Tendai MWARI!
Makorokoto egore idzva!
Afenhyia pa!
Odun de!
Happy new year
It was clear when we dealt with issue in December it soon became evident that another would show be necessary, given the weight of community queries.
One of the pivotal moments of the campaign so far to save the complex founded by the Harlesden Peoples Community Council (HPCC), inspired by the vision of its leader Leonard Johnson in the early 1980, was the public meeting on December 9th last year. According to the Kilburn Times:
“Hundreds of supporters packed a Stonebridge leisure centre to let the council know their community centre won’t be sold and destroyed without a fight.” (1)
Local Labour MP Dawn Butler attended the meeting and expressed her support for the campaign, whose legal fund to challenge Labour controlled Brent council is on it’s way to meeting the £25,000 target (http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/donations/):
“Far too often we lose community centres and then wonder why our kids are out on the streets. We need centres where generations can get together and grow and where businesses can start and flourish. I understand the argument that Bridge Park didn’t seem to be well run or run by the community for years. On Sunday the community, made up of all generations, came together to declare that they are ready to stand together to run a community centre. It was great to see the activism and enthusiasm in our community. There’s a desperate need for a centre of excellence in Brent. I am fully behind a centre of excellence professionally run by the community.” (2)
Speaking on behalf of Brent council deputy leader Councillor Margaret McLennan retorted that:
“On several occasions the council has offered to work on the redevelopment project with members of the community, however, they refused. This was even before Mr Leonard Johnson started a legal process to claim ownership of council land. Whatever the court decides, it doesn’t change the fact that we are fully committed to working with the local community to ensure that any proposals taken forward are done so with the aim of improving the lives of our residents.” (3)
Although some might be encouraged by the councillor’s words they are fixed firmly within the agenda of the council – i.e. the sale and redevelopment of the Bridge Park Complex – against community wishes. This presumes that her administration has the authority to redevelop the land, even though a permanent protective covenant was written into the purchase in the early 1980s as HPCC at the time was not in a position to hold community assets. Brent also agreed at the time that once HPCC was properly constituted complete control and responsibility of the building the freehold would be transferred to HPCC’s new organisation. (4)
Yet in a June 2013 council report by the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects called Bridge Park-Redevelopment Proposals, openly acknowledged the existence of the covenant but that it had been “successfully removed” by officers. The same report also states although the building was “managed by the local community in its early years” but had been under the council’s management for over twelve years. The report also acknowledges that the complex “has been important in serving an important part of Brent’s Afro-Caribbean community.” The report implies that the council intends to use the “public consultation process” to get around any issues. (5)
Clearly the council felt that its manoeuvres paved the way for their sale of the land evidenced by their conditional sale agreement it set up with Luxembourg based General Mediterranean Holdings (GMH) who would then use its wholly owned subsidiary, Toucan Investments, to undertake the development of the site. (6)
When news of the proposed sale emerged in the community, the Bridge Park Community Council Steering Group (BPCC), the successor to the HPCC lodged a successful RX1 application to the Land Registry to stop the Sale of Bridge Park on the grounds that the land was not free of all interests. (7)
However, the council is making it clear that it will not relent, stating the centre’s closure will become necessary after “summer 2019.” The Frequently Asked Questions section on their website includes the following:
“Q. In respect of the application to the land registry why is the Council fighting the community with public funding rather than supporting the community with public funding?
A. Without legal prejudice, Brent is defending its position as the land registered title owner and remains committed to the redevelopment proposals that bring significant benefits. It is unfortunate that the making of an application for a restriction has required the Council to expend public money to defend it.” (8)
The Save Bridge Park Campaign has already garnered some high profile support from the likes of Brinsley Forde of Aswad, Shaun Wallace of Mastermind and The Chase and talk show host and business-woman, Chrystal Rose (9). But it received an undoubted boost when football superstar Raheem Sterling got on board. The Manchester City and England striker, regards Bridge Park as a “key part of my childhood,” where he “fell in love with football.” (10)
Sterling had his representatives contact Brent council about the issue but they are still waiting for a reply:
“@brentcouncil need to answer this! Why are my team continuously getting no response, when I’m trying to help the community (especially the kids) while the council are still trying to sell off a key part of my childhood; Brent Park?
Can someone answer this please?” (11)
Brent Council said they are unaware of any attempts by Sterling to contact them. A statement released by the north-west London authority stated: “The Council are not aware of any contact but will be delighted to speak to Raheem Sterling and his team.” (12)
It’s not clear how Raheem Sterling became aware of the campaign and it remains to be seen what impact his support will have but it is noteworthy for the fact that it is a consistent refrain that too many Afrikan celebrities avoid supporting community initiatives or taking a stand in general. (13)
But even with his support they have a fight on their hands. It is still not clear to many how the council removed the covenant and wrested management of the building away from the community. Those visiting the HPCC website may not get an indication of why either. The chronology on the site, detailing the community vision begins in 1979 and progresses almost annually up to 1988, then it jumps to 2017, omitting the period when community control was apparently lost. (13)
It seems to be the case that nothing short of a coherent and comprehensive community campaign will have any chance of success against Brent. For their part the Asian community is ostensibly very involved in Brent Council’s plan, from the council leader to senior officers and the even Nadhmi Auchi, the developer they are working with, who is also, by various accounts a ‘friend’ of the Labour party (14), even though he is a convicted fraudster who “should be disqualified from holding any positions of trust in any company trading or owning land in this country.” (15)
Such a community effort would be unprecedented, ideally consisting of broad-based support from the grassroots, the community at large as well as celebrities, businesses and elected officials. To this end, as indicated above, MP for the area Dawn Butler has nailed her colours to the mast but the position of the sixteen Afrikan councillors in Brent is less clear. (16) This type of community effort would be required if the vision of “an iconic Centre of Excellence (Educational, Social, Commercial, Technology) along with the UK’s largest African & Caribbean supermarket & wholesale, Banqueting/Theatre and Multi-Faith Centre on the land – all self-funding with 200 residential flats, with up to 25% affordable” is to be realised. (17)
(1) Nathalie Raffray (11/12/18) Hundreds fill Bridge Park leisure centre to stop Brent Council selling off community’s vital land. https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/battle-begins-to-save-bridge-park-1-5814286
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Bridge Park Complex (2017) The Story. http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/the-story/
(5) Andrew Donald (17/06/13) Bridge Park-Redevelopment Proposals. http://democracy.brent.gov.uk/documents/s17471/rmp-bridge-park.pdf
(6) Ibid.
(7) Bridge Park Complex (2017) The Story. http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/the-story/
(8) Brent Council (2018) Bridge Park redevelopment. https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/regeneration/bridge-park-redevelopment/
(9) Bridge Park Complex (2018) Once upon a time…. http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/
(10) Duncan Wright (21/12/18) ANSWER ME Raheem Sterling to help save local leisure centre where Man City star first fell in love with football.. https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-murk-behind-brent-councils-bridge.html
(11) Stuart Brennan (21/12/18) Man City star Raheem Sterling joins fight to save community centre which was part of his childhood. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/raheem-sterling-brent-childhood-centre-15579514
(12) Ibid.
(13) Sam Cunningham (19/12/18) Footballers fear destroying their career if they call out racism – and see Colin Kaepernick as proof. https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/racism-english-football-raheem-sterling-colin-kaepernick/ more at: https://inews.co.uk/author/sam-cunningham/
(14) Guardian Politics (27/05/01) A tycoon, a Minister and Interpol. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/may/27/election2001.labour1
(15) Wembley Matters (08/11/17) The murk behind Brent Council’s Bridge Park deal that was opposed by the community last week. https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-murk-behind-brent-councils-bridge.html
(16) Brent Council (2015) Your Councillors. http://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1
(17) Bridge Park Complex (2017) The Story. http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/the-story/
we ask the question:
Bridge Park Complex: What do we need to do to keep it? Pt 2
1) Have you donated to the Save Bridge Park Campaign?
2) Why has Bridge Park been “under the council’s management” for two decades?
3 What has Brent Council’s “public consultation process” over Bridge Park been like?
4) What impact will support from the likes of Raheem Sterling have?
5) Would saving Bridge Park really take an “unprecedented” level of community support?
Our Special Guest:
Sis. Cheryl Phoenix: is an award winning Business woman, Mother, Philanthropist and Speaker. She is also founder and CEO of the Black Child Agenda a national organisation that campaigns for parents to galvanize support against illegal exclusions & racism in UK Schools tackling the Schools to prison Pipeline. It supports parents and young people up and down the UK with issues surrounding institutionally racist, unfair and bias treatment of Black Children. Sis. Cheryl’s career began in the corporate world of the city in the media, Business development and sustainability markets, which lead her to global events organising. . She sat on the board of the London Development Agencies BME grant awarding body, and was part of the panel which secured funds to BME Businesses within the M25 area. Sis Cheryl maintains her extensive media connection and appears regularly on the BBC and is often featured in the Guardian & Telegraph. Sis. Cheryl is a board member of the Bridge Park Community Council Steering Group (BPCC).