Press Release from Brent Council

Brent Council has launched a new youth work placement scheme, helping to provide a much needed boost to employment in the borough.

The Kickstart scheme is part of a £2 billion national programme developed to create employment opportunities for young people, improve their confidence, and prevent long gaps in employment.

Available to Brent residents aged 16-24 and in receipt of Universal Credit, the work placements run for six months, supporting young people to follow their aspirations, develop employability skills and eventually find work.*

More than 70 local businesses have signed up to create over 250 job placements across a diverse range of occupations. Opportunities on offer include a Graphic Designer placement at Excelsior Graphic Designer, a Trainee Hairdresser placement at Chop Chop in Wembley Park, and a Bar Runner placement at BOXPARK Wembley – to name just a few.

There are also 30 placements at Brent Council, paid the London Living Wage, where young people will have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the council teams.

Cllr Thomas Stephens, Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: 

The Kickstart placement scheme has come at a time when it is most needed, following a year of high employment, furloughs and job uncertainty, all brought on by the pandemic. 

 

As we come out of the final lockdown restrictions, the council is renewing its focus in supporting our young people and increasing community employment. Through the Kickstart scheme, young people in Brent can pursue their career aspirations and develop employable skills.

On Thursday 22 July from 10.30am to 12.00pm, Brent Works will host an online information session about Kickstart and the opportunities on offer. It is open to everyone, including young people, to find out more information and ask questions. To attend, register by email at brent.works@brent.gov.uk.

If you work with or know young people, living in Brent, who would like to discover more employment opportunities, please direct them to the Brent Works opportunities page.

EDITOR'S COMMENT

I askd Brent Council for further information on whether the 70 local businesses were paying the young people taking up job placements. This was the response:

The jobs are paid National Minimum Wage. The council jobs and some employers pay London Living Wage and top up to 35 hours per week. Depending on the individual’s circumstances they may get a top-up from Universal Credit, e.g. for housing.

So worth checking the details if you apply.  The National Minium Wage for 18-20 year olds is £6.56 per hour. The London Living Wage for over 18s is £10.85 per hour.

Newspaper commentary has focused on many  aspects of last Sunday's disturbances at the Euro2020 Final at Wembley Stadium, including how the new high density developments around the stadium may have contributed by funnelling  the crowd into a narrow space. The Independent today has a comprehensive special report that every Brent councillor should read as well as senior officers and those responsible on the day.

I asked Brent Council Press Office on Monday for a statement. Today  I was told that someone was working on it. Even a statement of sympathy for those injured or otherwise affected would have at least been an acknowledgement of the seriousnes  of what had happened - but nothing has been heard up to the time of the publication of this artcile.

The full independent article can be read HERE - I will publish just three extracts below which I think will be of interest, but do try and read the whole article. Comments welcome.

Several sources have told The Independent that the local council and the FA do not want strong numbers of the force around as “it’s bad for optics”.

Tim Roberts, who has lived across from Wembley for 16 years and was involved in the building of it, says the priority has been “ensuring the value of the area for retail and residential investment”.

He says that Quintain, the development and asset management team behind Wembley Park, wields massive power in the area.

“The local council, Quintain and the FA have an uncomfortably close relationship, which means there is no scrutiny. We are yet to have a comment from anyone political in Brent after what we saw on Sunday, which is shocking.

“It’s as though nothing happened when we were very lucky that there wasn’t a loss of life. All the blame has been placed on the fans, but they are not solely responsible. The management of the stadium and the area around it has been appalling. Whenever issues are pointed out, it’s brushed under the carpet.

“I have spent the last few days removing far-right insignia and even acknowledging there is a large element of that accompanying England and games here just goes ignored. It’s about pretending everything is great, Wembley is great, Wembley Park is great.”

 

 

Three employees from Wise Security, which provided stewards for the final, have approached The Independent to criticise the lack of preparation they received and care after a harrowing experience.

None of them are over 22. They have spoken anonymously to prevent being blacklisted for future jobs and confirmed that there had been fake stewards inside Wembley, that some accepted bribes because “the pay is a joke”, that there was no detailed plan of anything that could go wrong on the day or how to handle it, and that even after suffering both racist and physical abuse by ticketless fans, there’s “been more PR than caring about what we’ve just been through and asking if we need help.”

One of them, a young Asian male born in the south of England who was stationed in a stand that became overrun with ticketless fans, was racially abused. “I was told, ‘Go back to Pakistan. Don’t tell us where we can go in our own country, this is our stadium. All lives matter, but not P*** lives.’”

He says he was in fear of his own safety, but more worried that “a lot of people could die here, right in front of me”.

 

 

While the unacceptable actions of ticketless fans was deplorable and central to the dangerous scenes on Sunday, there was also a “serious failure of security and stewarding,” according to a safety officer of a Premier League club. Accountability must follow.

He was “completely staggered” by what he saw unfold at the stadium. He reached out to The Independent, but asked for his identity to be protected. His account of events tallies with a stream of testimonies from several different stakeholders.

“I can categorically tell you that the majority of stewards I directly came across or watched on Sunday had no training for the role. I would put money on it that a lot of them have never worked a big football match before, or any kind of match. They were young, out of their depth, and the ones who innocently turned up to do what must seem a fun job are also victims of what happened.

“Who was the stadium safety officer? What was the plan and protocol? Was every steward clued up on the layout and what to do in case of any and all emergency situations?

“What I saw on Sunday is a product of what we’ve seen for a long time in my line of work: cost-cutting and loss of quality control. There are very few solid, reputable security companies. Most will hit the number of stewards by any means necessary, which includes not bothering whether they have an NVQ or not.”

 

FOOTNOTE

From the Leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt's  Register of Interests on the Council website

 The Brent Independent Advisory Group  Brent IAG) has issued the following information:

Section 35 DISPERSAL has been authorised by Insp O'Connor from 15:00 16/07/21 to 14:59 on 18/07/21 CAD 4275/15July refers. 

The areas covered are ACE Cafe and surrounding areas Harlesden, tube Station, Craven Park, Hillside, North and East of Northfields Estate due to expected Anti Social Behaviour over the next two days. Dedicated officers have been resourced to be in attendance for both nights. Thank you for your continued support by passing on this information and for helping to keep our communities safe.

Background Information on Section 35 Dispersal Orders HERE

 I have just returned from Olympic Way where there was a positive and friendly atmosphere with many families present BUT even in the most crowded outdoor spaces no masks being worn. However, masks were worn in Sainsbury's my fans stocking up with beer,

The i Newspaper has published a story claiming that Covid19 is soaring amongst groups of fans who attended the Euro2020 matches at Wembley Stadium - sufficient for it to be dubbed the 'Wembley Variant'.

Report HEREIt was published yesterday and updated this morning.

The introduction to the report.

Swathes of England football fans have reported testing positive for coronavirus following the Euros final on Sunday night, as Public Health England (PHE) issued renewed calls for regular testing ahead of the lifting of restrictions on Monday.

Some fans said that “pretty much everyone” they knew who headed to the stadium had contracted the virus or was self-isolating. The large numbers of fans reporting positive Covid tests following the match has led people to dub the illness “the Wembley variant”.

The final at Wembley, which was part of a Government trial to test the safety of large events, saw 60,000 fans attend with no social distancing or masks after producing a negative test result. However, thousands more congregated outside and dozens of ticketless fans stormed the stadium.

Government Data up to July 12th LINK

 

Shams Court, Fulton Road

A four storey block of flats, Shams Court is tucked away between Olympic Way, North End Road and Fulton Road. Gradually it has been encircled by high rise buildings and now more are on their way.

Yesterday comments closed for the existing 6 storey building facing Olympic Way (3 Olympic Way below) to be replaced by a 6 storey hotel extension, an 8 storey building and 22 storey and 25 storey towers.

3 Olympic Way (today)

Proposed

This is the description of the plans on the Brent Council Planning Portal:

21/2130 | Demolition of existing building at 3 Olympic Way and erection of 3 buildings of basement, ground and 8, 22 and 25 storeys (excluding rooftop plant) to provide 178 residential units (Use Class C3), new hotel accommodation comprising 260 rooms (Use Class C1) and a retail food store (Use Class E). 6-storey extension to existing hotel at 5 Olympic Way to provide 95 additional hotel rooms (Use Class C1) and amenities, extension of ground floor to create new colonnade and public realm improvements to Olympic Way. Other works associated with development include new access from North End Road, disabled car parking, cycle parking, private and communal amenity spaces, public realm works and other associated works | Olympic House, 3 and Novotel, 5 Olympic Way, Wembley, HA9 

Only 22 comments are recorded on the portal and as usual Brent Council hasn't published the Consultee comments for the public to see.  All 22 comments from Shams Court, Danes Court and MacLaren Court object to the development. A resident from Shams Court claims that they only found out about the proposals by accident and were thus able to inform the other 8 flats, despite the developer admitting that Shams Court is the building most affected by the plans.

This is typical of the comments:

This planning application will have a serious, detrimental impact on the health and well-being of the homeowners of the 9 flats at Shams Court, a 4 storey block.


Shams Court flats were sold in 2014 and were a part of the development holding Pinnacle Tower flats, the Novotel Hotel and other affordable housing flats. Since then we've had non-stop construction works and high rise buildings built around us, namely the Scape Wembley (29 storeys) and Felda House (17 storeys) which tower over Shams Court (to the East of Shams Court).


The development of these towers next to Pinnacle Tower (18 Storey tower to the South of Shams Court) and the Novotel (19 storeys to the West of Shams Court) left us with very little natural light and a claustrophobic environment to live in. We are overlooked in our flats and on our roof garden, leaving us with little privacy. Noise levels, anti-social behaviour, disturbance and nuisance from overcrowding of a small area with thousands of people greatly depreciated our quality of life since we first bought our new homes at Shams Court.


To grant the application of a 25 storey block immediately at the back of Shams Court (to the South) would be shameful. We are already overcrowded and overlooked. We would be left with no natural light from every single direction and be subjected to enduring increased noise pollution, disturbance, loss of privacy and anti-social behaviour.


It is without doubt that the new norm for the majority of working professionals would be to spend most, if not all, of their time working from home, without access to offices. These proposal will be detrimental to our health and well-being as Shams Court will be the place we reside for the vast majority of our days.


I must also stress that Shams Court was sold as a means of affordable housing (shared ownership). To have yet another massive building towering over us will severely lower the value of our homes, trapping the residents of Shams Court in negative equity, within homes they cannot sell due to the poor quality environment that's been created by non-stop construction of high rise structures around us.


We put faith in Brent Council to understand the detrimental effect this proposal will have on the residents of Shams Court. We hope you will protect us from these deleterious proposals. The idea of a small 4-storey block being immediately towered over by high rise buildings on every side (in very close proximity) is ludicrous. Yet this is what is being proposed.


I would urge you to visit Shams Court, or view a satellite map of the existing towers surrounding us to see the detrimental impact that this proposal would have on Shams Court residents.


When the original development was built in 2014, it's assumed the developers were granted the permission to build our development, under a section 106 agreement. The grant of which would have relied heavily on the provision of affordable housing. They are now intending to subject the same residents of their affordable housing to awful living conditions, ruining our prospects and well-being by building yet another tower on top of us. This is nothing short of cruel and deceitful behaviour.


Within the documentation provided on this portal, I can say that there are false claims of consultation between the developers and residents. There's a mention of ongoing communication with residents Dec 2020, Jan 2021 and Feb 2021. This has simply not happened and these proposals have only recently come to our attention.


The Daylight Assessment document also fails to include Shams Court on various parts of the document, for example the '2 hours of sunlight before and after' impact assessment. I believe the developers are purposefully misleading Brent Council on the impact that these structures will have on Shams Court.


For the sake our physical and mental health I sincerely hope that these plans are refused.

Another residents says:

I am a key worker who was born, lived and worked in Brent and that's why I was able to buy within our block. We really enjoy living here and generally feel that the development in the area is for the good. However, when plans will (admitted by the developer) have a detrimental effect on our living standards (and therefore our health), it is unfair that we and our baby twins (and our lovely neighbours) are either being forced to live in a terrible environment (during building but more importantly, after) or being forced out from our homes.


The developer is the same company that owns the Novotel and the Pinnacle Tower. They, in fact, built our flats as part of the then planning agreement to have part of the requirements to have a certain proportion of the development available for keyworkers - but they themselves are now pushing us out by making living conditions uninhabitable, or proposing and writing plans that will have that effect.

 

Given what happened last Sunday at Euro202 it is important that planning officers consider the impact of another high density development of Olympic (Wembley) Way on security and crowd control.

The plans have wider repercussions regarding the protections that are supposed to be in place for protected views of Wembley Stadium and what has been described as the claustrophobic, canyon like, approach to the stadium along Olympic Way.

The 'protected' cumulative view from Barn Hill. The 3 Olympic Way towers are in green outline and those in the pipeline in pink - including plans for the Wembley Stadium Retail Park and Fountain Studios site.

 The view along Olympic Way with the green and pink outlines of the proposal and those that have preliminary agreement.

 

 Danes Court in North End Road (now opened up to through traffic) the proposed development will be on the right.

 From Metropolitan Police

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of theft following allegations that they took items and shared them, for the purpose of allowing people to have unauthorised access to Wembley stadium during the Euro 2020 final.

An 18-year-old man from Ilford, London and an 18-year-old man from Newham, London have both been released under police investigation while enquiries continue.

The action comes following a commitment by the Met to investigate offences during the Euro 2020 final, which resulted in a breach of security at Wembley stadium.

 Brent Council will be asked to approve an approach to 'in-fill' plans for Watling Gardens, Windmill Court and Kilburn Square this morning: 

To delegate authority for the Strategic Director Community Wellbeing to make an application to seek the Secretary of State’s consent under section 19 of the Housing Act 1985 to appropriate any part of Watling Gardens, Windmill Court or Kilburn Square including any part consisting of a house or part of a house so that parts of these sites are no longer held for the purposes of Part ll of the Housing Act 1985.

The estates are part of the Council's scheme to increase the number of Council homes by demolishing 59 properties at Watling Gardens and Windmill Court and the appropriation of council owned land for housing.  125 additional homes are planned for Watling Gardens, 60 for Windmill Court and 178 for Kilburn Square.

The Officers' report states that the demolition of 59 homes is not sufficient to trigger a residents' ballot under London Mayoral powers.

Compulsory purchase will only be used if negotiations with leaseholders over their loss of rights fail, the report states.

Regarding Council tenants the report says:

The project team will be basing early engagement offers of alternative accommodation and decant options for secure residents on the current Allocation Policy and the statutory consultation required in connection with the use of Ground 10A of the Housing Act 1985 4

 

The current Allocation Policy will apply to secure residents to be decanted from 1-11 Watling Gardens, 1-30 Claire Court and 1-18 Windmill Court. Under the current allocation policy secure residents affected by the infill developments will be placed into Band A on a phased basis to bid for an alternative home. Early engagement with residents and leaseholders has started with a view to obtain vacant possession of the required blocks as soon as possible

The report justifies the choice of Watling and Windmill:

Watling Gardens and Windmill Court were chosen due to the relatively low density of housing on the sites compared to modern developments in London and the fact that the land is wholly owned by the Council and thus avoids land acquisition costs. Furthermore the development provides the opportunity to carry out extensive long term soft and hard landscape improvement works. The infill programme on each of the sites will deliver new play facilities, activity areas, revised parking arrangements, improvements to a community hall, improved environmental and wellbeing spaces and solve the current problems of anti-social behaviour in the undercroft. It is possible to omit some or all of these improvements however this will reduce the positive impact of the development.

 There is a separate report tabled for the controversial Kilburn Square development. Keith Anderson from the local campaign against the council's plans said:

As far as we can see this is mainly an enabling report to allow them to do pretty much what they want on the entire area including both the clinic and mental health buildings, where the new tower and extra care facility are due to go, and all the rest of the Co-op estate site, including the trees and green space that Buildings C and D would remove.

 

We also spotted in the modifications to the Local Plan that they want to slip in a clause allowing tall buildings on the KS site – so they don’t contravene the Plan if they press ahead with another 17 storey tower. Not that any of this project, Plan A or a smaller Plan B, is covered by the Local Plan in the 0-5 year frame!

 

They’ve had strong pushback from local neighbours (and some estate residents) on the Zooms two weeks ago. And the petition is up to 740 signatures. 

 

Cllr Southwood keeps saying the designs are not finalised (and there’s a brief statement to that effect in today’s report) – but we have limited faith in that; the report also has language about the overriding need for more social housing, which they seem to think means they can ride roughshod over any counter arguments about the wellbeing of the current estate residents or the interests of our local community.

 The meeting takes place at 10am this morning AGENDA

You can watch the webcast of the meeting HERE

Kilburn Square  petition http://chng.it/xwxLyYcDhP

New Council Homes is welcoming feedback from anyone in Kilburn Brent, Kilburn Camden or Queen’s Park Wards. Details fromstreetgroups@mistral.co.uk 

Cllr Southwood speaking on the development proposals for Watling Gardens, Windmill Court and Kilburn Square at this morning's Cabinet said that she was aware of Kilburn Square residents' concerns.  Some of these would be dealt with at the Planning Committee stage but she recognised that Covid restrictions had meant that the Council had not been able to engage with residents as much as they would lik,e so consultation would be extended over the summer. She emphasised that no final decisions would be made and she would come back to Cabinet when team had heard from 'more people, in greater depth.' She said that the main point of the agenda items was to put the necessary legal requirements in place.

 She said that they were working to improve the stability of the Tenant Management Organisation and finding ways to working towards a constructive environment in which the inevitable concerns could be addressed.

 Brent Council Announcement:

As of today, most COVID-19 legal restrictions will be lifted and it will be up to individuals to assess the risks and act accordingly. However in light of rising COVID case numbers in Brent and for the safety of both our staff and community, we will continue to take precautions in our public buildings.

We ask that you continue to wear a face covering in all public spaces in Brent including libraries, the gallery and museum, as will our staff. We will be leaving sanitisation stations in place and ask you to continue to scan the Test and Trace QR code on entering our buildings. 

Library opening hours

We are extending opening hours at Wembley and Willesden Green libraries from today – Monday 19th July – so they will now be open until 8pm on weekdays. We will also slowly be beginning to reintroduce our full range of services over the next few weeks and months.

We also ask that you continue to book PCs and study spaces in advance of your visit and respect others space when browsing.

We look forward to continuing to welcome you back to all our sites and will also be continuing virtual events. Thank you all in advance for helping us all keep safe and look after one another.

The chairs of both Brent Scrutiny Committee have welcomed the Football Associations decision to set up an independently review of events at the July 11th Euro2020 Final at Wembley Stadium,

 Cllr Roxanne Mashari, chair of the Resources and Public Health Scrutiny Committee, tweeted:

Promising to see the FA announce an independently chaired review of security breaches at Wembley Stadium. Essential that this review includes Brent Council who have yet to commit to reviewing their own actions and producing a report on lessons learned.

Cllr Ketan Sheth, chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee also tweeted:

I was expecting the Brent Council Cabinet today to receive and discuss the recommendation from the Scrutiny Committee that they set up an independent review  of events on the Euro2020 Final at Wembley Stadium on July 11th.

It was not included on the Agenda itself or under Other Urgent Business and the incidents were not referred to by Council Leader  Muhammed Butt, who chairs the Cabinet.

This means it will not be discussed until the next Cabinet meeting on August 16th.  One would  think that riotous and potentially dangerous behavour threatening residents safety and wellbeing would merit some attention from the local council, partially responsible for overseeing the event, when UEFA, Metropolitan Police and now the FA have all reacted.

Philip Grant has sent this update to his earlier article LINK on the Fryent Way wild-flower planting. Although the verges may be looking less pretty, and more overgrown, they are still providing plenty of good habitat alongside a busy road.

Lush vegetation on Fryent Way opposite Wyndale Avenure

Fryent Way bee corridor at Broadview

Cycling alongside the bee corridor

 From Brent Council

Brent Council in partnership with Night Time Economy Solutions is spearheading a new scheme to train staff working in night-time economy businesses, such as, pubs, restaurants and bars, on how to recognise vulnerable women and customers at their venues by offering free Vulnerability Training.

The council signed up to the Women's Night Safety Charter, which is part of the London Mayor's Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, and pledged to keep women safe at night-time venues.

Women and girls have a right to feel safe and to enjoy night-time activities without fear of attack, harassment or unwanted attention.

Our aim is to encourage Night Time Economy businesses to sign up for our free vulnerability training to support staff in developing clear policies and procedures around victims reporting incidences of assault or harassment, creating a safe environment for women on their premises, identifying and supporting vulnerable customers and staff and to recognise, respond and report these crimes.

After attending the 3-hour training session, each business will receive a resource pack that will include training materials, best practice tools and a window sticker to show customers that they are in a safe environment for women at night.

Cllr Promise Knight, Lead Member for Community Safety and Engagement said: 

Following the spate of horrific, high profile attacks against women in the past year, we are committed to working with our night time economy businesses to help them recognise the huge role and responsibility they have in keeping women safe in their venues and recognising vulnerable women and staff who may feel threatened and need help.

With the end of lockdown restrictions and nightlife returning to normal, clubs, bars and late night venues will start to resume full time activities, with the potential increase of assaults against women and young girls.

The Council will continue to support businesses to ensure they continue to be vigilant and keep the safety of women and customers a priority.

For more information and to sign up for a place, please contact Cathy.Hickey@Brent.gov.uk

View on Cricklewood Broadway (existing and proposed)

A major development on Cricklewood Broadway and Hassop Road appears to have slipped under the radar of local residents. The application LINK will be decided at tonight's Planning Committee. 448 letters were sent out by Brent Council and there were only four responses. One in favour and three objections. Opposite the site, actual in the London Brough of Barnet, is the Railway Terraces Conservation Area. Barnet is listed as a consultee but, along with all the other consultees, their submission is not published on the Brent Planning portal.

To attend meeting on BrentLive CLICK HERE

The Planners' report summarises:

Retention and refurbishment of buildings at 42-56 Hassop Road, demolition of buildings at 32-40 and 60-74 Hassop Road and replacement with 3 storey building accommodating 2,679 sqm of floorspace (Use Class E) and 8 self-contained flats, refurbishment of ground floor retail at 249-289 Cricklewood Broadway including creation of retail arcade between Cricklewood Broadway and Hassop Road, change of use of 1st floor of 249-283 Cricklewood Broadway and creation of 2 to 3additional storeys above 249-289 Cricklewood Broadway accommodating a 157 unit co-living scheme and ancillary facilities including laundries, cinema, shared living/kitchen/dining rooms, storage and shared workspace and new facade to front and rear of 249-289 Cricklewood Broadway

 

The two existing floors of the Cricklewood Broadway building will be re-furbished, with the ground floor retained in retail use and the first floor converted to shared living/co-working accommodation. The building will be extended upwards by three additional floors, each providing additional co-living accommodation. An arcade will be provided, linking Cricklewood Broadway to Hassop Road, and will have shops on its southern side, and some ancillary accommodation for the co-living units (gym and concierge) on its northern side. The units are laid out at a ratio of just under 7 rooms per shared kitchen, dining and living room and small kitchenettes are also provided within the rooms. Other communal facilities will include co-working spaces, lounges, gym, cinema, external amenity space, managers office, concierge, and storage areas. Floors three to four will be stepped back from its front and rear elevations and the maximum height of this building will be approximately 17m at its southern end and 20m at its northern end.

 

The Hassop Road building will involve the refurbishment of Nos.42-56 and its upward extension by an additional floor, and the redevelopment of 32-40 and 60-74 Hassop Road to provide a three-storey building. Due to the gradient of the road, maximum height will range between approximately 9m and 12m.The ground floor will continue to be in employment use whilst the upper floors will accommodate 8no. self-contained flats.

 

Public realm improvements between the two buildings are proposed to make the street more pedestrian-friendly. This will be achieved through the provision of a shared surface, the planting of trees (approximately 23no.), the removal of the ad hoc parking and their replacement with two dedicated parking bays and two loading bays, and cycle parking. Catenary lighting is also proposed. Improvements are also proposed along the Cricklewood Broadway frontage with additional plantings, seating, and cycle parking.

 

Regarding the Railway Terraces Conservation Area they say:

Although the proposed development will be visible from the Conservation Area and will directly face the listed Milestone LINK , it must also be viewed within the context of the existing developments external to those heritage assets. 

 

Visibility does not necessarily equate to being harmful because it could be argued that views from the Conservation Area, such as along Kara Way, towards the site will be enhanced due to a replacement building, albeit larger, that is more sympathetic in terms of its overall design and materials. At worse, the impact of the development is considered neutral.

 

 On the 157 unit co-living block the planners state:

PolicyH16 of the London Plan acknowledges that co-living is a type of housing that will help to meet a particular need, that is, single person households who cannot or choose to not live-in self-contained homes or HMOs. The policy does not restrict the accommodation to particular groups by occupation or specific need (e.g., for students, nurses, temporary/emergency accommodation) but such schemes must be of at least 50 units.

 

Given the density of living accommodation in that block and the fact that it has lifts for disabled people who will require PEEPs (personal emergency evacuation plans) councillors will be keen to look at fire safety. I have embedded the report below - it is worth looking at page 9.

Click bottom right for full page.

Both applications were approved at yesterday's Brent Planning Committee. Only Cllr Fleur Donelly-Jackson voted against the Cricklewood Broadway/Hassop Road application on grounds that it did not mean the LA's own policy guidance. The Wembley Hill Road St George Hotel/Allied Irish Bank application was approved unanimously. There were no resident speakers against the Cricklewood Broadway application and councillors were told that Barnet Council and Cricklewood Terrace Residents' Assoication had made no submission.

There was a speaker on behalf of Mostyn Avenue residents on the Wembley Hill Road application who said there was no established demand for yet more hotel space, was concerned about disruption during building works and parking issues. She corrected the developer's agent claim that the Allied Irish Bank building had been empty for years. It has been occupied by a church that has done good work during the pandemic.

A further application, not covered previously on this blog, was for an Adult Gaming Centre on High Road Willesden. Planning officers had advocated restricted hours rather than the 24/7 opening requested by the applicant, who could see no justification for the restriction.

The Planning Committee approved the application with 8am-10pm opening Sunday to Thursday and 8am to Midnight Friday and Saturday.

A newly formed group has launched a petition calling on Brent Council to declare Brent a 'Right to Food borough'. The petition is HERE and its explanation below:

We are seeing a crisis of food poverty born out of the political choices and systemic failings created over the past four decades which have now reached a tipping point for so many in our communities. The figures are devastating for one of the richest nations in the world, highlighting the pervasive food inequality in the UK today.

The pandemic has exacerbated existing food insecurity, with a massive increase in emergency Council assistance and the use of Food Banks in our Borough. Sufra NW London food aid reported a 200% increase in demand for food aid during the initial three months of the pandemic alone, and the situation is likely to worsen as the furlough scheme is scrapped and rent eviction bans are lifted. Food poverty is the result of structural injustices connected to health, housing, employment and wider social inequalities. It needs systemic solutions that empower communities with public resources, including land, retail space and procurement directed toward a more just and sustainable local food system.

Brent Right to Food was launched on Saturday 10 July with the aim of bringing together the various community initiatives seeking to address food insecurity in our Borough. 

We ask Brent workers, residents and communities to join our call for 

(a) the Leader of the Council Muhammad Butt to declare Brent a Right to Food Borough in support of the national campaign led by Ian Byrne MP

(b) the development of a Brent Food Justice Strategy in partnership with local food organisations that can ensure all Brent residents have access to affordable, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food every day of the year across their whole lifetime

Wembley Park's response to my query re Covid19 precautions at these events:

Public safety is Wembley Park’s highest priority and Wembley Park continues to follow the government guidance for COVID-19.

 

All events, as part of the Summer of Play programme, are set within a spacious, outdoor setting and some measures will remain in the public realm for the public to use whenever they want to.

SUMMER ON SCREEN 

 

29^th JULY – 5^th SEPTEMBER

North-West London’s Free Open-Air Cinema.

From Thursday 29 July, Wembley Park’s popularfree outdoor cinema, Summer on Screen, will return for five weeks in the Events Pad, across from the London Designer Outlet, on Wembley Park Boulevard. 

Visit Summer on Screen for an exceptional outdoor cinematic experience of hand-picked films under the summer night sky, with a choice of socially distant deckchairs or beanbags for a comfortable experience. 

Choose from 18 cinema gems including cult classics, magical musicals, and family favourites. Guests can see smash hits like the acclaimed play Hamilton, or for those in the sporting spirit, Bend it Like Beckham will show on the launch night of July 29, when the Olympics fever will be in full swing. 

An array of Bollywood classics will also be shown, including Manmarziyaan as well as educational and popular documentaries from National Geographic which will be screened in the day. 

Best of all, screenings are completely free, so be sure to arrive early for pre-show entertainment, food, drink, and to secure seats.

Film Schedule (with more dates to be confirmed in due course):

Thursday 29^th July: Bend It Like Beckham 

Friday 30^th July: Hamilton

Saturday 31^st July: Frozen

Sunday 1^st August: Manmarziyaan 

Sunday 8^th August: Lion King 

Thursday 12^th August: Dodgeball 

Saturday 14^th August: Ratatouille

Sunday 15^th August: India’s Indpendence Day, screening presented by UK Asian Film Festival – showing ‘Khape’.

Thursday 19^th August: Cool Runnings

Friday 20^th August: Bohemian Rhapsody 

Saturday 21^st August: Tom and Jerry (2021)

Sunday 22^nd August: Batti Gul Meter Chalu 

Thursday 26^th August: Eddie the Eagle 

Friday 27^th August: Yesterday

Saturday 28^th August: Paddington 

Sunday 29^th August: Happy Endings 

Thursday 2^nd September: Happy Gilmore

Friday 3^rd September: A Star is Born 

When:            

Thursday 29 July – Sunday 5 September.

Where:          

Events Pad, Wembley Park Boulevard.

Price:            

Free.

Kilburn is packed with hidden treasures, one of them is Selma James, a local writer, well-known anti-racist campaigner and feminist icon, recently honoured with the Sheila McKechnie Long-term Achievement Award.  

On Friday 23 July OffSide Books, a cozy community space in NW6 hosts a book launch to celebrate Ms James’ new anthology, Our Time Is Now: Sex, Race, Class, & Caring for People and Planet. 

Selma James defined and identified unwaged caring work as a core issue for the women’s movement and launched the Wages for Housework Campaign (WFH) in 1972.

This much-anticipated follow-up to her first anthology (Sex, Race, and Class – The Perspective of Winning), compiles decades of James’s work with a focus on more recent writings, including a ground-breaking analysis of CLR James’s masterpieces, The Black Jacobins and Beyond a Boundary, and an account of her formative partnership with him. Her experience in the movement for Caribbean federation and independence is reflected in her introduction to Ujamaa, the socialism that Tanzanian villagers built and in her work with Guyana, Haiti and Venezuela. 

Selma James turns 91 this year, her work spans 60 years, including founding the Crossroads Women’s Centre in Kentish Town. Her writing shines, inspires and sheds light on every corner of the movement for justice and change.  

At OffSide Books, Selma will be discussing her work with a Q&A, and signing her new book. All welcome!

Our Time Is Now: Sex, Race, Class, & Caring for People and Planet is available HERE.

Sex, Race, and Class – The Perspective of Winning is available HERE.

WHEN: Friday 23 July 2021, 6.30-8 pm

Barry Gardiner MP (Labour Brent North) in a welcome intervention yesterday raised the issue of the St Modwen development in Wembley Central Square in the House of Commons debate of the Building Safety Bill.  SEE LINK to previous post

I am not sure what is worse for leaseholders: the fact that they are in constant fear because their homes are not safe, the fact that they cannot afford to make them safe and are being harassed by greedy managing agents, or the fact that they are trapped in their flats without any easy option to sell and move on with their lives. Today’s statement and the Bill do not fundamentally change that for all the reasons the Father of the House, Sir Peter Bottomley, set out in his brief but excellent speech.

During the passage of the Fire Safety Bill, Ministers promised that these issues would be addressed in the Building Safety Bill. Lord Greenhalgh said:

“it is unacceptable for leaseholders to have to worry about costs of fixing historic safety defects in their buildings that they did not cause” and that

“building owners are responsible for ensuring the safety of residents”, and he said that they should

“protect leaseholders from the costs of remediating historic building defects.”

I do not know what the correct term in Parliament is for someone who make promises that they do not keep, but I know what they call them on the streets of Brent North: they call them a Government Minister.

Extending the scope and duration of the Defective Premises Act 1972 in the Building Safety Bill shows that the Government do not understand the extent of the problem. I ask the Minister to explain to my constituents who live in the Wembley Central development how it will help them. The original developer of their homes, St Modwen, has washed its hands of these defective properties. It sold them to an offshore company in Jersey in 2018, following the introduction of the new building regulations. It was in partnership with Sowcrest, which is now in a very convenient liquidation. So who exactly does the Minister think my constituents can chase here? What are the Government prepared to do about buildings with obscure corporate ownership?

I first contacted St Modwen in 2017, immediately after the Grenfell tragedy. It repeatedly assured me that the buildings were safe and in 2018 confirmed in writing that no fire safety defects had been identified. I am now told that the cladding on this building is the same as that used in Grenfell Tower and the fire safety report has identified fire stopping defects throughout the construction process. In May this year, St Modwen agreed to a takeover bid of £1.2 billion from Blackstone. Can the Minister tell me how this Bill will make them accountable for their actions? It was not the leaseholders who decided to use flammable cladding or to leave out fire stopping in voids or cut corners—developers made those decisions. My constituents have neither the deep pockets nor the legal expertise to fight these corporate chameleons, who start off in London and end up in Jersey as a different company. This Bill shows that the Government either do not understand or do not care. The companies can afford lengthy litigation; leaseholders cannot.

Finally, the Minister must explain why there is so little progress on the building safety fund. I wrote to St Modwen on 23 June. I still await a response. I have written to Fidum, the new managing agent for the new owners. I asked it about its application to the building safety fund for the removal of unsafe cladding. I have received no response, but Fidum now tells residents that it missed the closing date of 30 June for the second application because it is still waiting to have eligibility—