The plans for the site’s eventual use are still very much up in the air.There have been a number of sessions where local residents have been invited to put forward ideas and discuss requirements that are currently lacking in the Brentford and south Ealing areas. I know because I went to one after taking the time to talk to a project researcher at the Brentford festival. The session I attended in October was one of a number held in Brentford, and they were well attended.They are not just looking at the building use but also how to integrate it and its external areas into the surrounding region.There were a lot of interesting proposals put forward, including access to the canal and incorporating workshop space into the new development to replace some of that which has been swept away in recent years. Of course, whether any of these residents ideas are taken up is another matter, but on this occasion they have actually taken the time to ask people who live here what they think and what they would like. That’s a marked contrast to other developments, where plans are decided years before any application goes in and public consultation is just a box ticking exercise.
Simon Hayes ● 18d