WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
This new constituency includes the Brent wards of Kilburn, Queen's Park and Harlesden and Kensal Green.
Helen Baxter, Liberal Democrat
Angela Carter-Begbie, Reform UK
Abdulla Dharami, Independent
Georgia Gould, Labour
Samia Hersi, Conservative Party candidate
Vivien Lichtenstein, Green Party
Irakli Menabde, Workers Party
The replacement building on the site of the King Edward VII Park pavilion goes to Brent Planning Committee tomorrow. The application has been covered previously on Wembley Matters HERE.
There have been 23 objections and 66 supporters, the latter often from further afield as supporters of the Stonebridge Boxing Club and its activities. There is one neutral comment that supports the use but is critical of the proposed building.
The building occupies a larger footprint that the current building or the initial proposal resulting in the loss of some green space and trees.
Unusually the planning consent relates solely to its use by Stonebridge Boxing Club that also has a building earmarked at the Stonebridge Station development LINK.
Many practical issues to do with the use of the facility are left to negotiations with the Parks Department,
Planners argue that the benefits of the club facility, toilets, cafe etc outweigh the loss and will enhance the open space LINK:
The proposed development would replace a currently vacant, unused building with a modern, purpose-built facility. Whilst the proposed footprint of the building would be larger than the existing by 318.8sqm, it is considered that the proposal would bring animation, activity and natural surveillance to the park, contributing to its amenity value and providing community benefits including supporting the operation of Stonebridge Boxing Club which provides a number of benefits for the local community.
With regard to Policy G4, the proposed footprint of the building would be 576.8sqm, an increase of 318.8sqm over the existing footprint of 285sqm. The surrounding hardstanding would also be increased.
While the café use would serve the open space, indoor sports and fitness are not typically seen to be open space uses and the proposal is therefore seen to be the loss of protected open space. This space in question would not be suitable for use as sports pitches, as there is a significant fall in ground levels within it and it is in close proximity to a number of mature trees. The total area of open space within the park is approximately 10.5 hectares and the amount of open space lost would equate to circa 0.5% of the total park space. It is considered that the harm caused by the relatively minor increase in the loss of open space in this instance would be very limited and this harm must be weighed against the benefits of the proposal.
To summarise, the proposed development would result in the provision of indoor sports and fitness which is not considered to be an open space use and therefore would be seen to result in the loss of protected open space. However, it would also result in benefits, including the provision of the café and toilet and the fitness and community benefits associated with Stonebridge Boxing Club. The benefits associated with the development are considered to outweigh the limited amount of harm associated with the loss of the open space. Given that the harm is being weighed against benefits associated in part with the work that is done by Stonebridge Boxing Club, it is considered necessary to secure the consent as relating solely to use by Stonebridge Boxing Club . It should be noted that the building in itself would be acceptable had it been proposed solely for uses to support the park.
Those interested can attend the meeting at Brent Civic Centre tomorrow at 6pm or follow the live feed HERE
Committee members are briefed beforehand at 12 noon.
We are all familiar with the publicity shots of Brent councillors with 'community skips' and smiling, albeit slightly embarrassed Veolia staff, but a ruling that purdah rules means that they cannot take place during a General Election suggests that these have always been a party political event rather than a council service. Community skips were in the Labour Party council election manifesto.
The rules state:
Local authorities in Great Britain have a statutory responsibility not to publish any material which appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party. The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity is issued under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986, as amended, and local authorities must have regard to it. Publicity is “any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public at large or to a section of the public." This guidance applies at all times but during the pre-election period greater care is generally taken and goes beyond just publicity. Use of council facilities and resources should not be used for party political campaigning.
The fact that the guidance 'applies at all times' does raise the issue of previous publicity put out by the Council's public relations department on the council's official twitter feed.
If councillor presence was just for party publicity could the skips have continued quietly without them?
BRENT EAST
Nida Alfulaij, Green Party candidate
Dawn Butler, Labour Party
Jenner Folwell, Independent
Zbigniew Kowalczyk, Reform UK
Amin Moafi, Independent
James Mutimer, Workers Party
Jamila Robertson, Conservative Party candidate
Aadil Shaikh, Independent
Jonny Singh, Liberal Democrat
BRENT WEST
Ian Collier, Reform UK
Baston De'Medici Jaguar, Green Party candidate
Barry Gardiner, Labour
Nadia Klok, Workers Party
Paul Lorber, Liberal Democrat
Sushil Rapatwar, Conservative Party candidate
QUEEN'S PARK COUNCIL BY-ELECTION
Virginia Bonham Carter, Liberal Democrat
Ricardo Davies, Green Party
Emily Sheffield, Conservative Party
Lesley Smith, Labour Party
Brent Council is currently consulting on the Staples Corner Growth Area Masterplan which would see major changes in the Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) areas in Dollis Hill, new housing, a designated high rise area and better connections with green spaces.
The Council claims:
Staples Corner will be transformed into a higher quality and intensified industrial area sitting adjacent to a new urban community. Regeneration and growth will support a rich ecology of industrial and co-located residential uses to create an exemplary 15-minute neighbourhood where people live, work and interact. Intensification will deliver a new and varied supply of modern industrial premises for London’s strategic and local business needs, as well as commercial space, social infrastructure and an improved public realm to support a mixed use residential community.
Staples Corner will be enhanced as an attractive, prosperous and sustainable place,
supporting new industrial business and employment growth, as well as welcoming new residents to the neighbourhood.
Protecting and intensifying the majority of the industrial land solely for industrial
purposes, but allowing some either for a mix of uses incorporating some industrial or for
residential led development, will deliver:
• Modern, fit for purpose industrial spaces for local businesses including logistics,
light industrial units and affordable workspace;
• Opportunities for employment, skills and training for local people;
• A minimum of 2,200 new high quality homes, including affordable homes and
family sized-dwellings;
• A range of new local services and community spaces that support interaction and community cohesion;
• New open spaces, incorporating play for a range of ages, and public realm
improvements particularly along the North Circular Road and Edgware Road;
• A high quality environment that is safe and accessible to everyone;
• An industrial movement network that keeps HGV and large vehicles to the
strategic road network, with other streets encouraging walking and
cycling over private motor vehicles, and better connect Staples Corner to the
surrounding area;
• A place that achieves the highest standards of sustainability to support a
low carbon circular economy.
The plans include a tall building zone off the Edgware Road with some taller 'marker buildings':
The West Hendon redevelopment in neighbouring Barnet with its 'marker' tall building was opposed by Brent Council because of its impact on the Welsh Harp but it was argued at the time that it would set a precedent that could lead to development close to the banks of the Welsh Harp encouraged by the Council. The comment included in the above image 'building masses should consider the setting of the locally listed Welsh Harp reservoir, and also respond sensitively to suburban streets to the south' will be key for many local people and will the impact of tall buildings on the flight paths of breeding and migrating birds.
I can only include a basic outline of these massive detailed documents that can be found on the Council website HERE.
One adopted the Masterplan will used as the framework for future planning decisions in the designated Growth Area area and so it is important to comment now.
CONSULTATION MEETINGS
June 12th 12-3pm Bellissima Ristorante
June 18th 10am-2pm Stables Cafe, Gladstone Park
June 27th 12-3pm Bellissima Ristorante
July 3rd 5.30-7.30pm Millennium Business Centre
A WW2 Air Raid Warden Post coat of arms, which will be on display at the talk.
This month we are remembering the efforts of the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen who took part in the D-Day landings eighty years ago. But the Second World War affected the “home front” as well, and thousands of Wembley residents, men and women, played an important part in keeping their neighbours safe from German bombing.
Many had volunteered to be Air Raid Wardens as early as the Spring of 1938, and carried on giving up their free time right through until the warden service was disbanded in June 1945. Others took on roles in First Aid, Rescue or the Auxiliary Fire Service, putting themselves “in harms way” to protect the lives and property of their fellow residents, with some paying the ultimate price.
A German V1 flying bomb (or “doodlebug”) in the air.
Hitler responded to the Allied invasion on the Normandy beaches by ordering the use of his Vergeltungswaffen (“vengeance weapons”), beginning with V1 flying bombs. The first of these to land in Wembley came less than a fortnight after D-Day, and fell not far from Barham Community Library, where I will be giving a talk on Saturday 15 June.
My illustrated talk, on “Wembley’s Air Raid Wardens in the Second World War”, will include a number of other stories local to the Sudbury area, but covers the whole of the former Borough of Wembley. It is a joint event, between the Library and Wembley History Society, but there are still a few seats available for anyone who wants to attend.
Please see the poster below for details, and contact Paul at the Library if you would like to come along, from 3pm until c.4.30pm on Saturday 15 June. All ages, probably from about ten upwards, are welcome if you would be interested. It is a free event, but donations to Barham Community Library would be appreciated. I look forward to seeing you there!
Philip Grant
Wembley Stadium's bid to increase the number of events at the stadium LINK has encountered opposition from a significant public transport provider. In a letter to Brent Council Chiltern Railways say the not not have sufficient rail stock or staff capacity to cater for more events. They say other services they provide are already hit on event days.
The new Wembley Station was originally designated a 'public transport destination'.
This is the Chiltern Railways letter:
Planning REF: 24/1329
Dear Brent Council Planning Authority,
On behalf of Chiltern Railways, who operate services to London, Birmingham and Oxford via Wembley Stadium station we wanted to object to the proposed application for 9 additional events to be held at Wembley Stadium each year.
As the key mainline rail operator operating Wembley Stadium Station, we carry between 8 and 12% of customer flows for Wembley events including major football fixtures and summer concerts. Whilst we are supportive of the positive impact Wembley events have for local economic activity, Chiltern Railways does not currently have enough available rolling stock and associated colleagues to deliver the current cap of 24 sporting events and 22 non-sporting events each year.
At present for Wembley major events impacting our route including recent examples of the Champions League Final on the 1 June 2024 and League One Play Off Final on Saturday 18 May 2024 Chiltern have had to remove services off other sections of our network to deliver enough capacity to safely serve Wembley Stadium. This is having an ongoing negative affect on Chiltern Railways reputation and is negatively impacting our customer and stakeholder relationships on other routes.
If the event cap is extended by a further 9 events, in order to protect our customer base and stakeholder relationships on our wider network, Chiltern Railways will have to take the difficult decision to not serve each and every Wembley event. This will put additional pressure on other transport modes including London Underground, road and bus links to Wembley Stadium.
Chiltern have applied to the Department for Transport for additional rolling stock for the Chiltern Mainline which would enable us to deliver the required capacity for the future growth of events at Wembley Stadium. Following the General Election we expect that the new Secretary of State for Transport would be in position to make a final decision on these proposals in December 2024. As such the earliest that new rolling stock could be introduced is late 2025. We will also need to get signoff from the Department for Transport to increase our colleague numbers in order to operate additional services.
In conclusion, whilst we currently support the delivery of major events at Wembley Stadium, as the key mainline rail operator we do not currently have any additional rolling stock capacity to meet the proposed extension in the events cap.
To protect our customer and stakeholder reputation across the wider Chiltern Railways network, we are likely to be in a position where we cannot safely serve each and every Wembley event with mainline rail services. We are continuing to advocate for additional rolling stock to the Department for Transport and would ask Brent Council, Wembley Stadium and The Football Association to support these plans to enable us to serve additional Wembley events in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Zach Bailey
Regional Growth Manager
Chiltern Railways
From Brent NEU
PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION, PARENTS AND BARRY GARDINER TO PRESENT PETITION AT DfE
NEU members at Byron Court Primary School are continuing their strike in a fight to save their local community school which is threatened with a forced privatisation by the huge Harris Federation chain of academies. STRIKES CONTINUE TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY this week. On WEDNESDAY the campaign group will present their petition of nearly 2000 signatories to the DfE.
Staff at Byron Court Primary School in Wembley continue their strike action this week to save their local community school from a forced “academy order” following an intimidating Ofsted inspection which has left some staff fearing for their mental health and their futures. They are hoping for a reprieve and pause in the academy order process due to government guidelines on the pre-election “purdah” period.
NEU MEMBERS, PARENTS, COUNCILLORS AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN TURNING OUT TO SUPPORT THE PICKET LINES AND PROTESTS FOLLOWING A HIGH PROFILE PARENT CAMPAIGN WHICH IS ALSO SUPPPORTED BY BARRY GARDINER LABOUR PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE FOR BRENT WEST.
Meanwhile a live complaint lodged with Ofsted is now with the external adjudicator following the internal complaints process in which Ofsted “mark their own work” and there is also a formal complaint lodged with the Chief of Operations of Ofsted. It is hoped this may halt the takeover.
