Restoring the River Brent to its former glory - local volunteers at work

 

Volunteers have been working with the charity Thames21 to restore the habitats of the River Brent which flows through the borough from the Welsh Harp to the North Circular.

This video is a fitting tribute to their dedication and their vision.

'Matters of balance' reveal conflicts and contradictions in Brent planning policy

 

Video of Gerry Ansell's summing up re the proposal and councillor's reasons for voting against

The Planning Committee of October 14th was notable as the first the be chaired by Cllr Matt Kelcher following the Labour and Council AGM, for its length and for the way in which the themes that emerged during the discussion of the application to redevelop the site of the Willesden Green PoliceSstation revealed some of the conflictions and contradictions in Brent Council's planning policies and guidance.

This is the Council's recording of the decision:

Although the lack of affordability housing in the development took up a great deal of time in the discussion, and was cited as a reason for rejection by some councillors, they were 'cautioned' by Gerry Ansell, Head of Planning and Development Services, that when it came to professional advice on viability there was no viability in this scheme. Independent professional advice was that if the scheme was to be financially viable for the developer all 28 units had to be sold at market rates and no affordable housing could be provided. Planning Officer David Glover said that the concerns over affordable housing could be recorded in the Minutes of the meeting but not in the reasons for refusal.

Ansell said that there were particular factors in this development that reduced viability.  It was in a sensitive location with a building of quality with associated costs for its retention and restoration that reduced land values.

He said that affordable housing was a core Council policy but issues are 'a matter of balance.' He assured councillors that officers pushed developers hard on affordability.

Cllr Arshad Mamhood was particuarly vexed working out that the market value was about £10m and the developer was only required to contribute £143,000 to off-site affordable housing elsewhere. Councillors were told that this could be used for the equivalent of 1-1/2 units elsewhere in the borough.

Cllr Mahmood asked that councillors be able to look more closely at the detail of Viability Assessments so that they could scrutinise them. He was told that they were available on the Council website before applications came to Committee.

 

 The retained police station with the new development behind

The recently liberated (from Cabinet) Cllr Tom Miller, representing his ward, spoke against the development.  He told the Committee:

I feel that with only this proposal on the table, what the Committee are being asked is, 'Would you rather have a development that is out of character with, not just the local area, but a conservation area?' and show we are not serious about preserving that or, 'Would you rather have a proposal that shows we are not serious about having  enough affordable homes?'

It's asking the Local Authority to pick which of our policies we should ditch and that for me has 'REJECT' written all over it. It is throwing down a challenge to the Committte, 'Which of these is not important.'

I'd rather not have a conservation area at all then have a conservation area that allows developers to drive right through it.

Both he and fellow Willesden Green councillor, Cllr Donnelly-Jackson said that they had not been approached bu the developers and consulted.

A positive aspect of the discussion was the planners assertion that they had been keen to ensure the retention of the police station and recognised its historial merit depite it not being a listed building. Cllr Dixon spoke about the important historical character of this section of the High Road.

Other issues that came up were carless developments that just meant residents would spill over into nearby streets to park, the development overlooking neighbour's gardens and in one particular case reducing the light  entering a neighbour's property to almost zero. The sheer bulk of the property in contrast to the local side streets  and the High Road and the lack of proper consultation were major issues - along with the 146 objections to the scheme.

The Committee voted to reject the proposal with Cllr Liz Dixon and Cllr Saqib Butt abstaining.

 

 

 

 

How many disabled people are living in fear in Brent's high rises after Grenfell?

As the number of high rises proliferate throughout Brent and the cladding issue in many tower blocks unresolved, even as the horrors of Grenfell are relived through the current Inquiry, it is worth thinking about the situation of people with a disability in such buildings.

The London Fire Brigade has said that disabled people should not be placed in any accommodation above the 4th floor. One of the fatalities at Grenfell was a woman who had been told by Kensington and Chelsea Council that she would not be housed above the 4th floor, but tragically, she was.

A disabled pensioner in a Brent Council block has approached Wembley Matters to tell us about his situation. 

Since Grenfell he has asked the council to rehouse him on a lower floor and in response they have asked him why he accepted a flat in a South Kilburn high rise above the 4th floor way back in April, 1993.

They have also lost the record of the PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) that he had sent them and demanded proof that he was disabled despite the council's own OT team assessing him last year and installing a wet room and sit down shower as a result. He thinks that this action, in itself, is proof of his mobility needs.

He remarked that the council had found homes for nearly 900 students but had told him that they had no spare home to offer him. A different case of course, and a private provider,  but it clearly rankles.

The resident could see Grenfell from his tower block his tower block as he wrote his email to Wembley Matters and reflected that there had been two fires in his block during his tenancy and he had not known about them until he smelt the smoke. His neighbours and fire officers had shouted warnings to leave the building but he had not heard them because of the hearing impairment he has on top of his mobility problem.

He asks how many other disabled people are living in fear of fire in Brent's high rises in the shadow of the Grenfell disaster?

A good question, deserving of an answer.

Brent Public Health Director is 'happy that risks of Covid transmission have been minimised' for students evacuated to Wembley Park

The Director of Public Health, Brent, Dr Melanie Smith, has responded to the transfer of students from  Notting Hill Genesis accommodation in Brentford to Grand Felda House in Empire Way, Wembley Park.

Dr Smith said:

 I can confirm that a number of students will be transferring this week from Brentford to purpose built student accommodation in Wembley Park.

This morning I reviewed, with Public Health England, the plans to transfer the students and to accommodate them in Wembley Park. I am happy that the risks of COVID transmission have been minimised. Self-isolating students are being re-accomodated with the same flatmates as they have had in Brentford. And, of course, the Tier 2 restrictions mean that students are not permitted to mix with students in other flats. 

This is clearly a difficult time for the students who are having to leave their new homes at a time when some of them are self-isolating because of COVID and we have also reviewed the support being provided to the students by their University and accommodation providers.

We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis

FURTHER UPDATE: Evacuated Notting Hill Genesis students to be transferred to Grand Felda House, Empire Way in Wembley Park

The affected properties

The Housing Association, Notting Hill Genesis, is to evacuate  a six-block development in Hounslow.   University of West London students from the student accommodation on the site will be transferred to CRM's Grand Felda House in Empire Way.  UWL told the students that the new accommodation was of higher quality and more modern than their present housing. A shuttle bus will run from Wembley to the UWL campus. LINK 

Grand Felda House

 Asked about arrangements for students isolating due to Covid the university said:

Notting Hill Genesis are working with a range of specialist professionals to ensure that all guidelines relating to Covid-19 are followed. As a University, UWL is ensuring that comprehensive risk assessments are carried out by Notting Hill Genesis prior to any removals being undertaken.

UWL provided support at a number of Microsoft Teams meetings. LINK

However, Construction News today (October 20th) reported student uncertainty and anxiety over the arrangements for quarantined students. LINK

The news comes on top of widespread concerns over cladding and the plight of people in leasehold and shared ownership properties who are unable to move because they cannot acquire the necessary fire safety certificate. There are six buildings in the affected development, one of which is 17 storeys high.

This is today's press statement:

Notting Hill Genesis, one of London’s largest housing associations, is to undertake a comprehensive safety review across a six-block residential development in London following expert advice that the construction of the buildings may be putting residents at risk.

Following expert advice provided by consultants employed by Notting Hill Genesis, all residents living in Paragon – about 1,000 people in total – will be asked to leave immediately in order to protect their health and safety while further investigative work is undertaken.

Paragon is a development of six blocks containing a total of 1,059 homes in Brentford, Hounslow. It was developed by Berkeley First, part of The Berkeley Group plc. The estate was owned initially by the former Presentation Housing Association, which became part of Notting Hill Housing – now Notting Hill Genesis – in 2009.

Notting Hill Genesis said that it would ensure that all residents living in the Paragon Estate were able to access safe alternative accommodation this week. It will also work with residents to find a longer-term solution to their housing needs where necessary.

The further investigations will establish the full extent of the structural and fire safety issues that have been uncovered at the development and identify next steps.

Notting Hill Housing group, which became part of Notting Hill Genesis group in 2018, acquired Paragon in 2009.

Earlier building performance issues, together with fire safety issues related to the cladding and the subsequent new Government guidance since the fire at Grenfell Tower, triggered a series of safety checks at Paragon, undertaken by technical consultants, which have each revealed further problems with this development.

Notting Hill Genesis has taken action to address these risks as they have arisen, including establishing waking watches and temporary alarms, and introducing simultaneous evacuation procedures, but the latest advice has prompted the group to act in order to protect its residents.

Kate Davies, group chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said:

“First, I want to say how sorry we are to residents that we have had to take this action and disrupt their lives. But, as a not-for-profit housing association, our priority is to provide safe, affordable housing. We always ensure the wellbeing of our residents, so while we are incredibly disappointed to have to make this decision, we believe that we have no choice but to ask people to leave their homes on the Paragon estate.

“I understand that Paragon residents may feel angry or alarmed by this news, as they have every right to be. This is a very distressing time and we are genuinely sorry for the huge amount of disruption and uncertainty that this situation will cause.

“This is a complex situation and we don’t yet have all the answers. We are working to uncover the full extent of the issues at Paragon so that we can provide residents with clarity about timescales, next steps and options as quickly as possible.

“We are doing all we can to support people who live in Paragon through this difficult situation. We have identified safe accommodation for everyone to move into this week and are providing financial as well as mental health and wellbeing support to help them do that. We are also giving everyone a dedicated caseworker to discuss their specific needs both now and for the longer-term where necessary.”

There is no suggestion that any other buildings in the Notting Hill Genesis portfolio will require a similar approach to the one being taken at Paragon. Buildings are being investigated and prioritised based on factors such as height, external materials used and evacuation procedure, and residents informed if further investigation or remedial work is required. Where necessary, and in consultation with fire safety assessors, interim safety measures such as simultaneous evacuation procedures, supported by 24-hour patrols and temporary alarms are in place.

Paragon

Paragon is a scheme that was developed for Presentation Housing Association Limited and Touareg Trust, which was originally a subsidiary of Presentation Housing, by Berkeley First Limited. Presentation transferred its engagements to Notting Hill Housing Trust in 2009. Paragon comprises eight blocks that reached practical completion 2006. The development comprises six blocks of residential and student accommodation, plus two commercial buildings that are not owned by Notting Hill Genesis group.

The six blocks consist of the following:
• Block A - a five-storey building consisting of 41 units of intermediate market rent.
• Block B – three interconnected buildings of four, five and nine storeys with 107 shared ownership leasehold units and 72 intermediate rent.
• Blocks C, D, E and F - 17, 12, 12 and five-storeys respectively, hold a combined 839 units of student accommodation which is occupied by students nominated by the University of West London.

The freeholds of Blocks C through F are owned by Touareg Trust, which is a registered charity and is a subsidiary of Notting Hill Genesis.

Blocks A and B are owned by Notting Hill Genesis. Notting Hill Home Ownership Limited, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Notting Hill Genesis, holds a long leasehold interest at Block B where the shared ownership homes are located.

Photographic catch-up with Wembley Park regeneration

 

I was interested to see the above Tweet this morning as I too had a walk round Wembley Park yesterday to catch up on the progress of the regeneration.  I don't know how many of the tower blocks have cladding issues but I am sure there are matters around service charges, repair charges, leasehold and shared housing that are yet to emerge.

Here are a few pictures taken yesterday giving a general impression. Note that works to join up North End Road with Bridge Road are progressing and the stairs and ramp next to Michaela School,  that led to both Olympic Way and North End Road, are now closed. There is a long detour for Michaela students and North End Road residents in place.

The offices at York House are being converted to accommodation. The Somerville Ark Primary School will be built on the present car park

 

More student accommodation - hard to say whether it will be needed in the medium future

 

Cllr Tatler's speech on the Healthy Neighbourhood schemes

Cllr Shama Tatler, Lead member for Regeneration, has circulated her speech at the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council on Healthy Neighbourhoods on social media. It contrasts with the speech made by Cllr Butt. I reproduce the speech below:

Uncovering Kilburn's History - Part 4

Welcome back to this fourth article in the Kilburn local history series. If you missed Part 3, you will find it here.

 

Railway lines began crossing Kilburn’s land in 1837, with the coming of the London and Birmingham Railway. Kilburn (now High Road) station opened in 1851. In the 1860s Edgware Road (later Brondesbury) station came on the Hampstead Junction Railway, and Kilburn and Brondesbury (Kilburn today) station was opened on the Metropolitan Railway in 1879.

 

1. Metropolitan Railway Station and Bridge, Kilburn High Road, c.1910. ( www.images-of-london.co.uk )

 

The earlier railways, however, did not stimulate a large growth in Kilburn. The main developments were still along the Edgware Road, which was served by horse buses and later trams. In 1856 22 omnibuses a day ran to London Bridge and by 1896 south Kilburn was served by over 45 buses an hour. The start of the 20^th century brought a motorbus service to Oxford Circus, and in 1915 Kilburn Park station on the Electric Railway line was the first underground railway in Kilburn.

 

2. Kilburn Park Underground Station, October 2020. (Photo by Irina Porter)

 

In Charles Dicken’s Dictionary of London, published in 1879, Kilburn was described as ‘a newly built district at the far end of the Edgware Road’. Its development, beyond a few large houses, had begun in the south, after Lady Salusbury sold her properties to the Church Commissioners in 1856. The following year the Commissioners made a series of agreements with James Bailey, a builder from Maida Vale, who later moved to Brondesbury Lodge. 

 

In 1859 Bailey had built Brondesbury Terrace and started work in Canterbury Road. By 1867, he had put up about 550 houses, including Cambridge and Oxford Roads, using architectural pattern books, and marketing his development as Kilburn Park. A number of houses he built, along with the Duke of Cambridge and The Brondesbury public houses (both now converted for residential use), are now locally listed buildings within the South Kilburn Conservation Area.

 

3. Cambridge Road, c.1910. (Image from the internet: www.images-of-london.co.uk )

4. Cambridge Gardens, October 2020. (Photo by Irina Porter)

 

Other speculative builders followed Bailey to the area. Speculative building – when houses were built before a buyer or a tenant was found – put developers at risk if they over extended themselves, so many went bust. Through the rest of the 19^th century, local house building expanded northwards. You can see the extent of development in 1875 (when Willesden Local Board was established, with a population of 18,559), and again by 1895 (when it had become Willesden Urban District, with 79,260 people) on this map.

 

5. Development in the east of Willesden parish as at 1875 and 1895. (From “The Willesden Survey, 1949”)

 

By the 1880s, businesses like the United Land Company would purchase plots of land, subdivide them into smaller plots and sell those at auctions, resulting in smaller developers doing the actual building. The names of the roads would often come from old estates in the area (Mapesbury, Brondesbury), or places connected with former landowners. The Salusbury name lives on today, in a road and the school situated on it, as well as a pub, wine store and other local amenities. In another example, the Powell Cottons owned the land on the Shoot Up Hill estate, and the names of the roads there reflected their Kent connections (Fordwych, Minster, and Westbere Roads, etc).

 

One famous resident of Kilburn was the artist Louis Wain (1860 – 1939), who lived at 41 Brondesbury Road. Louis Wain was famous for the drawings of anthropomorphized (with human features) cats. Born in Clerkenwell, Wain studied at the West London School of Art, where he was also assistant master. In 1882 he joined the staff of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News and four years later that of the Illustrated London News. 

 

When Wain was 20, his father died, and Louis became the main supporter of his mother and five sisters. At 23 he married the family governess, Emily Richardson, who died of cancer within 3 years of their marriage. During her illness the family took in a stray kitten, named Peter, who cheered her up during her illness and gave Louis a direction for his art, which became his passion. From the 1880s onwards Wain’s cats walked upright in human clothing of the highest fashion, came with all sorts of facial expressions, enjoyed smoking, played musical instruments, hosted tea parties, played games, went fishing and to the theatre. These parodies of human behaviour became immensely popular. 

 

6. Louis Wain, and two of his cat paintings. (Images from the internet – photo by Lascelles & Co.)

 

Despite his popularity and huge output (he could produce up to 600 drawings a year), Wain was not good with money and during the First World War he sank into poverty. He lived with his sisters in Brondesbury Road. Having developed a mental illness, he died at Napsbury Hospital, near St Albans. He is buried in his father's grave at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green.

 

At the start of Kilburn’s development, land owners or builders were responsible for the infrastructure of their own developments, including roads and sewers. Gas street lighting was first introduced in Kilburn near the bridge in 1849, and extended in 1861. Kilburn used the Metropolitan Board of Work’s sewers, although Willesden fell outside its area. 

 

So many houses had been built in Kilburn that many could not be sold or let as family homes. It was common to find rooms let out to several families. The poorer areas of Kilburn became overcrowded, in 1894 with 11 persons per house, compared with 6 in the rest of the parish. The death rate for children under 5 in Willesden in 1875 was 45 per 1,000, with Kilburn the worst area, where diarrhoea, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases were prevalent. Healthcare, if you could afford it, was provided by local clinics, but for hospital residents went to St. Mary’s Paddington or New End in Hampstead. 

 

7. Paddington Old Cemetery, Willesden Lane, and its war graves, 2018. (Photos by John & Anne Hill)

 

The large estates’ lands still had some farms, which mainly produced hay for London horses, as well as providing grazing for cattle, and there were also several nurseries. But each successive decade saw less farmland. In 1855 Paddington Burial Board bought 22 acres of a farm off Willesden Lane and set up a civic cemetery. Today it is run by Brent and is Grade II listed. The cemetery includes 213 graves for casualties of the First and Second World Wars.

 

8. Willesden Town Hall, Dyne Road, in the 1920s. (Brent Archives online image 657)

 

Local government only developed gradually. The local authority for Kilburn was originally the Willesden Parish vestry (and Hampstead vestry, respectively east of the High Road). This organised a vote in 1875, that set up the Willesden Local Board, which in turn was succeed by Willesden Urban District Council in 1894. Willesden Town Hall was built in Dyne Road, on the site of Waterloo Farm, and opened in 1891. (The building was demolished in 1970, after the newly formed Brent Council had chosen Wembley’s more modern Town Hall as its headquarters.)

 

9. Willesden Volunteer Fire Brigade, 1874. (Brent Archives online image 732)

 

A volunteer fire service was formed after the fire at Mapesbury Mill on Shoot Up Hill in 1863, with headquarters in Bridge Street, near the tollgate. A new station, under the control of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was opened in Salusbury Road in 1884, which covered the Kilburn area until the Second World War. The fire station was next to Kilburn Library, the first public library to be opened in Willesden in January 1894, which was enlarged in 1908.

 

10. Kilburn Library (right) and Fire Station (centre), c.1910. (Brent Archives online image 10773)

 

11. Salusbury Road and the Police Station, c.1900. (From the internet: www.images-of-london.co.uk )

 

The police station, as shown on the photo above, is on the corner of Salusbury Road and Harvist Road, - still a police station today, although the building has been completely re-built in the 1970s.

 

12. High Road, Kilburn, in 1886, by local photographer A. Mackie. (Brent Archives online image 226)

 

Kilburn became a thriving commercial centre, with the Edgware Road through it, featuring a continuous line of shops by the 1860s. It gained the name Kilburn High Road in the 1880s. Foyle's bookshop started in Kilburn, moving to Charing Cross Road in 1926. By 1909 there were 300 shops here, many owned by foreigners, some of them Jewish immigrants.

 

13. Kilburn High Road, 1905. (From the internet: www.images-of-london.co.uk )

 

Industry was here, too. There was tile making in Kilburn as early as the 16th century. In 1862 a railway signal factory was built in Kilburn Lane (later called Canterbury Road). The Saxby & Farmer works became the largest employer in Kilburn, although it moved to a larger site in Chippenham, Wiltshire, around 1906, after taking over a similar business there. 

 

14. Kelly & Craven's works in Willesden Lane, 1884, and Kelly's tombstone. (Images from John Hill)

 

By 1890 there were coachbuilders, bicycle manufacturers, and monumental masons (for Paddington Cemetery). Kelly & Craven’s Cemetery Stone Works in Willesden Lane did plenty of business, as most people were buried (cremation did not become common until the 20^th century). Unfortunately for Mr Kelly, the stone dust from his work was a health hazard, and he was just 51 years old when he was laid to rest.  Light engineering and printing were also established by 1914.

 

With the rapid increase in population came a rise in the number of churches. We’ve already seen St Paul’s Church in Part 3, and non-conformist ministries were quick to follow the housing developments such as those by James Bailey. St James’s Episcopalian Church was built in Cambridge Avenue in 1863, using a prefabricated corrugated iron system. Commonly known as ‘the tin tabernacle’, it is surprisingly still there today, and although no longer a church, and officially called Cambridge Hall, it is a Grade II listed building. In 1865 the Reverend Thomas Hall had West Kilburn Baptist Church built, to designs by his brother, who was an architect. After more than 150 years, that is still in use, and a locally listed building.

 

15. Cambridge Hall (Kilburn's "tin tabernacle") and West Kilburn Baptist Church. (Images from the internet)

 

Next week we will continue to look at local churches, schools and much more, as Kilburn’s story continues into the 20^th century.

 

Irina Porter,
Willesden Local History Society.

 

A special thank you to local historian Dick Weindling, co-author of 'Kilburn and West Hampstead Past' and History of Kilburn and West Hampstead blog .