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Kilburn

A resident raised concerns regarding the current weeding program, specifically regarding the environmental impact of the weed sprays used. They would like to understand how eco-friendly these sprays are and whether they pose any potential risks to residents.

Kilburn Neighbourhood Manager

Weed Spraying

Brent has a weed spraying programme on pavements which takes place three times a year to remove weeds only.

This is provided by a company called Complete Weed Control who use a glyphosate-based herbicide under rigorously controlled conditions. The active ingredient in this herbicide is glyphosate which is also readily available in garden centres for people to use in their own gardens.  This herbicide has been rigorously tested for Complete Weed Control to be allowed to use it, especially in public situations such as this, and was previously approved for use by the EU and now the United Kingdom’s regulatory bodies and framework have approved its use as well.

Complete Weed Control apply this herbicide through a technologically advanced piece of equipment called Weed IT.  This machine has a computer-controlled, shrouded spraying head that detects weeds and activates a spray nozzle to spray only that weed and not the whole of the pavement.  This means that herbicide is only being applied where it is necessary and because there is a weed present.  The amount of herbicide being used is very, very small.  This also means that flowers around trees are not sprayed as the computer-controlled spray will only spray weeds and it also has a shrouded boom to stop wind dispersal of glyphosate.

This spot treatment of weeds by computer controlling spray has been shown to significantly reduce the amount of herbicide used compared to other spraying methods such as “knap sack” spraying.

Fix My Street app is currently not fully accessible for estate residents, limiting their ability to report issues effectively.

Kilburn Neighbourhood Manager

Fix My Street App Reporting on Estates

To report an issue with Brent Estates using Fix My Street, go to the Brent Council's Fix My Street website or the national FixMyStreet.com site and enter a Brent postcode or street name to find your location on the map. After locating the problem, you can enter details, and Brent Council will investigate the report. You can also save the website to your home screen to use it like an app.

Steps to report a problem:

1.        Go to the website: Visit the Brent Council's Fix My Street portal or FixMyStreet.com.

2.        Enter location: Type in a Brent postcode or street name to find the specific area on the map.

3.        Locate the issue: Pinpoint the exact location of the problem on the map.

4.        Describe the problem: Provide a clear and detailed description of the issue with the Brent Estate.

5.        Confirm and submit: Finalize your report, and Brent Council will review it.

What you can report on estates:

You can use Fix My Street for non-emergency problems in outdoor communal areas, including issues such as:

•         Fly-tipping on estates

•         Overgrown grass or hedges on estate land

•         Littering on grass areas

•         Problems with estate grounds (other estate ground issues)

Princess Road Residents Association, Granville Community Kitchen, and Kilburn Housing Co-operative have raised concerns regarding Granville Rec (the construction of Block D), stating that residents were never properly consulted about the proposed plan. They cite a lack of proper consultation and widespread dissatisfaction.

South Kilburn Regeneration Team

Planning

Granville Open space is part of the Hereford House & Exeter Court planning application (21/2587) that was approved it committee in August 2024.

The Statement of Community Involvement is attached and confirms how the public were engaged on this scheme:

• Three public exhibitions and one workshop were held in 2018 with a further exhibition held in July 2019 in support of the ballot process. Once these events had taken place all information was also posted online to allow people who were unable to attend events to still be able to submit their views and comments.

• Where feedback from the public has mostly influenced design is in the public realm and landscaping of the new park and streetscape. The Resident Design Group has had an influence on security, massing, internal layouts, facade design and the courtyard spaces.

• The re-provision of Granville Park could have been contentious but ensuring it was always framed as a “re-location”, “upgrading” and “re-provision” of the green space ensured that many people were excited to have a say in what type of spaces the park should feature. The idea of having a “green walk” leading up to Kilburn Park station was equally popular.

The Statement of Community Involvement later goes on to say:

• The second most contentious subject of the scheme is the building on the park, despite the re-provision nearby. The homes designed for the site will have back gardens backing on to the existing gardens, ensuring distances between the old and new buildings are policy compliant. However, residents on Princess Road will see a change in their view from a park to other back gardens and new buildings which some people are opposed to. It is easy to understand why, but the buildings are designed to be high quality homes that tie into the existing context and all homes will be for social rent. Some residents of Princess Road did however see the benefit of a more secure use to the rear of their houses and gardens and felt the existing open space was a bit of a magnet for anti-social behaviour as it was hidden away.

A resident has raised concerns regarding flooding prevention, highlighting that the current council policy does not adequately support climate and environmental issues. They emphasized that allowing property owners to convert front gardens into driveway paths significantly increases the amount of hard surface, which may cause issues during heavy rainfall and potential flooding.

The majority of instances where residents convert their front gardens to parking are implemented using “permitted development” rights.  Planning permission isn’t required in these instances, so we don’t have any control over these works.  The central government legislation which allows these works does require the owner to do construct the hard surfacing in a way that ensures water must run off into a permeable or porous area within their property rather than onto the street.

Where planning permission is required (typically for flats and within Conservation Areas), the Council’s policies require 50 % landscaping to be provided within the property frontage and that rainwater drains to a soft landscaped or porous/permeable area within the property.

Concerns have been raised regarding the deviation from the original Master Plan for regeneration agreed by Brent Council. The plan initially included two health canter’s, youth centres, no new tower blocks, and rehousing in South Kilburn with homes of equal size and cost. However, instead of these commitments, several new tower blocks have been built, with rising service charges, housing issues such as flammable cladding, mould, heating failures, and poorly constructed buildings requiring refurbishment. Brent Council has not provided residents with an explanation for these changes.

Kilburn Regeneration Team

This attached Cabinet Paper from June 2017 adopts the current SPD, notes the consultation responses, and

agrees to revoke the existing South Kilburn Supplementary Planning Document 2005.

Changes to the masterplan, reasons for them and how they were consulted on are set out in detail in the report. The extensive consultation done at the time is highlighted from paragraphs 3.7 to 3.11.

Focused attention on the area around the Kiln Theatre has led to some improvement, but major to ASB related issues have arisen at Brondesbury Villas area, as well as on Priory Park Road and Galangal Road.

Community Safety

Brent Council continues to work in partnership with the Metropolitan Police under Operation Terminos, which focuses on tackling ASB, burglary and violence. Joint patrols remain ongoing as part of this initiative. This includes joint reassurance patrols in the area.  For more information on recent actions taken under Operation Terminos, please see the following update: Op Terminos update - Met Engage

In addition, Police, Brent Council, Camden Council and partners are committed to work across the borough boundaries to ensure a quality service is delivered regardless of the boundary. A cross-border meeting is held weekly to facilitate joint working, information sharing and coordinated cross-border action to address ASB and Crime on Kilburn High Road and the surrounding peripheral roads.