Matt Harmer's monthly Update - news from my fellow Brentford Councillor

(Written before the Reynard Mills news.)
Welcome to the July email bulletin from Brentford ward councillor Matt Harmer. You’re getting it because we have communicated on local issues.
Well, the nights are deawing in and the temperature is dropping so the football season can’t be far away.

With that in mind, here is a fixture list for you to cut and paste, print out and stick on the fridge. Start here...

Below are the fixtures for Brentford FC for the 2011-12 season. Bad weather, cup ties and television can change things so call the club first on 08453 456 442 or visit www.brentfordfc.co.uk to make absolutely sure. Saturday games kick off at 3pm and weekday games at 7.45 except where indicated and all games are League 1 unless it says otherwise.

Fri     22nd JULY       STOKE CITY (Friendly)
Tues    26th JULY       WATFORD (Friendly)
Sat     6th AUG         YEOVIL TOWN
Sat     20th AUG        LEYTON ORIENT
Sat     27th AUG        TRANMERE ROVERS
Tue     13th SEP        COLCHESTER UNITED
Sat     17th SEP        PRESTON NORTH END
Sat     1st OCT         HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
Sat     15th OCT        SCUNTHORPE UNITED
Tue     25th  OCT       STEVENAGE
Sat     29th OCT        CHESTERFIELD
Sat     12th NOV        FA CUP 1st ROUND – Possible home game
Sat     19th NOV        CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Sat     10th DEC        HARTLEPOOL UNITED
Mon     26th DEC        AFC BOURNEMOUTH (3pm)
Sat     31st DEC        MILTON KEYNES DONS
Sat     28th JAN        WYCOMBE WANDERERS
Sat     11th FEB        OLDHAM ATHLETIC
Sat     18th FEB        CARLISLE UNITED
Tue     6th MAR         EXETER CITY
Sat     10th MAR        SHEFFIELD UNITED
Sat     24th MAR        ROCHDALE
Sat     7th APR         BURY
Sat     14th APR        NOTTS COUNTY

The email format that these bulletins get sent in may have made the list go a bit wobbly - apologies if so. It seems to depend on which browser you use, or something.

* Planning ahead *

Thank you to everyone who has emailed me about the planning application for 315 homes on the Reynards Mill site on Windmill Road. Long term fans of this email will recall that this was the site of the BBC archive. However they have moved and the owners of the site are bringing forward a planning application. Around 80 people and households have contacted me.

One of the frustrations that councillors have is that we are constrained on what we can or cannot say regarding planning applications. If, for example, I was to say here that I thought the application was concerning me on a number of matters including density, design and the respect for the local context then I could be disbarred at a later stage from sitting on the committee that takes the final decision. The same would apply if I felt that the application was a wonderful addition to the street scene.

This is frustrating for us and, I daresay, for you. The process is sometimes given the snappy title quasi-judicial and should be treated in the same way as sitting on a jury – basically, you don’t turn up on the first day convinced that the accused is guilty (or at least you don’t let on).

I have to say that the quality of responses has been very high, nearly all concentrating on solid planning issues. Following a request from Ealing councillors – the site is very close to the boundary with our neighbouring borough – the area being consulted has been expanded and the time extended. And even though there is a ‘closing date’ for responses, this is to fit in with the law and, in effect, our council planning officers will take account of objections pretty much up until the day of the planning committee.

We don’t yet know when that will be but if you have written to the council you will get a letter saying when that committee will be heard. It’s what we call a meeting in public – speaking opportunities are limited but you are absolutely entitled to be there.

* Diary time *

Just a couple of dates to note before I go. On Weds 4th August you are invited to the Picnic in the Park in St Paul’s Rec Ground from midday to 4pm. Bring picnics and playthings and have a great time.

There are two great events to choose from on Sunday 4th September. It’s the traditional date for the Brentford Festival in Boston Manor Park and if you’ve been to this event in the past you’ll know how good it is and if you haven’t, then you are missing something excellent. For one year only it shares a date with the London Mela in Gunnersbury Park. Usually this is in August but with Ramadan taking place in August this year it would plainly be inappropriate to have the Mela during this important festival.

I know that the Mela is not universally popular, particular with residents on streets adjacent to the park, but my personal feeling is that it’s good to see the park used by people across London on this one day. The organisation has improved, I would say, and I hope that you get to try both events.

Other than that, can I wish you a great summer from me and my two Brentford Labour colleagues Mel Collins and Ruth Cadbury. You can spend the summer reading Ruth’s blog at www.ruthcadbury.com and following her twitters @RuthCadbury. Enjoy!

* Can I help? *

As a councillor, my first task is to try and assist residents with problems. Please get in touch if you think I can help, either by replying to this mail or calling 020 8560 7033.
In the meantime, thanks for reading.

Reynard Mills applicants to be told to withdraw their application

On Thursday I met our senior planning officer.  Many residents of north Brentford will be pleased to know that the applicants will be asked to withdraw their application, on the basis that it represents significant overdevelopment on the site.  If they insist on pursuing it they would be refused planning permission by officers under their delegated powers. This means that it won't be coming to the planning committee. 

 

We would expect that if they want to redevelop the site they would return with a much reduced scheme, with much less impact on the local area. 

 

This issue  has given us one of the biggest "post-bags" we have had on a local issue for a very long time, so I hope people can rest assured that whatever happens on that site, we will ensure that it is in scale and keeping with the local area.

Olympics Planning - One year to go

As Hounslow's lead on the Cabinet for the Olympics, on Friday I attended Lampton School's amazing end of term Olympic assembly.  Khulbir Bhaura, GB Hockey team, Seoul and a member of the Indian Gymkana club in Osterley, brought his medals and described the elation of finally winning gold after years of struggle.  On Wednesday I'd met Ade Adepitan, GB Wheelchair Basketball, who had fought bullying at school and 12 years of struggle, to get onto the Olympic bronze medal winning team in 2004.  Both were inspirational speakers, ordinary youngsters who'd been given a chance, saw the end goal, and fought against all odds to get there.   The year 7-10s at Lampton had spent 3 days learning about the Olympics, with workshops and a massive range of taster sessions of different sports (including wheelchair basketball).  It culminated in the assembly and balloon launch before the students were sent off for the summer, hopefully taking a bit of that enthusiam and aspiration with them.

On the Council side, we're getting our heads around the implications of the 2012 Olympics for the borough over the next year.  We set up the Olympics Project Board which I chair in the spring, bringing together the various officers, Council and others, who will have a role to play. We are required to make sure everything we are responsible for runs smoothly, to have contingency plans in case things go wrong, ensure our core services continue to run as normal, as well as the more exciting work of making the place look nice and welcoming, and co-ordinating the many regular and special events that will take place in hte borough over the next year.  It's going to mean taking people off their day job some of the time, even full-time for one or two - very difficult when resource pressures are so tight at the Council now.

The most important theme will be ensuring there is a legacy from the 2012 Olympics in the borough.  We have no Olympic venues in Hounslow, but we hope to use the opportunity of the Olympics to increase participation in sport, physical activity and culture, raise the borough's profile and promote our towns and villages as places to visit and for businesses to invest.  The lesson from the Sydney Olympics is that, the more you plan for this "soft" legacy, the better the long-term impact.  Once the opening ceremony is upon us, it will be too late to invest in anything long-lasting.

We've got a lot to do from a standing start, and it's going to need a lot of co-ordination and planning.  

• On Friday I met Ruth Williams, a maths teacher at Lampton, who has used the national "Get Set"  programme to plan a whole programme of activites from this week through next year.  She is really keen to link up with other schools through Get Set and to set up a schools network - so that's now on the agenda for the first Deputy Heads meeting of next term.
• The torch relay will be going through the borough on or around the 24th July - a massive event that will bring thousands onto the streets and selected local people will get the chance to carry the torch
• The Big Dance - is going to be a massive West London series of events on Hounslow High Street, and culminating in a record breaking Bollywood dance spectacular at Lampton Park on the 7th July.
• Traffic officers have been working for some months now on the Olympic Route Network - our bit is the A4 through Chiswick and there'll be some restrictions on that for most of the summer.
• There's also the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to plan for, and many other events, annual such as the Barrio and the Mela which will be bigger than usual, and one-off cmmunity events.

We'll be developing a Hounslow Olympic web-site so future up-dates will be posted on there at regular intervals.  Meanwhile, do get in touch via Olympics@hounslow.gov.uk and register your interest.