WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
From Brent and Camden Councils
Calling everyone who lives, works and plays in Kilburn – we want to hear your ideas on how to make Kilburn even better!
Join us at the Kiln Theatre on Monday 23 January from 6-9pm to meet new people, discuss Kilburn's future & enjoy live music and free refreshments.
Website link (live after Exhibitions)
Plans for the residential led redevelopment of the current light industrial/commercial site between 54-68 Dudden Hill Lane NW10 1DG and 370 Willesden High Road NW10 2EA will go on public exhibition at Mencap 379-381 High Road, Willesden, NW10 2JR on Tuesday January 17th 4pm - 8pm and Thursday 19th January 4pm to 8pm.
The development website will not go live until after the exhibitions. Purple pin below marks 54-68 Dudden Hill Lane and red pin 370 High Road.
54-68 Dudden Hill Lane (Google Streetview)
370 High Road (Google Streetview)
Dear Editor,
I've often written on Wembley Matters about how South Kilburn is neglected by Brent Council, the apparent thinking being that if they put up nice looking new buildings (don't look too closely inside), no-one will notice the lack of concern for the maintenance of the area.
I could do so again, since so little changes, but of immediate concern is a single example of the extent to which Brent shows little concern to sort out the most extreme of issues.
Since the heavy rain early last week, there has been a pool of stagnant, stinking water at the bottom of Coventry Close, just off Kilburn High Road (photo). This has been reported to Brent almost since it appeared, and repeatedly by several residents since. Apparently there was an unsuccessful attempt to clear it towards the end of last week. Since then nothing.
As with so many issues, reports to the Council receive little useful response. Repeated messages to officers and Councillors have had no reply until this morning (Monday) when we are simply told by Council officers that they know about it. It may (?) be that they deal with it today, but why does it take the best part of a week to sort out an extreme health hazard. People walking past think it smells of raw sewage, residents close by cannot open their windows. How long would it take for Brent Council to act if this was in the more affluent areas of the borough or even outside the Civic Centre?
Pete Firmin
Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity
Policy DMP1, from Brent’s Local Plan.
“Wembley Matters” has been following the progress of Brent’s New Council Homes “infill” planning application, 22/3124. Most recently, Martin shared an email sent by Newland Court resident, Marc Etukudo, to the Council’s Head of Planning.Marc’s uncovering of the Barn Hill Conservation Area boundary change (adopted by Brent’s Executive – now Cabinet – in June 2013), which puts the site of the proposed new houses within the Conservation Area, made me review my own earlier objection comments. Last Friday I submitted my updated objections.
I will ask Martin to include the illustrated pdf version of these at the end of this post – which includes screenshots from Brent’s massive Local Plan document of the policies which the Newland Court garages scheme would breach. Please have a look at these, if you think they could be useful for future objections you may wish to make on applications affecting you!
It was now clear to me that the Newland Court planning application should be refused, so I have sent the following open email to the Cabinet Member and Council Officer(s) behind it, calling on them to withdraw the application. I have asked Martin to share it’s text with you, so that it is available for anyone to read (and to write in support of, or comment on).
Dear Councillor Knight, Ms. Baines and Ms Sweeney,
This is an open email
As you are, respectively, Brent's Lead Member for Housing, Head of Affordable Housing and Head of Estates Regeneration, I think you should see my latest (and illustrated) comments document, which sets out further objections to Brent's Newland Court garages planning application, 22/3124.
It explains, in section 1, why the site on which you propose to build seven new Council homes is actually inside the Barn Hill Conservation Area. This was the result of a minor change in the boundary, adopted by Brent's Executive (now Cabinet) in June 2013.
It lists the reasons why your application fails to comply with a number of Brent's Local Plan policies, including those on Heritage, Trees, Ecological Impact and Parking.
In case you don't feel that you have time to read the whole of the attached document, here are some highlights from its conclusion:
'There is already a long list of Brent Local Plan policies which application 22/3124 fails to comply with: BP1 Central, BGI1, BGI2, BHC1 and BT2. To that list can also be added the main development management policy in the Local Plan, DMP1. This policy states that ‘development will be accepted provided it is ….’ It then sets out nine tests, and this application fails at least five of them: a), b), d), e) and h). It cannot be claimed that there is ‘a minor conflict with policy’. The application is so far in conflict with Brent’s adopted Local Plan policies that it must be refused.'
'Although this “infill” scheme may have looked possible “on paper”, it is not practical or sustainable when the reality of its proposed site is taken into account. That, on top of its many failures to comply with Brent’s adopted planning policies, must mean that the application should be refused.'
It is not just me, or residents of Newland Court and neighbours in Grendon Gardens, who believe that your application should be refused - several Brent Council experts have also said so in their consultee comments on it.
I am bringing this to your attention because I think it is time you accepted that the Newland Court garages scheme was a mistake. Your planning application should be withdrawn, and no further money, or Planning / Housing Officer time, should be wasted on it.
I hope to hear that you have taken, or will now take, that sensible decision. Best wishes,
Philip Grant
(a Brent resident with an interest in housing matters)
The familiar FM Conway vehicles seen across Brent will soon just a memory when two new contractors take over the Borough's Highway Maintenance Contract in April. This is the thrrd of the Public Realm Environment contracts to be awarded.
For the purposes of the contract, in an arrangement that looks quite complex in terms of responsibilities, the borough has been split into two areas with O'Hara Bros Surfacing Ltd taking 'Lot 1' and G W Highways Ltd 'Lot 2':
Highways Maintenance Works contract: Planned Highways Maintenance
and Highways Schemes; Reactive Highways Maintenance including emergency call-out; and Cyclical and Reactive Gully cleansing.
Scope of Highways Maintenance Works contract Lot 1:
(i) Planned schemes and maintenance work in area 1 of the borough
(ii) Reactive repairs in the whole of the borough
(iii) Occasional planned schemes and maintenance work in the area 2 of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given
Scope of Highways Maintenance Works contract Lot 2:
(i) Planned schemes and maintenance work in area 2 of the borough
(ii) Occasional reactive repairs work across the whole of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given
(iii) Occasional planned schemes and maintenance work in area 1 of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given
The combined contracts will be worth £78m over their 10 year duration with an initial contract period of 7 years, with further adjustments for inflation etc.
Cabinet are recommended to:
1, Approve the award of the contract “Lot 1” for the provision of Highway Maintenance Services to O’Hara Bros Surfacing Ltd for an initial contract period of seven (7) years, with an option to extend for up to a further three (3) years on an annual basis and notes that the value of the contract is estimated to be circa £4.3m per year, or circa £43m over the 10 year duration of the contract (excluding inflation indexation).
2. Approve the award of the contract “Lot 2” for the provision of Highway Maintenance Services to GW Highways Ltd for an initial contract period of Seven (7) years, with an option to extend for up to a further three (3) years on an annual basis and notes that the value of the contract is estimated to be circa £3.5m per year, or circa £35m over the 10 year duration of the contract (excluding inflation indexation).
Lot 1 represents an increase of 21% over the current Conway contract and 16% for Lot 2. Officers state that prices would have gone up anyway if Conway had continued with the contract.
Officers note an important issue (highlighted):
It should be noted that the cost for the Emergency Call Out service, included in Lot 1, has increased substantially from circa £50k per annum to an estimated £240k per annum (the figures are estimated as the total depends on the number of Call Outs incurred). With the current reactive maintenance budget, this will mean that the funding available for the repair of medium priority highway defects will be considerably reduced.
There might be some public concern that an initial 7 year contract is quite long if anything goes wrong. Officers' note:
The decision to extend the contracts will be based on the respective services being delivered to a minimum satisfactory standard, outlined in up to 12 Primary Performance Indicators and 5 Secondary Performance Indicators, covering the range of services. The PPI for gully cleansing, and the three PPIs for reactive maintenance, would not normally apply to Lot 2 as those services are not expected to be delivered via that contract.
So councillors should be interested in the extent of monitoring of the performance indicators during the 7 years and the actions that would be taken in the event on unsatisfactory performance. The performance indicators have not been published in this report.
The report notes that the Highways Consultancy Service contract that inspects highway structures, carries out site investigations and provides surveys and design services is still being worked on.
Names of
companies that applied for the contracts have not been published.
One of the posters for Continental Landscapes' 'Fighting Dirty' campaign in partnership with Richmond Council
Brent Council is set to appoint a new contractor for the grounds maintenance of its parks, open spaces, playgrounds, sports pitches, council estate grounds and allotments. Cemeteries are not mentioned but I presume they are also covered.
The appointment of Continental Landscapes follows the decision to separate the public realm contracts into waste management, grounds maintenance and highways. Leaseholders on council estates will be consulted on the progress of the contract.
Park wardens are to be brought in-house, directly employed by Brent Council.
The contract will be worth £2.2m a year or c£17.6m over the initial 8 year term of the contract and c£35.2m over the full 16 year contract period.
Continental Landscapes website states:
Continental Landscapes was formed in 1989 and is a member of the Krinkels Group, who operate in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the UK.
Since 1989, we have grown substantially in size and reputation. The company has developed significantly and now has a multi-million pound turnover. Continental Landscapes is involved in every aspect of grounds maintenance, street cleansing and landscaping services. In addition there are a number of divisions within the company offering a comprehensive range of related services.
Continental Landscapes has won many prestigious industry awards. We are also active members of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and The Institute of Parks and Green Space (IPGS).
Our core commitments of developing staff from within, creating partnerships with our clients, being respectful to the natural environment and having directly-employed environmental, conservation and biodiversity specialists means we have an embedded culture of respect in every facet of our business.
Continental Landscapes was formed in 1989, a family business that was started to meet the new opportunities afforded by competitive tendering, and over 30 years has grown to be one of the largest specialist providers for high quality parks, open spaces and streets. We are unique in the marketplace in that our flexibility and experience allows us to work on individual one-off projects to city-scale long term projects. In a marketplace that is flooded with multinational companies made up of a portfolio of different businesses, our management team, and the company, are horticulture and street scene specialists. This understanding of the industry from board level to front-line gardener is what sets us apart and allows us to understand our clients and the needs of their customers intimately.
Guest post by local historian Philip Grant
The wreck of the “Endurance”, 2022. (Image from the internet)
When the wreck of the “Endurance”, located 3,000 metres down in the Antarctic’s Weddell Sea, was discovered last year, it was the result of a meticulously planned expedition. The pictures, filmed from a robot submarine, were amazing. But this month local residents will have the opportunity to see some more amazing images, taken during Ernest Shackleton’s original Antarctic expedition, between 1914 and 1917, as part of a talk at Wembley History Society, to which interested visitors will be welcome.
The talk is a recreation of an original lecture given by Dr Leonard Hussey, a member of the expedition team, about a remarkable adventure. It began as a scientific exploration of the Antarctic, but in 1915 the “Endurance” became trapped in the sea ice, which eventually crushed the sides of the wooden ship. When the ice began to thaw, their vessel sank, and a two-year survival journey began, across ice and sea, before the entire crew were saved.
Some of the crew hauling one of the ship’s lifeboats across the ice. (Image from the internet)
Towards the end of his life, Dr Hussey passed on the original glass slides from his talk, and his notes, to a new custodian, so that people could continue to see and hear a first-hand account of the expedition’s story. In 2000, Geoff Selley became the latest custodian, and as well as presenting the talk, via powerpoint, he will be bringing some of those glass slides and other artifacts from the expedition, for people to see on 20 January.
Frank Hurley filming Antarctic wildlife. (Image from the internet)
Leonard Hussey’s words are brought to life by the original pictures taken by the expedition’s photographer, Frank Hurley. Shackleton could not have chosen a better man than this Australian, who not only captured the Antarctic’s wildlife (his original brief), but also the highs and lows of the expedition’s survival story, after disaster struck their ship.
Wembley History Society is pleased to be able to offer the chance to attend this talk, not just to its members, but to any local resident, young or old, who may be interested (for a small charge, to help cover costs). Details are on the poster displayed above.
Philip Grant.
The first Brent Council Cabinet of 2023 will be requested to award the new Integrated Waste Collections and Winter Maintenance contract to Veolia:
[Approve] the award of the Integrated Contract to Veolia Environmental Services UK Ltd for an initial contract period of eight (8) years, with an option to extend for a further eight (8) year contract period in the estimated sum of £17.13m for 2023/24, circa £137m over the initial 8-year term of the contract or circa £274m over the full 16-year contract period.
The new contract introduces a twin stream recycling system of paper and card recycling in bags one week and remaining blue bin recycling in the next week. There will also be a new small items collection service. Education and Communication on waste services will be provided in-house.
Frequency of street cleaning on a rota basis will be ended and instead there will be an 'intelligence led' response by a Task Force to respond to litter hot-spots.
The webcast of the Public Ream Scrutiny Committee meeting that considered the issue can be viewed HERE.
The Committee had been concerned about the discrepancy between the on-line consultation rejection of the changes and the acceptance of the changes in the much smaller face-to-face consultations. An officer had admitted that the street cleansing changes would not produce a better outcome but were made necessary by financial constraints.
The Cabinet Report states
A report on the Integrated Contract procurement programme was considered by Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 13 December 2022. The Committee's recommendations are included below and these will be taken forward by officers in early 2023.
i) Produce a diagram/flowchart detailing all milestones from May 2019 when the Redefining Local Services (RLS) programme was first initiated.
ii) Review household bulky waste collection charges, including consideration of a sliding scale of charges linked to the number of items to be collected, rather than the current fixed rate of £35 for up to five items.
iii) Undertake a feasibility study on the potential for introducing a mixed approach to paper/card recycling collections, to explore whether any recycling collection rounds in the borough would be more suited to the use of bins rather than sacks.
iv) Arrange a session with ward councillors and Neighbourhood Managers to inform the design and development of the new recycling engagement and communication plan that will accompany the roll out of the new recycling service.
v) Liaise with the West London Waste Authority to ensure access is reinstated for pedestrians and cyclists at the Abbey Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre.
vi) Improve collaboration between in-house enforcement teams and collection operatives in identifying fly tipping hot spots and collating evidence, to remove the burden from residents.
You can judge for yourselves whether the final report to Cabinet takes the recommendations into account.
I have embedded the full report below. Service changes can be found in 7.4 onwards (Twin Stream Recycling) and in 7.15 onwards ( Intelligence-led Street Cleansing).
