Watermans, GSK and a Summer Takeover of Boston Manor Park

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

March 7, 2025

On Friday I had a brief meeting and a beer with a local man about problems with the back part of the old Charlton House, where it butts onto Market Terrace, the extension of Albany Road.

I told him I was sceptical spending anything on this when I expect demolition and the likely hoardings to appear soon. I promised to check this out with the development team and have started a member's enquiry to clarify matters.

Later on Thursday I was at the Free Church for a Brentford Voice 'Local Conversation'. These are always interesting and this was no exception. Amongst other things there was a complaint about the Watermans Centre having declined. I became energised about this, because I remember the Watermans Centre on Sundays when my daughter was a youngster, and the fun events which took place there each week. Over the years it did lose some of that fun and of course it has now lost it all. I made the point there was little point in focusing on that.

We have a plan - same one we have had for several years - that involves creating anew Watermans on the police station site. We were told last autumn there was a strong chance this would move forward starting this spring. I am chasing the Head of Regeneration for an update on this and many other matters within Brentford West which are currently stalled or where I need an update.

Friday was quiet, but I had a call to visit a gentleman who lives on Adelaide Terrace - on the A4 underneath the M4 flyover. I had heard of this in a garbled phone call, but when I got there it was about his job, which he is in danger of losing. A charming man, and I hope he will get a decent outcome. Not much I can do about it but sometimes a councillor's job is to provide a bit of a sounding board for someone's problems.

Nice morning on Saturday and I went up to Boston Manor Park. 2 reasons really, because I love the coffee and the people who run the lovely Potting Shed cafe and because someone had asked for some feedback on some rather brutal looking pollarding that has been done on some trees near the River Brent. As my expertise in the practice of tree pollarding could be better (a bit like Tony Hancock, I never bothered) I have put a question who may have an idea what's going on. Intended to take a picture for your delectation, but forgot.

Still, I got a nice picture of the area at the top of the park and I must say I have never seen it so lively, except when there was Junction 2 or something like that on. Lovely to see.

On Saturday evening it was time to further explore my recent acquaintance with unstructured/spontaneous music. A local man is an artist in this activity. He introduced me to the activity at a book launch in the lamented Hewsons and this was my second visit to Dickens Yard in Ealing. I still can't quite my mind about it but on the second time I stayed through 2 hours or so without getting antsy.

Here are the Rolling Stones' successors in action

On Monday I had accepted a rather unexpected invitation to a meeting of the Road Haulage Association. This was in Portland Place near the BBC at a place that says it's famous. Well there was a flunky on the door and some fancy nibbles which is something I'm mainly avoiding at the moment.

The Lorry Men (not an early name of The Beatles - they were Quarry Men) were introducing a report called Supplying Our Cities. Surprisingly they want a say in policy, help in finding parking and loading spaces and a review of regulations. What I found interesting was that all forms of haulage contracted in 2023, road by 4.3%, rail by 5.4% and water by 4.4% according to their report. But when the accountant in me examined their numbers I concluded, using a technical accountant's terms, they were cobblers. These were the kind of numbers I used to produce when I was a professional bean counter and which persuaded me to change profession and become a people person rather than a numberist!

So I can't trust the numbers but even if they are roughly correct, kit demonstrates that the vast majority of stuff in the UK moves by lorry. This seems to me to be a great failure, especially in these days when we worry about our impact on the planet and our air. My main interest going here was to look at local deliveries, which I think are something we should be really trying to change. Dozens of vans criss-cross Brentford with parcels in them. They stop every few hundred yards, generally either parking on the pavement or on a congested road with hazard flashers on. We need a better solution.

Here's me in my Sunday best, though a rather sub-Boris hairstyle. Must buy a comb. I am talking to a sustainable transport man. Later I was talking to a man who turned out to be a GLA member and also the one and only (I think) Reform person, Alex Wilson. Probably why he was looking for someone gullible enough to talk to him, though he was perfectly affable and we discussed old haunts in Redbridge where he used to be a Tory councillor and I used to be a hippieish student. Before he was born, probably.

Back in civilisation, I had a brief meeting with Magpie landlord Scott Illman. It was about improving the representation and voice of local small businesses. Scott has a programme going and I will add my support to that, as I think will Brentford Voice.

Later on on Wednesday I met a man from Hadley, the new owners of the old GSK building. They will be having a public meeting about their emerging plans at the Free Church this Saturday, but I had been trying to meet him to talk about potential 'meanwhile' use for our creative people in particular and he was very receptive to that. I will send a few people I know to have a conversation with this man or his team. At present there is too much building work going on, I believe but he thinks there will be possibilities opening very soon.

Today was a quiet day, though as ever with a few calls and emails. I have some local issues with individuals that have been dragging on too long, but today we did seem to make a bit of progress. In the late afternoon, an online meeting with the people behind the Junction2 Festival. This will go on longer (or the occupation of Boston Manor Park will - the festival is planned to go over 2 weekends. I have mixed feelings about this: these days it goes off with no trouble and virtually no complaints. I don't like losing access to alot of our most important park for a long period in the highest part of the season.

The dates are shown here.

We lose access to some of the park for the best part of a month. But better news is that they have ensured we have access down the park that leads to the bridge for all of the time except when the events are actually on - 4 days in total.

That shows the footprints. I'm not terribly happy about it but it does bring a lot of people to sample Brentford and generates significant money for the council. I am trying to find out how much, and how it will benefit Brentford. There will also be some fund raising for local causes - last year it was Friends of the Park plus the Musical Museum. Thoughts on who to nominate this year please. There are also some 'shadowing' opportunities for 10 local young people (18-25) plus the possibility for short term jobs for up to 5 of them which have the possibility of resulting in a 'proper' long term job. Last year there was poor interest from Brentford - let's do better this time.

Well that was my week. A friend of mine sent me a picture that I found rather touching. It is me in a recent longhaired layabout mode, and a lovely picture of Steve Curran in the Market Place.

There you go. 2 pictures of me. Proves I’m a politician.

Councillor Guy Lambert