Albany Parade Refugees Starting to Find New Homes

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

April 18, 2025

On Friday I was invited and attended a school age football tournament in Gunnersbury Park.

Good to watch for a bit and I congratulate the ones who have won.

There were a lot of young footballers there and some of them looked like I would have found it difficult to play better than them (at any age) which you might find very surprising. No, I never made it as a professional footballer. As Tony Hancock said of his career as a doctor, I never bothered. I bet some of these will make it, and I am so pleased we have such a fantastic club in Brentford, together with the amazing work of the Community Trust. The trust are a great asset to the area, even to people from Ealing - they are not choosy.

On Saturday I began my summer pilgrimages to watch old cars racing. This was Goodwood. If the Duke of Richmond starts a tariff against the Isle of Harris he will make himself even more of a billionaire, judging by the amount of tweed in evidence at the weekend. Some of these are deviants wearing normal clothes though good to see a good presence of shooting sticks.

It is tempting to give you lots of photos but I am restricting myself. First is my top favourite veteran Darracq 200HP from 1906 exiting the chicane. This is the fastest car in the race for pre-World War I cars including the astonishing 28 litre Fiat known as the Beast of Turin .

Every year it starts very slowly because it has a very high 1st gear but spends the whole race overtaking everyone else, and usually takes the lead on the last lap. This week he was a bit slow or the leader was a bit fast because he came past me with 2 wheels on the grass, that looked scary. He caught the leader at the chicane at the end of the race but....

He overdid it with awful consequences. Thankfully the driver Mark Walker was unhurt but he will have to spend a lot of time in Halfords getting spares.

One more

The two Astons were 1st and 2nd - Rule Britannia.

Oops, I missed the surgery on Sunday at the Digital Dock (though I'm not sure if it's continuing after the various changes).

But back to work on Monday and went to Hounslow having had an invitation to the Gurdwara (Sikh religion). This was for Vaisakhi celebrations – Celebrating the Birthday of the Khalsa, following its creation on this day in 1699. I had been to celebrations at the Gurdwara before and I find the community there particularly welcoming and this one was the same, and quite dramatic.

Many people, mainly Sikhs, many flags and a very tall flagpole wrapped in cloth. This was lowered very slowly, the cloth removed and replaced with another. Much anointing with what I think was yoghurt and another cloth painstakingly tied on and the pole raised again. Chanting throughout, mainly by men with impressive beards then women (without) and fierce looking men with fierce looking swords which I think are called Kirpans. I really enjoyed this.

Then it was Chiswick for adjustments to my expensive new hearing aids. I am going to get a free change for different ones which can use hearing loops which I hope will help in places which have that technology.

On Tuesday I had a wander around central Brentford and found some good news: the dentist formerly in Albany Parade has a new shop next to the pharmacy in the High Street. Not clear if it's operating yet and I know it may not any longer NHS because of financial restrictions, Good to have him back anyway, the first of the refugees to find a home.

Not so good, I went into the impeccably-run Costcutter shop in the High Street and found them reducing the size.

There were some men in there refinishing this bit - somebody told me they are thinking of a pound shop, which would be welcome if true. Didn't talk to them because the shop was closed and they didn't seem keen to engage!

I then checked out Workhouse Dock where there was rumoured to be a boat. Not on Tuesday, though I think those new buoys are in town.

And the former housing office, from which the Housing department evicted the community Cycle Hub back in early 2022: I was told at the time the Cycle Hub had been evicted because they had to prove there was no demand for community use. They went on to get planning agreed back in 2022 and last year/early this year I asked why nothing had happened. The only thing that did was the lovely metal grilles on the window which appeared after Watermans was squatted. I was told that new planning was needed. On Tuesday I saw another chapter emerging.

It seems the plan for 6 small flats for care leavers has been abandoned. So folks, another empty property on the High Street (well it has been for 3 years) and Snellers haven't got round to listing it yet, though they are still marketing 12 Albany Parade which was once (quite some time ago I think) was marketing Party accessories. Good luck with letting that shop now before it's demolished!

That evening I had a meeting at the University with residents of Holly House and some council people. The firm that have been working on their building for years have down tools and gone away with the work not completed, because they have gone into administration, though as far as I can see their parent company has not. I have reported about Holly House here, ever since it first appeared in my ward in 2022 and I observed there was a big hole in the wall. For virtually all the 3 years since the house has had scaffolding around it, and much of their grounds full of Portakabins and building materials. They have had floods and other problems which have still not been resolved. I am raising this sorry matter with senior management and we need speedy effective action to resolve these issues for the long-suffering residents.

I can't find my original picture of the hole but this one is from a visit in March.

On Wednesday I visited an old friend and former Hounslow councillor who has just bought a house in Chiswick. Nice house, though currently lacks, kitchen, bathroom and awaits planning permission to convert the inbuilt garage.

In the afternoon I went to Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. I had been invited to attend a play called Tending, which was about life as a nurse, through the pandemic, strikes etc. It was beautifully acted and I found it moving. It continues until 4th May and comes with a recommendation from Lambert Reviews.

Today I need a nurse. I woke up with a humdinger sore throat, combined as the day went on with the other components of the Common Cold. Ah well, I have Morrison's imitation Lemsip to keep me company, though I've run out of the other preferred remedy, Scotch Whisky.

Councillor Guy Lambert