Over at stopthetower a recent email news update has been posted by Barney Cokeliss. Go read it for the stopthetower campaign group’s update on the proposed tower block development in Queen’s Park.

Barney, Will and the gang have not yet got the hang of the idea that as the web is always on, 24hrs a day they can update their website with information as it happens, without having to wait for lots of things to report and then produce a newsletter. I am not against the printed word, in fact I help various groups deliver print newsletter - what I am against is a newsletter that could have been distributed by posting the information on the website weeks ago.

Here’s some words from Barney on the politics of stopthetower and the forthcoming elections.

“We’re a non-politically-aligned organization. And some of us are life-long Labour voters. But we have to tell you that the towerblock is very much a Labour project. Council Leader Anne John (LAB) is the driving force behind it.”

He highlights that Cllr Jonathan Davies decision to defect from Labour to the Liberal Democrats (as previously reported) was in part due to the failure of Labour to engage with residents over the tower block plan.

“The most important thing you can do to stop the tower is to vote against Labour in the May 4th Local Elections.

“It doesn’t matter what the Labour candidates say themselves about the tower as individual councillors they will be powerless to stop it. The key thing is to change the balance of power in the council, so that Anne John’s pro-tower Labour group no longer has a majority.
If Queen’s Park elects Labour councillors even ones who say they’re anti-tower the Labour majority will remain and the tower will be built. Once again, a vote for Labour on May the 4th is a vote for the tower.”

Everyone, meet Shahrar Ali and Rupert Degas.

JONATHAN DAVIES BRENT COUNCILLOR QUEENS PARK WARD
6 April 2006

QUEEN’S PARK TOWERBLOCK

Many people have been asking me about the Council’s plan to put a 26-storey towerblock on the car park next to Queen’s Park Station. The Council is not prepared to have an open public consultation about the proposal. My view is that the people who elected me as their councillor deserve to be informed about the proposal.

The Council was in extensive pre-application talks with the proposed developer, Genesis, from at least the middle of 2004. In April 2005, the Council amended the planning guidance relating to the site to allow for a building of up to 20 storeys paving the way for Genesis’s planning application for a set of twin 26-storey towerblocks. The Council persuaded them to withdraw it in September 2005 due to the unexpected level of public opposition to the proposal.

Unfortunately, the proposal is not dead. Genesis will be making a new application after the May 2006 iocal elections when the Labour leadership, if re-elected, will not have to worry about the electoral consequences of building a concrete and glass skyscraper on the edge of

The Labour leadership refuse to change the planning policy for the site, which calls for a 20storey building. They opposed a Libdem motion criticising the Council’s policy of encouraging towerblocks. Planning permission for a tall building will increase the value of the land. The Council owns the land and has agreed sell it off to the developer, so it has a vested interest in making the tower as tall as possible to maximise profits from the sale.

Brent Council has set up a “Stakeholder Forum” to discuss the new planning application that will be submitted after the May 2006 elections. You might think that is a good idea. It is a total sham. You can’t take part because it is not even open to the public. Participation is by invite only. Just eight local residents have been allowed to attend - completely outnumbered by other people at the meeting who have other vested interests. A genuine public consultation would be open to all.

At the first stakeholder forum, the Council revealed the ground floor plans of three new proposals, but refused to say how tall each proposal would be! The Council will reveal the height of each proposal at the next meeting due to take place after the May election!!! The Council and Genesis came to the meeting unwilling to discuss the height of the proposed building! The conclusion I draw from their secrecy is that the proposed height will be as unacceptable as it was under the previous planning application.

The policy of the currently labour controlled Council is to support the proposal. Although I am a labour Councillor, I am totally opposed to the plan and I am appalled at the Council’s secrecy about their intentions and their refusal to respond to public opposition to the proposal. As a result, I am not standing as a candidate myself in May 2006. I have enjoyed representing the people of Queen’s Park of the last four years and I wish you all a happy, tower free future!

Printed and Published by Cllr Jonathan Davies. Distributed in Queen’s Park 6/7/8 Apr 2006

Brent Labour Councillor Jonathan Davies has joined the Liberal Democrats reports the BELD website.

“I have realised that the beliefs I stand for such as the safeguarding of our civil liberties, international justice and a free and fair society are best represented within the Liberal Democrats.”

Also connected to Jonathan’s feelings over the proposed development of a tower block in Queen’s Park ? : “The issue of Queen’s Park Tower is a classic example of Brent Labour in action. Consultation with local communities is kept to a bare minimum with decisions being made by a small cabal of Labour politicians and unelected Brent Council officers.”

Brent Lib Dems have been redistributing the comments made by Labour Cllr for Queen’s Park Jonathan Davies on the governance and effectiveness of Brents’ Labour Council.

I’m glad to see that Cllr Davies has the ability to speak his own mind and to make judgements based on his observations. His views on the consultation around the proposed development consisting of a tower block in Queen’s Park will chime with many in the local area.

The BELD let themselves down by reprinting the Tony & George snap again - I thought we’d stopped all that after winning a by-election and a general election seat with it. This is a LOCAL ellection after all!