Forum Topic

Forthcoming Community Meetings - 13th and 18th September

Two forthcoming community meetings have been organised by Brentford Voice. The subjects of both meetings have an important bearing on the future of our area.The first will discuss the ongoing consultation by Hounslow Council on the Emerging Brentford Master Plan. It is taking place on Wednesday 13th September at 6.30 p.m. at Brentford Free Church. Boston Manor Road and is open to all.Council officers and their consultants will present the context and content of the Masterplan. There will be ample time to comment on the Masterplan and to ask questions.The following Monday 18th September at 6.30pm there will be a community meeting at the Holiday Inn on ideas for the future of Brentford’s disused railway embankment, which runs immediately to the west of Commerce Road. The meeting is open to all.At the same venue in January 2023 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. At the meeting on 18 September A&S will present their first ideas. This will be followed by questions and answers and a general discussionAny questions or comments about both of the meetings can be emailed to info@brentfordvoice.co.ukMore information is available here -http://www.brentfordtw8.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conbrentfordvoice030.htm

Jim Storrar ● 251d11 Comments

And dont forget the Community infrastructure levy or CIL which they are making millions of £s from the developers! Ballymore development 800 + flats on 7 acres, while Brentford Dock 600+ flats on 27 acres!Thats overdevelopment whatever LBH say. Funny thing is there are already complaints from some of the residents of Hollandburyhouse about the proposed new development of the old Asbestos covered building on Dock road about the height they are going to build to,10 story I think and it will spoil their views!

David Cook ● 244d

In the race for development and more council tax in the coffers,essential services have never been factored in to any form of thinking imo.It's a free for all,every person for themselves as regards health care, but we are getting a few more trees and cycle lanes etc.,all for our mental health you understand, to salve the consciences of the high and mighty.The unintended(?) consequences of 'progress'is that the public suffer in one way or another.They are basically saying 'suck it up,it's nothing to do with us'

Keith Iddon ● 245d

None of that justifies the overdensification without adequate anything.The fact that very few places at these new schools are actually within 15 min fast walking time not taking many from Brentford.It's not just a GP shortage that is the problem it is facilities for treatment and rehabilitation.  And other aspects of the NHS are far from satisfactory.The local amenities are average to poor and then there is a huge gap with unaffordable facilities for the very well heeled.The environmental impact of new developments is massive.  Water and Sewerage in paticular. Or the huge amount of energy required just to provide basic services to buildings over 4 storeysBut this is all part of an agenda propelled by the Mayor of London ( and not just the existing Stooge and a raft of developers and advisors associated with developers and others who are doing rather nicely out of this and local authorities who Cow Tow without question and put power and politics above people and environs.

Raymond Havelock ● 245d

We need more doctors and nurses full stop and then maybe some will be attracted to setting up business - for it is a business - in Brentford.As for school places, it was said at the meeting and in Guy's contribution above that there is not a shortage of school places in Hounslow. You may not get your first choice of school but there is not a shortage of spaces.

Anne England ● 246d

That was one of the points made at the meeting at length by a gentleman there and I know for a fact they need more staff now before all the new builds are built and occupied.

David Cook ● 246d

In reality,inviting a large number of people into an area where it is already difficult for current residents to get access to gps and schools will only result in all residents, new and old,receiving a poorer service all round.The hard working staff at my local health clinic will be asked to shoe horn even more patients into their catchment,all without any new staffing resources.I am not against new developments and bringing new people into the area,but the services for everyone must be up to scratch for all.A new surgery is all well and good,not that as a user I can see anything wrong with the one that we have already.It's new doctors and nurses and clininicians I want, not fancy new surgeries.

Keith Iddon ● 246d

I think on the whole that people spoke very well at the meeting. I do think that a few people get rather carried away though and their exaggeration regarding certain points is of no help to anyone. For example, does the woman who spoke at length including re the 'high rise' planned for the Griffin Park site know something I don't? The last plans I saw I'm pretty sure the flat heights were no higher than what had been planned previously for town houses. There will, however, be one taller block in the middle which will only be visible the further away you get from the site i.e if you stand at the juntion of Mafeking and Albany and look up you will see the top of this building. I am hoping that yet another planning application will not be submitted with something different (unless better!) again.

Anne England ● 246d

Good news about the Schools if thats true and i leave that to others with relevant experience to comment as we do not have children. I know for a fact it is not just a Doctor Shortage thats affecting the NHS, its all staff and Ruth Cadbury wrote to me about that! I am still waiting a reply from her after she told me she was going to ask the Minister what was being done to improve the situation.No comments from you about the other points I raised? Why is that?

David Cook ● 246d

May be eloquent but some of the story is untrue.When I started as a councillor 8 years ago there was difficulty in the number of primary school places, which was addressed by large expansions at St Paul's Primary and Lionel School in particular.There are a lot less children now (this is the case across London) and the issue has become attracting enough children to fill the schools.For secondary schools,3 new schools have been started within a mile of Brentford - Bolder, Nishkam and Green School for Boys. Everyone would like more doctors and provision has been made in developments for new surgeries but there is a serious shortage of GPs - again, this is a national problem https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/the-gp-shortfall-in-numbersGPs (as was pointed out in the meeting) are independent contractors and it is up to them whether they want to set up their business in Brentford or rural Cornwall. There was a story about Cornwall a couple of years ago about the last GP retiring or leaving Mevagissey leaving >5000 patients withour a GP in the town

Guy Lambert ● 246d

I attended this meeting last night on the future of Brentford Town and there were some very eloquently and articulate questions put to LBH. It seems to me that the very relevant questions about lack of School and NHS provisions are falling on deaf ears at LBH.LBH are welcoming in new developers to come to LBH and I kept hearing how important Green areas are for the Borough. All I see is massive overdevelopment still coming to Brentford and many years of disruption and building work still to come. The Green agenda and net zero is a folly and will not save the UK or the earth from ravaging effects of climate change.On the one hand LBH are saying they want more green space, yet they are going to allow massive industrial vandalisation of huge swathes of Green belt in the Borough.Although it probably wont affect Brentford, LBH are already in a massive battle with the Friends of Hatton Fields where next to Heathrow LBH want to build a massive industrial estate! How does this meet their Green agenda? It a word it doesn’t it is hyprocrisy of the highest level from LBH.LBH failed with the Ballymore estate in so much there are no heat pumps or solar panels installed that I can see and within a few years the residents there are going to be faced with another massive bill to replace the gas heating systems.They should be ashamed of their actions.

David Cook ● 247d

Bump

Keith Iddon ● 248d