the Green Party. This is of course my personal opinion, and by no means an endorsement of the party on behalf of the wider school strike movement or the UK Student Climate Network.

This snap election, originally called to resolve an artificial crisis of Tory/Liberal creation, comes at the end of a year of change. It is the cumulation of decades of neoliberalism, privatisation, greed and austerity – which is in itself a continuation of centuries of colonialist and capitalist exploitation of the Global South and of workers everywhere.

This crisis began centuries ago, but every day that goes by it increases in intensity. We missed our last chance to save the world decades ago, what we are trying to do now is to limit the death count and build a sustainable society that can better resist the catastrophe this system has unleashed. Friday the 29th is a Global Climate Strike, but here in the UK it is also opportunity for disenfranchised young people like myself to make our voices heard. We strike monthly because as it stands the government is not meeting our demands, the government is failing to keep us safe.

Today thousands of us will be striking to demand that the UK economy is completely decarbonised by 2030 through a Green New Deal. Integral to this is a worker-led just transition away from the fossil fuel industry and others that contribute to this climate crisis. The Green New Deal calls for the rewilding and the restoration of habitats devastated by the capitalist class’ rampant search for profit, it also calls for the elimination of inequality on a local, national and global scale. The political and economic system that gave us this crisis is responsible for the destruction of communities and lives across the UK, but also across the planet. The Green Party manifesto recognises this, pairing radical environmental policies with a social transformation on a scale that is simply not met by other parties.

The work of Labour for a Green New Deal has been phenomenal, and that the membership did indeed pass a GND resolution at their most recent conference – the fact remains that Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution (though miles ahead of the Tories’ farce of a climate policy) has been watered down by the leadership and as it stands lacks the ambition and scope of a genuine Green New Deal. They will often point to their success in getting parliament to declare a climate emergency as proof of their worthiness, but words don’t cut it alone – and besides, it was Green councillor Carla Denyer who got the first climate emergency motion passed in Bristol.

The Lib Dems similarly fall short of the line with a failure to commit to decarbonisation by 2030, and a continued endorsement of the neoliberalism and austerity that continues to ravage our climate and our communities.

We are also calling for a radical reformation of the way young people are educated about the climate crisis – that the government Teach the Future. The Green manifesto calls for an English Climate Emergency Education Act (just like TTF) as well as putting schools back into the hands of our communities, building links between students and the world around them – both human and natural. We need to start preparing young people for the new world that is coming, for better or worse; and the Green Party’s evidence-based, pragmatic policy is a step towards we need.

We are also asking that the government Tell the Future, with a massive public information campaign that ensures everyone in the UK genuinely understands the sheer scale and scope of this crisis, and what needs to be done to fight back.

Finally, the future must be empowered. This means finally giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote, as a Green government would do, but it also means going far, far beyond that. I feel very strongly that everyone living in a country has a right to take part in that country’s democratic process, that suffrage must be genuinely universal. This means extending the franchise to prisoners and migrants as well as removing the barriers that prevent people without fixed addresses from exercising their right.

But what use is having a vote if it counts for nothing? What this crisis shows us is that now, just as we always have, we need a democratic revolution. This means electing national representatives by the fairest system (STV), organising ourselves horizontally with maximal direct participation from people in their communities, making decisions as a community. It’s not just Cymru, Alba and Éire, we all need independence from Westminster.

Of course, the Green Party is not perfect, but looking at the choice that adults will have to make in December it seems to me that they’re by far the best one you can make.

It’s time we stopped settling for second best, that we stopped picking the lesser of many evils. We are often sneered at and called idealists, but in reality I can think of no party more pragmatic and rational than the Greens. There can be no delusion that things can go on as they are, that we can compromise or find a middle ground between climate justice and genocide. We must do what reality demands, not what politicians can be bothered to do.

Header image credit: Stephen Smith – Creative Commons