36B or Not 36B. That is the Question on Orchard Road

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

June 21, 2024

On Thursday afternoon I had an online meeting with the organisers of Junction2, the festival due to take place in Boston Manor Park at the end of July. I am rather unhappy about it, not in principle but because it takes a large chunk out of a not particularly big park for quite a few days. I have some history with it. It started out appallingly the first year but the organisers took the complaints on board and it was far better in the second year. In the third year it was great, and I remember going to the family day they held on the Sunday, which had a Disney film on the meadow and a petting zoo and hundreds of happy locals. Then it rained and they made a terrible mess of the football field with their tractors as they took the set down. It made it unusable for months.

Junction2 went away during the pandemic but was back last year, when it went off without me hearing of any incidents. Until this Friday, when someone from Clitherow Road told me of mayhem with parking etc last year. I have taken this up with both the organisers and the police so we’ll see how that plays out.

I went to Isleworth station for a canvass (second try that day) but when I got home after doing nothing I discovered I should have been at Syon Lane. Perhaps I didn’t really fancy it!

On Friday we went to Orchard Road and Glenhurst, but to be honest we covered Brentford West so thoroughly in the Mayor and by-election in May, we are really focusing mainly elsewhere. Always nice to meet residents. One sticks in my mind – always a Tory, but not now, though hasn’t made her mind up about who to vote for. Just as they say in the polling trade, ABT – anyone but Tory.

I am annoyed that we still don’t seem to have residents in the 5 beautiful new council houses that have been built – it feels many months ago – on Windmill Road. Somebody complained to me that they were called 36A to 36E Orchard Road and the officer responsible agreed to rename them 30 to 38 Windmill Road which makes a lot more sense. But that was 6 weeks ago and when I looked on Friday they still had the old numbers.

The houses look really fantastic and it seems ridiculous to me that they are still not occupied. They even have shrubberies planted but they are beginning to get weeds on them.

Remiss of me to not have a proper picture of these. They are really impressive – take a look yourself – they are just south of the junction with Orchard, where there used to be a car park (from which hangs another tale altogether.)

This one is a bit better and shows the little shrubberies but not my usual professional photographic talent I prefer.

I also took a look up Transport Avenue which is a very industrial road on the other side of the river/canal to Boston Manor Park. I noticed from the park that there were lorries parked there again and I took a ride up on my bike, There were 5 of them, plus a couple of cars and a Transit van. All on double yellow lines in a narrow road with a lot of heavy vehicles coming and going. The road is dirty because the lorries are transporting building materials and drop a lot of dust, which obscures the yellow lines and the parking makes them very difficult to clean. These 2 are typical.

I am engaging with the head of traffic because we need to do better here. A young man was badly injured here not long ago and an elderly man on a bike whom I know only too well got himself quite alarmed passing a heavy lorry when another was speeding up the road: not enough room for a bike never mind a car.

Saturday I was down at Charing Cross for the umpteenth X-Ray – in fact a CT scan this time – on my slowly improving collar bone. Very quiet in the hospital on Saturday, but busy in X-Ray department. They don’t give you the results for a bit but no doubt I will be back down there before long.

I was planning to do a couple of more canvasses but decided I needed a rest after recent excursions so took a couple off. After all, the football is on, and the cricket too.

Actually my life is very quiet at present except the constant emails and, on Monday, a Labour Group meeting at Hounslow House where officers updated us on planning matters, mainly the new emerging Local Plan. In truth, the Local Plan (or another version of it) has been in development ever since I was first elected, which doesn’t seem very satisfactory to my small brain.

I see in the Labour Manifesto – no I haven’t read it properly yet – there is a commitment to reform planning. This is no doubt very important, but the thing that will make a difference in Brentford will actually getting developers building things that we have already approved. The Heidelberg site is progressing at a good pace and Ballymore is proceeding, albeit rather slowly but the Morrisons, Police, Watermans, Griffin Park and other developments have either been shelved or are not yet proceeding. This is because of the market situation – there are not buyers willing to buy what will get built given the current costs of building. And there’s not enough money for Housing Associations to develop nor enough for the council to make as many as we’d like of its own developments. A new government will definitely help, and I hope it is enough, and speedy enough.

There is certainly no shortage of people who are eager for new homes, because they are in temporary accommodation or overcrowded homes (or both). Very few can put the money together to buy their own home and many cannot put together the exorbitant deposits private landlords demand. For me, this is the very worst problem we have. If you are not adequately housed you cannot move your own or your children’s lives and I feel deeply for people in that circumstance.

Really nothing much to say about Tuesday (I spend too much time reading the runes of the election and I am enjoying the year apparently waking up to winter being over.

On Wednesday I was in Whitton with Ruth and her team. She has been awarded this as part of ‘her’ constituency – technically she has none until (we hope) she is re-elected on 4 July. The Boundaries committee decided to change things so Brentford and Isleworth loses Chiswick and gains Whitton. The council borders have not changed so Brentford and Isleworth has some residents who live in Richmond Borough and the people of Chiswick are still in Hounslow but their MP will be for Hammersmith and Chiswick. It is likely to find a lot of confused people and this is a very British approach. Anyway I saw pieces of the world I was not familiar with and where we canvassed was rather a charming modern estate. People were taking real pride in their environment and it seemed very neighbourly (and very pro-Labour from the ones I met).

The truck parked there reminded me of Steptoe and Son as it is years since I last saw a General Dealer sign. I presume they are not dealing with senior soldiers.

Today, Thursday, I was off to the Temple. No, I have not caught religion – I am thoroughly vaccinated against that – but I met with some old chums near Temple station. There is a pub I remembered from when I worked near there and remember it fondly. It may not have changed much since the 1950s but I always like quirky. It’s called the Edgar Wallace, and has hundreds of Edgar Wallace paperbacks around the place, plus a ceiling and walls covered with old beer mats and some old adverts. There’s some advice here for the women.

Not sure if the lady is supposed to smoke them or gift them but I’m sure it’s the thought that counts (I imagine getting 20 Nelson tipped might be challenging in 2024).

Hiltone Bleach may be more effective, if your gentleman prefers blondes.

Do try the Edgar Wallace if you’re in the area. Unique, friendly, and a decent nosh for £10.

But this weekend stay local: it’s the fantastic Canal Festival. Details are here and here’s a tater about the live music and dance!

Councillor Guy Lambert