Second Copy to Brent Review Attachments: BHCoopPartySubmission2018revised2.docx; BHCoopPartySubmissionNorth2018.docx

Transcription

1 Sent: 05 November :18 To: reviews Subject: Second Copy to Brent Review Attachments: BHCoopPartySubmission2018revised2.docx; BHCoopPartySubmissionNorth2018.docx Dear Sir I am just sending second copies of the Brent and Harrow Cooperative Party submissions as I am not clear that you have received the first copies. Please find attached. One covers the north and one the south of the Borough Yours sincerely, James Powney Chair Brent and Harrow Cooperative Party 1

2 Brent & Harrow Cooperative Party Submission for Local Government Boundaries in the London Borough of Brent South of the North Circular Road 1

3 Introduction This is a submission to the Local Government Commission for Boundaries in England on behalf of Brent and Harrow Cooperative Party, an affiliate of the Labour Party. It proposes a pattern of wards in line with the Commission s recommended electoral variance and taking good account of the major barrier of the North Circular Road, major boundaries such as railway lines and centres of community activity. A Note on the Cooperative Party in Brent The Cooperative Party is a well established feature of UK politics in general and Brent and Harrow in particular. It was founded in 1917 as an entirely independent party, but entered into an electoral pact with the Labour Party in the 1920s, and this has been maintained ever since. It has been legally registered as a political party ever since such a registration was required. The party currently has 37 MPs, making it the third largest Party in the House of Commons. It is also represented at all levels of UK government including 16 peers, six MSPs, 11 Welsh Assembly members and many hundreds of local councillors. In addition to those elected as Labour and Cooperative there are many elected representatives who are individually members of the Party without being formally elected as such, including most of the Labour Assembly members in London. In Brent, the Cooperative Party had three councillors formally elected as Labour and Cooperative although a number of other councillors are members of the Party individually. The Party itself has been continuously active in Brent politics since at least the early 1950s, and held first the Willesden West seat and then Brent South for much of the post war period. More can be found out about the Cooperative Party at A Note on Methodology The basis of these numbers are the polling district population estimates on the Commission web site for In many cases it has been necessary to vary from existing polling district boundaries. This has been done using the existing (2018) electoral registration rolls on a street by street basis. It is proposed that where a ward uses a street as a boundary, it should either run down the middle of the street or (if both sides of the road are included) the boundary should be the fence line. We also believe that a pattern of boundaries should be free to use both three and two member wards. Given the number of barriers in the Boroughs, this sort of flexibility is needed if communities are to be adequately represented. Criteria for Decision As well as the Commission s statutory criteria there is a central decision that will shape the pattern of wards in the Borough, that is whether to use the River Brent as the most important boundary (as in 2000) or the North Circular Road. The River Brent was the historical boundary between the Boroughs of Wembley and Willesden when they merged to form Brent in It has little more than historical importance however, and the public at large have little awareness of what is essentially a small stream. The 2000 review itself ignored its presence to cross the River in Welsh Harp ward. 2

4 The North Circular Road, by contrast, is a major boundary especially to pedestrians. The Importance of the North Circular Road The North Circular Road (NCR) is crossable by both vehicles and pedestrians at the extreme southern end of the Borough between Stonebridge and Tokyngton, and at the IKEA junction at the very northern end of the existing Stonebridge ward, but at no point between. It therefore cuts Stonebridge ward in half completely making the St Raphaels an entirely isolated and standalone community on its Stonebridge side. It also serves to cut off the southern tip of Welsh Harp ward (CWH6) creating an entirely distinct area to the south of the main body of Welsh Harp ward. Proceeding eastward there is a very minor pedestrian footbridge on to an industrial estate from the residential area of Dollis Hill at Kenwyn Drive and no further crossing point until the unwalkable junction around Staples corner at the eastern boundary of Brent. The IKEA junction is itself unwelcoming to both vehicular traffic and to pedestrians. For vehicles it does not allow simple crossing but requires a complicated roundabout route to get from north to south or vice versa. This is routinely subject to traffic jams. The pollution and fears of road safety make it unpleasant for pedestrians to cross, and the timings of the lights mean that they can cross in one go but must remain exposed in the midst of the traffic halfway. It is also widely regarded as a barrier to increasing cycling in the Borough. The crossability of the NCR was a major controversy during the 2000 review, features in transport debates in the Borough in general and has seen no significant progress in the last twenty years. Brent s planners are assuming that the road will get worse following the projected expansion of the Brent Cross development in Barnet. Car Usage in Brent The difficulty of crossing the North Circular Road is further emphasised by the relatively low car ownership in Brent. According to the 2011 Census, 43% of Brent households did not own a car or van. This figure splits out by ward in the table below. Ward No car or van in Household Alperton 35.6% Barnhill 33.6% Brondesbury 46.2% Dollis Hill 34.0% Dudden Hill 43.0% Fryent 28.3% Harlesden 60.5% Kensal Green 52.2% Kenton 19.7% Kilburn 62.7% Mapesbury 53.1% Northwick Park 25.6% Preston 30.9% 3

5 Queens Park 47.1% Queensbury 24.8% Stonebridge 50.6% Sudbury 36.7% Tokyngton 40.2% Welsh Harp 35.1% Wembley Central 43.7% Willesden Green 59.3% Lack of access to a car for this large minority makes the NCR still more of a barrier than it already appears. Summary of Wards Below is a summary of all the proposed wards for Brent South of the North Circular Road. As the existing Kensal Green would be redistributed between Harlesden, Queens Park and a little to Brondesbury it is shown as zero. Ward Tot al Cllr s Total in all Total PD Net Street Number s Added Take n Awa y Per Cllr % varienc e Brondesbury 2 8,342 9, ,46 4,171-3% Park 3 Dollis Hill 3 12,940 12, ,313 0% Dudden Hill 3 11,598 9,494 2,104 2, ,866-10% Harlesden 3 13,293 13, ,431 3% Kensal Green na na Kilburn 3 12,581 12, ,194-3% Mapesbury 3 11,952 12, ,984-8% Queens Park 3 13,723 14, ,574 6% Stonebridge 3 11,763 10,112 1,651 1, ,921-9% Willesden Green 3 11,674 10,211 1,463 1, ,891-10% Remarks on Wards Dollis Hill Ward Once one accepts the importance of NCR as a barrier, it forms a good hard border for a three member Dollis Hill ward to the North. The Borough Boundary performs the same function to the East. The current Dollis Hill has an important existing boundary to the south of it in the railway line that runs from Cricklewood Bus Garage through Gladstone Park and across to Neasden. This has very few crossing points, making a good natural boundary. The only crossing points are (from east to west) the A5 at Cricklewood bus garage, a small footbridge in Gladstone Park on the eastern side that is unsuitable for vehicular traffic, an iron pedestrian bridge at the extreme western end of the park and Dudden Hill Lane itself. 4

6 The Cricklewood bus garage point is harder to cross for pedestrians then it might appear from a map, because it is extremely wide at this point. Going from south to north the last residential properties occur at Temple Road, there is then an expanse of commercial property with numerous vehicular movements due to the car park provided and the bus garage. Two railway lines have to be crossed as the railway line splits in two, and the first entry point into Dollis Hill itself is still further to the north at Gladstone Park Gardens. Even with a vehicle, the A5 is not a particularly good connector between the south and the north of the railway line as the only turning off points are Temple Road and down on Walm Lane on what is often a traffic clogged road which is likely to become more so as the Brent Cross development moves forward. The first pedestrian bridge in Gladstone Park is suitable for pedestrians and cyclists but not designed as a major traffic point, and the iron footbridge near Aberdeen Road is designed with stairs on either side making it unsuitable for cyclists or disabled people. Dudden Hill Lane is a major road and therefore a suitable crossing point. This argues for a strong southern barrier to the ward, which leaves only the western end suitable for expansion which is necessary if a three member ward is to be maintained. We therefore argue for a Dollis Hill ward consisting of the present ward (Polling Districts CDO1-4, CDU1-2 and CWH6 taken from Welsh Harp ward. This meets electoral equality at 4,313 residents per councillor according to the LGCBE projections, and incorporates the natural hinterland of Dollis Hill with its main shopping centre in Neasden. The inclusion of CWH6 avoids the crossing of the North Circular Road which at that point has no crossing into Welsh Harp except a pedestrian subway, and is effectively entirely detached from the existing Welsh Harp ward. It is not proposed to add or delete any streets to this ward beyond the designated polling districts of CDU1, CDU2 and CWH6. It is proposed to add the major roundabout with the former Grange Museum into the ward, but as this has no electors, it should have no electoral implications. Mapesbury ward As argued in the Dollis Hill section above the railway line from Cricklewood bus garage to Gladstone Park forms a good natural boundary to the north of this ward. The Borough boundary forms a firm boundary to the East. In the 2000 Review, the Commission noted that all parties had agreed to the use of the Jubilee line to the west and we propose to keep this. Although this has some crossing points into Brondesbury, it is a widely recognised barrier well known to the public at large. Therefore the only way to expand the ward in the way that the numbers require is to expand into Dudden Hill ward. It is therefore proposed to retain the whole of the existing Mapesbury ward (CMA1-5) and add most of CDU6 from Dudden Hill with the exception of Park Avenue North, which should be added to CDU4 in a Dudden ward (see below). Parts of CDU6 have formed part of Mapesbury in the past, and other parts such as the rest of Melrose Avenue have at present an entirely artificial separation. The area around Gay Close and Kenneth Crescent forms a slightly isolated pocket that could in principle be allocated on either side, but making Mapesbury into a three member ward demands its allocation to Mapesbury because of the strength of the boundaries elsewhere for that ward (see above). 5

7 Streets to be Added It is proposed that in addition to the core polling districts of CMA1, CMA2, CMA3, CMA4 and CMA5, to add all the streets of the existing CDU6 to this ward with the exception of Park Avenue North. That is to say, BH Cooperative Party would add: CHANDOS ROAD CHANIN MEWS GAY CLOSE JEYMER AVENUE KENNETH CRESCENT LENNON ROAD MARLEY WALK MELROSE AVENUE RIFFEL ROAD WALM LANE (CDU6 part) Dudden Hill As argued above, we are arguing to retain the core of the Dudden Hill ward subject to losses toward Dollis Hill and Mapesbury. We suggest moving the focus of the ward more to the Church End area, which the Council has identified as an area of future growth. The proposed ward would retain the whole of CDU3, CDU4 and CDU5 as well as Park Avenue North from CDU6. The CDU4 area has a strong identity of its own that does not fit easily into other wards. To collect enough electors for a three member ward, it is proposed to expand the border into both the current Stonebridge and the current Harlesden. SST2 is right at the northern end of Stonebridge. Removing it from the existing ward would help make that ward, geographically the largest in the Borough, more manageable. The area concerned is widely seen as part of that nebulous area Neasden. It is proposed that pedestrian and vehicular access to the rest of Dudden Hill be retained through Hawkins Road to the south. This relates to the proposed additions from Harlesden ward. It is proposed to add to Dudden Hill both the area in the north of CHA1 north of Hawkins Road and to the north of CHA2 to the north of Ambleside Road. Both of these constitute clearer boundaries than Dudden Hill s current southern boundary which is simply part way along Church Road with no significant land mark marking the boundary. It is proposed not to split CHA3 as that constituted a well integrated community area. Streets to be Added In addition to the core polling districts of CDU3, CDU4, CDU5 and SST2 we would add the following streets: From CDU6: PARK AVENUE NORTH From CHA1 CHURCH ROAD (part only) CROME ROAD 6

8 GARNET ROAD HAWKINS ROAD (northern half only) HELPERBY ROAD HERON CLOSE MAYO ROAD TALBOT ROAD TYNSDALE ROAD From CHA2 AMBLESIDE ROAD (northern half only) CHURCH ROAD (part only) CONLEY ROAD ESSEX ROAD HAWKSHEAD ROAD OLDFIELD ROAD OUTGATE ROAD ROUNDWOOD ROAD Willesden Green It is proposed to retain the whole of Willesden Green ward as a three member ward, thus including CWG1, CWG2 and CWG3. The natural focus of this ward is on Willesden High Road and it retains many well known Willesden landmarks such as Roundwood Park, King Edward VII Park (Willesden), Willesden Sports Centre, Willesden Community Hospital, Willesden Green Tube station, Willesden Library Centre and Willesden Post Office. It is also proposed to add slightly to the boundaries in several areas (working from the eastern end clockwise. Adding in the Brondesbury Park/Alverstone Road and Staverton Road area would help give greater legibility to the southern end of the ward through the retention of Sidmouth Road as a strong northern boundary to Brondesbury Park. This area forms a natural grouping by itself and looks towards the nearby Willesden Library centre and the High Road as a community focus. It would also bring Willesden Synagogue, a long established land mark in the area, within the ambit of Willesden. Incidentally the back entrance of Willesden Synagogue actually backs on to Heathfield Park already in Willesden. Two more minor alterations are envisaged. Newman Close, by chance is currently divided between Willesden and Brondesbury and it is proposed to put the whole of Newman Close into Willesden Green. Grange Road is mostly in the existing Willesden and it is proposed to add the single property that is currently in HBP1. Similarly there are a small number of properties on Harlesden Road that currently are in HBP1, but have a more natural focus with the Library Centre and the High Road. The vast bulk of Harlesden Road is already in Willesden so this would bring those properties more in line with their neighbours. It is also proposed to include Frontenac (HBP1) in with the rest of Donnington Road as part of Willesden ward, recognising that its postal address is as part of Donnington Road although as a corner property it has not previously been included. Finally it is proposed to extend the southern boundary of the ward along Harlesden Road on both sides down to number 415 Harlesden High on the odd side and down to Longstone Avenue on the even number side. This allows for a strong southern boundary to the ward along the middle of Longstone Avenue meaning that the whole of Roundwood Park is in Willesden. The omission of 417 to 443 Harlesden Road is because those flats, currently in Kensal Green, have their front doors opening on to Cardinal Hinsley Close, which has access through Wrottesley Road in the present 7

9 Kensal Green ward. This scheme would also include Dairy Close as part of Willesden as it opens on to Harlesden Road. Streets to be Added It is proposed that in addition to the core polling districts of CWG1, CWG2 and CWG3, the following streets be added to this ward: From CKG2 DAIRY CLOSE HARLESDEN ROAD LONGSTONE AVENUE From HBP1 FRONTENAC, DONNINGTON ROAD GRANGE ROAD (HBP1 part) HARLESDEN ROAD (HBP1 part) NEWMAN CLOSE (HBP1 part) BRONDESBURY PARK (HBP1 part) ALVERSTONE ROAD STAVERTON ROAD Brondesbury It is proposed to make Brondesbury into a two member ward comprising HBP1-5 subject to the minor boundary changes with Willesden described above and some further changes with Queens Park described below. This would retain Brondesbury largely as it is with an anchor on Kilburn High Road and a major feature in Willesden Lane. The principal community features would be the NW London Jewish School, Queens Park Community School and access to Tiverton Green. Streets to be Added It is proposed that addition to the core polling districts of CBP1, CBP2, CBP3, CBP4 and CBP5 the following streets should also be added: From CKG5 ALL SOULS AVENUE (CKG5 part only) BUCHANAN GARDENS (northern half, or even numbers only) COLLEGE ROAD DOYLE GARDENS HERBERT GARDENS HOLLAND ROAD (numbers 1-45) Kilburn Since Kilburn almost meets the electoral quota on its present boundaries, it is proposed to retain the ward as it is (HKI1-5). Kilburn is a familiar name; most of whose boundaries consist of the Borough boundaries with the recognised North London line as a boundary to the North and Willesden Lane in the North West. The Kilburn High Road and established South Kilburn estate give it a widely recognised community character. 8

10 Queens Park Ward Queens Park is bounded by Kilburn in the East and by the Borough boundary to the South giving it clear boundaries in those directions. It also has an established focus in the shape of the Park. We therefore propose keeping the existing wards in a three member ward of HQP1-5 and adding CKG6 to it. We further prose detaching CKG5 from Kensal Green ward and dividing it partly into the new Queens Park and partly to enlarge Brondesbury Park. We propose that the split occur along Buchanan Gardens with the southern (odd number side) in Queens Park and the northern even number side in Brondesbury. Thus, the new western boundary of Queens Park would run up from the Borough boundary along the boundary of polling district CKG6 (which is numbers 1-7 Wrottesley Road) along the odd numbers of All Souls Avenue up to the middle of Buchanan Gardens. It would then take in the whole southern part of Buchanan Gardens and head northward along the existing Queens Park boundary up the middle of College Road. The split at Buchanan Gardens occurs at the same point as Elemwood Tennis Court giving a visual cue as to the break in the road. The rest of the northern boundary of Queens Park would remain as it currently is. This arrangement would also have the advantage of clarifying the somewhat unclear existing boundary between Hardinge Road and the area just south of it, which is sometimes a source of confusion to some residents. While we do not propose any names for these wards, the Commission may wish to consider renaming the ward as either Queens Park or as Queens Park and Kensal Rise. This would be a recognition that the western area has a strong affinity with the Kensal Rise name on both sides of College Road which is currently split by the existing boundary along College Road. One of the advantages of our proposal is that it would bring more of the widely recognised Kensal Rise area together including familiar landmarks such as the Princess Frederica Primary School, Kensal Green Tube station and the former Kensal Rise Library. It would also now include Kensal Rise station which is in the existing Queens Park ward. Streets to be Added From CKG5 BUCHANAN GARDENS (northern half only) BATHURST GARDENS Kensal Green The existing Kensal Green ward has six polling districts. We suggest that the whole of CKG6 go into Queens Park. CKG5 be split between Queens Park and Brondesbury as described in the Queens Park section. The remainder of Kensal Green (with the exception of the small number of electors we propose putting into Willesden Green) would go into a ward focused on Harlesden Town Centre and called Harlesden. Harlesden We propose that Harlesden ward resume the strong Harlesden Town Centre focus that it had prior to the 2000 Review. To this end we propose that it include CHA3, CHA4 and most of CHA5. We further suggest adding the CKG1, CKG2, CKG3 and CKG4 (subject to the minor adjustments with 9

11 Willesden Green described above and Stonebridge described below). We also propose adding part of CHA2 (see below). Harlesden is an area with a strong sense of community that was formerly united but was split by the 2000 Boundary Review. This strong identity focuses on the Town Centre and around the symbol of the recently refurbished Jubilee Clock which currently stands on the periphery of the existing Harlesden ward roughly opposite the junction between the High Street and Wendover Road. Many of the Town Centre s landmarks are actually in Kensal Green ward at the moment. This includes almost all of Harlesden High Street, Harlesden Post Office, All Souls CofE Church Harlesden (the area s only listed building), the Harlesden Salvation Army building on Manor Park Road, the Royal Oak, Willesden Junction station and the Convent of Jesus and Mary Girls School, Harlesden. These markers would be re-united to the landmarks in the existing Harlesden ward including Harlesden Library and Harlesden Methodist Church (the longest established Church in the area). We have proposed under Dudden Hill adding the northern part of CHA2 above Ambleside Road to Dudden Hill. We would take the rest of that polling district and add it to Harlesden, with which it has a natural relationship. CHA3 forms a natural unit centred on the Roundwood Estate and we propose keeping it in Harlesden. The remaining parts of the existing Harlesden ward we propose adding to Stonebridge as described in the Stonebridge section. Streets to be Added It is proposed that the new Harlesden ward focus on the existing core polling districts of CHA3, CHA4 and CHA5 and add in the core polling districts from Kensal Green of CKG1, CKG3 and CKG4. We would also include the bulk of CKG2 except for Harlesden Road down to 415, numbers 1-47 Longstone Avenue and Dairy Close. We would also add: From CHA2 AMBLESIDE ROAD (southern side) HAWKSHEAD ROAD LONGSTONE AVENUE MARIAN WAY THE DRIVE Stonebridge Finally for this area South of the North Circular Road, we propose a reconfigured Stonebridge ward. Stonebridge is currently the physically largest ward in Brent, and in our view somewhat unwieldy and disparate. Following our belief in the NCR as a fundamental divider in the Borough, we propose putting SST1 (the St Raphael s Estate) into Tokyngton ward. This creates a strong boundary down the middle of the NCR. For the same reason, the ACE Café (which we believe has no registered electors) should be in the North of the North Circular Road Area. We would add SST2, also a detached area, into Dudden Hill as described in the Dudden Hill section above. The remaining polling districts SST3, SST4, SST5 and SST6 we put into a squatter and more manageable Stonebridge estate, which also incorporates what is known as the Stonebridge Estate which has historically formed the core of the ward. 10

12 To add to this, we would include the part of CHA2 south of Hawkins Road creating a clear boundary with our proposed Dudden Hill down the middle of the road. We would also add a number of streets from CHA5 nearest the Stonebridge border in order to maximise electoral equality. This would also add some parts of older versions of Stonebridge ward back into the ward. Streets to be Added The new Stonebridge ward would consist of the core polling districts of SST3, SST4, SST5 and SST6. In addition we would add: From CHA1 ARMSTRONG ROAD BRITTIDGE ROAD CHURCH ROAD (part) CREUKHORNE ROAD DIXON WAY FIG TREE CLOSE GIFFORD ROAD HAWKINS ROAD (southern side only) PAULET WAY From CHA5 CRAVEN PARK CRAVEN PARK ROAD PARK ROAD ST ALBANS ROAD BAKER ROAD CECIL ROAD Conclusion We believe that the arrangements above constitute the optimal mixture of electoral equality, respect for natural boundaries on the ground and Brent s main centres of community. James Powney 11

13 Brent & Harrow Cooperative Party Submission for Local Government Boundaries in the London Borough of Brent North of the North Circular Road 1

14 Introduction This is a submission to the Local Government Commission for Boundaries in England on behalf of Brent and Harrow Cooperative Party, an affiliate of the Labour Party. The Commission will already have received a submission regarding the area to the South of the North Circular Road (NCR). This submission relates to the area to the North of the North Circular Road. The North Circular Road is taken as a dividing line because it is simply the most important boundary within the Borough of Brent, although there are a number of other major boundaries such as railway lines and centres of community activity. If the argument for the North Circular Road is accepted, it effectively creates two sub regions. The southern would be represented by 26 councillors if our previous submission is followed, and the northern by 31 councillors bringing the total for the Borough up to 57. As these two areas can be considered separately, we have produced one submission for the South, and one for the North. A Note on the Cooperative Party in Brent The Cooperative Party is a well established feature of UK politics in general and Brent and Harrow in particular. It was founded in 1917 as an entirely independent party, but entered into an electoral pact with the Labour Party in the 1920s, and this has been maintained ever since. It has been legally registered as a political party ever since such a registration was required. The party currently has 37 MPs, making it the third largest Party in the House of Commons. It is also represented at all levels of UK government including 16 peers, six MSPs, 11 Welsh Assembly members and many hundreds of local councillors. In addition to those elected as Labour and Cooperative there are many elected representatives who are individually members of the Party without being formally elected as such, including most of the Labour Assembly members in London. In Brent, the Cooperative Party had three councillors formally elected as Labour and Cooperative although a number of other councillors are members of the Party individually. The Party itself has been continuously active in Brent politics since at least the early 1950s, and held first the Willesden West seat and then Brent South for much of the post war period. More can be found out about the Cooperative Party at Criteria for Decision As mentioned above, as well as the Commission s statutory criteria there is a central decision that will shape the pattern of wards in the Borough, that is whether to use the River Brent as the most important boundary (as in 2000) or the North Circular Road. The River Brent was the historical boundary between the Boroughs of Wembley and Willesden when they merged to form Brent in It has little more than historical importance however, and the public at large have little awareness of what is essentially a small stream. The 2000 review itself ignored its presence to cross the River in Welsh Harp ward. The North Circular Road, by contrast, is a major boundary especially to pedestrians, but also to cyclists and in some ways to car users. It is also a feature that the whole population of the Borough is well aware of, and is widely used by other bodies. For instance the Mayor of London has used it to designate the boundary of his low emission zone. 2

15 The Importance of the North Circular Road The North Circular Road (NCR) is crossable by both vehicles and pedestrians at the extreme southern end of the Borough between Stonebridge and Tokyngton, and at the IKEA junction at the very northern end of the existing Stonebridge ward, but at no point between. It therefore cuts Stonebridge ward in half completely making the St Raphaels an entirely isolated and standalone community on its Stonebridge side. It also serves to cut off the southern tip of Welsh Harp ward (CWH6) creating an entirely distinct area to the south of the main body of Welsh Harp ward. Proceeding eastward there is a very minor pedestrian footbridge on to an industrial estate from the residential area of Dollis Hill at Kenwyn Drive and no further crossing point until the unwalkable junction around Staples Corner at the eastern boundary of Brent. The IKEA junction is itself unwelcoming to both vehicular traffic and to pedestrians. For vehicles it does not allow simple crossing but requires a complicated roundabout route to get from north to south or vice versa. This is routinely subject to traffic jams. The pollution and fears of road safety make it unpleasant for pedestrians to cross, and the timings of the lights mean that they can cross in one go but must remain exposed in the midst of the traffic halfway. It is also widely regarded as a barrier to increasing cycling in the Borough. The crossability of the NCR was a major controversy during the 2000 review, features in transport debates in the Borough in general and has seen no significant progress in the last twenty years. Brent s planners are assuming that the road will get worse following the projected expansion of the Brent Cross development in Barnet. Car Usage in Brent The difficulty of crossing the North Circular Road is further emphasised by the relatively low car ownership in Brent. According to the 2011 Census, 43% of Brent households did not own a car or van. This figure splits out by ward in the table below. Ward No car or van in Household Alperton 35.6% Barnhill 33.6% Brondesbury 46.2% Dollis Hill 34.0% Dudden Hill 43.0% Fryent 28.3% Harlesden 60.5% Kensal Green 52.2% Kenton 19.7% Kilburn 62.7% Mapesbury 53.1% Northwick Park 25.6% Preston 30.9% Queens Park 47.1% Queensbury 24.8% 3

16 Stonebridge 50.6% Sudbury 36.7% Tokyngton 40.2% Welsh Harp 35.1% Wembley Central 43.7% Willesden Green 59.3% Lack of access to a car for this large minority makes the NCR still more of a barrier than it already appears. Comments on Wards Eastern Area Welsh Harp We prefer to retain the existing name of Welsh Harp for the area containing the Reservoir of that name. It is a long established feature of the Area, with a definite focus. For that reason, although it has no significant electoral implications and because of the view we take of the importance of the North Circular Road we would like the entire extent of the Welsh Harp Reservoir within Brent to be in Welsh Harp ward. We suggest that the name Neasden which has been canvassed as an alternative is too nebulous a name and is widely attached to areas such as the northern part of Stonebridge, the northern part of Dudden Hill, the present Dollis Hill ward and Welsh Harp ward itself to be a suitable alternative. We therefore suggest retaining the Welsh Harp name for this area as it is established, historic and widely recognised as being specific to this area whereas Neasden can be taken as referring to a number of different parts of the Borough. The northern boundary of this ward is weak. Historically, the area around Church Lane was part of pre-2000 Fryent ward and the boundary is somewhat arbitrary. This was felt to be the case in 2000, and was acknowledged in the subsequent Parliamentary review. The area known as the bungalows cannot be easily be separated from the area near Church Lane due to the exits and entries in that area. That is polling districts CWH2 and CWH7 are hard to prise apart, although CWH2 could be drawn more rationally for this purpose. The entrance on to Salmon Street is also somewhat odd, with that street divided into a southern Barnhill fragment, a central Welsh Harp part and a northern Fryent part. Fryent Fryent is an historically recognised name in this part of the Borough and the area and decisions relating to it are constrained by the Borough boundary to the East, the very substantial barrier of Fryent Country Park to the West and whatever decisions are made regarding the proposed Welsh Harp and Queensbury wards. Queensbury The existing Queensbury ward currently virtually meets the electoral criteria for a three member ward as it is. There is an argument as to how much of Kingsbury Town Centre can be included as it is currently split, but it should also be noted that the boxing in by the Borough boundary in this north eastern corner of the Borough limits the flexibility available. 4

17 Central Area Barnhill In itself the Barnhill area is an electorally balanced and logically coherent ward. Its weakest boundary is to the North where the top part of the ward (polling districts NBA1 and NBA2) can be added to Kenton without any barriers being crossed. We favour keeping the Chalkhill estate linked to the Barnhill area as they have an established and coherent relationship. For instance, the former Town Hall on Forty Lane and the estate that was rebuilt during the noughties are designed with sightlines that relate to each other. Thus we would favour keeping something like this area (polling districts NBA3-6) together in some form. We cannot agree with the suggestion put forward in the papers put forward by officers at Brent Council, but not endorsed by councillors that the area around the Stadium should be shoehorned in with the Barnhill area. Such an arrangement creates a peculiar hour glass arrangement with an isthmus between the Barnhill and the Stadium parts. The two parts have a dissimilar character, with the historic Barnhill area as a long established suburban area, the Chalkhill estate a coherent creation of the last twenty years (albeit based on an earlier estate) and an area of new build around the Stadium which as yet does not have a fully formed character. Kenton Kenton is a ward given definition by the Borough boundary to the North. There is an argument either way as to whether the existing Kenton should absorb the northern part of Barnhill and the semi-detached NNP1 polling district of Northwick Park next door. NNP1, as a result of railway lines and the Borough boundary, added to the very well established eponymous park make this polling district into something of an island however it is constituted. Preston Preston is in its present form is a triangle with railway lines giving a firm definition to either side, but a more open area towards the bottom of the ward where it could be expanded into CTO2 in the less well defined area west of Empire Way. Tokyngton and Stadium The existing Tokyngton ward is the main cause of the present review thanks to the huge amount of construction in recent years. The northern two polling districts (CTO1 and 2) are effectively cut off from the southern three by the major barrier of the railway line running from the IKEA junction to the White Horse bridge. Between those two points there is no passing point of any kind for either pedestrians or vehicles. There is therefore a strong case for these two polling districts to be formed into their own ward perhaps called Wembley Stadium or Stadium. The Stadium also creates a community of interest in the area since the frequent event days need special measures that throw up a number of challenges for residents and traders in the area in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the Borough. The rest of the existing Tokyngton is a natural, and indeed the only fit with the SST1 polling district of Stonebridge ward. SST1 is separated from the rest of the existing Stonebridge by the North Circular Road, a fact which is all the more striking given that the majority of Stonebridge households do not have access to a car (see figures above). It is also an area that has been historically separate being known as the St Raphaels Estate. SST1 does however have an important area of common interest 5

18 with Tokyngton in the slim Brent River Park where the River is crossable into the Monks Park area, and there has been investment to create a broader community of interest than was in place at the time of the 2000 Review. Western Area Alperton Alperton is once again constrained by the Borough boundary. It main linking feature is the Canal which runs through and constitutes a major part of Brent Council s designation of the ward as a Growth Area. Growth in this area can really only move northward up the Ealing Road and we anticipate its boundaries will be largely electorally determined. Northwick Park Northwick Park is a very large area constrained by the Borough boundary to the west and the north and a railway line to the East. It has an important community feature in terms of its Park, and we suggest that the boundaries be electorally determined. Since, however, there is no street by street breakdown of the estimated population it is hard for us to suggest boundaries in this area. Sudbury Sudbury is a long established ward with strong links to Wembley as a shopping centre that naturally looks towards Wembley Central ward, and has good communications links with that area through both public transport and car routes. Indeed the presence of one of the Borough s only two District shopping areas at Ealing Road and Ealing Road library effectively draws Sudbury residents into this area as well giving them alternatives of ingress and egress via the bus network. The ward is also constrained to the west by the boundary with Ealing. Wembley Central Wembley Central has two key features forming it as a ward, the eponymous station and the Ealing Road shopping area which has a unique character of its own. It also includes a large chunk of the Wembley High Road which could be used to justify straddling the railway in this area and expanding the ward in either direction. The boundary with the existing Tokyngton is a weak one. While Wembley is no longer the shopping centre it once was, it remains a widely recognised and used name and is widely regarded as being part of a broader area. Conclusion Our approach in this submission has been less specific than in our earlier southern submission. Debate would be better informed if proposals were set out more clearly in terms of both polling districts and also a street break down of electorate numbers. This is especially true in areas such as Alperton, where large scale change is expected. James Powney 6

19 Sent: 05 November :16 To: reviews Subject: for the attention of the Review Officer (Brent) Attachments: Brent Labour Party submission.docx Dear Officer I enclose a submission from Brent Labour Party for the electoral review of the London Borough of Brent Council. Best wishes David Lister Chair, Brent Labour Party Local Campaign Forum Sent from Windows Mail 1

20 Brent Labour Party Submission to the Review of Local Government Boundaries in the London Borough of Brent 1

21 Introduction This submission is written in accordance with the criteria stipulated by the Local Government Commission for Boundaries in England. Our starting point is that the North Circular Road must be accepted as the major barrier dividing the north from the south of the borough. We have also taken into account the way in which railway lines divide areas and have based our proposal on the preservation of local communities as far as possible. The River Brent was the historical boundary between the Boroughs of Wembley and Willesden when they merged to form Brent in It has little more than historical importance however, and the public at large have little awareness of what is essentially a small stream. The 2000 review itself ignored its presence to cross the River in Welsh Harp ward. The North Circular Road, by contrast, is a major boundary especially to pedestrians. The reduction in the number of councillors from 63 to 57 and the changes in the size of wards over time require a major re-think of the way in which Brent is divided into wards. On the basis of the 2024 figures we believe that there should be 26 councillors in the area south of the North Circular and 31 in the area north of it, recognising that much of the projected building development work will take place in the north of the borough. Our proposal achieves the reduction of six councillors by abolishing the current Kensal Green ward and by creating three two-member wards elsewhere. We believe that the new Harlesden ward should be based around Harlesden town centre and that therefore it makes sense to include the western part of the current Kensal Green ward within it.the eastern part of the current Kensal Green ward would be shared between the new Brondesbury ward and the new Queens Park ward. We would reduce Brondesbury and Welsh Harp to two member wards and create a new Wembley Stadium ward, the rationale for which being both the need to reduce the size of Tokyngton and the need to take account of the major building developments in that area. A Note on Methodology The basis of these numbers are the polling district population estimates on the Commission web site for In many cases it has been necessary to vary from existing polling district boundaries. This has been done using the existing (2018) electoral registration rolls on a street by street basis. It is proposed that where a ward uses a street as a boundary, it should either run down the middle of the street or (if both sides of the road are included) the boundary should be the fence line. We also believe that a pattern of boundaries should be free to use both three and two member wards. Given the number of barriers in the Boroughs, this sort of flexibility is needed if communities are to be adequately represented. The Importance of the North Circular Road The North Circular Road (NCR) is crossable by both vehicles and pedestrians at the extreme southern end of the Borough between Stonebridge and Tokyngton, and at the IKEA junction at the very northern end of the existing Stonebridge ward, but at no point between. It therefore cuts Stonebridge ward in half completely making the St Raphaels an entirely isolated and standalone community on its Stonebridge side. It also serves to cut off the southern tip of Welsh Harp ward (CWH6) creating an entirely distinct area to the south of the main body of Welsh Harp ward. 2

22 Proceeding eastward there is a very minor pedestrian footbridge on to an industrial estate from the residential area of Dollis Hill at Kenwyn Drive and no further crossing point until the unwalkable junction around Staples corner at the eastern boundary of Brent. The IKEA junction is itself unwelcoming to both vehicular traffic and to pedestrians. For vehicles it does not allow simple crossing but requires a complicated roundabout route to get from north to south or vice versa. This is routinely subject to traffic jams. The pollution and fears of road safety make it unpleasant for pedestrians to cross, and the timings of the lights mean that they can cross in one go but must remain exposed in the midst of the traffic halfway. It is also widely regarded as a barrier to increasing cycling in the Borough. The crossability of the NCR was a major controversy during the 2000 review, features in transport debates in the Borough in general and has seen no significant progress in the last twenty years. Brent s planners are assuming that the road will get worse following the projected expansion of the Brent Cross development in Barnet. Car Usage in Brent The difficulty of crossing the North Circular Road is further emphasised by the relatively low car ownership in Brent. According to the 2011 Census, 43% of Brent households did not own a car or van. This figure splits out by ward in the table below. No car or van in Ward Household Alperton 35.6% Barnhill 33.6% Brondesbury 46.2% Dollis Hill 34.0% Dudden Hill 43.0% Fryent 28.3% Harlesden 60.5% Kensal Green 52.2% Kenton 19.7% Kilburn 62.7% Mapesbury 53.1% Northwick Park 25.6% Preston 30.9% Queens Park 47.1% Queensbury 24.8% Stonebridge 50.6% Sudbury 36.7% Tokyngton 40.2% Welsh Harp 35.1% Wembley Central 43.7% Willesden Green 59.3% Lack of access to a car for this large minority makes the NCR still more of a barrier than it already appears. 3

23 Summary of Wards Below is a summary of all the proposed wards for Brent South of the North Circular Road. As the existing Kensal Green would be redistributed between Harlesden, Queens Park and a little to Brondesbury it is shown as zero. Ward Tot al Cllr s Total in all Total PD Net Street Number s Added Take n Awa y Per Cllr % varienc e Brondesbury 2 8,342 9, ,46 4,171-3% Park 3 Dollis Hill 3 12,940 12, ,313 0% Dudden Hill 3 11,598 9,494 2,104 2, ,866-10% Harlesden 3 13,293 13, ,431 3% Kensal Green na na Kilburn 3 12,581 12, ,194-3% Mapesbury 3 11,952 12, ,984-8% Queens Park 3 13,723 14, ,574 6% Stonebridge 3 11,763 10,112 1,651 1, ,921-9% Willesden Green 3 11,674 10,211 1,463 1, ,891-10% Remarks on Wards in the South of the Borough Dollis Hill Ward Once one accepts the importance of NCR as a barrier, it forms a good hard border for a three member Dollis Hill ward to the North. The Borough Boundary performs the same function to the East. The current Dollis Hill has an important existing boundary to the south of it in the railway line that runs from Cricklewood Bus Garage through Gladstone Park and across to Neasden. This has very few crossing points, making a good natural boundary. The only crossing points are (from east to west) the A5 at Cricklewood bus garage, a small footbridge in Gladstone Park on the eastern side that is unsuitable for vehicular traffic, an iron pedestrian bridge at the extreme western end of the park and Dudden Hill Lane itself. The Cricklewood bus garage point is harder to cross for pedestrians then it might appear from a map, because it is extremely wide at this point. Going from south to north the last residential properties occur at Temple Road, there is then an expanse of commercial property with numerous vehicular movements due to the car park provided and the bus garage. Two railway lines have to be crossed as the railway line splits in two, and the first entry point into Dollis Hill itself is still further to the north at Gladstone Park Gardens. Even with a vehicle, the A5 is not a particularly good connector between the south and the north of the railway line as the only turning off points are Temple Road and down on Walm Lane on what is often a traffic clogged road which is likely to become more so as the Brent Cross development moves forward. The first pedestrian bridge in Gladstone Park is suitable for pedestrians and cyclists but not designed as a major traffic point, and the iron footbridge near Aberdeen Road is designed 4

24 with stairs on either side making it unsuitable for cyclists or disabled people. Dudden Hill Lane is a major road and therefore a suitable crossing point. This argues for a strong southern barrier to the ward, which leaves only the western end suitable for expansion which is necessary if a three member ward is to be maintained. We therefore argue for a Dollis Hill ward consisting of the present ward (Polling Districts CDO1-4, CDU1-2 and CWH6 taken from Welsh Harp ward. This meets electoral equality at 4,313 residents per councillor according to the LGCBE projections, and incorporates the natural hinterland of Dollis Hill with its main shopping centre in Neasden. The inclusion of CWH6 avoids the crossing of the North Circular Road which at that point has no crossing into Welsh Harp except a pedestrian subway, and is effectively entirely detached from the existing Welsh Harp ward. It is not proposed to add or delete any streets to this ward beyond the designated polling districts of CDU1, CDU2 and CWH6. It is proposed to add the major roundabout with the former Grange Museum into the ward, but as this has no electors, it should have no electoral implications. Mapesbury ward As argued in the Dollis Hill section above the railway line from Cricklewood bus garage to Gladstone Park forms a good natural boundary to the north of this ward. The Borough boundary forms a firm boundary to the East. In the 2000 Review, the Commission noted that all parties had agreed to the use of the Jubilee line to the west and we propose to keep this. Although this has some crossing points into Brondesbury, it is a widely recognised barrier well known to the public at large. Therefore the only way to expand the ward in the way that the numbers require is to expand into Dudden Hill ward. It is therefore proposed to retain the whole of the existing Mapesbury ward (CMA1-5) and add most of CDU6 from Dudden Hill with the exception of Park Avenue North, which should be added to CDU4 in a Dudden ward (see below). Parts of CDU6 have formed part of Mapesbury in the past, and other parts such as the rest of Melrose Avenue have at present an entirely artificial separation. The area around Gay Close and Kenneth Crescent forms a slightly isolated pocket that could in principle be allocated on either side, but making Mapesbury into a three member ward demands its allocation to Mapesbury because of the strength of the boundaries elsewhere for that ward (see above). Streets to be Added It is proposed that in addition to the core polling districts of CMA1, CMA2, CMA3, CMA4 and CMA5, to add all the streets of the existing CDU6 to this ward with the exception of Park Avenue North: CHANDOS ROAD CHANIN MEWS GAY CLOSE JEYMER AVENUE KENNETH CRESCENT LENNON ROAD MARLEY WALK 5

25 MELROSE AVENUE RIFFEL ROAD WALM LANE (CDU6 part) Dudden Hill As argued above, we are arguing to retain the core of the Dudden Hill ward subject to losses toward Dollis Hill and Mapesbury. We suggest moving the focus of the ward more to the Church End area, which the Council has identified as an area of future growth. The proposed ward would retain the whole of CDU3, CDU4 and CDU5 as well as Park Avenue North from CDU6. The CDU4 area has a strong identity of its own that does not fit easily into other wards. To collect enough electors for a three member ward, it is proposed to expand the border into both the current Stonebridge and the current Harlesden. SST2 is right at the northern end of Stonebridge. Removing it from the existing ward would help make that ward, geographically the largest in the Borough, more manageable. The area concerned is widely seen as part of that nebulous area Neasden. It is proposed that pedestrian and vehicular access to the rest of Dudden Hill be retained through Hawkins Road to the south. This relates to the proposed additions from Harlesden ward. It is proposed to add to Dudden Hill both the area in the north of CHA1 north of Hawkins Road and to the north of CHA2 to the north of Ambleside Road. Both of these constitute clearer boundaries than Dudden Hill s current southern boundary which is simply part way along Church Road with no significant land mark marking the boundary. It is proposed not to split CHA3 as that constituted a well integrated community area. Streets to be Added In addition to the core polling districts of CDU3, CDU4, CDU5 and SST2 we would add the following streets: From CDU6: PARK AVENUE NORTH From CHA1 CHURCH ROAD (part only) CROME ROAD GARNET ROAD HAWKINS ROAD (northern half only) HELPERBY ROAD HERON CLOSE MAYO ROAD TALBOT ROAD TYNSDALE ROAD From CHA2 AMBLESIDE ROAD (northern half only) CHURCH ROAD (part only) CONLEY ROAD ESSEX ROAD HAWKSHEAD ROAD OLDFIELD ROAD OUTGATE ROAD 6

26 ROUNDWOOD ROAD Willesden Green It is proposed to retain the whole of Willesden Green ward as a three member ward, thus including CWG1, CWG2 and CWG3. The natural focus of this ward is on Willesden High Road and it retains many well known Willesden landmarks such as Roundwood Park, King Edward VII Park (Willesden), Willesden Sports Centre, Willesden Community Hospital, Willesden Green Tube station, Willesden Library Centre and Willesden Post Office. It is also proposed to add slightly to the boundaries in several areas (working from the eastern end clockwise. Adding in the Brondesbury Park/Alverstone Road and Staverton Road area would help give greater legibility to the southern end of the ward through the retention of Sidmouth Road as a strong northern boundary to Brondesbury Park. This area forms a natural grouping by itself and looks towards the nearby Willesden Library centre and the High Road as a community focus. It would also bring Willesden Synagogue, a long established land mark in the area, within the ambit of Willesden. Incidentally the back entrance of Willesden Synagogue actually backs on to Heathfield Park already in Willesden. Two more minor alterations are envisaged. Newman Close, by chance is currently divided between Willesden and Brondesbury and it is proposed to put the whole of Newman Close into Willesden Green. Grange Road is mostly in the existing Willesden and it is proposed to add the single property that is currently in HBP1. Similarly there are a small number of properties on Harlesden Road that currently are in HBP1, but have a more natural focus with the Library Centre and the High Road. The vast bulk of Harlesden Road is already in Willesden so this would bring those properties more in line with their neighbours. It is also proposed to include Frontenac (HBP1) in with the rest of Donnington Road as part of Willesden ward, recognising that its postal address is as part of Donnington Road although as a corner property it has not previously been included. Finally it is proposed to extend the southern boundary of the ward along Harlesden Road on both sides down to number 415 Harlesden High on the odd side and down to Longstone Avenue on the even number side. This allows for a strong southern boundary to the ward along the middle of Longstone Avenue meaning that the whole of Roundwood Park is in Willesden. The omission of 417 to 443 Harlesden Road is because those flats, currently in Kensal Green, have their front doors opening on to Cardinal Hinsley Close, which has access through Wrottesley Road in the present Kensal Green ward. This scheme would also include Dairy Close as part of Willesden as it opens on to Harlesden Road. Streets to be Added It is proposed that in addition to the core polling districts of CWG1, CWG2 and CWG3, the following streets be added to this ward: From CKG2 DAIRY CLOSE HARLESDEN ROAD LONGSTONE AVENUE From HBP1 FRONTENAC, DONNINGTON ROAD GRANGE ROAD (HBP1 part) HARLESDEN ROAD (HBP1 part) NEWMAN CLOSE (HBP1 part) BRONDESBURY PARK (HBP1 part) 7

27 ALVERSTONE ROAD STAVERTON ROAD Brondesbury It is proposed to make Brondesbury into a two member ward comprising HBP1-5 subject to the minor boundary changes with Willesden described above and some further changes with Queens Park described below. This would retain Brondesbury largely as it is with an anchor on Kilburn High Road and a major feature in Willesden Lane. The principal community features would be the NW London Jewish School, Queens Park Community School and access to Tiverton Green. Streets to be Added It is proposed that addition to the core polling districts of CBP1, CBP2, CBP3, CBP4 and CBP5 the following streets should also be added: From CKG5 ALL SOULS AVENUE (CKG5 part only) BUCHANAN GARDENS (northern half, or even numbers only) COLLEGE ROAD DOYLE GARDENS HERBERT GARDENS HOLLAND ROAD (numbers 1-45) Kilburn Since Kilburn almost meets the electoral quota on its present boundaries, it is proposed to retain the ward as it is (HKI1-5). Kilburn is a familiar name; most of whose boundaries consist of the Borough boundaries with the recognised North London line as a boundary to the North and Willesden Lane in the North West. The Kilburn High Road and established South Kilburn estate give it a widely recognised community character. Queens Park Ward Queens Park is bounded by Kilburn in the East and by the Borough boundary to the South giving it clear boundaries in those directions. It also has an established focus in the shape of the Park. We therefore propose keeping the existing wards in a three member ward of HQP1-5 and adding CKG6 to it. We further prose detaching CKG5 from Kensal Green ward and dividing it partly into the new Queens Park and partly to enlarge Brondesbury Park. We propose that the split occur along Buchanan Gardens with the southern (odd number side) in Queens Park and the northern even number side in Brondesbury. Thus, the new western boundary of Queens Park would run up from the Borough boundary along the boundary of polling district CKG6 (which is numbers 1-7 Wrottesley Road) along the odd numbers of All Souls Avenue up to the middle of Buchanan Gardens. It would then take in the whole southern part of Buchanan Gardens and head northward along the existing Queens Park boundary up the middle of College Road. The split at Buchanan Gardens occurs at the same point as Elemwood Tennis Court giving a visual cue as to the break in the road. The rest of the northern boundary of Queens Park would remain as it currently is. This arrangement would also have the advantage of clarifying the somewhat unclear existing boundary between Hardinge Road and the area just south of it, which is sometimes a source of confusion to some residents. 8

28 While we do not propose any names for these wards, the Commission may wish to consider renaming the ward as either Queens Park or as Queens Park and Kensal Rise. This would be a recognition that the western area has a strong affinity with the Kensal Rise name on both sides of College Road which is currently split by the existing boundary along College Road. One of the advantages of our proposal is that it would bring more of the widely recognised Kensal Rise area together including familiar landmarks such as the Princess Frederica Primary School, Kensal Green Tube station and the former Kensal Rise Library. It would also now include Kensal Rise station which is in the existing Queens Park ward. Streets to be Added From CKG5 BUCHANAN GARDENS (northern half only) BATHURST GARDENS Kensal Green The existing Kensal Green ward has six polling districts. We suggest that the whole of CKG6 go into Queens Park. CKG5 be split between Queens Park and Brondesbury as described in the Queens Park section. The remainder of Kensal Green (with the exception of the small number of electors we propose putting into Willesden Green) would go into a ward focused on Harlesden Town Centre and called Harlesden. Harlesden We propose that Harlesden ward resume the strong Harlesden Town Centre focus that it had prior to the 2000 Review. To this end we propose that it include CHA3, CHA4 and most of CHA5. We further suggest adding the CKG1, CKG2, CKG3 and CKG4 (subject to the minor adjustments with Willesden Green described above and Stonebridge described below). We also propose adding part of CHA2 (see below). Harlesden is an area with a strong sense of community that was formerly united but was split by the 2000 Boundary Review. This strong identity focuses on the Town Centre and around the symbol of the recently refurbished Jubilee Clock which currently stands on the periphery of the existing Harlesden ward roughly opposite the junction between the High Street and Wendover Road. Many of the Town Centre s landmarks are actually in Kensal Green ward at the moment. This includes almost all of Harlesden High Street, Harlesden Post Office, All Souls CofE Church Harlesden (the area s only listed building), the Harlesden Salvation Army building on Manor Park Road, the Royal Oak, Willesden Junction station and the Convent of Jesus and Mary Girls School, Harlesden. These markers would be re-united to the landmarks in the existing Harlesden ward including Harlesden Library and Harlesden Methodist Church (the longest established Church in the area). We have proposed under Dudden Hill adding the northern part of CHA2 above Ambleside Road to Dudden Hill. We would take the rest of that polling district and add it to Harlesden, with which it has a natural relationship. CHA3 forms a natural unit centred on the Roundwood Estate and we propose keeping it in Harlesden. The remaining parts of the existing Harlesden ward we propose adding to Stonebridge as described in the Stonebridge section. 9

29 Streets to be Added It is proposed that the new Harlesden ward focus on the existing core polling districts of CHA3, CHA4 and CHA5 and add in the core polling districts from Kensal Green of CKG1, CKG3 and CKG4. We would also include the bulk of CKG2 except for Harlesden Road down to 415, numbers 1-47 Longstone Avenue and Dairy Close. We would also add: From CHA2 AMBLESIDE ROAD (southern side) HAWKSHEAD ROAD LONGSTONE AVENUE MARIAN WAY THE DRIVE Stonebridge Finally for this area South of the North Circular Road, we propose a reconfigured Stonebridge ward. Stonebridge is currently the physically largest ward in Brent, and in our view somewhat unwieldy and disparate. Following our belief in the NCR as a fundamental divider in the Borough, we propose putting SST1 (the St Raphael s Estate) into Tokyngton ward. This creates a strong boundary down the middle of the NCR. For the same reason, the ACE Café (which we believe has no registered electors) should be in the North of the North Circular Road Area. We would add SST2, also a detached area, into Dudden Hill as described in the Dudden Hill section above. The remaining polling districts SST3, SST4, SST5 and SST6 we put into a squatter and more manageable Stonebridge estate, which also incorporates what is known as the Stonebridge Estate which has historically formed the core of the ward. To add to this, we would include the part of CHA2 south of Hawkins Road creating a clear boundary with our proposed Dudden Hill down the middle of the road. We would also add a number of streets from CHA5 nearest the Stonebridge border in order to maximise electoral equality. This would also add some parts of older versions of Stonebridge ward back into the ward. Streets to be Added The new Stonebridge ward would consist of the core polling districts of SST3, SST4, SST5 and SST6. In addition we would add: From CHA1 ARMSTRONG ROAD BRITTIDGE ROAD CHURCH ROAD (part) CREUKHORNE ROAD DIXON WAY FIG TREE CLOSE GIFFORD ROAD HAWKINS ROAD (southern side only) PAULET WAY From CHA5 CRAVEN PARK CRAVEN PARK ROAD 10

30 PARK ROAD ST ALBANS ROAD BAKER ROAD CECIL ROAD Remarks on wards in the north of the borough Eastern Area Welsh Harp We prefer to retain the existing name of Welsh Harp for the area containing the Reservoir of that name. It is a long established feature of the Area, with a definite focus. For that reason, although it has no significant electoral implications and because of the view we take of the importance of the North Circular Road we would like the entire extent of the Welsh Harp Reservoir within Brent to be in Welsh Harp ward. We suggest that the name Neasden which has been canvassed as an alternative is too nebulous a name and is widely attached to areas such as the northern part of Stonebridge, the northern part of Dudden Hill, the present Dollis Hill ward and Welsh Harp ward itself to be a suitable alternative. We therefore suggest retaining the Welsh Harp name for this area as it is established, historic and widely recognised as being specific to this area whereas Neasden can be taken as referring to a number of different parts of the Borough. The northern boundary of this ward is weak. Historically, the area around Church Lane was part of Fryent ward and the boundary is somewhat arbitrary. This was felt to be the case in 2000, and was acknowledged in the subsequent Parliamentary review. The area known as the bungalows cannot be easily be separated from the area near Church Lane due to the exits and entries in that area. That is polling districts CWH2 and CWH7 are hard to prise apart, although CWH2 could be drawn more rationally for this purpose. The entrance on to Salmon Street is also somewhat odd, with that street divided into a southern Barnhill fragment, a central Welsh Harp part and a northern Fryent part. Fryent Fryent is an historically recognised name in this part of the Borough and the area and decisions relating to it are constrained by the Borough boundary to the East, the very substantial barrier of Fryent Country Park to the West and whatever decisions are made regarding the proposed Welsh Harp and Queensbury wards. Queensbury The existing Queensbury ward currently virtually meets the electoral criteria for a three member ward as it is. There is an argument as to how much of Kingsbury Town Centre can be included as it is currently split, but it should also be noted that the boxing in by the Borough boundary in this north eastern corner of the Borough limits the flexibility available. Central Area Barnhill In itself the Barnhill area is an electorally balanced and logically coherent ward. Its weakest boundary is to the North where the top part of the ward (polling districts NBA1 and NBA2) can be added to Kenton without any barriers being crossed. We favour keeping the Chalkhill estate linked to the Barnhill area as they have an established and coherent relationship. For 11

31 instance, the former Town Hall on Forty Lane and the estate that was rebuilt during the noughties are designed with sightlines that relate to each other. Thus we would favour keeping something like this area (polling districts NBA3-6) together in some form. We cannot agree with the suggestion that the area around the Stadium should be shoehorned in with the Barnhill area. Such an arrangement creates a peculiar hour glass arrangement with an isthmus between the Barnhill and the Stadium parts. The two parts have a dissimilar character, with the historic Barnhill area as a long established suburban area, the Chalkhill estate a coherent creation of the last twenty years (albeit based on an earlier estate) and an area of new build around the Stadium which as yet does not have a fully formed character. Kenton Kenton is a ward given definition by the Borough boundary to the North. There is an argument either way as to whether the existing Kenton should absorb the northern part of Barnhill and the semi-detached NNP1 polling district of Northwick Park next door. NNP1, as a result of railway lines and the Borough boundary, added to the very well established eponymous park make this polling district into something of an island however it is constituted. Preston Preston is in its present form is a triangle with railway lines giving a firm definition to either side, but a more open area towards the bottom of the ward where it could be expanded into CTO2 in the less well defined area west of Empire Way. Tokyngton and Stadium The existing Tokyngton ward is the main cause of the present review thanks to the huge amount of construction in recent years. The northern two polling districts (CTO1 and 2) are effectively cut off from the southern three by the major barrier of the railway line running from the IKEA junction to the White Horse bridge. Between those two points there is no passing point of any kind for either pedestrians or vehicles. There is therefore a strong case for these two polling districts to be formed into their own ward perhaps called Wembley Stadium or Stadium. The Stadium also creates a community of interest in the area since the frequent event days need special measures that throw up a number of challenges for residents and traders in the area in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the Borough. The rest of the existing Tokyngton is a natural, and indeed the only fit with the SST1 polling district of Stonebridge ward. SST1 is separated from the rest of the existing Stonebridge by the North Circular Road, a fact which is all the more striking given that the majority of Stonebridge households do not have access to a car (see figures above). It is also an area that has been historically separate being known as the St Raphaels Estate. SST1 does however have an important area of common interest with Tokyngton in the slim Brent River Park where the River is crossable into the Monks Park area, and there has been investment to create a broader community of interest than was in place at the time of the 2000 Review. Western Area Alperton Alperton is once again constrained by the Borough boundary. It main linking feature is the Canal which runs through and constitutes a major part of Brent Council s designation of the 12

32 ward as a Growth Area. Growth in this area can really only move northward up the Ealing Road and we anticipate its boundaries will be largely electorally determined. Northwick Park Northwick Park is a very large area constrained by the Borough boundary to the west and the north and a railway line to the East. It has an important community feature in terms of its Park, and we suggest that the boundaries be electorally determined. Since, however, there is no street by street breakdown of the estimated population it is hard for us to suggest boundaries in this area. Sudbury Sudbury is a long established ward with strong links to Wembley as a shopping Centre that naturally looks towards Wembley Central ward, and has good communications links with that area through both public transport and car routes. Indeed the presence of one of the Borough s only two District shopping areas at Ealing Road and Ealing Road library effectively draws Sudbury residents into this area as well giving them alternatives of ingress and egress via the bus network. The ward is also constrained to the west by the boundary with Ealing. Wembley Central Wembley Central has two key features forming it as a ward, the eponymous station and the Ealing Road shopping area which has a unique character of its own. It also includes a large chunk of the Wembley High Road which could be used to justify straddling the railway in this area and expanding the ward in either direction. The boundary with the existing Tokyngton is a weak one. While Wembley is no longer the shopping centre it once was, it remains a widely recognised and used name and is widely regarded as being part of a broader area. David Lister Chair Brent Labour Party Local Campaign Forum 13

33 11/6/2018 Local Government Boundary Commission for England Consultation Portal Brent London Borough Personal Details: Name: Postcode: Organisation Name: Brent North Conservative Association Comment text: Please find attached the Brent Conservative Group proposal for the Local Government Boundary changes in Brent. Uploaded Documents: Download ( file=draft%2f _brent+conservative+group+submission.pdf) 1/1

34 ELECTORAL REVIEW OF THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BRENT WARDING PATTERN SUBMISSION BY THE BRENT CONSERVATIVE GROUP RESPONSE TO THE LGBCE CONSULTATION NOVEMBER P a g e

35 Introduction Why Brent? During the current London Government Boundary Commission Executive (LGBCE) review process, it has become clear to us that since the previous review in 2000, warding levels have developed out of balance. Brent Council meets the Commission s criteria for electoral inequality with 7 wards having a variance outside 10%. The outliers are Brondesbury Park at -16% and Tokyngton at 28%. Electoral review process The electoral review will have two distinct parts: Council size The Brent conservative group welcomes to reduce the number of councillors to 57 from current 63. We appreciate that this will require some existing wards to be redrawn, and recognise that this will represent an opportunity to examine whether the existing boundaries are an appropriate reflection of how Brent has developed since In addition, the establishment of new developments such as South Kilburn Regeneration, Wembley Regeneration, Alperton and Burnt Oak and Colindale area. Ward boundaries The Commission will re-draw ward boundaries so that they meet their statutory criteria. Should the Commission require any further detail on our scheme we would be very happy to pass on additional information or to arrange a meeting with Commission members or officers to run through the proposals. 2 P a g e

36 Interests & identities of local communities The Commission will be looking for evidence on a range of issues to support our reasoning. The best evidence for community identity is normally a combination of factual information such as the existence of communication links, facilities and organisations along with an explanation of how local people use those facilities. Transport links Public transport Ease of travel Community groups Tenants and resident association Charities Religious groups Do these work together? Facilities Shops Medical Services School catchment areas Shared Interests Identifiable boundaries Parks Major Roads Railway lines 3 P a g e

37 Submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission by the Brent Conservative Group Our response is based on 5 key principles: 1. That there should be a total of 57 Councillors. 2. That the new pattern of wards results in each councillor representing broadly the same number of electors. For Brent this is 4311 per councillor same as their co-councillors. 3. That we seek to maintain the boundaries and integrity of existing, familiar Wards, with minor changes. The warding pattern produced needs to reflect the 2024 electorate ration (+/- 10%) as determined by the LGBCE. 4. That we take account of known or likely significant housing developments in wards such as Queensbury, Tokyngton, Wembley Central and Alperton. 5. That some parts of Brent like Wembley Central and Tokyngton Wards are major destinations in themselves in addition to being residential areas. 4 P a g e

38 Submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission by the Brent Conservative Group Our proposal is: 1. The scheme we are proposing would see a return to 23 wards, with 11 three-member wards and 12 two-member wards totalling 57 Councillors with the number of electors per councillor being around We believe that this provides a scheme which not only allows us to ensure strong electoral equality for the future and provide for effective local government, but to best enable the different natures of Brent s neighbourhoods to be best reflected on the local authority. 2. We believe there are strong arguments for seeking to broadly maintain major characteristics of the existing ward geography. 3. Communities in Brent are defined by many features: by external boundaries such as railway lines and major roads, and also by their internal community identity which may come from historical links, local community groups, the location of facilities, or shared interest. Communities tent not to fit into a numerical straightjacket, so we have used a mix of 2- and 3-member wards. 4. Whilst we accept that it is impossible to perfectly reflect the diversity of Brent wards, we argue that our proposal is as close a good fit as possible and achievable. 5. Using local knowledge of the borough s history, natural geography, physical infrastructure, demography and community issues we then worked from the ground up to assemble wards which would represent the common identifies and issues of those living within welldefined areas with populations as close as possible to our goal number of 4,311 electors per councillor. 6. We have applied our understanding of the physical and community boundaries of Brent, its history of development, and the many social, economic and demographic factors that are shaping the borough yet to come. 5 P a g e

39 Brent 2018 Currently has 21 Wards 6 P a g e

40 Brent 2024 the Conservative Group Propose 23 Wards 7 P a g e

41 Brent 2024 the Conservative Group Propose 23 Wards 8 P a g e

42 Conservative Group Proposed warding pattern: Total proposed Electorate Year 2024 given to LGBCE Total proposed Number of Councillors 57, currently 63. Total Proposed wards by Brent Conservative Group 23, current 21 Average Electors per Councillors Variance from (+-10%) - Lower level 3880 Higher Level 4742 The Commission has an obligation, set out in law, to consider electorate forecasts five years after the completion of the review. The purpose of the forecasts is to try and ensure that the review delivers electoral equality for voters in the longer term. We understand and assume that the Commission have already worked with council officers to draw up realistic forecasts for Brent. We have tried to organically grow wards wherever we can so that their historic sense of community is retained. We have also chosen to draw on the existing road networks to help establish wards boundaries, the main roads in the area reflect the communities that are within them and help shape their identity as readily and easily identifiable boundaries 9 P a g e

43 Conservative Group Proposed warding pattern: Changes to Brent since the 2000 LGBCE review. Brent has changed in several areas since the last review. We strongly feel that housing ought to have an influence on the warding patterns across Council area: Housing Several important changes to both the Council s planning policy and the National Planning Framework have impacted on the communities that make up the Council area. These include: - The South Kilburn Regeneration plan is a fifteen-year programme. It aims to transform the area into a sustainable and mixed neighbourhood and create a real sense of place and belonging. Bearing this in mind we have tried to keep the community together. The Brent Masterplan aims to deliver the following, 2,400 new high-quality homes of which around 1,200 will be made available to existing South Kilburn existing secure tenants and a new larger high-quality urban park and improved public realm. The plan will see a new primary school and health facilities along with new retail facilities to encourage small businesses to grow. Improved environmental standards have been applied and a site-wide energy solution considered. Wembley regeneration plan is one of the largest regeneration projects in the country. According to the Mayor of London it can accommodate approximately 11,500 new homes and 10,000 new jobs through the development of sites along Wembley High Road and the land around Wembley Stadium. The Burnt Oak and Colindale Growth Area, on the boundary between Brent and Barnet, forms part of the Burnt Oak/Colindale Opportunity Area in the London Plan which directly impacts the current Queensbury and Fryent (proposed Kingsbury) wards. This area is identified in Brent's Core Strategy 2010 and the Site-Specific Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) 2011 as a growth area for around 2,500 homes by Alperton regeneration has been designated as a Housing Zone by the Mayor of London. This means over 3,000 new homes will be built in the area with a third being classed as affordable. Alperton has some of the worst quality industrial land in Brent. 10 P a g e

44 Conservative Group Proposed warding pattern: Row Labels Sum of Quota Cllrs Variance 2024 Projected Electrol 2024 Electrol per Councillor 1 Alperton % Barnhill % Brondesbury Park % Dudden Hill % Fryent % Gladstone % Harlesden % Kensal Green % Kenton % Kilburn % Mapesbury % Northwick Park % Preston North % Preston South % Queen's Park % Queensbury % Roundwood % Stonebridge % Sudbury % Tokyngton % Welsh Harp % Wembley Central % Wembley Park % Grand Total Using the projected information provided by the LGBCE the Borough of Brent's electorate in 2018 was In 2024 the projected electorate is to increase to 245,732 an increase of 19,601. We have taken into consideration Transport links, shared Interests, community groups, worship facilities etc. to work out the warding arrangements. It must be noted that the variance has to be less than +- 10%. This mostly involved moving one or two roads from current ward to another. Little adjustment is needed to make this work, the wards falling pretty conveniently into councillor-sized blocks. We analysed the number of councillors in each of our proposed wards and made a small number of minor amendments to bring all places within an acceptable variance. NOTE: Preston North Variance of -11% reflects 44 electorates and Wembley Park variance of -10.1% is just 4 electorate from the minimum required variance of P a g e

45 Conservative Group Proposed warding pattern: We now comment on each of our proposed Brent Conservative Group 23 wards. We have provided for each of our proposed 23 wards details of existing wards against our proposed new wards. This also included polling districts where part of the streets has been moved to meet the required criteria of the warding pattern needed to reflect the 2024 electorate ration (+/- 10%) as determined by the LGBCE. 12 P a g e

46 Alperton Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4313 Variance: 0.0% 13 P a g e

47 Alperton Ward Alperton Ward - 3 Member Ward Our proposal is to move part of NAL2 to Wembley Central ward polling district NWC1 to meet the LGBCE required criteria. The Alperton area falls into two distinct parts, divided by the Grand Union Canal: the southern part is bounded to the south by the borough boundary is not the right size for a 1-member ward, so must continue to be combined with Alperton, with which it is connected by the A4005 (Ealing Road). There is no other area of the borough this southern part is connected with. The present ward has an entitlement of 3.74 councillors and therefore must be reduced. We consider that the area around Dorothy Avenue and Lyon Park Avenue is the most appropriate to be removed from the ward, as it shares a common shopping area around Ealing Road with the area to the west (i.e. Eagle Road, Norton Road). This ward now includes mid-rise buildings as well as streets of low-rise houses with gardens, a lot of high rise adjoining the Grand Union canal. Alperton ward has one of the capital's largest Black and Asian populations. Alperton ward has one of the capital's largest Black and Asian populations. The area has good facilities for these community groups including churches, mosque plus Islamic Centre, a Tamil Temple and also a good Library. The landmark Shree Sanatan Hindu Temple is on Ealing Road that has a big community hall where religious and cultural events take place. Ealing Road (A4089) and Bridgewater Road (A4005) are major roads that run through Alperton. Alperton Lane (B456) is another useful thoroughfare. The area has good transport links including Alperton (Piccadilly line), Hanger Lane (Central line) on the undergrounds. Alperton has Bus route 79 from Edgware, 83 from Golders Green, 483 from Ealing Hospital and 487 from South Harrow. Alperton benefits from use of a Sports Ground and Alperton Bus Garage. 14 P a g e

48 Alperton Riverside Forum is a voluntary organisation formed of local people with an interest in the social-cultural, economic and physical development of the Alperton area. Their activities are mainly focused on community bonding through the delivery of events, creative projects and talent development by providing workshops, training and opportunities to perform or present work. The West Coast Main Railway line running through this area acts as a natural boundary to include this regeneration part into Wembley Central rather than Alperton and will have crossing points into this new growth area across Argenta Way and logically will join up the residents easily with Wembley Central. Ealing Road Temple Ealing Road Shopping Elaborately carved Jaisalmer limestone covers this Hindu temple and serves the growing Hindu community in Brent. It promotes the importance within all communities of respect, love and compassion for all religions as it opens its doors to communities of other faiths in the area, making the temple dynamic and universal. Ealing Road in Wembley is also known as Little India catering for the communities from all parts of India. You can get here anything - grocery, fruits, vegetables, spices, clothes, sarees, kitchen items- all that an Indian would need. This area attracts people from other parts of London and as far as Midlands to come and shop here and enjoy the varied restaurants and cafes. 15 P a g e

49 Barnhill Ward We propose Polling districts NBA1 and NBA2 are moved to Kenton from Barnhill Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 8868 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4434 Variance: 2.8% 16 P a g e

50 Barnhill Ward Barnhill Ward - 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move polling district NBA1 and NBA2 to Kenton ward and part of polling district NBA4 to Welsh Harp to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. The community in these areas will not be wholly affected in any way as they already using amenities and facilities of Kenton ward. At present the current Barnhill ward falls into two distinct parts with the obvious dividing line being the Jubilee line from Kingsbury station round to the point it joins the Metropolitan line between Wembley Park and Preston Road. The Jubilee line at this point is also tracked by Wealdstone Brook. We feel the area to the north of here has far more in common with Kenton and would use the Jubilee line as the boundary. We would also end the anomaly where a small part of Salmon Street and some of the surrounding streets are included in a ward otherwise to the south of the A4140. Glenwood Grove is arbitrarily split by this boundary and we would instead move this area into Welsh Harp, leaving the A4140 as a much clearer boundary. The Metropolitan/Jubilee Line is a strong southern boundary with only two crossing points in the ward. This ward has a good mix use of social housing (Chalkhill) and large family houses as well as streets of low-rise housing of both flats and homes. The area has good amenities and the local Barn Hill Conservation Group is active in the conservation of Fryent Country Park and Barn Hill open space. Barn Hill Residents' Association (BHRA ) was established in It is voluntary and non-political and serves all the residents across the area. Barn Hill Estate is a green and pleasant place in Wembley, part of the Borough of Brent, in Middlesex, England. The hill is 86 metres (282 feet) at its highest point, tall by London standards as much of the conurbation is flat. The crest of Barn Hill forms part of the 103-hectare (260 acre) Fryent Country Park. From several points on the hill the views are rural in character. Local schools organise nature trips into these green areas to benefit the children s appreciation of the environment. As well as the city and other developed areas in the distance, there are vistas of the park's woodland, ponds and large meadows with ancient hedges. The area now benefits from having an established French school in the old Brent Town Hall, a good primary school, with nearby two secondary schools The Ark Academy and the Michaela Community School and the College of NW London is in this ward too. The Universal Pentecostal Church and Church of the English Martyrs serves one of the larger Christian communities well. Barnhill residents have good shopping facilities including the Asda Superstore and small shops along with cafes and pub restaurant. The area has excellent bus routes and is served by the Wembley Park Metropolitan Underground station. Chalkhill Community centre is run for local residents and surrounding areas. They host a range of children's activities, community events and adult meetings for Chalkhill residents. They also hold regular adult exercise classes. They have halls available for hire including weddings and christenings. Lots of diverse projects for the young and old. 17 P a g e

51 Brondesbury Park Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9242 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4621 Variance: 8.3% 18 P a g e

52 Brondesbury Park Brondesbury Park - 2 Member Ward We propose to retain Brondsbury Park ward as it currently is with no changes to this ward. Main reasons behind this is so as not to disturb the long-established community links and settled families. We note that the ward has strong boundaries, being the Metropolitan/Jubilee line to the north, the London Overground line to the south-east, and King Edward VII Park to the west. We do however ask the Commission to resolve the anomaly where Newman Close, a newly-built development at the west of Brondesbury Park, is split by the ward boundary and include it entirely in Dollis Hill ward This ward has the Swaminarayan Hindu temple on Willesden Lane, they are currently extending the community hall building an old peoples home next door. It has the Overground Brondesbury Park station. St Mary Magdalen Church is located on Chambers Lane, Christchurch with St Lawrence on Christchurch court. Malorees Junior and Malorees Infant school is located on Christchurch Avenue. Brondsbury College for boys is located on Brondesbury Park. The south Hempstead tennis and cricket club is also located on Sidmouth Road. Unlike much of Brent, Brondesbury Park has not seen rapid population growth. It is a settled community centred around its schools, cricket ground and Green. It is bounded to the South by the North London Line and to the north by the tube line running from Kilburn tube to Lydford Road. Lydford Road is a busy main road that divides Brondesbury Park from Mapesbury and Cricklewood to the North. Its western border has 2 sports grounds and covered reservoirs that separate it from the Roundwood area. The main senior school for the area is Queens Park Community School which lies at the heart of the ward. Situated close to Hampstead Cricket Club, and next to Tiverton Green and the very popular Mallorees Infants and Juniors, these schools and parks form the centre of the ward. The western half of the ward is focused on Sidmouth Parade, with major bus stops and popular shops. Bus route 83 and 245 passes barhill towards Alperton, 182 towards Brent Cross, 206 towards Kilburn abd 302 towards Kensal Rise. Expanding north or west would mean taking small parts of communities from other wards. This would disrupt other communities and dilute Brondesbury Park with other community with which they have little in common. Expanding to the south is hampered by the railway line and could only be achieved by splitting half of Kensal Rise off and reducing Queens Park to 2 seats. For this reason, we propose Brondesbury Park ward remain largely intact, but reduced to electing two councillors to reflect its stable population. This would protect a settled community with strong internal ward ties. Expanding it would dilute community ties and damage neighboring wards. 19 P a g e

53 Dudden Hill Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4090 Variance: -9.1% 20 P a g e

54 Dudden Hill Ward Dudden Hill Ward - 3 Member Ward Our proposal is to move CDU1 and CDU2 and part of CDU3 to our proposed polling district Gladstone. We also propose CDU5 is moved to our new proposed Roundwood ward to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. We also propose that Dudden Hill consists of Part of Polling District CWG1 and CWG2 from Willesden Green ward. Willesden Green is bounded to the South. We also propose that Part of polling district CMA2, CMA3 and CMA4 from Mapesbury Ward. Mapesbury is bounded in the North by Dudden Hill ward. There is a distinct corner in the east of the borough which forms a triangle, bounded by the borough boundary (A5) to the east, the Metropolitan/Jubilee line through Willesden Green and Dollis Hill stations to the south, and the Dudding Hill line and Gladstone Park to the west. This equates to the current Mapesbury ward and CDU4 and CDU6 polling districts. However, this triangle has an entitlement to 3.54 councillors and so cannot be allocated a whole number of councillors. We have sought to use the Metropolitan/Jubilee line throughout the borough as it is a strong boundary, but the area bounded by these lines is entitled to councillors and to allocate a whole number (either 16 or 17) may result in large disparities between wards. If the Metropolitan/Jubilee line has to be crossed by a ward we consider the only area this would be acceptable is around Willesden Green as we propose. The present arrangement of the Dudden Hill ward, where the Metropolitan line is crossed to the west, does not make much sense. The present ward falls into three distinct parts, divided by the Metropolitan line and the Dudding Hill line. We continue to unite the community of close-knit streets bounded by Lancaster Road, Kendal Road, Park Avenue North and the Metropolitan line. Dollis Hill and Willesden Green Underground station on the Jubilee line are nearby underground stations providing commuter links to central London. Bus route 182 comes from Brent Cross, 245 from Golders Green and 332 from Paddington Dudden Hill Luncheon Club, Luncheon club run Monday to Friday at 12noon providing Asian meals for the disabled and retired. A two-course meal is provided for a small price with the chance to meet in an informal and social atmosphere. Address Dudden Hill Community Centre, 19 Dudden Hill Lane, Willesden, London, NW10 2ET. The communities of both Mapesbury and Willesden Green already make good use of the Dudden Hill Community Centre and therefore will benefit by being joined up into one Ward and feel better represented. 21 P a g e

55 Fryent Ward Proposed Kingsbury Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9184 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4592 Variance: P a g e

56 Fryent Ward Proposed Kingsbury Ward Fryent Ward - 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move part of NFR4 to Queensbury ward and part to Welsh Harp to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. We use Stag Lane, Roe Green and Kingsbury High School and its grounds as a strong western boundary. We propose changing the name of this ward to Kingsbury Ward as it connects to Kingsbury underground station, Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury Green Primary School, Kingsbury High School and locals refer to the area as Kingsbury so therefore would consider themselves to be part of Kingsbury rather than Fryent. Our proposal is for 2-councillor ward in line with the requirements of the local Boundary Commission. This new ward would contain the polling district of NQY6 which will have a natural continuous flow of Stag Lane as a boundary on one side and Edgware Road on the other side. This area will benefit from the new and existing shops on Capital Way and Edgware Road like Asda, Morrison, Aldi, Marks and Spencer and the new Oriental City Bang Bang. Kingsbury Road is a popular area and has a varied mix of shops which cater for the variety of local communities. This area has good places of worships including the Holy Innocents Church, The Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, Buddhist Temple serving all the diverse communities. This is one of the few areas in Brent which has allotments on Old Kenton Lane. The Willow Tree Doctors Surgery was previously on Kingsbury Road but now has moved into the newly built medical facility and surgery on Stag Lane. Residents from NQY6 now have less travelling/walking and easier access to their medical facility so it makes sense to bring this polling district to become part of the Fryent (proposed Kingsbury) Ward. Fryent (Proposed Kingsbury Ward has good transport connectivity, Bus routes 79 from Alperton, 183 from Golders Green, bus route 204 from Sudbury, 305 from Sudbury, including the Kingsbury Underground station on Jubilee line 23 P a g e

57 Gladstone Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4610 Variance: 6.9% 24 P a g e

58 Gladstone Ward Gladstone Ward - 3 Member Ward We propose that a New ward is created to be renamed Gladstone which replaces Dollis Hill with inclusion of parts of Dudden Hill. The present Dollis Hill ward forms the basis of this ward, but the boundaries of the North Circular Road and the Dudding Hill line are extend until they meet the Metropolitan line. The areas taken in from the present Dudden Hill and Welsh Harp wards, which they do not naturally fit with. In particular, the CWH6 polling district is presently divided from the rest of Welsh Harp ward by the North Circular Road, while the area around Cairnfield Avenue and Tanfield Avenue is of exactly the same housing stock as Kenwyn Drive and Randall Avenue. This uses the strong boundaries of two railway lines and the North Circular Road in place of the current arbitrary boundaries. Gladstone would be an appropriate name for this ward as was evident having spoken to long established residents and a community group. Gladstone Park is a large 35 hectares local park, a former early 19 th century farmhouse which now houses an art gallery, café, sports and play area. Hence the name of ward Gladstone. This ward has a substantial Irish population. The area is served by a London Underground station, Dollis Hill on the Jubilee line and has good bus routes. Dudden hill has bus routes 182 from Brent Cross, 245 from Brent Cross and 332 from Paddington. The busy Staples Corner junction and Business Park are located in this ward with North Circular road passing through the ward. It has the Crest Academy which also serves the local communities of Dollis Hill and Neasden and is located on Crest Road. Friends of Gladstone Park are a voluntary community group whose aim is to involve and encourage everyone who loves Gladstone Park to protect, promote and enjoy it as a place of historic and ecological interest as well as beauty. Gladstone Park is a beautiful green public space situated in North West London, UK, situated between Dollis Hill, Willesden Green and Cricklewood. They hold various events throughout the year and always welcome new fans of the park P a g e

59 Harlesden Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9203 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4601 Variance: 6.7% 26 P a g e

60 Harlesden Ward Harlesden Ward 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move polling district CHA2 to our proposed new ward Roundwood to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. The present Harlesden ward has an entitlement to 2.45 councillors. We cannot see a sensible way to extend the ward to create a 3-member ward but instead consider that removing the Church End area in the northern part of the ward would be a more sensible approach. The cultural and shopping centre of Harlesden is around Craven Park Road and this remains the case in our revised ward. We continue to use the Dudding Hill line as the western boundary of the ward which divides the area from Stonebridge, with only four roads (two of which are only side roads) crossing the railway between the Metropolitan line and the borough boundary with Ealing. We have not undertaken any major changes to the Harlesden ward as this area has been a home to the long-established Afro-Caribbean and Irish communities and more recently to a variety of communities from Portugal, Brazil, Latin America and East Africa who have made the ward their home. We did not wish to break the established settled communities. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Stations in the area are Willesden Junction Station (Bakerloo line), Harlesden Station (Bakerloo line and Watford DC Line). Harlesden has excellent bus connections route 18 from Euston, 187 from Central Middlesex Hospital, 206 from Wembley Park, 220 and 487 from Willesden Junction. Harlesden Environmental Action Residents Team (HEART) is a group of residents and traders who are committed to improving and maintaining a cleaner, safer, more pleasant environment for everyone who lives or works in Harlesden. They meet on the first Thursday of each month, 7-9pm at Christchurch, St Albans Road, Harlesden. Harlesden Neighbourhood forum campaigns for community facilities, environment and open space, local economy, housing and transport. The Harlesden Neighbourhood plan consultation is currently taking place by London Borough of Brent and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) are publishing the draft Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan and inviting comments. The London Borough of Brent and OPDC are the local planning authorities for the neighbourhood area. The Plan sets out the vision for the neighbourhood area, and contains a number of planning policies and community aspirations that will help to achieve this P a g e

61 Kensal Green Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 8003 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4002 Variance: -7.2% 28 P a g e

62 Kensal Green Ward Kensal Green Ward - 2 Member Ward The CKG6 polling district has only one road link across the West Coast Main Line with the rest of the present Kensal Green ward. The housing stock is of densely packed terrace and residents here will use Kensal Green station, which also applies to HQP2 and HQP3 polling districts. For the rest of the present Kensal Green ward however, the principal station is Willesden Junction and the main shopping area Harlesden High Street. We feel the cohesiveness of the ward is improved by removing the area to the south of the West Coast Main Line. The nearby area of Old Oak Common is one of the capital s biggest regeneration opportunities where HS2 will meet Crossrail. Bus routes 6 from Willesden, 18 from Sudbury, 28 and 452 from Kensal Rise, 52 from Victoria 316 from White City pass through Kensal Green The educational charity Ark, founded by venture capitalist Arpad Busson, runs three state primary schools in the area. The Angels Academies are well known for their long running Cheerleading teams who have won a number of top position trophies at numerous competitions over the last 13 years. They also run Tumbling (gymnastics) and street dance classes. Their aim is to make empowerment opportunities available to both young people and adults. The Kensal Green cemetery and West London Crematorium is in this ward. It comprises 72 acres of grounds, including two conservation areas, adjoining a canal. The cemetery is home to at least 33 species of bird and other wildlife, it includes special areas dedicated to the very young, the Cemetery serves all faiths. There are plans by Transport for London to build Cross rail station at the disused Kensal Gasworks site. A new station is likely to spark huge generation, bringing up to 5,000 homes and put the Zone 2 area on par with fashionable Queens Park Kensal Triangle Residents Association, The Kensal Triangle Residents Association is a group of local residents from within the Kensal Triangle area within Kensal Green. their goal is to work together to improve life within our area P a g e

63 Kenton Ward NNP1 is moved over from Northwick Park. We Propose that part of NKE1 is moved over to Queensbury We propose Polling district NBA1 and NBA2 is moved over from Barnhill to Kenton Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4643 Variance: 7.7% 30 P a g e

64 Kenton Ward Kenton Ward - 3 Member Ward Our proposal is to move part of NKE1 (near Kingsbury roundabout towards Fryent Way) into Queensbury Ward to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE of +/-10% variance. We consider the present boundary between Barnhill and Kenton to be somewhat arbitrary, dividing a number of residential streets around The Mall and Imperial Way. We feel Kenton should be expanded to include all those properties north of the Jubilee line to Kingsbury. We would further add the streets in the triangle between the West Coast Main Line through Kenton station, the Metropolitan line through Northwick Park station, and the borough boundary, to Kenton ward. This area is known by local residents as the Kenton triangle : see, for example, this comment from 5 Rushout Avenue to a Brent planning consultation =PL&extId=751293&Other1=92908&print=Y The Kenton triangle is divided from the rest of the present Northwick Park ward by the Metropolitan line, by the University of Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design on Watford Road, by St Mark s and Northwick Park Hospitals and by Northwick Park itself. Apart from some residential areas connected with the University of Westminster and the hospitals, there is the best part of a mile between the Kenton triangle and the residential part of Northwick Park around Norval Road. We feel there is a stronger community of interest between the Kenton triangle and Kenton than between the Kenton triangle and the North Wembley area in the present Northwick Park ward. Residents here, for example, will shop at the Kenton Sainsbury s the other side of the West Coast Main Line off Kenton Road. We therefore included this area in the Kenton ward. We have made a slight amendment to the eastern boundary to include Fryent Way in Queensbury ward. Our Proposal contains the retention of 3 councillor ward because we intend to incorporate nearby streets which naturally flows and become part of Kenton without disturbing the community who already see themselves more connected with Kenton. The Harrow District Masonic Centre on Northwick Circle is used extensively by local residents for functions and lunches especially by residents in NNP1 as it is a walking distance across the bridge. This facility has ample car parking. 31 P a g e

65 We propose moving polling district NNP1 (Kenton Triangle from Northwick Park which will be a natural extension on the existing Kenton Ward and currently is totally cut off from Northwick Park. The area has Kenton Road as its natural boundary right up to the roundabout. The community in these roads already look to Kenton Road for their amenities like people in Draycott Avenue. Kenton area is comprised almost wholly of family dwellings and the children benefit from having two good local primary schools like Mount Stewart and Uxendon Manor. The local high schools are Claremont High School on Claremont Avenue off Kenton Road and St Gregory's RC Science College is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in the Kenton on Donnington Road. The children form NBA1 and NBA2 already use this educational facility. The Kenton station is a National Rail suburban rail station on the Watford DC line and the London Underground Bakerloo line, situated on Kenton Road in Kenton. Kenton has bus routes 114 from Mill Hill, 183 from Golders Green, 223 from Wembley Central plus H9, H10, H18 from Harrow. The area has good green spaces for children and adults. The Woodcock Park on Shaftesbury Avenue and John Billam and Tenterden Sports Ground on Woodcock Hill both are easily accessible by all the local residents. The newly renovated Haridham Temple on Woodcock Hill serves Kenton s Hindu community well. The long established The Mall & Kenton Hall is an excellent community facility available at very low hire cost and is also used by the Islamic community for Friday prayers. The All Saints RC Church is on Kenton Road and the Lindsay Park Baptist Church is on The Mall serves the large Christian communities. The Kenton United Synagogue on Shaftesbury Avenue serves the longestablished Jewish community living in Kenton. 32 P a g e

66 St Luke s Hospice St Gregory s Science College St Luke's Hospice in Kenton looks after people from across Brent whose illnesses are no longer curable. They help and empower them to enjoy the best possible quality of life, knowing their family and carers are supported too. It is a well-known facility and landmark as being in Kenton. St Gregory's RC Science College is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in the Kenton on Donnington Road. In a thriving institution with over 1000 girls and boys, more than 100 staff and a flourishing Sixth Form. Students from the Barnhill areas of NBA1 and NBA2 travel to this school and makes sense to be part of Kenton Ward. Haridham Woodcock Hill Harrow District Masonic Centre Haridham is a Hindu temple on Woodcock Hill Kenton, it Serve the local community providing spiritual services and cultural activities. It promotes community development, family values enrichment, educational literacy. The centre is situated on Northwick Circle It widely used by the local community in Brent for meetings, weddings and events. It has ample parking space. 33 P a g e

67 Kilburn Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: 12581` Number of Electors per Councillor: 4194 Variance: -2.7% 34 P a g e

68 Kilburn Ward Kilburn Ward - 3 Member Ward We propose to retain Kilburn ward as it currently is with no changes to this ward. Main reasons behind this is so as not to disturb the long-established community links and settled families. The main thoroughfare running northwest-southeast is Kilburn High Road which is a busy, diverse and multicultural London district. It has extensive and variety of shops, restaurants and the Kiln Theatre. It has one of the capital s largest Irish population, as well as a sizeable Afro-Caribbean community. There is good community cohesion. The Islamic Centre of England is located on the boundary of Kilburn and Maida Vale. The West Coast Main Railway line runs through the ward, Kilburn High Road station is located on Kilburn High Road.Kilburn ward unites the two parts of Kilburn that are in Brent, Kilburn and South Kilburn. Bus routes 16 and 316 from Cricklewood Garage, 32 from Edgware, 98 from Willesden Bus Garage and 332 from Brent Park super stores pass this area. The eastern border is with Camden. To the north is the North London Line railway embankment. To the west Paddington Old Cemetery cuts it off from Queens Park. South Kilburn single community bounded by a railway line and the Westminster border. Kilburn is united by ties to Kilburn High Road, which is a busy focal point, with the main shopping Centre, Kilburn Square Market, community centers and the Kiln Theatre. South Kilburn has been extensively renovated, with residents relocated locally as the relocation has happened. It sees itself as a single community. The area north of Carlton Vale looks naturally to Kilburn High Road as the main shopping Centre. South of Carlton Vale it looks naturally to West Kilburn and Shirland Road for its main community focal point, but these areas are in the City of Westminster. Cut off from much of Brent by a railway line, South Kilburn would be better served by being in Westminster but, due to geography and borough boundaries it is now well served by being in Kilburn ward. Both Kilburn and South Kilburn self-identify as being Kilburn and belong in a single ward. Having the correct number of voters for a three seat ward it is sensible to retain this ward in its present format 35 P a g e

69 Mapesbury Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9035 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4518 Variance: 4.8% 36 P a g e

70 Mapesbury Ward Mapesbury Ward - 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move part of CMA2, CMA3 and CMA4 to Dudden Hill Ward to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE and be within the +/-10% electorate variance. This ward has a very long-established large Irish community (over 10% of the electorate) as well as a growing Muslim community, each served by places of worship within the proposed ward and shops that cater for these communities. Cricklewood Baptist church is on Anson Road. The Mosque and Islamic centre of Brent is located on Chichele Road. Mapesbury Dell Trust, Mapesbury Dell is a beautiful, award winning park, just off Cricklewood Broadway. It holds wonderful events for the local community throughout the year including a family wild day, an opera evening and Christmas carols. The Kilburn Cosmos RFC ground is on Anson Road as well as Anson Primary school. Mapesbury has access to the Cricklewood Library located on Olive Road. In 1982 Mapesbury was designated a conservation area. Mapesbury Residents Association (MAPRA) Residents Association for people living in Mapesbury (roughly between Willesden and Kilburn stations and Cricklewood Broadway) and who care about the area P a g e

71 Northwick Park Ward We propose that NNP1 is moved over to Kenton Ward. Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9127 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4563 Variance: 5.9% 38 P a g e

72 Northwick Park Ward Northwick Park- 2 Member Ward We propose this ward to be a two-councillor ward to meet the required criteria of the local Government Boundary Commission requirements of 2 and 3 councillor wards across the Borough of Brent. This has been possible as a result of transferring polling district NNP1 to Kenton as this community feels more part of Kenton who already use the facilities, transport, Sainsbury s supermarket and shops and restaurants along Kenton Road which are easily accessible. There is little commonality with Northwick Park. Northwick Park and St Marks Hospital is most notable for this ward. It is one of the largest integrated healthcare trusts in the country, providing hospital and community service and is home to one of the busiest Emergency Departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including a regional rehabilitation unit for patients with additional ongoing acute medical needs. The name Northwick Park is also the name of a large green park located in the area. It has Flat, open parkland and sports fields with mature trees. Pryors Path runs from the pavilion to Northwick Park Tube station at the north end and there is vehicle access to the pavilion from the Fairway at the southern end of the park. It has a brick pavilion in central position with full complement of services including large hall, reception and 24 changing rooms. Saint Cuthbert s Church is located Carlton Avenue West, St Andrews Parish Church on Church of Sudbury on Church Gardens and St Georges Sudbury on Watford Road. Byron Court Primary school on Spencer Road in an inclusive school where pupils, parents, staff and governors, the Local Authority work together to meet the needs of the community. Brahmin Society North London, established in 1974 main objects of BSNL are to promote advancement of Hindu religion, relief of poverty and sickness, participation in healthy recreation and advance education. The community centre is based at 128 East Lane North Wembley Middlesex. Northwick Park has good transport links, bus routes 186 goes to Northwick Park Hospital, 223 to Wembley Central and H9 to Harrow. 39 P a g e

73 Preston North Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 7672 Number of Electors per Councillor: 3836 Variance: -11.0% 40 P a g e

74 Preston North Ward Preston North 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move part of NPR3 to our new proposed ward Wembley Park and part of NPR4 to our new proposed Preston South ward to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. The present Preston ward is entitled to 2.65 councillors. We consider the ward has very strong north-eastern and western boundaries in the Metropolitan Line and the West Coast Main Line, and we felt that there was no community interest between Preston and the areas to its west, north, or north-east. We considered expanding the present Preston ward, for example by including the western part of the CTO2 polling district but could only achieve electoral equality by splitting the cohesive community around Wembley Hill Road. We therefore instead reduced Preston to a 2-member ward by moving the boundary to the A4088 (East Lane and Forty Avenue). The new ward would align almost entirely with Areas 28 to 30 of Brent s parking zones for Wembley Stadium see Our Proposal is to split the current Preston Ward into Preston North and Preston South each being a 2 councillors ward. This will be in line with the requirements of the local Boundary Commission. It is proposed to move NPR4 to Preston South. Preston North will consist of the existing polling districts of NPR1, NPR2 and NPR3. The split is justified because these are two distinct communities who look to different amenities bounded naturally by East Lane and Oakington Avenue Preston North has amenities of local shops easily accessible on Preston Road and on Windermere Avenue. Preston South residents have always looked to the use of amenities East Lane and towards Wembley High Road. Preston Road station (Metropolitan Line) is situated on Preston Road. Bus route 79,204 and 223 serves Preston. Preston Park Primary school is located on College Road, Wembley Primary school is located on East Lane. The secondary provision is at Preston Manor located on Carlton Avenue East and majority of children attending are from polling districts NPR1, NPR 2 and partly NPR3 so causing no disruptions. Preston Park located in NPR1 provides good green space with an outdoor gym and children s play area and a cricket pitch. GEC Sports Ground is located on Pellat Road also has an outdoor gym and home ground for AFC Wembley football club. East Lane Business Park is located off East Lane. 41 P a g e

75 Preston South Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 8433 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4217 Variance: -2.2% 42 P a g e

76 Preston South Ward Preston South 2 Member Ward Our proposal Part of NWC1 is moved in from Wembley central to our proposed new ward Preston South. Also, part of NPR4 from Preston ward is move to this new ward to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. Our Proposal is to split the current Preston Ward into Preston South and Preston North each being a 2 councillors ward. This will be in line with the requirements of the local Boundary Commission. It is proposed part of NWC1 from Wembley Central is moved into Preston South. As both areas are densely populated the combined 2 wards with meet the criteria. As Preston South has good medical facilities and many Doctors surgeries, this will be a very positive proposal benefiting residents. The area will be served with good bus links and over ground Wembley Central station and easy access to the shopping facilities of Wembley High Road. Wembley Primary School is on East Lane and also benefits from have a Children s Centre on its site. The Buxlow Primary School is in Preston South King Edwards VII Park is located off Castleton Avenue and has facilities of an outdoor gym, a MUGA and children s play area. So, therefore, the creation of Preston South will continue to naturally serve the communities in this area without impacting the proposed creation of Preston North. 43 P a g e

77 Queen s Park and Kensal Rise Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4342 Variance: 0.7% 44 P a g e

78 Queens Park and Kensal Rise Ward Queens Park and Kensal Rise Ward - 3 Member Ward Queen's Park Farmers' Market takes place in the grounds of Salusbury Primary School to purchase fresh produce and a great mix of delicious food options. The St John the Evangelist church is located on Harrow Road. Harrow Road Jamma Mosque and Jubilee Sports centre are located on Lancefield Road. Bus routes 6 from Aldwych, 187 from Park Royal, 206 from Kilburn and 316 from White City serves this area. Queen's Park is an interchange station on the Watford DC line and Bakerloo line served by London Overground and Underground stations. The current Queen s Park ward currently comprises of two halves, Queen s Park centred on the busy shopping centre on Salusbury road, and the Park itself. Other key community focal points are the Queen's Park Farmers' Market and Salusbury Primary School - both on Salusbury Rd. The other half is Kensal Rise. For this reason, we propose that the ward be renamed Queen's Park and Kensal Rise. Kensal Rise focal point is Chamberlayne Rd. Both communities are linked by Chevening Road and Harvist road, and are bounded by the Westminster boundary to the South and the railway to the North. By the time the North London Line arrives at Kensal Rise station on Chamberlayne Rd it ceases to be a barrier. By extending the ward to include the roads bounded by Purves Road and the Harrow Road it will include the rest of Kensal Rise in one ward. Purves Rd and the Harrow Road are already half in the current Queen s Park. Extending this ward slightly to the westward will enable a settle existing ward to be retained and unite Kensal Rise in one ward. Queen's Park Area Residents Association (QPARA) is a local resident as an entirely voluntary organisation keen to preserve the integrity of the conservation area. QPARA has headed up and contributed to many community initiatives including Queen's Park Day and ensuring the area remains lush and green by working with the park and the team based there P a g e

79 Queensbury Ward Transferred out polling district NQY6 to Fryent Ward Include Part of polling district NKE1 from Kenton into Queensbury Include Part NFR3 and NFR4 from Fryent into Queensbury also. Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 3918 Variance -9.1% 46 P a g e

80 Queensbury Ward Queensbury - 3 Member Ward Our proposal contains that NQY6 between Stag Lane and Edgware Road be moved over to Fryent Ward (proposed Kingsbury) and to include part of polling district NKE1 from Kenton (near Kingsbury roundabout towards Fryent Way) into Queensbury and also include part NFR3 and NFR4 from Fryent into Queensbury. The logic behind our proposal is two folds. By moving NQY6 into Fryent benefits the communities immensely because the residents from either side of Hay Lane are already joined up and together have easy access to new Superstores of M&S, Morrisons, Wilko, Aldi and the existing Asda. This area has seen massive employment growth and now has some of the best retail facilities and restaurants. Further, the communities of Fryent look to this area as their shopping hub and thus alleviating traffic pressures on Kingsbury Road. Secondly by bringing polling districts NFR3 and part NFR4 into Queensbury is sensible as the residents have clear community ties. The geography, the shared shopping facilities including the Kingsbury Library makes abundance sense geographically and in terms of the community interest. Also, the secondary provision at Kingsbury High on Princes Avenue is used extensively by children from all the polling districts mentioned above thus forming a single community. Eton Grove Open Space is the centre point of Queensbury which has tennis courts, cricket pitch, a pavilion and children s play area plus a multi-user game area (MUGA). Friends of Eton Grove Park a resident organization has successfully campaigned to lobby the Council to provide sports and recreational facilities in Eton Grove Open Space. Part of Roe Green Park is in this ward. Kingsbury Library Plus in on Kingsbury Road but is already part of Queensbury. The community in NFR3 and part of NFR4 already have established connections with Queensbury residents on the other side of Kingsbury Road and use the shops, schools and transport links which are contained in Queensbury. Roe Green Infant and Junior and Kingsbury High School are local schools. Queensbury Station Parade is a vibrant hub of shops and open green space. All Saints Church is on Waltham Drive and Queensbury Methodist Church on Beverley Drive. The large Hindu community will soon have a new temple on Westmoreland Road. The Ismali community have a centre called NW Jamathkhana on Cumberland Road. 47 P a g e

81 SMVS Temple Under Construction NW Jamathkhana Cumberland Road Queensbury Shopping and Underground Station Queensbury Methodist Church Eton Grove Park Roe Green Village 48 P a g e

82 Roundwood Ward We propose a creation of a new Ward Roundwood. Roundwood this would consists of CDU5 from Dudden Hill. We also proposed Part CWG1 and Part CWG3 are move into this new ward from Willesden Green. Part of Polling District HA02 from Harlesden Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 8904 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4452 Variance: 3.3% 49 P a g e

83 Roundwood Ward Roundwood ward - 2 Member Ward Our proposal is to move Polling district CDU5 from Dudden Hill and Polling District CHA2 from Harlesden to create our proposed new Roundwood ward. We also propose that part polling district CWG1 and polling district CWG3 are moved into this new ward also to meet the criteria set by the LGBCE. The Friends of Roundwood Park organise regular events and practical projects to continue improving the park's standards and facilities. The Park has a lodge, café with toilets, wildlife area and a large playground area. Creating this new ward will allow to fulfil the variance criteria of +-10% in the current nearby wards. Residents and local community would like to be associated with the name Roundwood as their ward. The Unity (Church End and Roundwood) Neighbourhood Forum their Vision is to contribute to the development of Church End Roundwood as an enterprising, safe and vibrant community. Roundwood Gospel Assembly, they meet every Sunday at 11am for their main praise and worship service, which is a mix of prayers, singing, testimonies and a sermon. They also meet every Wednesday at 7.30pm for a time of prayer and Bible study. Bus routes 206 from Wembley Park the Paddocks and 226 from Ealing Broadway serves this area. 50 P a g e

84 Stonebridge Ward Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4451 Variance: 3.2% 51 P a g e

85 Stonebridge Ward Stonebridge Ward - 3 Member Ward Our proposal is to retain Stonebridge ward as is in order to retain the long-established diverse community in the ward and to meet the required criteria of the local Government Boundary Commission requirements of 2 and 3 councillor wards across the Borough of Brent. To the north of the Metropolitan line we have used the North Circular Road as a clear boundary and should like to have done the same here. However, we note the CST1 polling district (St Raphael s Estate) is a very distinct community that is bounded to the east by the North Circular and to the west by the River Brent and that there is absolutely no connection between CST1 and Tokyngton ward to the west. We therefore consider it more appropriate to leave CST1 with the rest of Stonebridge, with which it is connected by the 224 bus. See for a map of the St Raphael s Estate. The area to the south of the West Coast Main Line (CST5 and CST6 polling districts) are not large enough to even be a 1-member ward, so must be added to another Brent ward and we consider Stonebridge remains the most appropriate. We note the new developments around Park Royal which perhaps have more in common with Ealing but this is not a matter for this review. Craven Park and Stonebridge Estates have recently been redeveloped with low-rise houses replacing the large tower blocks. The Stonebridge Estate s towers are gone, replaced by awardwinning and much appreciated low-rise family housing, interspersed with high quality communal landscaped areas, shops, a new community centre and Youth centre. This has designed out the previously high levels of crime and deprivation, providing high quality homes with a mix of flats and houses, creating a fully integrated community. Stonebridge has a majority of Afro-Caribbean heritage and long-established settled communities who have good primary and secondary school provisions and excellent medical facilities in Central Middlesex Hospital. This area benefits from large industrial estate offering good employment opportunities. The IKEA and Tesco superstore also offer employment. The North Circular Business Park in off North Circular Road. There are 4 churches in this ward, plus the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, Stonebridge is a masterpiece of traditional Hindu design and exquisite workmanship that rises serenely amid London's iconic skyline. Stonebridge has the Gibbons Recreation ground and Mitchell Brook and Brentfield primary schools are in this ward. The Swaminarayan School is on Meadow Garth. Stonebridge benefits from the Bridge Park Community Centre which is a hub of local activities and gatherings. 52 P a g e

86 Sudbury Ward Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 8934 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4467 Variance: 3.6% 53 P a g e

87 Sudbury Ward Sudbury Ward - 2 Member Ward Our proposal is that by moving part of NSU3 and NSU5 from this ward to Wembley Central will give us a 2-councillor ward and meet the criteria set by LGBCE. This will not impact the communities as they already share and use amenity, facilities and local shops which are based in Wembley Central. The communities will be better represented. We would retain the present northern boundary with Northwick Park, seeing no alternative boundary that would provide wards based on better community interests. The Vale Farm Sports Grounds provide a strong boundary between the residential areas to the north and south. The local landmark is the much used and loved Barham Park and includes the Barham Primary School. Sudbury Town Residents' Association (STRA) works closely with Brent Council and other authorities to improve the conditions and safety in the area. STRA is a non-political, non-sectarian group that aims to encourage the community (including the shops in Sudbury Town) to work together for a cleaner, greener, and safer area in which to live. Sudbury Elms Residents Association (SERA) Sudbury Elms Residents' Association (SERA) was formed in March 2011 to represent the residents of three streets - Elms Court, Elms Gardens and Elms Park Avenue - The aim of SERA is to be the voice of the residents in all issues that affect our area and our quality of life. Address 5 Elms Park Avenue, London. Vale Farm Sports Ground is on East Lane, Vale Farm Sports Centre has swimming, outdoor pitches and gym facilities as well as sauna and steam facilities. The Post office sport club is off Hussain Close. St John the Evangelist church is on Gilbert Scott close. Royal British Legion (Wembley and Sudbury Branch) They help members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, Reservists, veterans and their families all year round. We also campaign to improve their lives, organise the Poppy Appeal and remember the fallen P a g e

88 Tokyngton Ward We propose Polling Districts CT01 and CT02 are moved to a new proposed Ward Wembley Park. We also propose part NWC1 streets are moved over to Tokyngton Number of Councillors: 2 Electorate: 9017 Number of Electors per Councillor: 4509 Variance: 4.6% 55 P a g e

89 Tokyngton Ward Tokyngton Ward - 3 Member Ward As a result of rapid growth and current large-scale high-rise developments and anticipated further blocks around the Wembley Stadium area, we propose Polling Districts CTO1 and CTO2 are moved to the newly proposed Wembley Park ward. The proposal to move part of NWC1 streets into Tokyngton will make more logical sense. The name Tokyngton is hardly used by locals so we are proposing to move these parts into the new Wembley Park ward as they have more in common as Wembley and are close by the iconic landmark Wembley Stadium in the ward. The present Tokyngton ward has an entitlement to 4.46 councillors and so must be divided. The present ward falls into two distinct parts which are divided by the Chiltern Main Line over which there is only one road in the ward (B4565). The housing in the northern part of the ward falls around the northern and western boundary as the south of that part is dominated by Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena and the industrial estate. It therefore makes logical sense to split the ward along the Chiltern Main Line, then to add to the southern part the streets around Jesmond Avenue and Waverley Avenue which are divided from the rest of the present Wembley Central ward by ARK Elvin Academy School and its grounds. This leaves a cohesive 2-member Tokyngton ward with strong boundaries: Chiltern Main Line to the north, River Brent to the east, West Coast Main Line and Wembley Intercity Depot to the south and school fields to the west. The new ward would align almost entirely with Areas 3 and 4 of Brent s parking zones for Wembley Stadium see pdf 56 P a g e

90 Tokyngton is served by two stations: Stonebridge Park on the Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines, and Wembley Stadium station on the Chiltern Main Line. The area mostly consists of Edwardian terraces and 1930s semi-detached housing until a few years ago. Now it is mostly dominated by towers of high-rise building near Wembley Stadium developed by Quaintain, thus our proposal that this ward should be split up creating a new ward Wembley Park. There are three schools in the area: Oakington Manor Primary School in the northeast, and Elsley Primary School and St Joseph's Catholic Junior School in the west plus within easy walking or bus route to the Elgin Ark Academy in Wembley Park. The communities will continue to have access to good employment opportunities in the Wembley Retail Park on Engineers Way and The London Designer Outlet with several new hotels around this area. Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final P a g e

91 Wembley Stadium Wembley Arena Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final. There is currently a lot of development work around the stadium, soon you will hardly see the stadium from a distance. London's most iconic concert and events venue, with state-of-the-art facilities, excellent transport links and bars, an indoor arena opposite Brent Civic centre, Wembley Stadium and the nearby London Designer Outlet, It has a capacity of 12,500 seats, it is London's second-largest indoor arena after The O2 Arena, and the eighth-largest in the United Kingdom. Master Plan - Quintain This Masterplan marks the transformation of the land around Wembley stadium from world class events destination to thriving London neighbourhood, with an exciting combination of new homes, iconic venues, great shops and workspaces. Wembley Stadium railway station is a Network Rail station in Wembley Park, on the Chiltern Main Line. Walking distance to the sports venue it is the nearest station to Wembley Stadium. A lot of new development are under construction near the station. 58 P a g e

92 Welsh Harp Ward Our proposal contains moving part of polling district NFR4 and NFR6 from Fryent to Welsh Harp and part of NBA4 from Barnhill to create natural boundaries and connected communities which already exist. Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 3990 Variance: -7.4% 59 P a g e

93 Welsh Harp Ward Welsh Harp Ward - 3 Member Ward Our proposal contains moving part of polling district NFR4 and NFR6 from Fryent to Welsh Harp and part of NBA4 from Barnhill to create natural boundaries and connected communities which already exist. We also propose to move polling district CWH6 to our new proposed Gladstone Ward. We would resolve the present anomaly by which the distinct community of Slough Lane/Salmon Street is divided between three different wards by uniting it all in Welsh Harp ward. This community has no connection with the area to its west as it is bordered by Fryent Country Park, and is indeed very distinct from Church Lane to its east. The ward would include the southern part of the present Fryent ward. We feel Kingsbury Road along with Silver Jubilee Park is a much clearer dividing line between Fryent (renamed Kingsbury) and Welsh Harp than the present boundary which splits the streets just off Church Lane (e.g. Elthorne Road, Queensbury Road) from Church Lane itself, which is a major local shopping area. The southern boundary of this ward would not only be the Metropolitan line but also Neasden London Underground Works, providing a clear divide with Stonebridge to the south. Part of the Welsh Harp open water, marshes, trees and grassland fall under this ward which is designated a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre, managed by one of the country s leading waterways charities Thames21 since 2016, is a busy hub for community and outdoor educational activities. Friends of the Welsh Harp has been meeting once a month to tackle the overwhelming amount of rubbish that has collected at the reservoir. They are supported by Thames 21 and The Canal and River Trust. Welsh Harp Conservation Group (WHCG) works in close liaison with both Brent and Barnet councils. It was formed to protect the Brent reservoir, or 'Welsh Harp' as it is more commonly known. Welsh Harp Sailing Club is a local club providing sailing and windsurfing on 70 acres of water in a beautiful parkland setting. It is run entirely by volunteers, and offers affordable membership. Training for novices (free to members) takes place on Thursday evenings P a g e

94 Wembley Central Ward We Propose Part of NAL2 is moved to Wembley Central. And Part NSU3 and NSU5 from Sudbury Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 4419 Variance: 2.5% 61 P a g e

95 Wembley Central Ward Wembley Central Ward - 3 Member Ward We propose that part of NAL2 is moved into Wembley Central and parts of NSU3 and NSU5 from Sudbury. We also propose part of polling district NWC1 is moved to our proposed new ward Preston south and part moved to Tokyngton to meet the criteria set by LGBCE. The present Wembley Central ward is bisected by the West Coast Main Line which is only crossed here by Wembley High Road. It would appear this is a fault of the requirement in 2000 to have 3-member wards. We note the other three wards to the west of the line (Alperton, Northwick Park, and Sudbury). We consider the West Coast Main Line would be better being used as a strong boundary here. We have also used the Chiltern Mail Line to the north as a boundary as this has only one crossing point at Harrowdene Road. We have made an exception for the properties on and off Lancelot Road, as these only have road access to the south and not to the west. We end the present division of Lyon Park Avenue between wards by adding most of NAL2 polling district from Alperton. The ward features a great line-up of big-name retailer brands, places to eat and drink and leisure facilities on the High Road. The area has good transport links. Wembley Central Underground station on the High Road is on the Bakerloo line and there is also the mainline train into Wembley Stadium station and both stations serve Wembley. The area has excellent bust routes, 18 towards Sudbury, 79 and 83 towards Alperton, 92 to Ealing Hospital, 204 to Sudbury town and 224 to Wembley Stadium. This ward has excellent primary and secondary school provisions. Wembley Central Masjid provides the community a place to fulfil their obligations as Muslims. A forum to develop Coherent and Cohesive community, to provide a hub to interact socially and to provide the community with a forum for Islamic education. Wembley Police station is on Harrow Road and with the newly established Tri-Borough Command Structure is the main hub for Brent, Harrow and Barnet policing. Keep Wembley Tidy (KWT) Action Group is a voluntary organisation that works with and encourages the community, including Schools, places of worship and the shops to work together for a cleaner, greener, safer area in which to live P a g e

96 Wembley Park New Proposed Ward We propose Polling Districts CT01 and CT02 are move from Tokyngton to a new polling district Wembley Park. Number of Councillors: 3 Electorate: Number of Electors per Councillor: 3876 Variance: -10.1% 63 P a g e

97 Wembley Park New Proposed Ward Wembley Park - 3 Member Ward We propose this new ward Wembley Park to be created to meet the 10% variance criteria for Tokyngton Ward which has the highest population and regeneration growth in Brent. This can be done by moving Polling districts CT01 and CT02 from Tokyngton and part of polling district NPR3 into the proposed new Wembley Park ward. As discussed in the section on Tokyngton ward, we have chosen to divide the present Tokyngton ward by the Chiltern Main Line which is a strong boundary to the south of this new ward. As this area is universally known as Wembley the proposal is to call it Wembley Park. Football fans and guests visiting Wembley Stadium, the Arena and the Fountain studios where X-Factor is held will instantly recognize the name Wembley Park. This area will have excellent transport links as it is served by the Jubilee tube station and the Metropolitan Overground lines which are in this Wembley Park ward. Bus routes 83 from Alperton, 182 from Brent cross, 206 from Kilburn, 223 from Wembley central and 245 from Alperton serves this area. Wembley Park Residents Association based at Forum House and Quadrant Court, Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0AB serves the residents of Forum House and Quadrant Court. Their committee meets every six weeks to look at how they can increase our sense of belonging to the community, represent the needs and views of residents on building management issues, inform about landlord and tenant legislation and look at local planning issues. They hold public meetings which are open to all residents. 64 P a g e

98 Wembley Park Station Michaela Secondary School Wembley Park is served by three tube lines and an overland line. The Jubilee Line offers access to Bond Street from Wembley Park Station. The Metropolitan Line has fewer stops to reach Wembley Park Station and many people swap onto it at Baker Street or Finchley Road. Michaela Community School is a free school in Wembley Park, London. The school was founded by Katharine it was opened in September 2014 in a converted office block. It is one of the strictest schools in London. Ark Academy College of North West London Ark Academy is a mixed all-through school located in Wembley. The school was established in 2012 by Ark. Ark Academy offers primary, secondary and sixth form education to pupils aged 3 to 18. The College of North West London is a further education college near Wembley Park station in offering a wide range of full-time and part-time courses, from beginner level to degree level. 65 P a g e