LETTER: Announcing the 'Decolonising Wembley' project

 Dear Editor,

 

I hope you're doing well - I thought I would reach out to you, hoping that you might be able to support our campaign. I am looking to spread the word about ‘Decolonising Wembley.’

 

This project aims to address the imperial nostalgia among urban professionals involved in the construction of Wembley. Specifically, it involves retroactively renaming the streets and buildings that commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. We're approaching the 100-year anniversary of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley where the famous Kings Speech took place - by addressing modern commemorations at Wembley, we hope to raise awareness about the legacy of British imperialism and encourage people to reconsider their relationship with it.

 

There will be a few high-profile public talks that we'll be delivering on this.

 

The figure below highlights the 22 known commemorations of the British Empire Exhibition.

 

 

‘Decolonising Wembley’ is a project aimed at challenging the celebration of British imperialism and the legacy of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. The project aims to investigate the realities of British imperialism, the raison d’etre of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, and the nomenclature of assets such as roads, buildings, open spaces, etc. at Wembley, London that commemorate and celebrate this contested event in history.

The project dissects the act of naming a street or building after an event, person, or building as an act of celebration that honours and memorializes the Exhibition’s legacy. Thereby preserving and romanticizing a contested narrative in Wembley’s history for generations to come.

Decolonising Wembley is a collaborative project that brings together academics, historians, activists, and community members – that seek to challenge the imperial nostalgia among urban professionals involved in the construction of Wembley and to promote a more critical understanding of the past. One of the key aspects of the project is the retroactive renaming of streets, open spaces and buildings that commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. This renaming process is an important step towards acknowledging the complexities of history and the impact of colonialism on the world.

The project also investigates the raison d’etre of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition and its role in promoting British imperialism. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the event and its impact, and to provide a more nuanced perspective on the legacy of British imperialism.

The launch of the Decolonising Wembley project is an important initiative that seeks to challenge the celebration of empire and to promote a more critical understanding of the past.

This is a serious cause of concern, especially as Brent is one of Britain’s most diverse boroughs – British imperialism has caused much strife and pain for our communities, Lord Woolley CBE said it best:

“For many, including me, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to revere about the empire. It means slavery, murder, theft, barbaric cruelty and colonialism. We cannot and must not attempt to erase our history, but we can choose which parts we put on a pedestal.”

 

For more information about the Decolonising Wembley project, please visit our website at www.decolonisingwembley.com and visit the socials @decolonising.wembley

Kind Regards,

 

Nabil Al-Kinani

 

Urbanist // Cultural Producer // Creative Practitioner

 

 

Willesden Neighbourhood Health and Wellbeing Workshop - June 29th from 1pm at Ashford Place Community Centre

 We would like to hear from you!

 

Join us for an interactive afternoon discussing care, wellbeing and health provision in Willesden Green, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, and Dollis Hill. This workshop is a key opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences on the current state of services in our neighbourhood, and work collaboratively to address and prevent health inequalities.

 

The event will take place on Thursday, June 29th, 2023 from 1 PM at Ashford Place Community Centre, 60 Ashford Road, London, NW2 6TU. We will start the event with half an hour of lunch and networking before beginning our discussions.

 

During the workshop we want to hear from you on a range of topics including the challenges faced by children, young people and their families today, what you want to see from the future of health and care in the Willesden neighbourhood, and potential solutions to improve the quality of wellbeing, health and care in our community.

 

This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and contribute to the ongoing conversation about wellbeing, health and care in the Willesden neighbourhood. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

TICKETS

Windrush Day 75 events with Brent Council - first starting soon at Brent Civic Centre with more to come

From Brent Council

This year marks the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain with more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean, ready to embark on their new lives.

Brent Council is proud to celebrate Windrush 75 with a host of events around the borough this summer.

Kicking off the celebrations, on Thursday 22 June, Brent Civic Centre will come alive with a free flagship Market Place to celebrate the legacy and contribution of the African-Caribbean community with music, live performances, and food stalls.

There will also be a Windrush exhibition, charting what it was like to settle in a new country from those who experienced this firsthand and what it meant to be British. The event is set to attract hundreds of visitors throughout the day so mark it in your diaries – there is no need to book in advance.

This will be followed by a Tea Party in Gladstone Park on 24 June to celebrate the elderly survivors of the Windrush generation. There will be live performance with a reggae choir, and the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of elders in the community as they share more about their lives. Get your tickets from Eventbrite.

Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Reform, said:

Celebrating seventy-five years of Windrush is a hugely significant and special way to honour our African-Caribbean community.

Time goes by very quickly, but a lifetime of memories, service and contribution is never forgotten. It is a privilege to celebrate and acknowledge the work, sacrifice, and achievements of the Windrush seniors.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council said: “The Windrush Generation holds a significant place in Britain and Brent’s history and must becelebrated and respected for their vast contribution to society.

The legacy of the Windrush community will continue for many more years to come through the many talented Brent residents who are direct descendants of Windrush pioneers.

This is what sets us apart from so many other London boroughs and I am incredibly grateful to all those who came to Brent and continue to call this borough their home.

Windrush Workshops
Englan' Voice: Celebrating Windrush Generation Artists
Thursday 22 June
Kilburn Library
10:30am to 12noon
Harlesden Library
1pm to 2:30pm

Discover the work of three Windrush-era artists painter Tam Joseph, writer Beryl Gilroy and musician Aldwyn Roberts and their influence on British culture.

Harlesden Library Coffee Morning

 
‘You called, we responded’: Celebrating 75 years of Windrush and the NHS
 

Thursday 6 July
11am to 12noon
2023 marks both the 75th anniversaries of the arrival of the Empire Windrush and the start of the NHS. Join local Dr Joan St John to explore some of the impacts of that shared history.

Windrush 75 – Family Craft
2.30 to 4.30pm
Wembley Library – Wednesday 16 August
Kilburn Library – Friday 18 August
Age 3+. Drop in.

For more information: brent.gov.uk/libraries

Man arrested after stabbings at Central Middlesex Hospital

 From Brent Police

Armed officers were among those responding after calls at 13:18hrs on Wednesday, 21 June to reports that two people had been stabbed at Central Middlesex Hospital.

Officers found two people with stab injuries.

The first victim has injuries that are being treated as life-threatening.

The second victim's injuries are not being treated as life-threatening.

Police arrested a man outside the hospital. He has also been conveyed to hospital having received injuries that are believed to be self-inflicted. His condition is being treated as life-threatening.

Officers will remain in the hospital as further searches are conducted but at this time they are satisfied that no one else is sought.

Police are working to establish the circumstances. At this time the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

The hospital was temporarily locked down but has now re-opened and will be operating services as normal. There is a heightened police presence at the hospital while we investigate.

On Twitter Cllr Ketan Sheth, Chair of Scrutiny Committee said:

Shocked and saddened to hear of a stabbing incident at Central Middlesex Hospital… My immediate thoughts are with the patients and the wonderful staff at the hospital. I’m pleased that the incident was swiftly dealt with by the emergency services.

Petition launched calling on Brent Council to protect our parks and green spaces from development

 

After the very unpopular decision of Brent Planning Committee to allow the building of 4 bulky houses in Barham Park, residents have been concerned that a precedent has been set which could threaten our other parks and public spaces. This is particularly the case where there are existing buildings in the park or green space that could be declared redundant or poorly maintained and the site redeveloped.

We learnt how important green spaces are during the pandemic and open access is important. Access has already been lost to the Copland Fields and green space is likely to be lost in South Kilburn. The St Raphael's green space may be eaten into in future redevelopment.   At the same time Brent's tower block building boom means that the population has increased and the new residents have no gardens, just access to a balcony or a small shared space consisting mainly of concrete. An exception will be the new Union Park near the stadium.

Barham Park is supposedly protected by covenant, a fact that the Planning Committee discounted as not a planning consideration, but unfortunately even that is not the case with other parks.

In Brent only King Edward VII Park, Wembley; Roe Green Walled Garden in Kingsbury and Mapesbury Dell in Cricklewood are protected by Fields in Trust. Their mission is to protect parks and green  spaces.  Owners can apply to Fields in Trust whether private, community or local authority for a potection agreement. Brent Council is of course the owner of our parks and public spaces apart from Queens Park which is owned by the Corporation of London.

 

Brent Council as the landowner would have to apply for a protection agreement and that will need pressure from residents to persuade them that such action is vital.

Meanwhile a petition has been launched in the wake of the Barham Park decision calling on Brent Council to uphold its Strategic Plan commitment to protecting parks and open spaces.

The petition is on Brent Council's website HERE

 

Save Brent Parks from house building & development

 

We the undersigned petition the council to uphold its long standing Strategic Policy of protecting Brent Parks and Open Spaces at all cost.

 

We are concerned that Brent Council's Planning Committee has ignored Strategic Core Policy of protecting Parks and Open Spaces and also the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which designated Barham Park as a Local Green Space and developed a specific Planning Policy BP1 which stated that any housing building or redevelopment in Barham Park should be refused. That decision has effectively undermined Neighbourhood Planning, ignored the views of local people and put at risk other Parks and Open Spaces across Brent.

 

Henry Construction (builders of the Wembley Link) no longer trading - 40 staff made redundant. Status of Wembley Link site being investigated.

The two Wembley Link towers behind the High Road at an earlier stage

 Update from the Construction Index (LINK)

As previously reported, Geoff Rowley and David Hudson of specialist business advisory firm FRP were appointed as joint administrators to Henry Construction Projects Limited on Thursday 8th June 2023.

Since the appointment, the administrators have been assessing the position of the business with support from sector professional advisors.

The business is no longer trading and most of its 40 staff have been made redundant. A small number has been retained to assist the administrators in their duties.

Gateley Vinden, the property and construction consultancy, is supporting the administrators as they contact developers across sites in progress along with Hilco Valuation Services, the asset valuation, advisory and sales practice of Hilco Global, which is assisting with the asset recovery and disposal strategy.

Mark Henry’s own personal property portfolio is understood to be unaffected by the collapse.

David Hudson, partner at FRP and joint administrator of Henry Construction Projects Limited, said: 

Henry Construction was a significant player of scale in the UK market. Unfortunately, given its financial position, it was not able to continue trading and so all operations have ceased. Regrettably, the majority of staff have been made redundant and we are supporting them in making the appropriate claims to the Redundancy Payments Office.

We continue our work to gather information about the assets and liabilities of the business and understand the events leading up to the insolvency. As part of that process, we are engaging with developers regarding the status of each site.

UPDATE VIA COMMENT: Letter: Brent Council are failing to implement post-Grenfell measures, New CEO could face prison if Brent Council has not registered all their buildings in time.

Dear Editor,

 

I first told you about 'Safety Cases' in 2021 when they were required for contractors presenting their new developments for planning but now it is a legal requirement for all of Brent's buildings in scope (7 storeys or higher) who must publish a safety case by the 1st October 2023.

 

Several commentators reported on the Grenfell anniversary last Wednesday that almost every landlord in England has not published their Safety Case yet and that includes Brent.

 

It can take between 2 to 3 months to assemble all the information needed to make a safety case and Brent will need to make one for all the 40 buildings that I know of.

 

Brent must also register all their buildings in scope and apply for a safety certificate by the 1st Oct. 2023.  

 

Are you aware that some Council employees could end up in prison if they fail to comply with all the requirements before the 1st October 2023?

 

The government said all landlords should publish a Resident Engagement Strategy 12 months after it became the law and many councils across London have published theirs, but Brent has not published anything yet.

 

The government also gave a 2 month extension to all landlords to set up their Resident Panels, which are now due to be implemented on the 28th June 2023 but once again Brent seem not to be doing anything about them.

 

London Politics show (BBC 1) had a story about Grenfell and mentioned all the recommendations that are due to come in over the next 3 months but Brent seems to not be aware of any of their responsibilities over this issue.

 

There is a budget available for Residents' Panels, with £1,300 p.a. being available for Residents' Associations to co-ordinate them.

 

But you probably have guessed by now, the government give the money to the council who in turn pass it on to the Residents' Associations to hold at least one meeting a year with a maximum of 4, to explain how to prevent fires & other hazards in their buildings.

 

A local resident

(Details submitted)

 

 

Wembley Link delayed after Henry Construction hits problems

 

Credit: Wembley Link

Wembley residents have probably seen the two towetrs emerging behind the Twin Towers (Uncle Bulding) on Park Park, wedged between the High Road and the Chiltern railway.

This is the 'Wembley Link' two towers of 16 and 18 storeys being built on the railway embankment by Henry Construction Projects  for Hub  (developer of the Uncle building) which will provide 256 apartments.

The Construction Enquirer LINK reports that Henry are having problems in paying sub-contractors and suppliers. London drylining contractor Ozel Group issued a winding-up petition against Henry Construction in an attempt to settle outstanding payments.

The Enquirer, in their  story published 2 weeks ago  about the builder struggling to complete their schemes, quotes a source regarding the Wembley Link:

There are problems at Henry’s Wembley job for developer Hub. A lot of firms have not been paid. And the scaffolders turned up last week and took their kit away.

The 16 and 18 storey towers have reached second-fit stage but firms are complaining about not getting paid. Several subcontractors are in the same position.

The Link is so-called as it is part of a scheme to link Wembley Central new deveopments with the Quintain etc developments around the stadium.