LB Hounslow Responds
Brentford Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Brendon Walsh last month raising a small number of important issues. Here is Brendon’s response.
Thank you for your letter of 17 September, and I am pleased that you found the visit to be a positive one. Officers would like to thank you and your colleagues for their time and we have already put into motion responses to several of the issues raised, as well as projects to build upon the exciting opportunities for further regeneration and economic growth that exist in Brentford’s unique context. I would like to respond to the specific points raised in your letter.
Planning Process
The Council places a great deal of importance on quality of design, and works with applicants from an early stage to ensure that the opportunities presented by individual sites and land uses are realised to create a quality environment for all. This is a responsibility we take seriously. At the early stages of a project we are pro-active about getting the ‘big moves’ right in terms of massing, orientation and access. At the same time we encourage designers to carefully consider the detailing of their project, with issues such as materials and connections occupying discussions as a design develops. We are confident in our ability to recognise the potential offered by a project in design terms, and to make meaningful recommendations that applicants will be enthused by.
The Council has also set policies in its emerging Local Plan to seek to secure quality spaces and sensible locations for external storage provision in new developments for items such as bikes to ensure balconies are usable amenity spaces rather than storage spaces.
Commercial units
The loss of light industrial/employment space to residential development is clearly an issue that the Council is actively seeking to address. The future demand for light industrial space in the area needs to be determined and we will have some clarity through on-going employment land/sector research work that is due to be completed in February 2015. This will provide greater clarity on the demand for light industrial space in the area, as well as justification for allocation of future space and safeguarding of existing. For Brentford, however, we already see many units stood empty on the Golden Mile and our expectation from the study is that this space will be adequate to meet ongoing requirements. The Council’s emerging Local Plan sets out proposals to incorporate incubator space within mixed use developments in town centres (see Policy ED1), as well as putting safeguards in place to prevent the loss of employment uses (Policy ED2). The Local Plan is based on residential growth being balanced against all other outcomes, including economic growth and quality of design.
Furthermore, the Council’s newly established Economic Development team has been put in place to offer business support and work closely with developers to look at the future employment space offer within their schemes. Newly appointed Town Centre Managers are also fully consulted and involved in pre-application meetings for major development schemes. As well advocating and promoting our local businesses we can develop bids for area improvement projects and initiatives to support such as Pop Up spaces.
Establishment of Retail businesses
High rental levels are clearly an issue in certain parts of the borough. We can look at facilitating initiatives to support start- up businesses such as discounted business rates, business mentoring, shop front improvements, as well as meanwhile spaces/pop up shops which offer low rents.
The availability of retail spaces is also an issue in Brentford and the Council’s Town Centre Manager is engaging with Ballymore to explore the potential for temporary retail and pop up units which could be erected on parts of the site once buildings have been demolished and development is underway. A retail assessment of Brentford High Street was carried out in 2012, and Ballymore are committed to retail strategy for the High Street in partnership with the Council from January 2015 – including consideration of temporary uses during construction. Ballymore will also be preparing a shopfront design guide for the new retail units that will emerge in their completed development. This will greatly enhance the town centre’s retail offer.
Commercial Space in Car Parks
This is a scheme design issue which is related to the Ballymore development. The Council can assist Ballymore develop detailed proposals for commercial fJoorspace within their development scheme and the Economic Development and Planning Policy teams will offer support to facilitate this.
Ballymore development
The Brentford Waterside proposal is currently the subject of a planning application. All relevant planning issues, including the creation of quality public spaces and any impact on the amenity of existing residents, will be considered in the Planning Officer’s report. This report will then be considered by the planning committee who will ultimately determine whether to approve or refuse the award of planning permission.
I hope these initial responses to the challenges you have highlighted provide a useful reference point for on-going dialogue and joint working between the Council and local business community. I believe regular progress meetings will be essential as we move forward in delivering these exciting opportunities for Brentford, and will ask our Economic Development team to facilitate this with Ian Rae as our main point of contact.
Yours sincerely
Brendon Walsh
Director of Regeneration,
Economic Development & Environment