My notes of the Brixton Neighborhood Forum meeting. It was lively.
Notes of Brixton Neighborhood Forum meeting Thursday
Introduction by Squires. The meeting took place in Squires new office “The Department Store”. He said they have refurbished it to show the layers of history. A department store and then a squat. They had been based in King's Cross. They had tried to liaise with community groups in King's Cross. Without much success as it is a transitory area. The community here is much stronger. They are involved in the Design Trail for example. The meeting room is bookable for local groups. Squires is trying to persuade the vinyl record store based in the Reliance Arcade to move to the Department Store.
Future Brixton
Report by Council officer.
Series of projects.
The theatre planned for the Somerleyton Road scheme is planned to be built by September 2019. No news on the rest of the scheme.
Brixton Central ( Brixton Station road site). Still at master planning stage. Lambeth officers are now taking the lead on the scheme. Not in partnership with Network Rail.
International House (the office block behind the Rec) will be vacated next year. As staff will move to the New Town Hall. It will be surplus to requirements. Council are now thinking of retaining it. Potentially for affordable workspace. As Pop will end at some point when that site is redeveloped this will be replacement.
Public Realm schemes
The Townscape heritage programme funded by Lottery is seeing buildings in Electric Avenue being restored.
There is a public realm project for Atlantic road. Make it more pedestrian friendly whilst allowing delivery to shops.
New plans to improve public realm outside Carlton Mansions and Brixton Village. To improve it for the Somerleyton Road development.
Brixton Windmill. Plans for educational centre. Squires are doing architectural work pro bono.
LJ Works. Mission Kitchen will be based in new space.
Brockwell Hall ( the building in the park). Council looking to get grant to refurbish it. The staff who work there will move to new Town Hall. Possible cafe and events space.
The High Street Fund will have design competition (as part of Design Trail) for “Gateway” to Brixton. The old “be our guest” on the bridge over Brixton road will be replaced by winner.
Public toilets
There will be a design competition for new toilets.
Council officers finished presentation. Questions and comments by locals.
Why not reopen the toilets in Windrush square?
Answer. No disabled access and ASB. Council now looking for expressions of interest for community use.
( someone pointed out that's the first time they had heard this. Before it was to be commercial let)
Person said that there is nothing wrong with the toilets. They should be reopened.
Pointed out the toilets in library are overused. Toilets aren't just needed for night time economy.
It was getting rather heated debate. Cllr Donatus intervened. He wanted the Windrush sq toilets used for community use. The Council was consulting community leaders. Idea of community space for young people.
It was asked who these community leaders the Council is talking to outside these forum meetings.
Local residents living in central Brixton complained that it was getting more difficult to live in central Brixton. People leaving. The interests of residents were at the bottom of the pile. Residents groups had not been mentioned in the officers report. Brixton could end up like Clapham. Local residents had campaigned for toilets and been ignored. Brixton is a commercial and residential area. That is what makes it what it is. The “24 hour” entertainment economy was causing a lot of mess , noise and ASB.
The officer said he couldn't comment on mess as Street cleansing was done by private contractor.
Resident said there should start working across departments.
Shopkeeper from Brixton Station road spoke. The footfall on Brixton Station road had fallen due to the arches. Remaining shopkeepers forgotten. That there is now increased ASB. Shopkeeper said that there are vulnerable people on the street with many problems who are not getting any help.
Answer by officer.
The existing hoardings on the arches are to be replaced. To communicate better. Network Rail had analysed the arches and are planning to finish next year. He acknowledged it was a tough time. The Council was doing rent reviews of the whole it owns on street to account for this. Officer said “let's look forward” to when the arches are reopened.
The Metropolitan Police were represented at meeting. Asked what they could do re ASB. MET said they are overstretched due to terrorism issue.
Next Tree Shepherd manager spoke. Concerned about lack of vocational workspace. The LJ Works scheme had reduced it's plans due to funding. He was concerned about work units on Somerleyton road project. Planned but will they happen. Pop, he said, had ended up being not what it had started out as. That it was gentrifying area.
Oval House manager said re the Somerleyton road site that Carlton Mansions was to be workspace units which they would manage. Create job opportunities and a cultural offer.
Market Trader rep was asked to speak. He said he had worked in Brixton for 35 years. Dealt with Council “consultations”. He was dissilussioned with the consultation process. Consultation was Council consultants showing locals a limited range of concepts. Choice within parameters set by Council not locals. Officers have there own agenda for future Brixton. Nothing to do with the realities of what people want. Example is the market gazebos. Officers liked them as “ they all look the same”. They wanted “everything the same” . They will destroy Brixton.
Cllr Donatus replied to some of comments. On residents/ 24 hour economy said there competing demands put to Council. Difficult to balance them. He had recently taken walk on Brixton Station road with Police to look at problems.
Next up was talk by IRMO Indoamerican Refugee & Migrant Organisation.
www.irmo.org.uk
They help Latin Americans. They are based on the Angell Town Estate. Many Latin Americans work in low paid cleaning jobs. They offer ESOL classes and immigration advice. Welcome people to come and see what they do.
They also work to help integrate the community.
At this point some one ( Tina) who runs the night market on Windrush Square complained that she had tried to organise a small event to celebrate Jamaican Independence Day ( in conjunction with Latin American community) and been told by Council it wasn't allowed.
There followed discussion between her and Devon ( Chair of Forum) that got heated. ( Imo argument in Black community about ending of Splash had something to do with this).
Cllr Donatus intervened. Looks like he will look into it.
Tina said as a women having Jamaican heritage she didn't like it that she could not celebrate it now.
Brixton Bid
Set up Orchard, improved green space and were looking to be involved in improving air quality.
Community assets and meeting spaces
Someone from the Clapham Park Estate said that as estates were being regenerated community spaces were disappearing. What was left was expensive for community groups. Groups that got small grants found that they were spending a lot of it on paying for meeting spaces. This issue needs to be addressed.
Tree Shepherd
Manager spoke. Said they had been going for 4 and a half years. They had a training programme, ran business “clinics” on Angell Town Estate. They had recently run project with Market traders/ Brixton BID to have people run stalls in market. To try out business ideas.
Olive Morris house
This is being demolished for the New Town Hall development. Liz Obie spoke. She and other local members of the Black community had done work to keep her memory alive.
When they heard the building was going they got Council to get a CIL agreement of £60 000 from developer. Some will go to Black Cultural Archives to support Black Women's Archives. They didn't want the new block of flats on the site named after her. They didn't feel it appropriate that a block of luxury flats be named after her. They are thinking of a cornerstone in new building saying that on site formerly stood Olive Morris house.
Meeting ended. Date of next meeting 23rd September.
