Barham Community Library open tomorrow

 From Barham Community Library

Barham Community Library at 660 Harrow Road Wembley HA0 2HD on frontage to Barham Park will reopen on Saturday between 11am and 3pm. This Saturday (8 January) we’ll only be open for book returns and borrowing. 

Our normal activities for children will resume on Saturday 15 January. We’ll also open on Monday and Wednesday from 3pm to 6pm. We are encouraging adult visitors to wear a mask if possible. Our shop in Sudbury Town Underground Station will be open on Saturday 1 to 4pm as usual. 

As we are keen for people to enjoy reading we welcome suggestions for good books to read. So please respond by giving a recommendation for a good book you read recently or even your favourite book of all time. Thank You.

GOOD NEWS: New Beacon Books gets a lifeline after £76k raised by crowdfunder

 From the Bookseller website

The team at New Beacon Books, the UK's first Black specialist bookshop, has praised the “amazing support from the community” following a highly successful crowdfunding campaign which has not only saved the store but netted £76,000 in only a few days. 

Based in London's Finsbury Park, the store announced over the Christmas break it would be shutting its doors and moving entirely online, as financial constraints from Covid-19 and online retail threatened its future.

Academic and actor Francesca Gilbert immediately launched an online fundraising campaign on 30th December with donations flooding in within hours.

The crowdfunding campaign had aimed to raise £35,000 by 24th February 2022 but, by the morning of 31st December, it had already surpassed that total and introduced a new "stretch" target of £50,000 which was also quickly met. It now has donations from 2,427 supporters.

Directors Michael La Rose, Janice Durham and professor Gus John have now outlined their plans for the future on New Beacon Books' website which could include a move to new premises and boosted community engagement. They said: “Due to the amazing support from the community in response to our fundraising campaign yesterday and today, the bookshop has been given a lifeline to assist in moving forward.” 

They explained that the money will be used to pay rent, rates, utilities and other overheads and hire a part-time member of staff to support existing management and volunteers, process online orders and carry out admin work. 

Additionally the crowdfunded cash will enable them to expand New Beacon Books’ community outreach work and educational initiatives within the community as well as restoring New Beacon Books’ publishing platform, which had been reduced in recent years. 

The directors also suggested there could be a move of premises longer term: “For the foreseeable future, New Beacon Books will continue to be based at its current premises. We will be continuing to look at ways for a long-term sustainable future.” 

They paid tribute to the people who helped them in the campaign: “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to the online crowdfunding campaign and the many in-person purchases by the community. 

“We want to emphasise that all the funds received will be accounted for in a transparent and coherent manner. We will keep everyone informed on a regular basis as to our progress. We would like to express again our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for this support.” 

The independent bookshop was founded in 1966 by activist John La Rose and Sarah White. 

Brent Education lead joins urgent call for practical action on air filtration in schools as pupils return

 Most Brent schools return today amidst concerns over the spread of the Covid Omicron amongst young people and its impact on their families and school staff

Cllr Thomas Stephens, Lead Member for Education in the Brent Cabinet joined councillors from other London boroughs in a call to Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, forpractical action on air filtration in schools.

NEW YEAR’S DAY APPEAL TO QUINTAIN: Olympic Way tile murals – let’s get them back on permanent display!

 New Year Guest Post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

2022 is the year which provides an excellent opportunity to get more of the Bobby Moore Bridge tile mural scenes back on permanent public display. I’ve launched my campaign to get the murals on the walls of Olympic Way, just outside the subway from Wembley Park Station, returned to public view. On 1 January I sent an open letter to Quintain’s Chief Executive Officer, which I’ve set out in full at the end of this article.

 

The east wall mural scenes in Olympic Way, on display in February 2020.
(Photo by Mark Price, Brent Council)

 

Full details of the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals can be found in an illustrated article I wrote for Brent Archives. The murals were covered over with vinyl advertising sheets in the autumn of 2013, under a deal between Brent Council officers and Quintain. Wembley History Society campaigned in 2018 to have all of the murals put back on permanent public display. Quintain’s response in 2019 was to do this for just the central mural scene on the east wall of the subway, showing England footballers at the old “twin towers” stadium.

 

I had hoped I could persuade Brent’s Cabinet not to allow the murals in the subway to remain covered over, when Quintain’s Bobby Moore Bridge advertising lease came up for renewal in August 2021. However, in January last year I discovered that the lease had secretly been extended to August 2024 by Council officers, under a very dodgy deal in 2019.

 

Quintain contractors fixing advertising screens over some of the subway murals in July 2019.

 

Unfortunately, that lease extension means that it won’t be possible for the rest of the mural scenes, on both sides of the subway, to be seen again in time for the centenary of Wembley Stadium’s opening (for the F.A. Cup final in 1923). The only “good thing” in the extended lease was that Quintain agreed to allow Brent to request that the Olympic Way murals be put on display for up to 21 days a year. In fact, they were put on display for a full five weeks (wow!) at the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture 2020.

 

Now, I’m asking Quintain to “do the right thing”, and not to apply to extend their advertisement consent for the Olympic Way tile murals. I hope that they will respond positively, but if they don’t, I will be just one of many local people who fight their application all the way. I am confident that, if it comes to that, our objections should succeed in stopping the renewal of a consent which Brent’s planners should never have given in the first place.

 

This is my open letter:

 

To: James Saunders                                                          From: Philip Grant
       Chief Executive Officer                                                              
       Quintain Limited                                                         (address  removed)
       180 Great Portland Street
        London, W1W 5QZ                                                          

This is an open letter

                                                                                                                1 January 2022

Dear Mr Saunders,

 

Heritage tile murals at Olympic Way, Wembley Park.

Happy New Year! Quintain and its Wembley Park subsidiary have an important decision to make in 2022, and I am writing, as a member of Wembley History Society, to encourage you and your colleagues to make the right one.

 

The heritage tile murals at Olympic Way, celebrating sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and Arena, have been covered over with Quintain’s vinyl advertising sheets for most of the time since the autumn of 2013. 

 

In September 2013, Quintain applied for advertisement consent for a period of five years. Brent’s Planning department did not deal with that application until August 2017, and gave consent for five years from then. Although there was a later advertisement consent in 2019 for the Bobby Moore Bridge subway and parapets, the consent for the tiled walls in Olympic Way expires on 25 August 2022. I hope you will decide not to apply to renew that consent.

 

When Quintain first entered into a deal with Brent Council officers in 2013, over advertising at the Bobby Moore Bridge and on the walls of Olympic Way to the south of the subway from Wembley Park Station, the London Designer Outlet was just about to open. I can understand why your company then wished to use this “gateway” to its new Wembley Park developments to promote the LDO, and later its Tipi rental flats, Alto apartments and Boxpark joint venture. 

 

However, the LDO and Quintain’s other Wembley Park developments are now well established and widely known. There is no need for your company to put large advertisements on the walls of Olympic Way to publicise them, especially as you now have larger LED advertising screens on the parapets of Bobby Moore Bridge, and large banner advertising on the new lamp posts along Olympic Way.

 

That alone would be a good reason not to apply for consent to continue displaying advertisements over the tile murals in Olympic Way. But an even stronger reason is that these murals are part of a public artwork, designed to celebrate an important part of Wembley Park’s history, something which adds to the area’s “sense of place” for residents and visitors.

 

Quintain and Brent Council may not have realised the cultural and heritage importance of these tile mural scenes in 2013, but that is not the case now. I was one of the Wembley History Society representatives invited to the Mayor of Brent’s “reveal” of the Olympic Way tile murals, at the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture in January 2020. Brent’s publicity for that event said of ‘the heritage tiles at Wembley Park’s Bobby Moore Bridge’:

 

‘The tiles, which show scenes from famous sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and the SSE Arena, Wembley, are part of Brent’s rich heritage and date back to September 1993 when they were originally dedicated to the legendary footballer.’

 

 

Julian Tollast, speaking on behalf of Quintain at the “reveal” event (above), said:

 

‘The iconic cultural and sporting events at Wembley are celebrated in these heritage tiles behind us, and we are really proud to work with Brent and with Wembley History Society to make the reveal on a periodic basis of these murals possible.'  

 

Quintain / Wembley Park’s respect for the heritage value of these tile murals was also shown, in the welcome repair of damage caused by water ingress behind the tiles, in March 2021. 

 

I hope you will agree that the time has come for these heritage assets to be put back on public display, not just ‘on a periodic basis’, but permanently. Advertisement consent to cover the American Football, Rugby League and Ice Hockey mural scenes on the east wall, and the drummer image remnant of the Stadium Concerts scene on the west side of Olympic Way, expires in August 2022. However, if the advertising could be removed before then, in time for the Women’s Euros football final on 31 July, or the summer music concerts (such as those by Ed Sheeran in late June), so much the better. That would allow tens of thousands more visitors to Wembley Park to enjoy them.

 

I look forward to hearing from you that Quintain / Wembley Park will not be seeking to extend its advertising consent for the tiled mural walls on Olympic Way. 

 

Thank you. Best wishes,

Philip Grant.

Residents' Association 'delighted' with Brent Council 's refusal of Mumbai Junction/John Lyon pub planning application

 

 

The rejected application

Reacting to the refusal of the Planning Application LINK for the site at 231 Watford Road, Sudbury Court Residents' Association told Wembley Matters:

 Our residents are delighted with the outcome.
We had fantastic support from residents in raising local awareness of this inappropriate proposal, resulting in almost 500 objections being submitted.
We are also grateful for the support from our councillors, Margaret McLennan, and Keith Perrin, as well as Barry Gardiner, our MP.  
We hope that this local, community asset can continue to thrive as a location for us to relax and socialise.

Donate to help save vital independent Black publisher & bookshop, New Beacon Books

When I was a young teacher in the 1970s New Beacon Books was a vital resource for Black books that actually reflected the ethnic profile of my classes as well as books that educated me about Black culture and history, as well as the anti-racist struggle.

This is their appeal CrowdFunder LINK

 

Established in 1966, New Beacon Books is the only remaining independent Black publishing and bookselling entity in the UK. Throughout its 55 years, it has been pivotal to the growth of the Black Education Movement, the Black Supplementary School Movement and current calls for the decolonisation of the curriculum. Unlike Amazon, Alibris and other online suppliers, New Beacon has been at the heart of communities, building social movements and giving expression to young voices. It remains a huge part of the history of the adaptation of British society to its historical and post-war Black presence. Save and develop it for coming generations.

New Beacon Books is facing closure because:

 • As a result of the pandemic and the various lockdowns, New Beacon Books has seen a marked decrease in footfall and consequent income and overheads have increased. The growth in online shopping has had a marked impact upon income to independent bookshops generally speaking. In 1982, New Beacon Books and its partner organisations founded the annual International Bookfair of Radical Black and Third World Books, at a time when education providers and the general public were struggling to find books and other education resources by Black authors of fiction and non-fiction. 

• In 1991, New Beacon Books and the Bookfair gave rise to the George Padmore Institute (GPI), an archive and library dedicated to preserving and curating the archives of political and cultural activists who were pioneers in our struggles before and since the 1945 5th Pan-African Congress held in Manchester, of which the Trinidad-born political theorist George Padmore was a key organiser. The GPI was gifted 76 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, N4, which had been the home of New Beacon Books since 1975. • In order to meet its financial commitments, New Beacon Books must continue to do much more than just sell books. New Beacon Books has a proud history of running public education programmes, including book launches, readings, public lectures, spoken word events, etc.

 • The publishing arm of New Beacon Books has been scaled down considerably, but there are increasing calls for New Beacon Publications to commission and publish work by young creatives and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and for introducing new and old work to new audiences. For New Beacon Books to do this, it must be able to make full use of its existing space, and if necessary, relocate to premises that will allow for the expansion of its publishing and public affairs programmes as well as for bookselling. New Beacon Books is hugely encouraged by the community’s response to its needs and willingness to donate funds to enable New Beacon Books to survive and grow. The Crowdfunding appeal initiated by Francesca Gilbert and other young supporters who grew up with New Beacon Books is just amazing and New Beacon Books is grateful to them for that. New Beacon Books is committed to doing the following: 

a) Establishing a New Beacon Development Fund (NBDF) to receive monies raised with a governing body comprised mainly of those young supporters.
b) Setting up an event planning and public programmes committee.
c) Utilising some of the funds donated to meet New Beacon Books’ immediate needs.
 d) New Beacon Books does not exclude the possibility of acquiring alternative premises, large enough to accommodate publishing, bookselling, writers in residence, public programmes and community events consonant with the aims and mission of New Beacon Books, and adapted appropriately to engage with current challenges facing Black Britain and the society generally. e) Keeping all our supporters and customers updated on the progress of our plans, inviting their active participation in our programmes, and encouraging feedback and advice.

New Beacon Books would like to thank all those who have reached out, be it to lend their support, or to propose ways and means of raising funds. Their intervention has been most timely. 

We look forward to the future and thank you for your support,

Michael La Rose - Director, New Beacon Books
Janice Durham - Director, of New Beacon Books
Professor Gus John - Non-Executive Director, New Beacon Book

LETTER: Preston Library: Brent Council Demolishes and Residents Pay

 Dear Editor,

Brent Council’s real climate change policy was evident last month when the Council justified the demolition of Preston Library by saying ‘the current building is considered inadequate in terms of energy use’.

 

(Kilburn Times 7^th December 2021 - https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/local-council/wembley-anger-as-council-begins-preston-library-demolition-8546130)

 

Days later residents received an email from the Council promoting its ‘Green Grants to help fight Climate Change’ and asking for applications for ‘energy efficiency improvements’. See Pot 1 at https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/climate-emergency/carbon-offset-fund/

 

Thus a few days after tearing down a perfectly good building and unnecessarily pumping 600 tonnes of Carbon into the world – the Council asks residents to insulate their homes and invest in low carbon heating – ‘to make a real difference locally to tackle the climate crisis’?

 

Where residents’ homes are ‘inadequate in energy use’ residents must apply for grants and use personal funds to top up the cost of the measures needed to save the planet. When Brent has a building that is ‘inadequate in energy use’ - it is demolished helping to destroy our climate.

 

In 2012 – some time before Brent Council realised there was a climate emergency - SKPPRA (South Kenton Preston Park Residents Association) completed a pilot project on energy and carbon savings in our 1930s solid wall houses.

 

These are ‘entirely inadequate in energy use’ as there is no cavity to insulate but surprisingly no-one suggested demolition as residents do not have the funds available to Brent to demolish perfectly good buildings.

 

In 2012 all residents in SKPPRA were able to participate, and two houses were chosen at random to have the work done to their house at no cost to the occupants. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) provided the funding through the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) and monitored the outcome for savings in energy consumption and carbon emissions.

 

Typical SKPPRA 1930s Semi - All external walls were insulated in LEAF 2012 scheme

 

In 2012 the project cost twice as much as Brent Council are now offering homeowners in a maximum grant through the Council’s Carbon Offset Fund. Any resident who applies will therefore need significant personal funds to reach the energy and carbon savings of the SKPPRA 2012 LEAF project.

 

If 480 homes are improved under Brent’s scheme residents will have to invest £4.8m of personal funds to deliver the performance of the SKPPRA 2012 pilot - just to offset the avoidable climate abuse and carbon emissions caused by the Preston Library development.

 

Quite a transfer of cost and resources from the climate abuser to the residents of Brent.

 

The destruction of the Preston Library building was not just the loss of a cherished community resource - it helped to destroy the planet.

 

Happy New Year?

 

SKPPRA – South Kenton Preston Park Residents Association

Brent Council refuses planning application for John Lyon pub (Mumbai Junction restaurant)

 

Mumbai Junction restaurant (formerly John Lyon pub)

 

The rejected development

Exercising their delegated responsibilities Brent Council Planning officers have refused the planning application for 231 Watford Road, the site of the Mumbai Junction restaurant, formerly the John Lyon pub.

The Officer's report LINK notes that there were 485 comments received during the course of the application of which only 2 were in support of the proposal. An overwhelming majority for the objectors.

Objections were also received from Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North and Cllr Keith Perrin and Cllr Margaret McLennan (Deputy Leader of Brent Council).

Local residents' association Sudbury Court and Sudbury Town also objected.

Interestingly the report also notes that the 'occupier' of 231 Watford Road submitted a letter of support with 44 signatures.

The developer could Appeal to the Secretary of State over the refusal.

The grounds officers give for refusing the application will repay careful study by any residents responding to developments in the future:

1 The proposed development by reason of its scale, design, bulk, massing and siting in relation to the suburban context of the site would appear as an excessively bulky building which would result in a poor transition to the suburban housing immediately to the south of the application site. The development would be detrimental to the character of the area and the street scene, contrary to Policy CP17 of Brent's Core Strategy 2010, policy DMP1 within Brent's Development Management Policy 2016, policies DMP1 and BD1 of Brent's Draft Local Plan 2020 and the guidance within Brent's Design Guide SPD 2018.

2 Based on the information provided the application has failed to fully assess the relationship between the proposed building and nearby Conservation Area. Therefore the proposal fails to demonstrate that the proposal will have an appropriate relationship with the Sudbury Court Conservation Area. The application therefore fails to comply with Policies DMP1 and DMP7 of the Development Management Policies 2016 and Policies BHC1 and BD1 of the Draft Local Plan and policy HC1 of the London Plan 2021.

3 The proposal would result in a poor standard of accommodation for future residents, by virtue of the following reasons:
- The bedroom serving G.01 would be located within close proximity to the main entrance of the development.
- Positioning of the south facing bedroom serving Unit G. 02
- The bedroom within Unit G.05 located to north would also obtain poor levels of outlook.

The proximity between the proposed flats to the rear of the site and the existing sub station would result in a poor relationship to the detriment of future occupiers based on the information submitted with the application. No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the future occupiers would not be adversely affected in health terms in respect of the substation in terms of electromagnetic waves and background noise.

Overall the development would fail to comply with Policy D6 and D14 of the London Plan, Policy DMP1 of the Development Management Policies, Policies DMP1 and BD1 of the Draft Local Plan and Brent’s Design Guide –Supplementary Planning Document 1.

4 The Sunlight and Daylight report has failed to provide an assessment in relation to an overshadowing to the adjacent residential garden areas on Amery Road. As such, the proposal has failed to demonstrate that the rear gardens of these properties would not adversely affected through undue levels of overshadowing. This would be contrary to policy DMP1 of Brent's Development Management Policies 2016, policy DMP1 of Brent's Draft Local Plan 2020 and the guidance set out in SPD1 "Brent's Design Guide" 2018.

5 The proposal by virtue of the proximity of habitable room windows and balconies/terraces to the upper floor flats at third floor level within the front section of the proposed building in relation to the boundary with No. 135 Sudbury Court Drive would result in outlook over the neighbouring site and unacceptable levels of overlooking and loss of privacy to the detriment of the amenities of the occupiers of No. 135 Sudbury Court Drive. In addition, by reason of the size and siting of the proposed development, the proposal would result in an over-bearing relationship with the garden and rear facing windows of No. 135 Sudbury Court Drive to the detriment of the amenities of the occupiers of that property. Overall, this would result in an adverse impact on the amenities of No. 135 Sudbury Court Driver through overlooking, loss of privacy and undue sense of enclosure. This would be contrary to policy DMP1 of Brent's Development Management Policies 2016, emerging policy DMP1 in Brent's Draft Local Plan 2020, and the guidance set out in SPD1 "Brent's Design Guide" 2018.

6 The proposal, by reason of the proximity of habitable room windows of the proposed development to the boundary with the adjoining site to the north, and lack of evidence on the access rights to the substation to demonstrate that this would need to be retained in the long term, would fail to have an appropriate regard to the nature of the adjoining site as a development site for mix-use purposes. As such, the submission fails to appropriately demonstrate that the proposal is will result an acceptable relationship with adjoining development site thus resulting in an impact on the capacity of the adjoining site for industrial and residential purposes. This is contrary to policy DMP1 and DMP14 of Brent's Development Management Policies and emerging policies E4 and E7 of the London Plan and policy DMP1 BE3 of Brent's emerging draft Local Plan.

7 The proposal has failed to demonstrate that adequate cycle parking provision in a secure and weather tight area can be provided. As such, it fails to comply with policy T5 of London Plan 2021 and draft policy BT1 of Brent's emerging Local Plan 2020.

8 The proposed development is not subject to a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Planning Act which would ensure that the delivery of the maximum reasonable amount of Affordable housing together with an appropriate Affordable Housing review mechanism, and an appropriate level of carbon reduction across the scheme. As such, the impacts of the development would not be mitigated and the proposal would be contrary to London Plan Policies H4, H5, H6, SI2, Core Strategy Policies CP1, CP2 and CP19 and Development Management Policy DMP15. The proposal would also fail to comply with the emerging policies BH5 and BSU1 of the emerging Local Plan, and Brent's S106 Planning Obligations SPD.