Blog 540 13th August 2026

A week ago I said "Planning meeting which is likely to be long, bitterly contested, and no fun. And I was eager to get back on planning. Am I a masochist? Answers on a postcard."

No postcards received (Royal Mail ain't wot it used to be) but perhaps I should apply for the post of Oracle (not the software oligopoly, but I've just been hearing something about the real oracle at Delphi - not the global aftermarket car parts leader, either. I need to stop this before I disappear up an orifice in the universe, no doubt influenced by last night's eclipse). But my prediction was right on the button.

A large herd of Gunnersburians crowded the room at Hounslow House looking anything between determined and seriously grumpy, including one who made his grump

repeatedly audible. Pritam Grewal (Chair of Planning, £15000 Special Responsibility Allowance) had the good sense to be absent leaving chairing of this lively event in the (very capable as it turned out) in the hands of my ward partner Craig Owen (just £10,500 Special Responsibility Allowance) who was at his second ever Planning Committee which is what you might call a baptism of fire.

We started with Gunnersbury, with clear officer explanation, followed by eloquent speeches from those who objected (90% of the people in the room), ward councillors who agreed, and the people charged with running the park, who didn't agree. A debate amongst us on the committee.

The park is between a rock and a hard place. Neither Hounslow nor Ealing, the joint owners, are prepared to pay for the costs of maintaining and improving this vast park. Nor are the external funders who have helped it in the past. There is a strong case for part of the park - the otherwise little used southern meadows - to be used for large gatherings, though nobody thinks these can happen without noise and crowds representing a challenge, especially for those who live nearby.

I made, really, two points. The park has 4 sizeable and several smaller listed buildings within the park on the Heritage at Risk list. They have been largely unused for about 30 years, which to me is utter craziness but the two councils have no energy to do anything about them, nor about the former 'model farm' - boarded off and derelict for at least 30 years. This 'farm' is about 4 times as big as the little island by Chiswick Roundabout where 'The James' are talking about developing homes for over 600 people. For clarity, I do not support redeveloping the Model farm to provide 2500 homes (or any homes) but just to give a sense to the extent of waste of space of which if used properly we would be proud.

One of the larger buildings - one of two stable blocks

And one of the smaller blocks at risk. As it was a few years ago. When I was first in Brentford someone managed the bushes so you could actually see the building properly and I can remember thinking it was pretty neat.

And how the same building, in the council's control, is today

Second point is about access. Gunnersbury Park is bounded at the south by the A4/M4 and to the East by the North Circular Road. You may or may not be a fan of HGVs but like me you might think that is the logical direction from which HGVs could access Gunnersbury Park to bring in stages, seats etc etc. But no. There is no suitable access from either of those directions, so the HGVs have to access via congested and pleasant residential roads like Popes Lane and Lionel Road before following a plastic/metal temporary track across football fields across the middle of the park for the best part of 1Km. Nobody interested in making sensible access (well, the park management would love to, but there is no money left).

During the debate there was a suggestion that there is too much activity proposed. A fair point, and the park people were prepared to compromise. But planning law apparently outlaws a compromise. So the committee by a large majority voted for deferral. I have always hated deferring decisions (though The Melvinator was a fan) so I suppose we will be back for a second running of this testy dispute next month, at considerable cost to the council, the park authority and my fragile mental health.

I continued my career as the one man (and sometimes 2 or 3 people) awkward squad by opposing the development of a former gym in Hounslow into 55 unaffordable flats - against our and GLA's policy but the policy it turns out is to approve these to avoid starving the developers' children.

I was also against building a massive data centre next to Heathrow where we are told there is a shortage of warehouse space, meaning we have to approve them being built on the green belt at Hatton Fields, about 1Km away down the A30. Onwards and upwards. Well onwards, anyway.

On Friday I had our first 'ward walk' with the Community team. There was quite a number of people including a couple from Hounslow Highways. When I was first a councillor we had walkabouts with Hounslow Highways I think once a quarter. These were cancelled in 2022 and I think I have had one such walk (without Highways) once in 4 and a bit years. This was worthwhile, in my opinion mainly with the Highwaymen (no Dick Turpin though).

We started at the police station (I repeated what I said to the enforcement manager a couple of weeks ago: we shook hands on my bet that the rascals would be back inside the cop shop within 3 months - they are good at finding opportunities and the developer and council still refuse to board the site up properly after at least 10 years of nonsense!

Parking on Orchard Road - Craig and I pointed out for the umpteenth time there is a very quick and simple way of providing 3 or 4 spaces just by deleting yellow lines! No news yet on the garage changes promised 3 1/2 years ago.

We went along Adelaide Terrace and It was good to see it clean and no flytipping either there or in York Parade, notorious for years. Of course the grit bins were half full of litter despite them being reserved for purple bags from flats above shops. They need to be sorted but no service accepts responsibility (I think Highways might this time) and the dead bike by the A4 is a TfL responsibility grr.

Walked up Ealing road where they have the weird arrangement of ramps. They probably looked good when Cllr Challis had his engraved stones placed in 1920 or whenever it was. Now they are mainly disgraceful. A lot of the pebble-dashed concrete pillars are broken and the ramps are damaged, but amongst all this there is a really quirky and attractive garden. Well done, whomever lives there.

In Challis the pavement needs attention and the edges of the carriageway - which have been decayed all my time as a councillor - are now even worse. This year's programme has been set but we may get a resurface for 2027!

On Saturday I started my volunteering for the Creative Mile, handing out map leaflets in the Brentford/Ballymore market. A lot of enthusiasm from the people whom we reminded this is coming soon.

Then I was off to Boston Manor, where Brentford's other market was on

That market has been evicted temporarily from the Walled garden because that is busy now with stages - more later.

I had the afternoon free, and I felt like a decent bike ride, so I went to a London attraction which I have never seen - Churchill War Rooms. Good ride (except Kensington where they are determined to eradicate cyclists) and an interesting place, though not one I will rush to see again.

How many of these could you name without the crib sheet?

On Sunday it was our surgery in the Digital Dock. Just me and Dan on that occasion and I had a resident who I knew was coming. Work needed on a delicate matter!

Monday evening I was back to Boston Manor, because I had tickets for the Simon and Garfunkel Story.

S&G couldn't make it themselves but the theatre was packed, as you can see with youngsters like me and my generation, hoping they die before they get old. It was fun, but my companion says it was better in Wimbledon. Actually I saw the real thing when I was even younger at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. Apparently this was in 1983, ie 43 years ago, which is a bit alarming. They were better than this lot too but Garfunkel at least still looks much the same.

Not a lot more to report this week. I cycled up the canal again and heard from my colleague Rick Rowe that he had worked with Paul and Miranda Keane to get rid a lot of the choking weeds in that part of the canal, to stop them getting the way of the local children who are being given the chance to enjoy the watersports.

Looks fun!

I also reported a weird defect in the crossing of Ealing Road by McDonalds which caused the poor Honorary Alderman Melvinator to come a tumble. Given he has very poor sight it is hardly surprising because I with normal(ish) sight had to hunt for it

Someone from Hounslow Highways had seen it but I asked for it to be fixed fast because that is really dangerous. Will go and check.

Oh. With my daughter we went out to find the eclipse, but we did not have suitable equipment. Somebody fro Chiswick posted this pic. A bit of an anticlimax in my view, I was expecting mad dogs and people from Kew throwing themselves in the river.