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REMINDER - Brentford High Street community feedback event - Tuesday 19th June 2007, 7pm, Watermans

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the community feedback event of the Community Planning Project for Brentford High Street takes place tonight (Tuesday 19th June 2007) in the theatre at Watermans Arts Centre, High Street, Brentford (7pm-8.30pm).The Brentford High Street steering group met for the first time in October 2006.  Backed by a group of councillors from across the political spectrum and a number of community groups, our goal is to see Brentford High Street regenerated in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner – a beacon for communities elsewhere.  With financial support from Hounslow Council’s Community Investment Fund, our first step has been to produce a clearly defined expression of the local community’s vision for the future of Brentford High Street in the first half of 2007.  Tonight we will report back on the draft recommendations coming out of workshops since the launch event in January.  These consider:- Historical context - Local economy - Environmental sustainability, leisure, culture & sport - High Street design and liveability - Marketing and image - Children and young people The steering group looks forward to you joining us on tonight and contributing to the review of the community’s vision for the future of High Street before the draft report is finalised.  For more information on the work of the steering group and sub-groups visit www.brentfordhighstreet.co.ukPlease forward this message to any neighbours you think would like to attend tonight.  Finally, please accept my apologies in advance if you get more than one copy of this email!Yours sincerelyAndrew DakersChair, Brentford High Street Steering GroupM: 07788 116159This project is supported by Brentford Chamber of Commerce, Brentford Community Council, Brentford High Street Traders’ Group, BrentfordTW8.com, Grand Union Community Development, Hounslow Council, Hounslow Education Business Partnership, the New Economics Foundation and West Play

Andrew Dakers ● 6556d11 Comments

Until recently, funds for road and footway repairs and improvements allocated to the borough's 5 Area Committees were allocated on the basis of population. This meant Chiswick, Brentford, Heston, Feltham and other parts of Hounslow received a sum based on the number of people living there. This year, a new formula has been introduced by the council's Executive that represents parties with less than half the total number of councillors, who received much less than half the votes cast in May 2006, that gives Chiswick much more per head than everyone else. David, I trust that consistency means you are demanding that your Conservative colleagues will arrange a local referendum to see whether Hounslow residents as a whole support this unfair formula?

John Connelly ● 6534d

If you take off those too young and those too old or infirm to get out and those,like myself, who were at work,the pool of people for these stats. is quite significantly reduced so the per capita attendance would be a fair bit higher than you suggest,imho.

Keith Iddon ● 6534d

I think that one has to be careful about differentiating between the views of the majority of residents (who generally do not attend meetings or take an active part in discussions) and the tiny minorities who attend meetings.A meeting consisting of 60 people is hardly representative of the 15,000 people of Brentford as a whole.Unfortunately these days we are increasingly being ruled by minority pressure groups and activists who like to claim they represent the people but who rarely consult the people and very often most certainly do not represent the people e.g. on issues like border security. A prime example of this is of course the Labour Government's refusal to hold a referendum on the new European Constitutional Treaty and the connivance of the so-called Liberal Democats in this undemocratic denial of the rights of the British people to determine their own future within Europe.There is in fact a very good case for holding referenda on important local issues.

David Giles ● 6534d

Ben,I think the Brentford population is about 15,000. If you take an average of 3 people per household, then there are about 5,000 households. So of the 60 people attending, assume they came from different households, they represent about 1.2%. But earlier meetings I think involved up to 150 people, so that brings it up to about 3.6%. On top of that there have been many submissions to the different questionnaires.Like you, I came to live in Brentford, (in 1979) and believe those who have come to live here have brought it much more ability to develop itself well, not just as a district in Hounslow, but as a distinct town in its own right (as it always was in history). I hope you are not discouraged.

Duncan Walker ● 6535d

I think you have misunderstood what people are telling you and the general objectives of regeneration. I too am not born and bred but I don't think that anybody is discriminating on this basis. You don't name the people who you spoke to so it is difficult for them to clarify what they said for you but it seems likely that when they talked about 'non-Londoners' moving in they meant non-resident landlords - particularly those who leave flats vacant.When talking about jobs for locals the likelihood is that this refers to smaller scale industry rather than the large scale but specialist businesses on the golden mile which do in fact provide local employment but as a percentage of total it can be quite low.I don't get the impression from any of this that there is a Royston Vaysey mentality at work here or a desire to ban all new development. Rather the aim seems to be to design Brentford in a way that will work (it doesn't really at the moment to be frank). As a non-native I've hardly ever found those born and bred here to be hostile and unwelcoming. If you got involved a bit more rather than just engaging in knocking those that are making an effort you would find that to be the case

Dan Evans ● 6536d

Intresting observation, but in my opinion wrong. A number of people see those "crappy buildings" buildings as part of Brentford's history and heritage and worthy of preservation. I see nothing wrong with an intergrated development mixing the old and the new. This is achieved all over Europe why not Brentford. I'm sure the majority of people who are interested in Brentford don't care who moves into the town just as long as the town becomes vibrant again.Also who are the "silent majority of Brentford" and how do you know that they do not agree with the plans. I must admit I don't agtree with all of it myself though.

Neil Chippendale ● 6536d

Only 60 of the 'local community' actually attended this event. This lack of interest is not surprising, but is slightly depressing. Does anyone know the current population of Brentford?After talking to certain prospective councillors during the time of local elections, I was amazed by their flawed logic regarding the regeneration of Brentford. On my doorstep at Brentford Dock, I was basically told that Brentford should be kept for local people, and Brentford's regeneration should be aimed at providing jobs and property for the 'locals'. The said individual then talking about discouraging non-Londoners from buying property in Brentford. I wish I had recorded this conversation, as the same discussion took place with my neighbour at Brentford Dock. Whilst there are a number of problems with this attitude espoused by a member of the community council, the main issue was that both my neighbour and I moved to Brentford in order to attend during the 90s. Thus we are the very people that the community council want to discourage from Brentford. I couldn't be bothered to argue with the member of the council and disclose my place of birht, but was amazed by his illogical "small town England" mentality. I of course didn't vote for him, but am amazed how this mentality seems to be driving the Brentford High Street project. I am sure that this post will be deleted, but the silent majority of Brentford do not agree with the community council and need to be heard. I walked down to the Brentford Lock development at the weekend, and loved the changes to the canal and the buildings there. I wish the developers could start immediately on the high street and the rest of Commerce road. Instead, we are left with crappy buildings and unrealistic plans for a pie-in-the-sky integrated and sustainable "community environment". Personally, I would rather have a nice new development like Brentford Lock or Ferry Quays.       

Ben Hogie ● 6536d

Just read the piece on the news page and now this. I would like to thank Cllrs Dakar and Hamar and ex Cllr Kirton for all the hard work in bringing this together.Lets just hope some of these ideas can be feed into the development application when it finally goes in.

Neil Chippendale ● 6539d

For anyone that missed the Community Feedback Event on Tuesday 19th June at Watermans the video is now online.  Andrew1 - Introduction/ welcome 2 - Message from Cllr Phil Andrews 3 - Message from Tim Luckett, Brentford Chamber 4 - Message from Paul Sanders-Jackson, The New Economics Foundation 5a - Local Economy 5b - Local Economy 6 - Marketing & Image 7 - Arts, Culture and Leisure 8 - Environmental Sustainability 9 - Historical Context 10 - Urban Design and Liveability Video ended so see presentation slides 1-23http://www.openplans.org/projects/brentfordhighstreet/community-planning/bhs-the-community-vision-19-june-2007-part-2.ppt11 - Older People, Children & Young People 12 - The Ballymore/ Geronimo Perspective 13 - Next Steps 14 - Question and Answer Session 15 - Value Tree Analysis

Andrew Dakers ● 6545d

Yes I would have liked to attended, but have only just found out about it.

Emma Renton ● 6556d

just making sure youll give an in depth review of what transpires? id love to come, but im a tad busy this evening.

Jamie Halliday ● 6556d