Fury Over Evictions at Former Max Factor Building

Tenants include Brentford's only Mosque and local rowing school

The Watermans Park office building is next to the empty arts centre . Picture: Google Streetview

June 14, 2024

There has been angry reaction from the occupants of the Watermans Park office building on the High Street in Brentford to a decision to empty the building at short notice.

The former Max Factor offices, which are next to the Watermans Art Centre, are home to a number of community groups, crafts people and artists.

The building is understood to belong to the Topland Group and permission has been given to demolish it as part of the linked planning applications which were meant to deliver a new arts centre at Half Acre.

The owner gave over the management of the building for a ‘meanwhile use’ to Kawasaki Disease UK a charity set up in 1993 by Dee Izmail. She started the charity when her daughter caught the disease and was initially misdiagnosed in an effort to spread awareness. In return for maintaining the building and ensuring it met required safety standards it was handed over at a nominal rent.

Space in the building was provided to other organisations in return for donations to the charity. Some were happy with the arrangement, but others dispute that the building was properly maintained.

It is understood that the owner decided to terminate the arrangement following a visit this April. This meant that all the occupants were given notice to quit by 15 July. As they do not hold leases but take space in the building under a licence, they are only entitled to a relatively short notice period.

Dee Izmail disputes claims there has been any breach of contract with her tenants and says they were all allowed extra time to share the space beyond which is required by the terms of their licences.

Some of the occupants asked the owner to allow them to stay but were initially told that the intention was to bring in a new charity who would occupy the building without sharing the space. Later, they are reported to have said that the intention was to leave the building vacant. Since the occupation of the Watermans Arts Centre by squatters, some of the residents of the building have questioned the wisdom of this option. The owners have told residents that there is no immediate intention to demolish the building and it may take 2-5 years to do so. It would form part of the site of the Albany Riverside development of luxury flats.

One of the occupants is the Brentford Muslim Centre, which runs the area’s only Mosque. It came to the building only a few months ago, initially as a base for English and Maths classes that were run by its members. They saw that there was a large conference room within the centre which they recognised could be used for prayer. When Friday prayers commenced a spokesman for the group said that he was shocked at the amount of people turning up, with close to a thousands attending. Since then, the centre says it is now visited by over 2,000 people on a regular basis and it provides support to the community with a range of activities.

The Brentford Muslim Centre says that it has had to spend £50,000 on making the space fit-for-purpose including plumbing and electrical work and the laying of a new carpet which it says should have been the responsibility of Kawasaki Disease UK. It now faces having to write off these expenses.

A spokesperson for the Brentford Boat Club which works with Team Keane said, "It's so disappointing as having an indoor training facility has been invaluable for Brentford Boat Club, it has really energised the squad and yielded astonishing results for a community rowing club competing against well established clubs around the UK.

"The squad's regular training sessions has hugely benefited and also on the days when the weather prevents them from rowing on the river they can train indoors close to the Club base in Ferry Lane.

"We have engaged with Guy Lambert Local Councillor, the Interim Head of Leisure, and others at Hounslow Council, local MP's as well as Ballymore Developers but sadly these conversations have yet not been fruitful.

"We'd love to hear from anyone in the community who would have a facility in Brentford to continue Brentford Boat Club's success and the future of Rowing in Brentford."

It is now planned to hold a public meeting at the centre at 7pm this Friday (14 June) with the Labour candidate for the Brentford & Isleworth seat, Ruth Cadbury and the leader of Hounslow Council due to attend Shantanu Rajawat. Cllr Rajawat has already visited the building for an update on the situation.

We have contacted the Topland Group for comment.