Finding a New Path to a Floating Palace

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

October 11, 2024

This will be a quick one, as I am late starting and am short of time, but also not a lot to report this week.

I have been doing a lot around Hounslow Community FoodBox where there are changes amongst the trustees and I will be doing more practical work to support, because we need some changes. Fundamentally, the Box has recently been spending more than our income and whilst we are OK for now, we need to spend less and generate more donations, because there are still far too many people out there in precarious circumstances. If you have any spare money or food, think of your local charity!

So I was doing things on Friday and Sunday around the FoodBox, and there has been little else of note happening this week. I had a mosey about the newly opened path behind our iconic car park, designed by an award-winning architect, Ballymore’s answer to Sir Christopher Wren. It looks even better from that side because it has opened up the local river/canal and our local boatbuilder, MSO Marine which had been hidden for a long time.

That floating palace, which has been under construction for many months, I am sure will become a Des Res for someone with a large family before long. It happened to be a day when the tide (or the result of the rainy season) had it well up high, so looked very imposing.

This was a rivery day because when I got home there was a regatta of river boats passing my gaff, one of them very traditional – the kind of boat I used to make messy drawings of when I was 9 - and one of them I can only assume was a superyacht of the future being constructed. So elegant. Probably designed by an award-winning boat designer.

On Monday we had an update from the organisers behind Junction 2 festival. This has always been controversial and probably always will, if it continues. They were feeding back the details of this year’s event and asking for ours. I can report that I had not a single complaint about J2. I’ve been trying to copy one of the slides they produced but tech has defeated me so here’s an extract: they had 10,000, 11,000 and 13,000 visitors on the 3 days of the festival; an older demographic over all 3 days (one of the people at the meeting said people under 50 don’t count as older 😊 ).

They are planning to come back next year and revive their proposal for 2024 of doing it over two weekends. I am uncomfortable about this and I will need some convincing that the impact on the park is acceptable. The people who work in the park are mostly happy with it, because it does generate funds that they get to spend to improve the place, and I must say the team at Boston Manor Park have my enthusiastic support. Though I will continue nagging them about the sack of sand which has decorated one of the entrances for many months and the Heras fence that decorates another entrance. Classy but not likely to attract Grade 1 listing like the Jacobean mansion.

On Tuesday I cycled up to the Potting Shed to meet a friend in gorgeous autumn sunshine. If you’d told me I’d be drenched to the skin cycling half a mile home I wouldn’t have believed you, but you would have been correct. British weather is a gift that gives repeatedly.

Talking of gifts that give, I was shown an very classy novelty they had in their bag.

So elegant, though the face should be more orange really.

My only other engagement this week was at the ‘shop’ where they have the story of the ‘New Charlton House’ which will start construction very soon. They have modified it a bit – I think it’s better, especially at the back where it looms less over Market Terrace – but importantly it complies with update regulations, such as having two staircases to facilitate escape if the worst happens. The fate of the shops there seems to be decided and at least 3 of the existing shops will move to the centre of the High Street. I have been grumping loudly about how long it is taking but they do seem to have their skates on now.

Going home, I noticed a new public jigsaw which has been installed on the cycle lane. A fortnight ago there was a complete bike there but as you can see someone has nicked the saddle and part of the wheels, something us cyclists regularly have to deal with but I’m not sure it is very productive for thieves to nick parts of painted road markings, though I’m no expert on crime and its rewards.

Further down at Morrisons, we have the street blocked every day with people who are delivering there rather than using the facilities down the side road created with this in mind. I am starting a campaign, because it actually causes a lot of congestion, quite unnecessarily.

I’m off now. If you are short of sophisticated reading material you can always try my other offering which is mainly all about ME rather than the local area, available on Guy Lambert’s blog on FaceBook

Councillor Guy Lambert