Some Wembley local history to enjoy in the next few weeks!

Guest post by local historian Philip Grant in a personal capacity 

 

Sir Arthur Elvin in 1948.

 

I have to declare an interest, as I am involved with most of the events featured in this guest post, but I hope that by sharing the details on “Wembley Matters”, more people who might be interested in one or two of them will have the opportunity to enjoy them.

 

An aerial view of Wembley Town Hall, nearing completion in 1939.
(Image from “Wembley” by Geoffrey Hewlett, 2002)

 

 As part of Open House weekend, the Lycée International Winston Churchill in Forty Lane is opening its doors to the public for guided tours on Saturday 13 September, from 10am to 2.30pm. Although it has been a French Lycée since 2015, many people still know the building as the former Brent Town Hall. It started life as Wembley Town Hall, designed by Clifford Strange and built between 1937 and 1940. The former Town Hall is Grade 2 listed, and this is a rare opportunity for residents to go inside, so if you want more details please “click” on this link.

 

During his lifetime, Arthur Elvin became known as Mister Wembley, and played an important part in making Wembley the world-famous destination it is today. Yet many local people now don’t know much about him, or even why the name Elvin has been given to a garden square behind the Civic Centre or a school in the High Road. I felt that his story needed to be told, so I am giving an illustrated talk about him at the Wembley History Society meeting at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Kingsbury, on Friday 19 September at 7.30pm.

 

 

As the poster above says, visitors to the Society’s meetings are very welcome, and the 83 and 302 buses, which stop close to the venue, should be running along Church Lane again by the time of the meeting! So, please come along, arriving between 7.15 and 7.25pm if possible, if you would be interested in discovering more about “Mister Wembley” and his part in our local history.

 

Arthur Elvin played an important part in bringing the 1948 Olympic Games to Wembley, and that famous sporting event, and the part the local community played in making it a success, are the subject of a free “coffee morning” talk at Kingsbury Library on Tuesday 7 October, from 11am to 12noon (with tea/coffee and biscuits available from 10.45, so come early!). It is best to reserve your place for these Brent Libraries events, and you can do that by “clicking” here.

 

Title slide for the “coffee morning” talk on Tuesday 7 October.

 

The pre-arranged 1948 Olympic Games talk has been included in the programme for “Our Freedom – Then and Now”, a nationwide project, with Brent Libraries as one of its participating cultural organisations, building on the legacy of the VE Day and VJ Day 80^th anniversary commemorations. When I heard about this project, and that Brent’s aim was ‘an opportunity for local people to creatively explore and share Brent’s hidden wartime stories, connecting the past with their own experiences of community, resilience, and freedom today,’ I knew that I had a resource which would fit perfectly into that theme.

 

Title slide for the “coffee morning” event at Wembley Library on Wednesday 22 October

 

The result will be seen and heard at a Wembley Library “coffee morning” on Wednesday 22 October, from 11am to 12noon, when the first-hand Second World War experiences of two local housewives will be shared, through extracts from letters they wrote to a friend. Those letters were saved by their former neighbour, and eventually donated to Wembley History Society by her daughter in 2020, and they provide a fascinating insight into every-day life at that time. The extracts will be read by two ladies from Brent Libraries, while I will be providing the pictures which link their stories. You can reserve your seat for this event by “clicking” here.

 

Philip Grant.

Brent Cabinet to approve Islamia Primary School move to Brentfield Road site from 1st September 2027

 

It is more than 5 years since Yusuf Islam (AKA Cat Stevens) gave Islamia Primary School and Brent Council notice of eviction. The search has been on for a new site ever since with the South Kilburn site earmarked for a merged Carlton Vale Infants and Kilburn Park Junior rejected by Brent Council  and Strathcona vacated by Roe Green Primary, rejected by Islamia parents,

 

 

Following the decision to close the Leopold Primary Brentfield Road site I suggested in a Wembley Matters article LINK that this might be suitable for Islamia, the only state-funded Muslim School in the borough. 

 

 

In November 2024 Gwen Grahl, lead member for schools, responded to my question at Full Council pursuing that possibility by saying:

 

As set out in the refreshed School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, agreed by Cabinet on 12 November 2024, consideration will be given to opportunities to use any spare capacity within the primary school sector to expand provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, given the increasing need across the borough.

 

The Gwenneth Rickus site of Leopold Primary School will continue to be used for mainstream primary provision until September 2027 and the Council has not determined the future use of the site, that could also include provision for SEND.

 

Now next week's Cabinet, after a formal consultation is set to approve a recommendation that Islamia Primary School transfer to Leopold's Gwenneth Rickus site from 1st September 2027. The Islam Yusuf Foundation (IYS) has extended the eviction period to enable this to happen. The Leopold site will be transferred to IYS, despite the eviction order:

 

[The IYS] would be required to hold the site for the benefit of the Islamia Primary School. Further details in terms of ownership would be set out in a Trust Deed. This would ensure that the primary school would be protected from eviction in future.

 

The Strathcona site would be used for SEND provision.

 

It appears likely that the present Islamia site in Queens Park will be used to expand IYF's private secondary schools. 

 

A majority of respondents rejected the Leopold proposal at the informal consultation stage, but Brent Council reports the result of the statutory consultation as the basis for going ahead with the move:

 

56 responses were submitted to the Brent Have Your Say consultation portal, 6 responses were submitted directly to the school and one response was handed in to the Civic Centre.

 

50 responses were fully supportive of the proposal. 13 respondents either opposed the relocation or raised concerns about it. Of these, 7 were explicitly opposed or objected to the proposal, while 6 were generally supportive but raised concerns regarding the relocation without explicitly opposing or objecting to the proposal.

 

Three local primary schools had raised concerns that the relocation would put further pressure on them at a time of falling schools rolls. 

 

Concerns were raised about journey times, lack of public transport and other issues that are dealt with in the full Cabinet paper HERE.

 

The Equality Impact Assessment LINK  addresses areas likely to be of interest to readers. Here are some key points:

 

AGE

 

The relocation of Islamia Primary School to the Brentfield Road site would ensure that children are taught in a suitable provision setting which will benefit all pupils in the school. Currently pupils are taught in split-site accommodation on the Salusbury Road site and in classrooms in Winkworth Hall, a building leased from the Council.

 

The proposed site would offer improved indoor and outdoor facilities on a single site which would enhance the children’s learning experience and would support the school to sustain a good quality of education for pupils. Being on one site will also allow for improved use of resources, ensuring budgets are used effectively to enhance learning opportunities and experiences for all children.

 

Information will be provided in the Council’s Starting Primary School September 2027 brochure (published September 2026) to advise potential applicants of the planned relocation of the school so that parents are aware before they apply for a school place.

 

DISABILITY

 

The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School with an EHCP is 2.4% compared to 4.0% across schools in Primary Planning Area 4, the planning area within which the school is proposed to be located.

 

The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School receiving SEN Support is 16.5% compared to 18.6% across Planning Area 4.

 

The proposal will not disproportionately impact any person on the basis of special education need or disability. The new site will provide better facilities for all pupils, including those with SEND. It will allow all pupils to be educated together on one site (rather than the current split-site arrangement), supporting the school’s inclusive ethos.

 

Children with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) who transfer to the new site will be able to make an application for transport assistance if they meet the eligibility criteria.

 

RACE

 

The top ethnic groups attending Islamia Primary School (Black African 38.8%, Any other ethnic group 30.6%, and Pakistani 13.4%) are similar to those of schools in Primary Planning Area 4 (Black – African 27.1%, Any other ethnic group 18.9%).

 

It is not considered that relocating the school would have a negative impact on the basis of race

 

RELIGION

 

Islamia Primary School is the only Muslim faith school in Brent. Relocation to the proposed site will ensure the long-term future of the school, ensuring diversity of provision across the Brent educational landscape.

 

There are both denominational and non-denominational schools with spare places in Primary Planning Area 4 where the new site is located, so relocating the school to the area will not impact on local choice for parents and carers.

 

Consideration has been given to community cohesion concerns in the context of moving Islamia Primary School to a site near to the Neasden Temple. The area where the site is located is diverse, reflecting Brent’s mixed communities. Within the context of Brent’s diversity, the Local Authority works proactively with communities to address any community cohesion concerns. Supported by the Council, the Brent Multi-faith Forum also works to develop understanding and shared belonging through bringing communities together.

 

The YIF, and its schools, have a track record of interfaith work, including representation at the former London Interfaith Centre for a number of years, working with the former Three Faiths Forum (now called, The Faith and Belief Forum), hosting the launch of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish and Muslim women’s network, some recent discussions with representatives of the Brent Multi-Faith Forum, participating in borough-wide interfaith walks and other activities.

 

If the relocation to the Gwenneth Rickus site proceeds, the YIF has indicated it would be supportive of working with the local community to ensure that local considerations are reflected in the school’s decision-making processes. This might include, for example, exploring options for local representation on the Governing Board and, through its broader activities, creating space for dialogue via a forum that brings together faith representatives, community groups, residents and council members to consider inclusive engagement and to explore, with the Governing Board, how the site might also support wider community benefit.

Cllr Tariq Dar circulated a jubilant message that assumed (rightly given the rubber-stamping role of Cabinet) that Brent Cabinet would approve the recommendation:

Fantastic News – Islamia School Brent is Saved
Cllr Tariq Dar MBE

Islamia Primary School, founded in 1983 by Brother Yusuf Islam, grew from a small nursery into the first Muslim school in Britain to receive state funding, following the Parents’ Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status in 1984.

After years of uncertainty, Alhamdulillah, the school has been saved and will relocate to the Gwenneth Rickus building (formerly Leopold Primary School), 242–250 Brentfield Road, London, NW10 8HE.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Leader of Brent, Cllr Muhammad Butt, Cllr Grahl (Cabinet Member), council officers, councillors, staff, governors, parents, and the community for their tireless efforts.

Massive thanks all around — Alhamdulillah, Islamia’s future is secured.

Cllr Tariq Dar MBE
Chairman, Islamia School Parents Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status 1984

 

 

 

 

 

North Brent Community Garden Open Day Sunday 31st August 11.30am -3.30pm

 

Some clarification regarding the proposed building and open space on the Samovar Space, Wembley Park

 Cllr Lorber has been provided with a little more clarity on the Samovar Space at Wembley Park:

In terms of the planning applications, the relevant masterplan consent for Plot NW04 is 10/3032 (as most recently varied by 18/0968). The outline planning permission permits an office or hotel use on the plot (adjacent to the ‘tower’ element of the Civic Centre), with ancillary retail/food and bar use. It’s worth noting that roughly half of the plot (to its southern side) is required to comprise public open space (predominantly hard landscaped) within the approved parameters, with the building required to be on the northern half of the plot. As such, the ‘Market Square’ would be retained, albeit reduced in size. However, this was always envisaged to be the case, and the part of the existing square that is not yet built on is a ‘meanwhile use’ until the eventual development comes forward.

 

The above was the approval under 14/3054 (which varied the original 2010 consent).

 

 

The above was the approved 2018 consent which provided public open space fronting Engineers Way (hatched).

 

 

 

 Existing showing the Samovar Space and Sound Shell (Google Earth)

 

 

I  have asked Quintain if they have any draft drawings of their current plans that Wembley Matters could publish, as well as an idea of the height of their proposed building. As can be seen from the 2018 image the public space will be smaller and the new building at NW04A will be closer to the Civic Centre at the library entrance. Brent Council's original deal, made as part of the £17.8m gift to Quintain for Olympic Way improvements, sought to leave more breathing space around the Civic Centre.

Open Letter to Cllr Ketan Sheth: Hydrotherapy Pool closure needs effective scrutiny

 Cllr Sheth's article (Brent & Kilburn Times 21.8.25)

The Northwick Park Hydrotherapy Pool will close at the end of this week. Wembley Matters has received an  Open Letter  from a patient.

 

29^th August 2025

 

Dear Councillor Sheth,

 

Re: Hydrotherapy Pool Closure

 

I have read your statement about the closure of the hydrotherapy pool, which contains a number of misconceptions and inaccuracies. As the Chair of the Scrutiny and Wellbeing Committee* you need to scrutinise this decision on behalf of Brent patients.  However, you have simply repeated the position put forward by the Trust.  Misinformation was provided by the CEO of the trust who admitted at a meeting with physiotherapy staff that she had consulted no-one, staff, patients nor the public, about the implications of the closure upon patients; she said that she had made the decision herself and would stick with it regardless.

 

 

A Freedom of Information Request to the trust has revealed that in 2024-5 the pool was used by 617 new medical referral patients [who get three sessions each before being charged], plus  a total of 7493 who paid for individual sessions at the pool, so it is obvious that a large number of patients have been benefiting from this facility.  This means that 9344 treatment sessions were provided to patients in that year, which comes to around 200 patients being helped each week of opening. The pool is open for 22 half-hour sessions weekly, totaling eleven hours, so there is scope for more users to be accommodated and possibly for a wider range of needs to be accommodated also.

 

Contrary to information released by the Trust, we are not private users. We have all been referred to the pool by hospital consultants, physiotherapists, and doctors.  Many of us are awaiting or recovering from surgical procedures and it is vital that we obtain and keep body strength to avoid damage from falls. Others have long-term conditions which can involve muscle wastage or persistent pain. Hydrotherapy assists all of these conditions. It needs to be provided in a warm pool under medical supervision.  Because after three sessions we are asked to contribute to the cost does not make us private users.  My consultant told me that I was ‘still acute’ after a year of therapy.  When we go to an NHS dentist we fill out a form and are asked for a financial contribution. This does not make us ‘private users’ who it seems that according to the CEO of the trust, do not matter and have no relevant needs.

 

The possibility of the pool being run by a private or charitable provider has not been explored at all by the hospital trust, who say that this would be an ‘inappropriate use’ of a facility for NHS patients.  However, the Aspire Leisure Centre with its specialist pool is located within the grounds of the National Orthopedic Hospital and is run as a charity. [It has been suggested that Northwick Park patients use this pool, but it is not heated to the same temperature and has no physiotherapist led sessions.]  It is also one and a half hours journey from this area by bus and there is no indication that they have the capacity to take-on patients from Northwick Park Hospital. The Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Birmingham has a hydrotherapy facility run for them by a private provider, so there are other examples to explore for a solution in Brent and Harrow. Our pool is open for 22 half hour sessions weekly, totaling eleven hours, so there is scope for more users to be accommodated.

 

 

No consultation has been carried out, and not a single word has been communicated to patients. We first knew about withdrawal of the service by a petition posted on the hospital wall. We have had no letters to say our service is cancelled. Staff who run the facility were told not to talk to us. We gained access to a staff meeting and physiotherapists said no-one had asked them about the affect on their patients. Patients who need this pool feel like we have been treated with contempt by the Hospital trustees.

 

I am sending this as an open letter, because local residents need to know what has happened at Northwick Park Hospital.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Linda in Preston Ward

Patient at Northwick Park Hospital

[Name and address supplied]

 

 

 

*For information:  From Brent council Website.

 

Scrutiny in Brent

Brent's scrutiny function has two scrutiny committees:

·       the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

·       the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.

Each is composed of 11 elected members (nine from the Labour Group and one member from each opposition group which is consistent with current political balance arrangements). There are a total of 12 scrutiny meetings held during the municipal year, six per committee. This enables an integrated approach within each committee to scrutinise thematic and related policy and service issues. It also gives the opportunity for members to develop expertise across services and hold detailed discussions.

The Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee also participates in the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee as chair. It is composed of eight voting members from across North West London and one non-voting co-opted member. There are four North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held during each municipal year.

 

Sufra Summer Garden Party - Saturday 30th August 1pm-4pm

 

Two years ago a video explained how young people created the meanwhile Samovar Space at Wembley Park - soon to be redeveloped

 

Quintain statement on the future of Samovar Space at the foot of the Stadium Steps - hotel or offices planned plus creation of two new public spaces

 

 The current layout - the removed Soundshell in the foreground

 

Quintain have replied this afternoon to my request for information regarding the future of the Samovar Space at the foot of the Wembley Stadium steps. Apparently my earier communication to them went astray.

 

Over the last couple of weeks we have been in contact with Brent Councillors, Planning team, Landsby Residents and our Resident's Team at Quintain Living relating to Plot NW04 and the existing meanwhile uses of Market Square and Samovar Space clarifying the following:

 

To the Landsby Resident's Team:

Together with Brent Council we have a vision for the transformation of Wembley Park that will be delivered in phases. The later plots to be developed have been enlivened in the interim as 'meanwhile uses' with Brent Council's full support. The Samovar Space is a brilliant example of this. Designed with input from local young people and enjoyed by many. 

 

The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space that will remain for at least the next 12 months. The Soundshell was moved to due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for upcoming Coldplay concert activations.

 

The 'NW04' site next to Landsby was granted outline planning approval in 2011 and was revised in 2018, and has formed one of our meanwhile plots for development later in the masterplan. 

 

To Brent Council:

 

Samovar Space and Market Square form part of plot NW04 in the Wembley Masterplan.  They are both meantime (temporary) uses of the plot until the building development is brought forward.  Market Square and “Wembley Splay” were primarily built to facilitate a more direct pedestrian connection between Olympic Way and Wembley Park Boulevard around the old Pedway.  Samovar Space was part of a project co-curated with young people in Brent.

 

NW04 has outline planning approval for either a Hotel or Office use and the form and position of the building on the site were approved in 2018*.

 

Designs are currently being prepared by Quintain for a Hotel on the site and it is intended that the Reserved Matters Application (RMA) will be submitted in early 2026.  Engagement with residents and other stakeholders will take place as part of the process before the application is submitted.

 

Recent “construction” activity on site has been related to the various site surveys – topographical, ground investigation etc – that are necessary to inform the design.

 

There have also been quite a few event activities on the site, sometimes related to the various concerts and other events happening in the stadium this summer.

 

It is important to note that The Soundshell, which formed an integral part of Samovar Space, was removed due to the need to undergo significant repairs and to allow space for the upcoming Coldplay concert activations. The removal of the soundshell does not signify the closure of any part of Market Square or Samovar Space which will remain for at least the next calendar year.

 

The approved parameter plans for the NW04 site allow for the creation of two new public spaces.  A combined space that fulfils the functions of Market Square and Samovar Space is created – effectively rotating the space through 90 degrees to sit along the Engineers Way frontage, linking Olympic Way to the Civic Centre and Wembley Park Boulevard.  A second space is created as a “pocket space” that will sit as a terraced area roughly where Wembley Splay is located at present.

 

The Cherry Trees in the southern part of Market Square will be retained and reconfigured as part of the design.  The various elements within Samovar Space were designed to be relocated and we will be reusing the structures where possible or donating them to local community groups, charities etc where this isn't feasible?

 

The overall construction process will be described in the construction method statement.  There will be further liaison over the construction arrangements as has been the case for all of the plots constructed at Wembley Park.

*Planning reference 2018/0968 LINK

Former Palace of Arts and Industry, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9
Proposal	Minor Material Amendment to vary Condition 4 (Approved Drawings) of planning permission reference 14/3054 (dated 21 October 2014) for an outline application for the demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide up to 160,000sqm of mixed use floorspace. (See previous application record for full description of development). The minor material changes sought are to create a new south facing public square fronting Engineers Way, to increase the height of the previously approved main building from 88.5m to 100m AOD, the reduction of the length of the previously approved block plan, changes to the massing of the previously approved building form, the creation of a collonaded single storey pavillion building along Olympic Way, increased basement level, and the provision of pedestrian and public realm improvements, and a bridge link to Brent Civic Centre.
Status	Approved.

 Images from that application:

 

The alternatives from an early PowerPoint presentation: