Forum Topic

Brompton leaving Brentford

What has Hounslow Council been thinking of? Why on earth haven't our elected representatives and officers been seeking an alternative home for Brompton in Brentford? They dump all these ugly, pokey flats on Brentford residents and fail to retain one of the jewels in Brentford's crown.  So now we lose out to Greenford. Thanks for worse than nothing Hounslow.

Hazel Dakers ● 3689d17 Comments

The cosying up of Council officers and councillors from not just Hounslow but other boroughs to some of the most questionable 'developers" in places like Cannes is something that just screams "Dodgy!"It should be fully reported and the press should be invited and monitor these things. But it is all just like a FIFA conference.  One big gravy train of kindred spirits.

Raymond Havelock ● 3681d

Brentford has been ill-used by local and national politicians for their own ends.

Hazel Dakers ● 3682d

Hi Bryan not sure that you read Hazel's posting "re-zoning to comply with developers' wishes has been going on for decades in Hounslow." Pickles may not have got it right but to argue that this is the reason that Brompton is leaving Brentford is facile and massively over states his influence.Those of you with longer memories will recall the unedifying nightmare of  Labour led Hounslow in an unholy alliance with the Department for the Environment crushing local residents wishes and those of English Heritage to handover the remaining commercial/working parts of the Brentford riverside over to residential development (at that time in the hands of an anonymous Irish consortium that then proceeded to spectacularly "phut").

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 3682d

I was about to post a reply along exactly those lines. Yes, the council could perhaps have done a bit more, but overall it is the fault of Eric Pickles and his disastrous (for jobs and workplaces) idea of removing the need for planning permission on office>residential conversions. I'm aware of at least three or four co-working spaces (by which I mean buildings housing several small businesses) that have been closed for conversion. That's dozens of businesses homeless, and struggling to find other accommodation in the borough as demand pushes rents ever higher.

Bryan Betts ● 3682d

Perhaps you haven't read my contribution dated 4th July which points out that "The Council had the power to refuse re-zoning but chose not to use it over many many years. It now has far less authority over planning and can pass the blame for decisions but only over the last year or so."Re-zoning to comply with developers' wishes has been going on for decades in Hounslow.

Hazel Dakers ● 3683d

I don't feel criticism should be directed at LBH in this respect.  What is known as prior approval was brought in by central government to enable B1(a) offices to be converted into residential units without requiring planning permission.  When the prior approval procedure was introduced (by the coalition government), many Councils (including Hounslow) sought exemptions from those provisions for certain parts of their respective Boroughs, but in total only 17 exemptions were confirmed across the entire country.  Those provisions have massively undermined the ability of Councils to protect employment land, and indeed the prior approval provisions have been widened over the last year or so to enable buildings in other non-residential uses to be converted into flats without requiring planning permission, and that fallback position carries substantial weight when assessing a planning application for such land.

Adam Beamish ● 3683d

I don't suppose you will ever understand this Sam but people who operate outside of your party political bubble, which is about 99% of the population incidentally, do not need to resort to "tactics" of any kind.It's a shame, really, because when you are in "normal bloke" mode you are actually a man who is worth listening to.

Phil Andrews ● 3687d

I ran a business out of Enfield Road for 15 years and in that time we trained 30 apprentices. We moved to Hanwell as we wished to expand our business and could not find suitable or affordable premises in Hounslow. In fact there was a complete lack of interest in Hounslow in very small businesses.  In our case they introduced parking restrictions outside our premises which made loading and unloading a nightmare.  We contacted them several times to ask if they could help us find suitable premises but  we did not even get our phone calls returned. Not so in Ealing - one phone call resulted in us finding our new site. I can see why Brompton are leaving. Hounslow council just want to have their photos taken with a successful local business but won't get off their arse to help or encourage the company to stay in the Borough.

Robert Ayres ● 3687d

And of course Phil you would never descend to such ungentlemanly tactics ....

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 3687d

Good to see you here Fadi, we may get some considered and constructive debate now as opposed to the inane tribal yah-booism that seems to be the hallmark of certain others.

Phil Andrews ● 3688d

At Tuesday's Hustings for the Brentford by-election, I specifically raised this issue to the panel. Patrick Barr (the Cons. candidate) expressed his displeasure at the Council for not doing enough and indicated that this is one of many reasons why there needs to be an injection of new blood on the Council and that Labour councillors were becoming complacent. Other than him, all the other candidates did not even seem aware of this pertinent issue. Although, having raised the matter, Guy Lambert did give a passionate answer and did express his displeasure at the whole situation. The Lib-Dem candidate (and I know he is a nice guy) seemed to misunderstand the question as he opined that it would not be ideal for the Council to provide commercial assistance to a company as well-off as Brompton. The issue, of course, is not whether the Council should gift Brompton premises but merely to assist Brompton in finding suitable premises in a bid to keep them in the area/Borough. The Green candidate did not answer the question and gave us a speech on the environmental virtues of cycling and how good cycling is for the environment and one's health. At that point, I switched off and cannot even recall the answer from the UKIP candidate.

Fadi Farhat ● 3688d

This is the crux of it, isn't it?  Sam's and Iain's argument seems to be that one cannot blame Hounslow for what has been an inevitable consequence of Hounslow's policy.Another example, in Sam's case, of how ineffectual his gang has been as an "opposition".  It is one thing to try and fail, it is quite another to make limp-wristed excuses for the deeds of this administration.

Phil Andrews ● 3688d

The Council had the power to refuse re-zoning but chose not to use it over many many years. It now has far less authority over planning and can pass the blame for decisions but only over the last year or so.For years Hounslow has been enthusiastically encouraging developers to build unappealing flats with tiny rooms on every plot of land. I hear that many of these are the investments of overseas buyers who use them only occasionally. Few are suited to families and may well become the slums of the future through overcrowding.Hounslow's policy towards development of rabbit hutch flats has got us to this point.As another contributor has pointed out, our crumbling infrastructure makes long distance travel to work more insufferable with each year. The importance of local companies providing jobs increases all the time. Brompton has been a rare example of a top quality product and export still being manufactured in Brentford - formerly known as a manufacturing town.No excuses for our local policy makers. You've done your worst by Brentford once again.

Hazel Dakers ● 3688d

For once it's not the fault of specific administrations. Hounslow borough have handled the town of Brentford  and it's assets with equal ineptitude for at least the last 40 years. So many incentives have been lost largely to political posturing and the division between the east and west ends of the borough.( Why I think Hounslow as a Borough has always been a nightmare to run)The Chamber of Commerce have been marvellous at helping local businesses but really frustrating with so much perfect for business sites laying derelict and in perfect strategic positions earmarked for the wrong kind of development, it is truly a massive failing of councils past regardless of who was in charge.Brentfords a unique western town with an infrastructure second to none. Albeit now stripped out and derelict. It's proper regeneration balance has been completely missed and messed up.It should be the powerhouse of west London. Well balanced with residential and industry and prosperoussThe keystone of that now is GSK and SKY but there are only so many firms of that magnitude to go around. And LBH almost lost them due to politically idealistic 'policies" overidding pragmatism.It is the likes of Brompton and smaller mid sized engineering and manufacturing and service industries that are the new employers and pillars of local commerce and those all important proper jobs.United Biscuits, Gillette, Rank, Trico, Firestone, Pyrene all employed a vast number of semi and unskilled work which eventually became outmoded and unviable. But rather than laying the foundations of regeneration and finding a new balance, there was procrastination and sheer incompetence and myopic visions.What was lost was any sort of initiative for proper regeneration. Yet up and down the country, some towns and cities experiencing the same issues realised that redeveloping sites for just homes will not work without local employment.The problem now is we are doing exactly that.  Prising out what remains of local industry and cramming in housing and people ( at least it would be if they were not being marketed & sold overseas)But when the population does fully occupy these new developments, where will these people work?Not locally for sure.  Ealing is largely residential being a railway commuter town, Hounslow is on it's knees and the real jobs at Heathrow migrated to Cardiff and beyond leaving just minimal career occupations.It means most will have to commute and the infrastructure already cannot cope.Oddly enough as I write this I recall that much of this comes from a speech by a former Mayor of Hounslow - Cllr. Ted Pauling. I think that must of been around 1987He forsaw this and was already critical of the pithering about that had been going on since the early 1970s with no plan to secure sites for industrial regeneration for small to medium sized businesses.So here we are now 2015, losing local jobs and world famous businesses, Approving unsuitable developments and having to build infrastructure on public open spaces.  And no shortage of councillors of all parties who think thats OK. 

Raymond Havelock ● 3688d

I did a tour of the factory a while ago organised by the Chamber of Commerce, afterwards the CEO spoke about their problems looking for an alternative site in the borough. The key point was that light industrial zoned land was not affordable as owners (pension funds etc) deemed the value was actually for residential. Even if planning for housing did not currently exist it would come in time. He was reluctant to move away from Brentford as he wanted to retain specialist staff, many of these cycle to work. He praised Hounslow for their efforts in trying to find him a suitable, and affordable site but they really needed to move to larger premises to meet increasing demand. Ruth Cadbury, Guy Lambert and Andrew Dakers were present on that day...... Looks like the property market has beaten both Brompton and LBH, a real shame but I am not sure you can criticise LBH for the outcome........

Iain Muir ● 3688d

Hi Hazel - I certainly dot not wish to be an apologist for LBH but I think that Officers were actively looking for an alternative site across the Borough. It is indeed very very sad to see a hands on and innovative engineering business leaving the area. Surely not what anyone would want.Something has gone badly wrong when we build a school on metropolitan open land etc

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 3689d

You read it here first. For as long as I've been on this forum, I've been trying to highlight the plight of local businesses which are not at corporation level.We have a director of regeneration who quite frankly has achieved the opposite and should have been booted out or packed of to remedial school as he has simply not grasped the concept of small business and it's needs and local quality jobs.It's all glitzy glass buildings, corporates and coffee bars.With The loss of Reynard Mills, Commerce ( there's a clue in the name ) Roadand now the hyping of the area around Kew Bridge / Lionel Road, it is game set and match for probably all the local businesses there. Costs will now soar and expansion made impossible.But if the ordinary chap in the pub can see this coming from way off, why not the professionals and the elected representatives?

Raymond Havelock ● 3689d