A Community Hub Lacking a Community
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert
May 1, 2025
On Thursday evening I had a Teams session. This was about the Resident Experience and Localities Service. This has been cooking for a while and probably a year ago I made a point of taking a look at the Library on a Friday when the new 'Community Hub' is operating, on a day when the library is otherwise closed.
I have a tendency to be sceptical about all this, and when I went before there were 3 or 4 council officers there and they were very happy to see me because they were bored. So I went for another look last Friday. There were more officers there - half a dozen from various streams of activity. There were a couple of people in the lobby. One was asleep in an armchair and the other was awake but not visibly doing anything beyond having a rest in pleasant surroundings. There were no 'customers' in the actual community hub so I chatted to some of the officers and asked them if they thought this activity was worthwhile. They were enthusiastic, but I remain rather sceptical.
As it happened, my monthly Brentford West session in the library was on the following morning, Saturday, and it was no surprise that I was alone for the whole session. The 'surgery' system is not really working. I am thinking about whether I should re-schedule my surgery to be on Fridays and take a place in the Hub, or perhaps use the upstairs office I use for the traditional surgery. I also wonder whether an entirely different approach would be worthwhile, perhaps in a local cafe such as the Spire cafe at St Paul's Church or some other more public place. Interested in people's ideas. I know Ruth Cadbury used to have coffee mornings where she invited people by dropping leaflets. Perhaps I should try the same. Anyone want to contact me with their ideas? I do of course attend the collective surgery at the Digital Dock but that is now really just me and Katherine Dunne and Dan Bowring, and most of the people are from their Syon and Brentford Lock ward.
I had quite a free Friday after that so I inspected the infamous junction between the Great West Road and Windmill Road which I have been largely futilely banging on for about a year. A couple of weeks ago they did finally fix the worst part of the pavement, though the horrible mess within their 'garden area' remains.
I doubt the traffic cone will grow into a beautiful floral display though I suppose something may come out of the pallet as it decays.
Outside on Windmill, I have to say there is still work to be done.
Not a thing of beauty and still has some impressive trip hazards.
The man from DHL saw me giving him an old-fashioned look when he parked on the red lines about 10 feet from the junction, which is hazardous enough without him parked there. He decided it would be better to block the pavement a few metres north, having negotiated the pointless dropped kerb that leads to a brick wall and the undropped kerb that leads to their underground garage. I must have the umpteenth go at the planners who are very tardy to get anything done about this horrible development.
When I was taking my pics I noticed another van on the A4 pavement. There were two chaps in the van and they were talking to a third on the pavement. The van said something about interiors so I asked them about the London Hospital which is supposed to be there, but doesn't look very active. They insisted it is very real indeed. Watch this space.
Then I decided to take the rest of the day off and went to take a look at Camden Lock. I was a regular visitor in the 1970s when I was single and carefree and like to hang out at Dingwall's Dancehall. Very easy to get there taking the Mildmay line from Gunnersbury through to Camden Road, then a short walk along the towpath.
These canal side flats will win no architecture awards (well, not if I'm the judge) but I loved the way they had added greenery (or redery) to their balconies. Gives me thoughts for my 'umble’ abode though it would probably breach the lease.
I could barely recognise anything at the Lock. It has been so strongly developed and has hundreds of shops and bars etc and is absolutely packed with people, mostly of the young persuasion. I have a bit of a dream about Brentford, that it can become a West London reflection of Camden Lock, with small shops and artists and artisans. But I would not want it to go too far that way!
On the way back I got off at Gospel Oak, which was just one of those seemingly daft names for London stations. Turns out there was an oak tree there where apparently Wesley used to give gospel readings. No oak left (though of course there is a pub) and it turns out to be next to Parliament Hill Fields. I decided to go up the hill to the viewpoint at the top - quite a climb for a fat old man like me - but well worth it, and an interesting walk down into Hampstead for the next station at the Heath.
On Saturday I had my deserted surgery and then nothing much to report until Tuesday evening, when I attended an update from Ballymore arranged by Brentford Voice.
Discussions of various matters but what is closest to my heart is the development of retail. They are coy about Pret a Manger - I don't get the impression it will really happen, but as you can see there is some good possibilities for the others. The Hounslow owned site, for 11 retailers, is still mainly secret, though I see from the press (nobody thinks it's appropriate to let me know directly) that the supermarket from Albany Parade is now beginning to fit out I understand the hairdresser Bia is busy getting approval for her fit out plans, so progress painfully seems to be proceeding,
On Wednesday I tried to attend a Teams meeting about 'Shape Digital'. I can get a bit ironic about all this because in about 2024 I was busy talking to dozens of council about 'Digital' though I suppose the jargon then was e-enabling! It included a contract we had with Hounslow to improve its website, which we helped to raise its performance from (from memory) lurking in the 300's of council website effectiveness to 4th in the country. Not that I was personally involved as I could not then spell e. Anyway, seems I am still compromised because I could hear them talking I could not see the slides, so I gave up.
In the evening it was the AGM of the Boston Manor Residents Association. I have been attending that for at least 9 years and it is always a convivial event. I'm afraid it got onto the appalling dangerous impact of people on bicycles. I got shirty about the complaints about fast cyclists and observed that I had never once been overtaken by a cyclist in a 20mph speed limit area, though I am frequently harassed when obeying the rules and have a lot of complaints of speeding cars on residential roads. So far I have heard of no people being killed in residential roads in Brentford, only cats. As far as I'm aware 2 people have been killed by cyclists in London in the last 3 years (at least), out of the approx 100 each year killed by powered vehicles, mainly cars. I should be more temperate (I know) but the war on cyclists helps nobody. Those of us who do cycle (and I do it every day) are mostly cautious and get as annoyed as anyone by those who ride illegal electric bikes and scooters, often on pavements. Linda Massey, who organises the 'Brentford' festival in Ealing told us she was stepping down after this year, which is a shame. But I remain keen to get the Brentford festival back in Brentford, rather than at the Brentford end of Ealing. We need someone to step up to make it happen.
Also, yesterday we heard of noises late at night (actually early in the small hours) disturbing the sleep of residents on New Road, Hamilton and Layton Road. The first suspect was road works, but we have no knowledge of that and we thought it was some DIY tree cutting. It now seems it may in fact be work being done on trees on the A4 by TfL - investigations continue.
Not much on today (Thursday) but I will be attending a preview of a new exhibition at the Steam Museum. I won't be missing it, and I hope a lot of others will attend, starting on Saturday.
Finally. my regular update on what used to be Heidelberg now looks like from the corridor near my flat. Can't see MSO anymore (apart from some of its pontoons and cranes .
Oh - this monster left the Brent yesterday. I think that's two rockets from Elon Musk looking to send a couple of Brentford residents to Mars. Any volunteers?
Councillor Guy Lambert
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