Two Key Community Meetings Taking Place This Month
Brentford Masterplan and the disused railway embankment to be discussed
Waterways feature heavily in the proposed masterplan. Picture: Hounslow Council
September 7, 2023
There are two meetings organised by Brentford Voice taking place this month which will have an important bearing on the future of the area.
The first will discuss the ongoing consultation by Hounslow Council into the Emerging Brentford Master Plan. It is taking place on Wednesday 13 September at 6.30 p.m. at Brentford Free Church. Boston Manor Road and is open to all.
The opinions of local people on how Brentford is developed in the future are being sought by the council with responses taken until 1 October. Some background information, and a copy of the Masterplan are available via this webpage.
Council officers and their consultants will be at the meeting and will present the context and content of the Masterplan. There will be ample time to comment on the Masterplan and to ask questions.
Brentford Voice says, “The Masterplan emphasises the importance of our waterside location and seeks to support our town centre, and our rich historic, creative, and cultural assets. It also sets out site-specific guidance for seven sites, to be used by the Council when informing and shaping future proposals coming forward in the town centre. These proposals include new homes and commercial development.
“This is an unmissable opportunity to shape the future of our town centre and to influence the proposals before the spades begin to go into the ground.”
Any questions or comments can be emailed to info@brentfordvoice.co.uk
The following Monday (18 September) at 6.30pm there will be a community meeting on Brentford’s disused railway embankment at the Holiday Inn.
At the same venue in January there was a similar event at the same venue which was very well-attended. Brentford Voice was seeking the community’s views on whether it should go ahead with the commissioning of a Feasibility Study on the future use of the embankment. The almost unanimous view was that it should proceed.
With grant funding from Hounslow Council, Brentford Voice appointed consultants to prepare a Feasibility Study. Adams & Sutherland (A&S), architecture, landscape, and urban design consultants were selected to produce the report.
The firm has now completed their “baseline” studies of local history, habitats, trees, and existing patterns of land ownership. It has now developed some initial ideas for access to the site and its possible future uses.
Brentford Voice says, “Without giving too much away, their ideas are based up on the principle of a ‘light touch’.”
At the forthcoming meeting A&S will present their first ideas. This will be followed by questions and answers and a general discussion.
Until now, the embankment has generally been referred to as the “Brentford Highline”. One alternative that has been suggested is the “Beeline”. Brentford Voice would welcome any views on this name, and alternative suggestions.
Any views on this issue along with questions about both of the meetings can be emailed to info@brentfordvoice.co.uk.
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