War or Peace in Afghanistan? - Meeting April 8th Brent Trades Hall

An alternative vision for Granville and Carlton. Response from Brent Council awaited.

This is the 'alternative vision for Carlton Granville' that was mentioned at the Scrutiny Committee hearing. Leslie and Deidre have certainly done their homework!

An alternative vision for Granville and Carlton

Introduction

Granville Community Kitchen and The Otherwise Club are proposing an alternative vision for the Granville/Carlton site. The site will be the central non-denominational community hub for South Kilburn, that meets the social, educational and wellbeing needs of residents, managed by an (alliance or consortium) of South Kilburn residents, groups and organisations.

The development of such an organisation is more in line with the vision promoted in the Localities Act 2012. It is based on respect, equity and partnerships that is truly representative and inclusive of the community. An organisation where all the stakeholders have an equal say in what goes on and how the site is run through dialogue, democratic decision-making and mutual support. It is a vision where stakeholders have the commitment and determination to make it the best place to deliver all the services that South Kilburn needs and deserve, and to preserve the heritage of the buildings and provide a legacy.

A community consortium

A community led consortium consisting of all the site’s stakeholders, some local resident positions and other local organisations such as Global Skills Centre, Canvas Arts and other unconstituted groups would be responsible for the management of Granville/Carlton and service provision. This includes public liability, licences, maintenance, health and safety , marketing, accessibility and other areas of responsibility that go with running a public asset.

This would take financial pressure off the Council to maintain the site and to deliver services. Due to its diverse makeup it will be able to offer a range of services responsive to local needs. Given the densification of the area and the loss of community spaces locally, community space is even more vital. Granville/Carlton is unique in its size and ideally located and suited to deliver wraparound services as a community hub.The Granville/Carlton buildings were originally separate although side by side but now need to be considered as one site. 

The site has historically always been used for community, education and social welfare. These buildings have since their inception been used by the people of South Kilburn as places of refuge, first as a school and then as an adult education centre and community centres. It is envisaged that these would be the continued purpose of the site for the new organisation. The object of this proposition is to secure the Granville/Carlton site and attendant buildings for the people of South Kilburn for perpetuity. To do this we need to create a legal instrument, a new organisation that will be community-led, including current stakeholders to hold and manage the site and buildings. This organisation will develop a business plan that will enable it to run and maintain the site and buildings. We would establish a Granville Carlton Alliance run by the community to oversee these buildings for the community in perpetuity. This would be a self financing organisation which is viable, credible, transparent and accountable to the South Kilburn community.

Building use

The building will retained as existing and the largest spaces reinstated as community halls. During the Youth and Community Service time the building was self financing through rental of the halls.  This is the sustainable heart of the both financially and socially. Retaining and upgrading the buildings with suitable technologies is more environmentally sustainable than the present plans. The section of Granville built in 2005 that is still perfectly fit for purpose with happy tenants. We would not build housing on 2/3 of the Granville building and site going against cabinet promises made to safeguard Carlton and Granville in 2016. 

We would return the Granville hall to its rightful place as the centrepiece of these buildings. We would ensure the use of these buildings to support a community to feel proud about itself and glad to be a part of. To further the important work of the South Kilburn Trust they would move to The Carlton, Centre, a building much better suited architecturally, and a community cafe would be reinstated there.

This project will have an enormous beneficial impact on the local economy and community cohesion. Already it has provided a positive focus for residents. Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods are well known in the area. With their long term work, track record of community led project development and excellent connections in various parts of the community, in London and further afield are both well placed to carry this work forward.

Proposal summary

To make this possible local organisations will come together in a consortium. To do this we will secure professional help from consultants to:

1.   Support the development of a legal entity that puts local voices in the lead based in the community to drive the project forward and manage it once it is up and running.

2.   Develop a business plan to plan infrastructure funding and move forward toward securing the buildings on a permanent basis from the council.

3.   Develop a detailed strategy and financial plan for management of the site, including a reconfiguration of existing business and community hub provision.

4.   Provide forums and other mechanisms for meaningful involvement of the community on a long term basis. Identify barriers to participation and address them, such as childcare.

All of this is developed with meaningful participatory processes including the residents and local community at every stage.

Short to medium term future

The Granville hall is the heart of the site emotionally, and central to a viable financial plan. To reinstate its use as a grand hall again is a key part of the vision. Refurbishment with double glazing, air conditioning and sound insulation will be necessary to ensure that its use will not impact on residents living on Granville Road.

All the other GLA funded changes to the building would remain as is.

The basement would revert to community use including designated space for Global Skills a project central to South Kilburn education.

The kitchen would be upgraded to make it more suitable for its core use as a community kitchen providing education, training and food provision for those in household food insecurity.  This has been costed at £70,000.

The South Kilburn Trust would move into The Carlton Centre, which will be developed as an enterprise hub with more space for those activities and a café in the space on the ground floor.

The nursery would get more spaces into Carlton to be negotiated.

Finance

Development and management will be self funded through grants, donations, crowdfunding and income generation streams.

Costings for first stage development we have been quoted are

£5000 will provide an initial outline scoping study moving towards what is needed for the project£40000 to cover the cost of consultancy fees providing an in depth feasibility study with costs and action depending on the conclusions the study suggests.£80-100,000  will allow us to employ building professionals including engineers and quantity surveyors to develop refurbishment plans to maximise use of site  and provide a detailed business plan

Next Steps

We would seek council approval after presenting the feasibility study to move the project forward. Shared Assets, Locality and The Architectural Heritage Fund have all been approached and are able to support us us in developing a strategic plan and with organisational development.

With regard to participatory processes we are working with and have long term relationships with various universities. Open University, Centre for Agroecology and Water Resilience (CAWR) who have can support on participatory methodologies and University College London (UCL) on planning and architecture.  We have also worked with Glasshouse Community Led Design who specialise in community led processes and the built environment, Ubele who support African and Caribbean heritage communities and organisations around business and community development and action planning.

Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods

March 2019

 It would be good to hear the Council's response. I would be happy to publish it. MF

St Raph's residents move to 'take back control of our community' April 8th

Big screen live broadcast opera at Wembley Park this summer

The Big Screens are back in 2019 with some of the world’s most popular operas and ballets broadcast live from the Royal Opera House. Make sure you put the dates in your diary and come along to one of our many free screening venues including Arena Square, Wembley Park. Bring your friends and a picnic and soak up free culture on your doorstep – and get there early for the exclusive pre-performance content 30 minutes before curtain-up.

Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi as Romeo and Juliet ©ROH, 2015. Photographed by Alice Pennefather

The Royal Ballet | Romeo and Juliet | 11 June at 7.30pm | pre-screening starts at 7pm
Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers encounter passion and tragedy in Kenneth MacMillan's 20th-century ballet masterpiece. Soak up free culture on your doorstep: watch The Royal Ballet on stage at the Royal Opera House in this free live screening at the BP Big Screen at Arena Square.

Anna Goryachova as Carmen in Carmen, The Royal Opera Season 2017/18 © ROH 2017. Photograph by Bill Cooper.

The Royal Opera | Carmen | 2 July at 7pm| pre-screening starts at 6.30pm


Bizet's greatest opera tells the story of the enigmatic and seductive Carmen and the dangerous passion she arouses in Don José. Watch The Royal Opera’s fresh take on this much-loved opera, complete with flamenco dancers, bull fighters – and a gorilla – all in a free live screening from the Royal Opera House.

The Marriage of Figaro ©ROH, 2015. Photographed by Mark Douet

The Royal Opera | The Marriage of Figaro | Tuesday 9 July at 7pm | pre-screening starts at 6.30pm


Revolution is in the air in The Royal Opera’s beautiful production of Mozart's great comic opera. Colourful characters mix with intrigue, misunderstanding and forgiveness in a multitude of dramatic twists. Watch a live screening of this famous opera direct from the Royal Opera House stage.

Please note, the Royal Opera House always seeks guidance regarding content from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). While a 12A rating is the minimum classification level issued for all live screenings in the UK, our content can still be suitable for children of all ages. Click this link for further information regarding the classification of filmed content.

Wembley bids farewell to Spurs

Spurs temporary occupation of Wembley Stadium came to an end last night when they played the first match at their new stadium.

Feelings will be mixed in Wembley with some businesses missing the extra custom they gave to pubs, takeways and restaurants while others will be relieved that they will have more weekends of problem free travel and regain freedom of movement in their own area. Spurs involvement in community activities via schools and hundreds of free tickets for matches were particularly positive for some.

It will be interesting to see how quickly work now begins on pedway replacement.

Cllr Tom Miller reacts to Tuesday's Wembley stabbings

Brent Council Press Release

Two men were stabbed in Wembley on Tuesday night. Our thoughts are with the victims, who are recovering in hospital, and we are assisting the police to understand what happened.

Like most of us, I am appalled by the violent crime epidemic sweeping the country.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 100 people have been murdered on the streets of the UK - with nearly half of those being stabbings.

Each death is a huge waste of a life. It's a brother or sister who won't come home, a parent who won't be able to raise their kids, a bright future taken away. Each life taken leaves huge gaps, ripples of grief that spread as the family and loved ones try to pick up the pieces.

Two of the murders this year, the death of Jodie Chesney in east London and Yousef Makki in Greater Manchester, sparked a national debate on knife crime. While some say the reduction in police numbers has no bearing on the level of knife crime on the streets, I'm not convinced.

As the money central Government gives councils continues to be cut, the safety net gets even more stretched. Young people are more vulnerable to getting caught up in the 'county lines' drug trade. Every time a recreational drug user smokes a spliff or does a line of coke they should seriously consider that their pleasure could be threatening the life of a young person from a much less privileged background.

In Brent, we are not immune to this national situation. On Tuesday night, passers-by witnessed a double stabbing on Empire Way, while two men were recently charged with the murder of Florin Pitic's who was attacked at Queensbury Tube Station in early March. But I'd like to reassure everyone that we are working extremely hard to minimise incidents like this.

We are working in partnership with the Police to divert criminals from re-offending. We are out and about on the streets coordinating interventions and activities to support not just known offenders, but also those at risk of being exploited or drawn into a life of crime.

We recently compared monthly knife crime offences in Brent between August and December 2018 with the same months in 2017. The drop is around 29%. Brent has also seen a large fall in knife injuries in young people - the second biggest in London. This is down to some great preventative work and shows good progress, but we must continue on this trajectory.

That is why we work closely with families like the Serunkuma-Barnes' and the Hansons' - who both tragically lost their sons in unprovoked violent attacks - to explore more ways we can tackle violent crime together as a community.

While I welcome the recent police funding announcement, I know that enforcement alone isn't going to solve this problem. We need to look at the whole package and that means more prevention - not less. We need the resources to enable us to work more closely with teachers, social workers, parents and young people themselves to prevent the bloodshed on our streets before it happens rather than just locking people up afterwards.

Violent crime affects us all, be it directly or indirectly. The sooner we realise this and see it as a problem that we all need to try and prevent together - rather than just an enforcement issue - the better it will be for the people who are dying on our streets.

Cllr Tom Miller

Lead Member for Community Safety, Brent Council

Windrush Compensation Scheme: Who is Eligible? How to apply

From Brent Council  Partnerships and Engagement Team

The Home Secretary has opened a scheme to compensate members of the Windrush generation who have suffered losses due to their inability to prove their right to live in the UK.

The Scheme, which was designed in consultation with those affected and with independent advice from Martin Forde QC, is the latest step in the Home Secretary’s commitment to right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation.

More details are in the document below 

Who is eligible?

The compensation scheme will provide payments to individuals who suffered losses as a result of not being able to evidence their lawful status in the UK. These could range from a loss of employment or access to housing, benefits, education or NHS healthcare to emotional distress or a deterioration in mental and physical health.

The Scheme is open to those who settled in the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973, and in certain circumstances their children and grandchildren. Additionally, it is open to all nationalities who arrived to live in the UK before 31 December 1988 and are settled here. Read more on all the categories of eligibility.

The Home Office will also refund fees paid for certain, unsuccessful immigration applications, and reimburse legal fees that were incurred in relation to these.

How to apply?

It is quick and easy to make an application, and help is available to those who require additional support to make a claim. Claim forms can be downloaded and guidance on completing the application can be found at www.gov.uk/windrush-compensation

Claimants can also request a form to be sent by post by calling our helpline on 0800 678 1925 or via email WindrushCompensationScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk where they can also  request a call back if they are overseas.

Click bottom right for full size version

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Scrutiny refer Carlton-Granville plans back to Cabinet for action on key points

There were a record 15 speakers at tonight's call-in of the redevelopment proposals for the Carlton-Granville site in South Kilburn.

Kilburn councillors Faduma Hassan and Rita Conneely presented the reasons why they and fellow councillors had called-in the Cabinet decision. 13 of the 15 public speakers said why they opposed the Cabinet's plans.

After very thorough questioning the Committee agreed to refer the decision back to the Cabinet with a number of issues to be addressed before the project goes ahead. These included:

•  a firm commitment to the 23 housing units proposed for the site to be social housing ('council' was actually stipulated by some councillors)
•  a larger proportion of the units to be for family hosing (this would reduce the total number of units) 
• potential conflict over noise between the new residents and late opening community facilities to be addressed and mitigated 
• the enterprise space to be for projects of social value
• going forward a widened and more representative management structure for the community facilities to be explored.

Most of the speakers favoured the option that would have built no housing on the site with community space, which has already been cut back by structural changes, to be increased instead. They refuted suggestions that this meant they were against providing housing for needy groups - they felt that there was sufficient space elsewhere on council owned land in the massive development to build council homes. One speaker claimed that the council was giving land to developers without ensuring social/council housing was built as part of the deal. They pressed the need for community space on an estate where the population was rapidly increasing through development and where many local projects provided essential services to needy residents to the benefit of the Council.

The referral back to Cabinet will not win abandonment of  the plan for housing on the site. Only two members of the Committee voted against the reference back. Cllr Saqib Butt backed the Cabinet and the Tory, Cllr Kansagra, made a rather confused contribution which I interpreted as being for the Cabinet but judge for yourself by viewing towards the end of the video.

Although Cllr Neal Nerva said there was no hurry to reach a decision Carolyn Downs pointed out that Brent Council needed to safeguard the £65m they had been promised by the GLA. Cllr Tatler (Lead Member for Regeneration) argued that the new nursery build and other aspects of the project including the community hub needed to be built by the end of the year.


When Cllr Tatler stated that the new centre would have more community space than currently, campaigners pointed out that Carlton Granville had already had community space taken away through the 'big hole' made in the Grand Hall for enterprise space. Dee Woods made a passionate plea for the architectural  and social heritage of the site.


Cllr Mashari said that councillors had to take the issue seriously when so many long-established and much respected local organisations were protesting. She pointed to the earlier issue when Granville Carlton proposals had been mismanaged by Brent's property team's 'bad decision' alienating local people and how she had tried to set up a stakeholders' group to win back confidence. She was perturbed that the Council still did not appear to be  ensuring that 'property and community must go hand in hand.'

Questions were raised about the South Kilburn Trust who it was claimed was not representative of the community, had no democratic structure, excluded local councillors and in some cases, including the HS2 vent, had acted against the interests of residents. Cllr Tatler argued that governance was not part of the call-in but Mashari, her predecessor in the post, argued that the Cabinet paper had argued the proposals were being 'community led' so it was a valid consideration.

There was confusion over the 23 proposed housing  units and whether they would be social or council housing (different rents) and  the Committee established that this was an 'aspiration' and subject to viability studies and might even involve private housing.

There was concern that the project co-siting a community centre and housing would have inbuilt conflict between the full use of the community centre with late opening for events and the needs of young families with babies needing to sleep. Adequate soundproofing would be essential and may be so expensive as to affect viability.