Keep Watermans in Brentford
We've got a fight on our hands
With the future of Watermans so uncertain and a finite time limit until Ballymore fixes its plans for the area south of Brentford High Street a group of concerned local residents have set up ‘Keep Watermans in Brentford’. Long-standing Brentford resident Hannah Eichler is co-ordinating the group and can be contacted at KeepWatermansInBrentford@gmail.com if you would like to actively support the campaign.
The website describes the history of Watermans since its construction (and the planning that led up to it) and the case for keeping Watermans in Brentford. If you have any queries please look there for the answers before asking again.
Supported by BrentfordTW8.com the group has also launched a petition that reads as follows:
We call upon Hounslow Council to recommit to moving Watermans into the centre of Brentford.
The Council should immediately sit down with Ballymore and work through the detail of how to include Watermans in the Brentford town centre masterplan (with the minimum of equivalent facilities currently provided including theatre, cinema, gallery and dance space) before time runs out on this unique opportunity.
This Brentford relocation should be enabled through a land swap.
A move to Hounslow presents a severe risk to Watermans collapsing through loss of their well-established local customer base and undermining the regeneration of Brentford town centre.
Please , spread the link on Facebook and Twitter.
There is also a paper copy (pdf / doc) which you can download and take round your neighbours. Please also ask your local shops and pubs, places of work to keep a paper copy for people to sign.
Local resident Nigel Moore, who has thus far hit a brick wall in his attempt to get the Council to release emails under Freedom of Information that might make the local authority’s thinking on Watermans future clearer, said:
“I don’t think anyone wants this fight. The Council can end this tomorrow – and give Watermans the positive future it deserves. They must simply restate explicitly their commitment to moving Watermans into Brentford town centre. The “potential location” for a new Watermans has been known to exist in Brentford town centre for at least seven years. The Council needs to provide leadership quickly and publicly direct Ballymore to incorporate a move within the earliest phases of their Brentford town centre masterplan.”
April 10, 2012