Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

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Brentford Festival heralds a return to meeting after meeting

So we had the planning forum for the revisions to Brentford FC stadium development. It was surprisingly thinly attended and as far as I could see there were no Bees fans there (not even a Melvinator as he’s off on his hols). We asked a number of questions. Some of which were answered. I have had some input from fans offline, but again rather less than I anticipated because this is quite a fundamental change in the proposed stadium. The proposed changes to housing are relatively minor and from what we have seen so far (details will follow) seem if anything to be an improvement. We can also potentially hound the developers for some affordable housing (currently there is none proposed unless retrospectively they have made a bigger than anticipated profit) paid for by what appear to be huge savings in stadium construction (though if BFC know how much they are going to save they’re not telling).  I’m not convinced the fans or the Community Sports Trust will be happy with the revised proposals – though BFC are saying it’s the revised scheme or nothing – and I’d be more than happy to hear views.

The other surprise item was a bit boring – an smallish block in Hounslow town centre next to the new Civic Centre and nothing to get excited about!

No meetings on Friday so straight into the long weekend which obviously, being a bank holiday, was fantastically hot and sunny. With various aborted holiday proposals I had nothing much on so did some (for me) serious cycling, doing about 35 miles of nice flat roads and riverbanks on Monday.  I came back truly cream crackered but feeling very pleased with myself. A facebook friend (who is slightly older than me) put it all into perspective. He  reported on his competitive cycling in the hills around Albi in France – 60 miles up and down in less tine than I did 35. One day…

During the course of my perambulations I dropped into Redlees Park to have a look at their Fun Day (looked a lot of fun! and bumped into a councillor or two and some other acquaintances. The Isleworth Society tried to persuade me to join but I explained that I come from the wrong side of the tracks (right side actually, but I’m polite to a fault).

As to council business, it’s still pretty much holiday time so my only activities really are trundling round the ward looking for trouble (usually flytipping, excessive litter, potholes etc) and responding to issues with council tax, benefits, planning issues, housing troubles, overhanging trees, potential grants for this that and t’other. There’s also the continuing vexed question of Sarah Trimmer Hall which is I hope coming to a denouement, though nobody’s exactly happy with where we have got to. Last night I even sneaked out at dead of night with Councillor Louki on the hunt for unlit bollards and other horrors of the dark hours.

Wednesday I went to a funeral for an old work colleague. We worked together for many years in what is now Great West House (it was Honeywell House then) and sampled many a real ale together and it was sad to send him off to that great brewery in the sky at a tender age. Good to see old colleagues though, but unlike me they have all aged greatly in the last dozen years.

I see the Mayor announced yesterday that he’s found £1M in his back pocket to dole out to local communities to support greening the place as part of the National Park City campaign which we Brentford Councillors were amongst the first to sign up to. Friends of St Paul’s Rec Ground have managed to acquire no less than 4000 bulbs for planting this autumn (reminds me, I must make my donation) and it would be really great to do more of that around the ward. I am also trying to support Air Quality Brentford with proposals to try and green (and tidy) up the spaces under the M4.

It'll start getting busy at the weekend again, with Brentford Festival in Blondin Park – I believe the Towers Residents Association, Air Quality Brentford and BASH (Runway 3) will all be there - as well as the London Mela in Gunnersbury on Sunday, and my surgery up at Clayponds Community centre on Saturday, then we’re back into back to back meeting territory next week.

Sun’s come out so I’d better go and enjoy some of it.

Councillor Guy Lambert

August 24, 2017