Blog 532 11 June 2026

I did go in search of heavy horses but they hid from me. Well, technically the person who invited me was not around so I had a luxury sausage sandwich in the Tesco cafe, perused a copy of Practical Classics and dreamed that one day I might buy an iconic Austin Allegro. Except it would be a nightmare because my days of even replacing a bulb are far behind me.

I had to buy some booze and nibbles for my (then) upcoming celebration. There is no Harrods branch in North Feltham so I managed with Tesco stuff. Then I went seeking for Hatton Fields but found this was easier in theory than in practice. Eventually I found the Hounslow Urban Farm. I had been there before but probably 30 years ago when I had a small child in tow.

I did think of going in but I thought the animals looked a bit dangerous in the picture so wandered off into the field nearby

Nice to see but those horses were still hiding from me. Eventually the guy who suggested I go rang me back and gave me instructions as to where the nags might be, but it all sounded a bit complicated and I feared I might end up like Captain Oates and never be seen again, so I gave up. Various people have suggested someone to contact at the Friends of Hatton Fields and I will do that.

My understanding of Hatton Fields is very poor. I remember Steve Curran mentioning them as part of the Local Plan discussions maybe 6 or 7 years ago and he saying it was Green Belt that was little used and not much use to anybody. It is right next to the airport and therefore potentially valuable. Friends disagree as, I think, does the Green Party so I need to really understand what's there, what is proposed (if anything) and what the pros and cons are. Having found it with some difficulty it doesn't surprise me it is not much used as it is carefully hidden from the innocent. Will contact the friends and get their angle. You can find a sort of map here https://apps.london.gov.uk/planning/ but the Friends site is much more interesting and includes real pictures of real hosses who seem to be moving one of those telecom masts around. https://friendsofhattonfields.co.uk/

On Saturday afternoon I had my 'event'. Very poor performance from senior management who failed miserably in providing Mediterranean summer weather but provided weather more like November in Makerfield. As a result I relocated to this romantic location in the derelict car park under what used to be the Watermans Centre. Some of the graffiti goes back to the days when the Arts Centre had local kids doing graffiti but others have added to it (also broken bricks, broken glass fly tipping and additional very Brentford graffiti on one of the pillars.

One of the small businesses who rent from the Arts outfit who control the Max Factor bit of the building told me there is now a resident caretaker now living in the Arts Centre. Whether any local councillors have been informed of this I don't know. My ward starts on the other side of the High Street so obviously nobody mentioned it to me. Glad it has somebody there but a more productive use as I advocated several years ago would have been a much better idea. Fortunately the leaseholders of the Max Factor building are more supportive of local businesses and residents than the council.

Anyway, my event was fine: we mainly stayed dry and there was an excellent turnout given the weather and that some people came but couldn't find us. We did try to put up directions but paper quickly got soggy!

On a more positive story: firstly, the swimming pool on the High St I referred to last week has been filled and where there was a monument for several months there is now a very tidy smooth bit of tarmac which must provide great relief to bus drivers.

As to the council's empty shops: 2 are open and trading (one food shop and one hair/beauty); 1 Hair and beauty is still trying to get a building control certificate; 1 Pilates studio is let and they have started fitting out, as has one barber shop, and another hair and beauty place. 4 others are under offer and leases being negotiated (on experience this could take a while!). 2 are still available ie no tenants yet. There is no mention of the charity shop which was turned away despite having a petition demonstrating support from 700+ people. Given that 2 of the Ballymore riverside properties look likely to open very soon, we may shortly have a bit of life returning to the Town Centre.

More food shops, more hair/beauty/fitness places is great but we need other things in Brentford - makers and artists and a charity shop would be a start (and there are 8 more coming in Printmakers yard as well as other empty properties around the town centre, some of which have been empty for years). Did I mention that my work with Link to try for a bank hub in Brentford was considered and eventually turned down because they say there is not sufficient need?

Moving on - Sunday was our regular Green monthly meeting in Isleworth. Lovely to see a lot of new members crammed in (including some young (!!) people) so we need to find a bigger place to meet and also move it around the Borough. We also need new blood in the local party where too many of us are long in the tooth. We need to encourage the next generations where the Green Party is the leading party - at least in London - to add a bit of innovation and energy!

On Monday evening I finally got to have my first meal in our local Georgian restaurant Cafe Sashka. An exceptionally warm welcome, a huge menu with great variety, and it was good to see it busy: not packed but with a number of busy tables.

A special pleasure to dine with Katherine Dunne. It is tricky to now be in different political parties but we worked closely together for years and see the world pretty much the same way. Oh, and she and Lara probably saved my life 3 1/2 years ago when they noticed I was not working in the usual way and found me on the floor in my flat after a brain haemorrhage and helped me back to normal. Well, OK, as normal as I have ever been 😁

Ferry Quays has a lot to offer and - helped a lot by the revival of the Brentford Community Boat House (no house yet!) and its really vibrant team and river users is part of a real newly-lively bit of our town: 3 restaurants and a pub on the estate, 3 more restaurants a short stroll away, residential boats, rowers, scullers, Cornish Giggers and kayakers and even two iconic sculptures as well as 2 rivers. The BCBH team were off to the pubs last night trying to reach 18 Brentford pubs (!) which is a crawl I am no longer capable of, to rustle up teams for the Brentford Regatta. Thanks to Brentford TV for the picture I pinched. Don’t sue me please.

Beards are optional for either sex (or trans).

Wednesday evening was the Ward Panel with our local cops and our excellent chair Andy Ward. I think this needs a rethink because it has got a bit oversized, covering 2 or 3 wards which are under different Sergeants. Not helped for me by the acoustics up at Clayponds Community Centre. Anyway was good to meet my newish Sergeant for the first time. When I was a kid near Liverpool my mate was refused by the Met Police because he was less than 5ft 10 in. Our PCs round here seem all to be about 8 ft tall.

Today (Thursday) is a busy day. A session at the Clayton Hotel looking at a presentation from 'The James'. This is the umpteenth proposal to build a tower on the small site between Chiswick roundabout and B&Q (where their own umpteenth proposal is not visibly being built!). When I lived in Chiswick there was something called The Pinnacle (which I liked) proposed on that site. Then there was a hideous thing called The Citadel, then a weird massive advertising hoarding with attached flats, and most recently another monster called Holly House (a bit confusing where there is another Holly House half a mile down the A4 in Brentford). Of course. none of these happened but all these proposals keep planners, councillors, and former councillors now employed as PR experts by developers all busy. 50 years ago we had something called YTS after someone invented NEETS and did job creation to keep young people occupied. The scheme now is for more middle aged or elderly people Not in Employment, Education or Training employed in this industry.

Then a brief session on the cricket place in Swyncombe where some residents are alarmed about the netting the cricket club are building to stop cricket balls smashing their windows: people think they are too high/intrusive and we need to try to find something that works for everybody as best we can.

Then it is a Planning meeting - my first for several years. A couple of small domestic extensions and a bigger canalside development proposed near the border with Southall.

Earlier this week I thought an invasion was coming to the River Brent.

Turned out the Golden Salamander was not related to the Golden (?) haired and golden (?) faced President invading Brentford. It was just turning round, perhaps heading now to the Straits of Hormuz.