Agenda item

The paper updates Members on the current position of two phases of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn and seeks approval to take forward the next phase of the project.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet approved the continuation of Phase 2 of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn to planning submission on the basis of the design option presented in the report

    ii)        Cabinet agreed to engage with South Kilburn Trust regarding possible future management arrangements of the Carlton/Granville Centres.

   iii)        Cabinet noted that Property Services will immediately engage with ULFA as set out in the report and to trigger the break clause as set out in the lease

   iv)        Cabinet agreed in principle that funding will come from different sources as set out in Appendix 2 of the report with the intention to seek Cabinet approval to enter into any necessary agreements with the Greater London Authority or South Kilburn Trust in due course.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, informed the meeting that he had received five requests to speak on this item.

Councillor Butt invited Mr Pete Firmin to address the meeting. Mr Firmin, speaking on behalf of a local tenants' association expressed concern at the proposals to deliver 23 units under the recommended design option (3). Mr Firmin stated that the Granville Centre is a secular community building. He expressed concern at the role of the South Kilburn Trust, stating that the trust doesn’t appear to represent local residents and was not truly independent of the Council. He stated that the South Kilburn Trust had not tried to engage with local residents.

Councillor Butt invited David Kaye to address the meeting. Mr Kaye expressed concern at the implications of the planned project at the Carlton and Granville Site on local communities. He stated that the South Kilburn Trust does not appear to work in collaboration with local community groups and organisations. He stated that, were the Council to proceed with the proposed number of units, the impact would be negative on the local community and local services.

Councillor Butt invited Leslie Barson to address the meeting. Ms Barson spoke of the loss of community space in the area. She stated that since redevelopments had begun, 779 square metres of community space had been lost. She stated that new blocks of housing do not have community space. She pleaded to Cabinet to agree option 4 which would deliver no housing but would require refurbishment of the exisiting buildings for community and enterprise use.

Councillor Butt invited Lesley J M Benson, Headteacher Granville Plus Nursery School, to address the meeting. Ms Benson stated that she is a member of the Key Stakeholder Group regarding the Carlton and Granville Centres Site. She welcomed that Brent Council had established a stakeholder group. She stated that she had never seen an initiative engagement approached such as the one adopted by the Council for this scheme. She stated that the design team had responded to the robust challenge from the Group.

Councillor Butt invited Ms Ros Dunn, Independent Chair of South Kilburn Trust, to address the meeting. Ms Dunn stated that she wished to express support for Option 3 - 23 units provided all of one tenure. She welcomed the collaborative approach the Council had adopted on this project, and thanked the design team for their collaborative approach. She stated that the proposals, under option 3, if approved, would ensure a well-designed high quality space.

Councillor Butt thanked the speakers for their contributions.

Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, stated that the South Kilburn Trust was a key partner for the Council and stated that all interested parties should work to make sure the relationship between the Trust, residents and groups improved.

Councillor Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, referred to one of the Council’s main priorities – to deliver housing targets. The Council had a priority to move as many people as possible currently in temporary accommodation in to permanent housing. He stated that schemes which delivered affordable and social housing were in line with the Mayor of London’s priorities and Brent Labour’s manifesto.

Councillor Eleanor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, welcomed the report and option 3. She reminded Cabinet Members that Brent currently has 2,350 families in temporary accommodation. She stated that the need to develop social housing in Brent was critical to address the housing crisis.

Councillor Shama Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Highways & Planning, thanked the speakers and Members of the Cabinet for their interventions. She stated that the purpose of this paper updates Members on the current position of two phases of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn and seeks approval to take forward the next phase of the project.

Councillor Tatler stated that, since November 2016, there have been regular meetings with key stakeholders. These meetings have included existing users of the buildings as well as Kilburn ward members.

Councillor Margaret McLennan, Deputy Leader of the Council, welcomed the report and expressed support for option 3 - approximately 23 units.

Councillor Muhammed Butt thanked the speakers and Cabinet Members for their interventions. He reminded the meeting about the central government cuts to Brent’s budget since 2010 and the subsequent impact on local services.

He stated that option 3 proposes a less dense scheme whilst still achieving the benefits housing provides on a site, specifically community safety with 24 hours passive surveillance of the outdoor spaces below.

He stated that the reduction in housing responds to the community concerns about the scale of development and residential impact on this community site.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet approved the continuation of Phase 2 of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn to planning submission on the basis of design Option 3 presented in the report;

    ii)        Cabinet agreed to engage with South Kilburn Trust regarding possible future management arrangements of the Carlton/Granville Centres;

   iii)        Cabinet noted that Property Services will immediately engage with ULFA as set out in the report and to trigger the break clause as set out in the lease;

   iv)        Cabinet agreed in principle that funding will come from different sources as set out in Appendix 2 of the report with the intention to seek Cabinet approval to enter into any necessary agreements with the Greater London Authority or South Kilburn Trust in due course.