194 and counting objections to 'exploitative and inappropriate' application to turn former Santander Bank in Kilburn High Road into an Adult Gaming Centre

 

Former Santander Bank 131-135 Kilburn High Road, corner of Victoria Road, opposite McDonalds

 

At the time of publication there have been 194 objections to the conversion of the basement and ground floor of the former Santander Bank at 131-135 Kilburn High Road to an Adult Gaming Centre. 

Although the above notice gives tomorrow as the expiration date for Neighbourhood Consultation, in practice comments can be submitted up to the day before the Committee Date. This has not yet been fixed.

Details of the application and comment portal can be found HERE.

A selection of the objections that include One Kilburn and BRATS can be found below:

 

 

We are formally objecting to the proposed Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) at 82 Kilburn High Road. This application is unsuitable for the area and fails to meet the requirements of the Brent Local Plan (Policy BE5 and DMP1) regarding the safety and vitality of our high streets.



Our objection is based on the following material planning grounds:



1. Risk to Sensitive Educational Uses

The site is a primary thoroughfare for families and children attending the high density of educational facilities in the immediate vicinity, including:

- Primary Schools: Kilburn Grange School, St Mary's C of E Primary, and St Eugene de Mazenod Primary.

- Nurseries: Busy Bees Nursery and Learning Tree Nursery.

- Community Amenities: Kilburn Grange Park.



The introduction of an AGC here would lead to the unacceptable normalization of gambling for hundreds of local children. Permitting a high-stakes gaming environment in such close proximity to five early-years and primary providers is a significant safeguarding risk that contradicts the NPPF goal of promoting healthy and safe communities.



2. Over-concentration of Gambling Establishments

Kilburn High Road is already saturated with adult gaming venues. There are already two Game Nation outlets in the immediate vicinity (89 and 108 Kilburn High Road), as well as Merkur Slots (130 Kilburn High Road).

- Policy BE5 Breach: Adding another unit at number 82 would lead to a clustering of gambling uses that exceeds the 3% frontage limit set by Brent Council.

- Harm to Retail: This over-concentration undermines retail diversity and discourages the family-oriented businesses that the local community actually needs.



3. Failure to Support High Street Vitality

The proposal does not contribute to the "vibrancy" of the High Road:

- Dead Frontage: AGCs rely on obscured windows and heavy branding, creating a "dead zone" on the street that reduces natural surveillance and active footfall.

- Precedent for Refusal: we draw the council's attention to the recent refusal of a near-identical application by the applicant, Sunni-Ed Limited, at Staines High Street (Spelthorne Council, Nov 2025). In that case, the committee determined that such uses provide no community value and fail to enhance the daytime economy of major town centres.



4. Public Safety and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

Kilburn High Road already faces significant challenges with loitering and street-based ASB. Adding a late-night gaming use at this specific location will exacerbate these issues, creating an intimidating atmosphere for parents and residents during the school run. The "fear of crime" is a material planning consideration that warrants the refusal of this application.



This proposal offers no benefit to the community and poses a clear risk to the welfare of local children. We strongly urge the Council to refuse this application.

………………..

 

I am the Co-chair of the One Kilburn coordinating group and am writing on behalf of One Kilburn to challenge the planning application for an adult gaming centre in Kilburn on multiple grounds, with particular emphasis on breaching the Local Plan and on the serious public health consequences of introducing additional gambling facilities in an already vulnerable community. Founded in 2022, One Kilburn is a community-led initiative which provides a space where Kilburn people can meet, connect and make common ground. It seeks to foster a community, place and belonging in Kilburn, across the municipal boundaries which have historically split Kilburn across three London boroughs. We therefore have a strong interest in issues affecting the vitality of the High Road.
 

Breaching the Local Plan



Policy BE5 of the Brent Local Plan 2019-2041 specifically aims to prevent an over-concentration of betting shops and adult gaming centres and to protect the vitality and retail function of town centres. Crucially, one of its provisions states that adult gaming centres will only be permitted where they would not result in more than 3% of the town centre frontage consisting of adult gaming centres or pawnbrokers, or payday loan shops. By our rough estimate, the town centre frontage on the Brent side of the High Road is around 1,400m; it follows that 3% of that amounts to 42m. The site plans for this proposal suggest that the frontage of the establishment would be nearly 40m (on both the High Road and Victoria Road, since the premises are located on a corner). Given the current existence of other adult gaming centres on the Brent side of the High Road, we believe that this proposal would breach the 3% threshold and should be rejected on those grounds, in addition to what we argue below. Furthermore, as a high-profile corner site, it should anchor the high street. Instead, an adult gaming centre creates a dead frontage which doesn't support Kilburn's recovery. It offers no active engagement with the streetscape, directly undermining Policy BE5's objective to protect the retail function of town centres.



Public Health Crisis in Brent



The evidence of gambling-related harm in Brent is stark and unequivocal. According to the Brent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on Gambling, the borough has one of the highest concentrations of gambling premises in London, with 81 licensed venues already operating. Most alarmingly, 6.2 percent of Brent residents are classified as high-risk gamblers-more than double the national average of 2.9 percent. This represents a public health crisis that would only be exacerbated by permitting additional gambling facilities.



The economic burden of this gambling epidemic is substantial and growing. The estimated cost of gambling-related harm in Brent has increased sevenfold to £14.3 million annually, placing immense pressure on public services including health care, social services, and community support systems. These costs are ultimately borne by taxpayers and divert resources from other essential services. Under the Equality Act, Brent Council must also consider its Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). With 6.2 percent of Brent residents who are classified as high-risk gamblers-is more than double the national average. These vulnerable protected groups in a gambling density area are impacted disproportionately and are already at a heightened risk of financial exclusion and mental health crisis.



Targeting Vulnerable Communities



National and local evidence demonstrates that adult gaming centres systematically target areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. The High Streets at Stake report reveals that 33% of adult gaming centres are located in the most deprived 10%t of neighbourhoods nationally, with over half serving the most deprived 20%. Kilburn fits this vulnerable profile precisely, with high levels of private renting, overcrowding, and a younger working-age population that research consistently identifies as being more exposed to gambling harms.



The physical availability and visibility of gambling venues is a proven driver of harm. By introducing an additional adult gaming centre in Kilburn, this proposal would increase exposure to gambling, normalise harmful behaviours, and elevate risk levels in a community already experiencing rates of problem gambling at twice the national average. While the applicant may claim to contribute to the local economy, these venues offer little or minimal employment with no community benefit. This targeting is a form of corporate extraction where significant public health costs (estimated at £14.3 million annually in Brent), wil have to be managed by local authorities and health services.



Exacerbating Existing Problems



Kilburn High Road already contains a dense concentration of betting shops, gambling-adjacent uses, and late-night premises. The proposed site sits opposite a 24-hour McDonald's, creating conditions that would intensify late-night congregation, loitering, and associated anti-social behaviour. The cumulative impact of this proposal cannot be ignored. It will create an environment that residents have consistently reported as being associated with crime, exploitation of vulnerable people, and general deterioration of community wellbeing. By placing another gambling venue directly opposite a fast-food outlet (McDonald's), the application creates a hotspot for loitering. This creates a perceived lack of safety that discourages other residents and families from using the High Road, thus damaging the evening economy and undermining the diverse and resilient vision set out in the Kilburn Neighbourhood Plan.



Adult gaming centres offer minimal local employment, no genuine community benefit, and actively undermine the pride and vitality of high streets that residents desperately want to see improved. They are inward-facing and represent single-purpose uses that do not provide an active frontage or support browsing and linked trips. Moreover, a further gaming centre on the High Road would go against the spirit of the Kilburn Neighbourhood Plan, recently approved through a referendum of local residents.



Conclusion



The planning and health evidence is clear. This speculative proposal clearly breaches Policy BE5 of the Brent Local Plan and should be refused. At a time when local authorities are campaigning to tackle gambling harms, this application moves Kilburn in the opposite direction. It breaches frontage thresholds, threatens public health, and contradicts the community-led vision for a healthier, more vibrant Kilburn High Road. We urge the Council to protect Kilburn community's physical, mental, and economic well-being by rejecting this application.

 

……........

Proposal: Change of use of basement and ground floor from vacant bank to Adult Gaming Centre

This proposal represents the antithesis of the kind of development and meaningful progress that residents in both Brent and Camden want to see. At a time when both Brent and Camden Council are actively campaigning to tackle gambling harms, rebuild pride in our high streets and support healthier town centres, this application would take Kilburn in precisely the opposite direction. It would introduce a use that extracts value from the community, generates well evidenced public health and anti-social behaviour impacts, and gives little back in return.

I primarily object to this application on planning grounds. In doing so, I also make clear that the proposal raises material considerations relating to public health and the effective operation of the council's licensing regime, all of which are supported by adopted policy and robust local evidence and should therefore be afforded significant weight.

1. Planning impacts in Kilburn and conflict with the Brent Local Plan

The site sits within a designated town centre frontage on Kilburn High Road, a corridor already under intense pressure from deprivation, high footfall, late night activity and a concentration of nonretail uses. Kilburn experiences high levels of private renting, overcrowding, and a younger working age population that Brent Council's own evidence identifies as being more exposed to gambling related harm.

Against that context, Policy BE5 of the Brent Local Plan 2019-2041 is directly engaged. Policy BE5 exists specifically to prevent over concentration of betting shops and adult gaming centres and to protect the vitality and retail function of town centres. It states that betting shops and adult gaming centres will only be permitted where they would not result in:

- more than 3 percent of the town centre frontage consisting of adult gaming centres or pawnbrokers or payday loan shops

- more than 1 unit or 10 percent of a neighbourhood parade frontage, whichever is greater, consisting of betting shops, adult gaming centres or pawnbrokers or payday loan shops

- a dominance of single use, low diversity frontages that undermine the retail role of town centres

The justification to Policy BE5 is explicit that these controls are necessary to protect health, social and cultural wellbeing, and to prevent harmful clustering in areas already experiencing disadvantage.

Kilburn High Road already contains a dense mix of betting, gambling adjacent uses, money transfer outlets and late-night food premises. This proposal would sit directly opposite a 24-hour McDonald's, intensifying late night footfall, congregation and loitering, and compounding cumulative impacts associated with noise, disturbance and anti-social behaviour. These are not hypothetical concerns but well understood dynamics in this location.

Adult gaming centres are inherently inward facing uses. They do not support linked trips, they do not meaningfully activate the street during the day, and they do not contribute to a diverse or resilient retail offer. Replacing a former bank with an adult gaming centre would therefore further erode the balance of uses on Kilburn High Road, contrary to both the wording and intent of Policy BE5 and the wider town centre objectives of the Local Plan.

2. Public health impacts

Public health is a material planning consideration where supported by local evidence, and in Brent that evidence is unequivocal.

The Brent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on Gambling identifies Brent as having one of the highest concentrations of gambling premises in London, with 81 licensed premises, and rates of high-risk gambling more than double the national average. In Brent, 6.2 percent of residents are classified as high-risk gamblers, compared with 2.9 percent nationally. Low risk gambling is also significantly higher, meaning a far larger group exposed to harm.

The JSNA shows that gambling premises are disproportionately clustered in wards such as Kilburn, and that the physical availability and visibility of gambling venues is a key driver of harm. The estimated economic cost of gambling related harm in Brent has risen sevenfold to £14.3 million per year, placing further pressure on public services.

Kilburn's demographic profile makes it particularly vulnerable. The ward has high levels of private renting, overcrowding, younger working age residents, and communities that national and local evidence consistently show are more exposed to gambling harms. Introducing an additional adult gaming centre in this location would increase exposure, normalisation and risk, directly undermining the council's preventative public health objectives.

3. Undermining the council's licensing framework

Although licensing is determined separately, planning decisions must not undermine the effective operation of the council's adopted regulatory framework.

Brent's Statement of Licensing Policy 2025-2030 makes clear that the council seeks 'alignment between planning and licensing', particularly where proposals risk increasing crime, disorder and harm to vulnerable people. Granting planning permission here would materially frustrate that objective by enabling further clustering of gambling uses in a location already identified as sensitive and high risk.

Once planning permission is granted, the council's ability to manage impacts through licensing is significantly constrained by the permissive national regime. That is precisely why planning judgement at this stage is so important.

4. High streets, cumulative harm and the wider evidence base

The High Streets at Stake report by the Social Market Foundation and sponsored by Brent Council provides a compelling national and local evidence base on adult gaming centres. It finds that:

- the number of adult gaming centres increased by 7 percent between 2022 and 2024

- 33 percent of adult gaming centres are located in the most deprived 10 percent of neighbourhoods, and over half serve the most deprived 20 percent

- gross gambling yield from higher risk machines has almost doubled since 2022

- residents consistently report associations with crime, anti social behaviour and exploitation of vulnerable people

The report identifies locations in Brent as being systematically targeted because of high footfall, transport connectivity and socio economic vulnerability. This application fits that pattern precisely.

Adult gaming centres are the textbook definition of corporate extraction. They generate private profit while exporting public health costs to councils, health services and communities. They offer little local employment, no community value, and actively remove pride from high streets that residents want to see improved, not hollowed out.

Summary

This application should be seen for what it is: a speculative proposal in a vulnerable location, relying on a permissive national regime, offering no meaningful contribution to Kilburn's future, and running directly counter to adopted planning policy, public health evidence and the council's wider campaign to tackle gambling harms.

It is also notable that the applicant, SUNNI ED LIMITED, is part of a pattern of serial applications around the country, often supported by the same agent, testing the limits of local resistance. The same applicant has recently had a planning application refused in Spelthorne, which raises further concerns about the approach being taken and the absence of any genuine local commitment.

At present, there is no clarity about who the eventual operator would be, reinforcing the concern that this is a faceless, footloose proposal with no accountability to the community it would affect.

Taken together, the planning harm, the public health impacts, the risk of increased anti-social behaviour, and the undermining of local policy are clear. This proposal fails to meet the test of good planning and should be refused before it puts residents in Brent at avoidable risks of harm.

 

……........

 

I and my neighbours in the BRAT Residents' Association catchment area strongly oppose this planning application which is at odds with every aspiration set out in the newly endorsed Kilburn Neighbourhood plan. The arrival of another Adult Gaming Centre in these large and prominent premises will overshadow all the good work underway to try to improve Kilburn High Road and make it a vibrant and appealing retail town centre and community hub. Its presence will also overshadow improvements at Kilburn Sq retail and undoubtedly deter more quality appropriate retailers too. Also no account terms to have been taken of the proliferation of gambling and gaming on Kilburn High Rd. For example there are several Betting shops and a Mercure Slots very nearby already on the same High Road and the concentration will become totally inappropriate with another such large centre. This may be partly to do with Kilburn High Road being under the jurisdiction of both LB Camden and Brent so it appears that gaming premises are in different Boroughs when in fact they are in close proximity on the same street. The local population is strongly against Kilburn becoming a gaming and gambling dominated centre - our population is already under pressure and working hard to improve. Why then insert a large enterprise designed to exploit poverty and deprivation through gaming?. This is totally at odds with the democratically endorsed local Plan. Please re-think the approach and work with the local population to find a more appropriate use for this important and prominent site. The local Town Centre Manager is working hard to create an improved environment and offer on Kilburn High Riad. Last week I was part of a local group welcoming the planting of x6 new trees to the street and many elements are scheduled for or have already benefited from improvement. A large Gaming Centre will undermine this investment and dilute this good work. Please do not neglect z Kilburn and its population further by enabling such exploitative and inappropriate businesses to proliferate on our High Road.

 

UPDATE IN COMMENTS AS TEMPERATURE DROPS: Still no heating repair for South Kilburn disabled pensioner. Unsuitable hotel room offered.

I regret that the story first published before Christmas about the disabled pensioner in South Kilburn left without central heating for weeks LINK continued over the holiday. This is despite the intervention of a Kilburn councillor and the Cabinet Lead for Housing.

Today heating contractors for Octavia made their 15th visit but, 'The Sureserve engineer was unable to restore my heating, as he needs to call on the assistance of other SureServe operatives, including an electrician to carry out the repair.'

John H was unable to accept Octavia's offer of a Premier Inn hotel room as, 'It does not provide any disability aids and  adaptations. For example I need a wet room with support railings around the shower and toilet.'

With cold weather forecast for the weekend this is absolutely unacceptable and makes a mockery of Awaab's Law.

 

Tower Block cluster, Neasden, planning application open for comments

 

Letters have gone out to residents regarding the re-consultation of the Neasden Goods Yard development appication on Neasden Lane (near the Jubilee line station and between the various railway lines). Note that a further development is planned for the O'Hara's Yard adjacent to the site.

A few storeys have been lopped off some of the blocks with the tallest now  Ground Floor plus 44 storeys.

The re-consultation closes on Monday February 2nd 2026. See LINK 

 

 PROPOSED TENURE

  

There have been four new comments since the 2023 version of the application:

The curious case of the six Kenton houses that will be built in a day

 

The six proposed houses   - current garage site (bottom right)

The development next to the Wealdstone Brook - current footpath bottom right
 

The proposed development with rather sparse biodiversity corridor  - current brook bottom right

John Poole (Labour candidate for Kenton ward) drew readers' attention to plans for th building of 6 houses behind 37-44 Woodgrange Close, Kenton in a recent letter to Wembley Matters. LINK  

At the time the appplication has been declared invalid but has now been vaidated and is back on Brent's Planning Portal LINK. However, whether one is for or against the development, the Planning Application completed by the developer's agent  raises issues about validity and the checks made by council officers as the information is of doubtful accuracy.

MZA Planning of 14 Devonshire Mews Chiswick, W4 2HA submit that the demolition of the grags and building of the 6 houses will be completed in a day:

 They claim that the area is not liable to flooding:

 

The Government Flood Map LINK shows there is a Level 2 of 3 risk now and more so in the future. And the Application Map and illustrations above shows it is right next to the Wealdstone Brook watercourse. Hard to miss really...

 In fact the Design and Access Statement shows that the houses will be raised above ground level to avoid flooding.

The steps up from the 'high quality amenity space'

 The next one might be a matter of debate as to whether designated sites may be affected:

 

The site surrounded by trees, St Gregory's school field and Woodcock Park

Lastly the agent claims that the site is not accessible without an appointment.

Footpath to the bridge and there is vehicle access to the garages

 In case you missed it John Poole added a comment on the previous article:

 

Cllr. Janice Long and I, John Poole, two prospective Labour Councillors for the Kenton Ward at the local elections next May, visited the site  and spoke with local residents at the Mural Bridge whose use Woodcock Park on a regular basis and they were shocked and surprised at the prospect of housing at that site and so close to the Wealdstone Brook. Cllr. Long wonders what else could the site be used for - the disused garages go back to the 1950s - and we all agreed that it is an ideal area for a greening project to add to Brent Council's increase in biodiversity in the area and supporting the Council's Carbon Net Zero policy.

Extraordinary Labour Group meeting on January 7th to fill vacancies left by defections

Brent Labout Group will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday January 7th at 6pm to fill vacancies caused by the defection of 5 councillors to the Green Party. The vacancies include Chief Whip and a Cabinet position. Cllr Liz Dixon (left) has applied for the Chief Whip position. She tells her colleagues that she sees this as an interim caretaker position until the next administrations and cites her role as Chair during Covid:

'I was group chair for a number of years and steered the group when we went through Covid which was a very turbulent and demanding time. It needed a strong and assertive chair. I learnt a great deal during that period which I can put into use as chief whip.'

Nominations will also be taken from the floor at the meeting. 
 

Brent to get 9.9% increase in core funding next year. Ear-marked to address Adult Social Care and Children in Care budget shortfalls

From Brent Council 

The government has announced its local government funding settlement, following the Fair Funding Review of how council funding is distributed. The settlement introduces an updated funding formula intended to better reflect councils’ relative needs, costs and service pressures. 

The settlement marks a welcome shift away from short-term funding arrangements and provides councils with greater stability through a multi-year framework. It also restores a stronger emphasis on deprivation and need, which is particularly important for councils like Brent that face sustained financial pressures across social care, housing and homelessness services. 

Against this backdrop, the settlement includes a welcome 9.9% increase in core funding for Brent next year, one of the highest increases in London.

We will now work through the detail of the settlement carefully to understand its full implications for Brent’s budget and medium-term financial strategy. Our focus will be on making every pound count, protecting frontline services by driving efficiencies behind the scenes, and using public money responsibly to support residents who need us most. 

Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader of Brent Council, said:

Brent was one of many communities that were disadvantaged when funding moved away from a focus on deprivation and need and was instead driven largely by population alone.

I am pleased that this settlement reverses that approach and puts the principle of fairness back at the heart of local government funding.

We will use this funding responsibly and sensibly to begin addressing the shortfalls in our budgets, particularly in the social care we provide for older people, disabled residents and children in care. These vital but often unseen services account for around two thirds of what the council spends, and they have borne the greatest pressure in recent years.

Formal investigation and a move requested after vulnerable dementia resident goes missing from Care Home for a second time, resulting in his hospitalisation

 

Beechwood Court

 

The partner and primary carer of an elderly man, Glen Atkins has written to Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt, and local MP, Barry Gardiner, following what she terms a 'profound breach of care' at Sovereign Network Group's Beechwood Court care home in Wembley.

She wrote: 

I am writing to you as an elderly carer, deeply distressed and frightened by the repeated safeguarding failures at Beechwood Court that have now endangered my partners life for a second time. 

My Partner, Glen Atkins, who has dementia and significant health needs, went missing again on Saturday 22nd of November, due to  what appears to be the lack of security and supervision from the carers.
 

On this occasion, the consequences have been even more severe: he was found in a deteriorated condition and is now in hospital receiving treatment. 

This is not only unacceptable but it is a profound breach of care. 

Following the first incident, I was assured that measures would be taken to prevent this from ever happening again. Those assurances were clearly not upheld. As his main carer, and as an elderly woman myself, I rely on the council’s systems to keep him safe. Instead, we are now living through the trauma of repeated failures that could have cost him his life. 

I am requesting the following immediate actions: 

1. A formal investigation into how my partner was able to leave the premises again despite previous alerts and assurances. 

2. An urgent review of Beechwood Court’s safeguarding procedures, including door security, staff monitoring, incident reporting, and emergency escalation processes. 

3.Immediate support in securing a safer and more appropriate placement for my partner, as I no longer have confidence in the facility’s ability to protect him. 

4. A direct meeting or call with a senior safeguarding officer within the council, within the next 7 days. 

No family should ever have to go through this once, let alone twice. The physical, emotional and psychological impact on my  Partner and on the family is immeasurable. I am asking you personally to intervene, as this situation now represents a systemic and dangerous failure affecting vulnerable adults in your borough. 

I look forward to your urgent response. 

Patricia Bryan 

 

Barry Gardiner has not yet responded and Muhammed Butt's office has just sent an acknowledgement,

 

Asif Zamir has written to Cllr Neal Nerva and Brent CEO Kim Wright in support of Patricia Bryan calling for a firmal investigation

 

My name is Asif Zamir, and I am writing to you formally to request an urgent investigation into the care and safety of Mr. Glen Atkins, currently a resident at Beechwood Court.

 

I am supporting Mr. Atkins’ partner and primary carer, Patricia Bryan, who has expressed profound distress regarding repeated safeguarding failures. On Saturday, 22nd November, Mr. Atkins—who lives with dementia—went missing from the facility for a second time. He was later found in a severely deteriorated state and is currently hospitalised.

 

Despite previous assurances following a similar incident, it is clear that the security and supervision protocols at Beechwood Court are insufficient.

 

I am formally requesting that you initiate a senior-level investigation into this case, specifically addressing:

 

The systemic failure of security measures that allowed a vulnerable resident to go missing twice.

 

The breach of previous safeguarding agreements made with the family.

 

An immediate review of the facility's fitness to provide care for residents with complex dementia.

 

To the Ward Councillors (Cc’d): I am copying you into this correspondence to formally request that you raise Member Enquiries on behalf of Patricia Bryan and Glen Atkins. We require your support to ensure transparency, accountability, and an urgent resolution to ensure Mr. Atkins is moved to a safer, more appropriate placement upon his discharge from the hospital.

 

 Given the severity of this situation and the fact that a vulnerable resident’s life has been endangered, I look forward to your acknowledgment of this email within 24 hours and a detailed response regarding the investigation steps.

 

Wembley Matters sough further information about the context of Mr Atkins'  going missing from the care home. Asif Zamir said:

 

It's alleged that CCTV was not working at  Beechwood house. Mr Atkins had been missing for approx 7.5 hrs. A contributing factor on the delay in finding him was that the staff  allegedly could not pin an exact time of when he had disappeared or the events leading up to his disappearance. 

 Mr Atkins had been taken by a members of staff to the communal area for his lunch and left unsupervised and that is when he disappeared.

When he wasreturned he had been out in bad weather and returned with wet clothes. 

Had the staff carried out their duty and provided accurate statements, there is a chance Mr Atkins could have been found earlier and prevented harm to him. There is a chain of failings.

He is in poor health in hospital; Beechwood Court have effectively evicted him whilst he is in hospital as they cannot meet his needs. The local authority must carry out their duty in helping find him a new home that meets his needs.

 

Patricia Bryan said that Mr Atkins had been found by police and returned to the Care Home who phoned to inform her.  When she arrived at the care home she was told the he'd had his medication and was in bed. When she went upstairs to his room she found him shivering and called 999. He was blue-lighted to Northwick Park Hospital where he remains. He has swollen feet with high blood sugar levels and is being treated with drugs for his diabetes and a course of insulin. Patricia said she she doesnlt know what trauma this incodent has caused and is seeking information from the consultant about his discharge.

She is looking at alternative care homes but was told that her preference would require an additional contribution of around £800 a week when that is how much pension Mr Atkins gets in a month.

 

A complicating factor is the triple involvement at the care home. It is run by Sovereign Network Group (SNG), the caring service is provided  by Westminster Homecare Limited  who have several recently renewed contracts with Brent Council, and Brent Council deals with allocations via the Adult Care Service and provides oversight.

 

A Stage 1 complaint was made to SNG on behalf of Mr Atkins and an investigation undertaken. The report on the investigation consists of a catalogue of many issues over time with the electronics and mechanism of the entrance door and a suggestion that he exited after the door was made insecure during a power outage. The conclusion has a sting in the tail: 

 

My Decision 

I am not upholding the complaint on the grounds of service failure. However, I want to be clear that this does not diminish the seriousness of the incident or the distress it caused. I fully acknowledge the impact this has had on Mr Atkins, including the deterioration in his condition and the concerns raised by Beechwood staff and social workers.

I would like to extend a further apology to you for the delay with your response. I wanted to ensure I had full scope of the situation at hand as well as tangible information/ updates to provide before responding to you. With that being said, I understand how important timely communication is and regret any additional frustration this may have caused. To compensate for this delay and in line with our policy, I will be awarding you £20 for delayed response. In line with our policy this will be credited to your rent/service charge account and visible on your statement within the next 28 days.

 

UPDATE: I emailed Cllr Nerva, Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care, yesterday offering him the opportunity to make a published comment on this issue. I have only had a standard holding reply so far:  

Thank you for your email

I will respond to you as soon as possible

LETTER: Alerting readers to the negative impact of proposed Kenton development on the Wealdstone Brook

 

Google Earth view. Trees indicate the course of the brook. Disused garages on right.

 

Dear Editor,

I am writing to draw attention to a  Planning Application for 6 privately built terraced housing units close to the Wealdstone Brook in the disused garage area at the back of Woodgrange Close in Kenton. This proposed development abuts the Woodgrange side of Woodcock Park and abuts the Wealdstone Brook close to the Mural Bridge. It was available to view up to today (18/12/25) but has now been withdrawn as 'invalid'.

Application reference 25/3407 is currently invalid, and as such will not appear on the public register. Once the application is made valid the Local Planning Authority will carry out a statutory consultation, at which time the documents will be available to view on the public record.

An attempt to produce this controversial development has been thwarted for the time being but we need to be vigilant about it being presented once again in the New Year with short notice. This proposed private housing development will have a negative major impact on the Wealdstone Brook here and further downstream in Wembley.

John Poole

(and you can print my name - thanks)

Kenton

Full address supplied.