Forum Topic

Youth club churchfield road W13 9NF

What are your views on the proposed building of a new youth club. This would involve knocking down the lovely original building, also closing down neighbouring youth clubs and encouraging youths from surrounding neighbourhoods to congregate here!

Sara al-Tahan ● 5832d8 Comments

This is a £2,350,000 investment for our young people.  It will be a "hub" used by different agencies to support a variety of activities, such as Connexions personal advisors, the Council's Youth service, Active Ealing, and other advisors.The design has benefitted from significant input from the young people themselvesNext thing people will complain that there's no support for our young people and nothing for them to do!Councillor David MillicanOpposition Conservative Spokesman for Education and Children's Services

David Millican ● 5831d

David,This proposed building is a "gateway site" and in a conservation area. As such its appearance is important to a great many people in Walpole Ward not just those who live within a 100m radius. The elevations I have seen seem to have changed by the day. I don't believe that young people have reworked those elevations during the last week. The last one I understand features brass cladding up to 3m. Yes brass cladding. Brass cladding? My problem is that as a resident I seem to be the last one to know. The decision will be made on Wednesday. There has been no wider discussion and no time for such discussion. How long have you known about this David? How long have my councillors known about this? It is this "under the radar" surprise factor that puts people's backs up. The other key element is that neighbours have been subject to real tortures when trying to obtain permissions for minor and sensitive alterations to their properties in this conservation area and very close to this site. The council it seems can get away with a "sore thumb" proposal. One law for us and one for the council. I feel really bad being so downbeat because the work that has gone on in this centre is excellent and I wholeheartedly support improved facilities for young people and at this site. However I hate being put in this position. Once again a complete failure of communication and PR by the council.

Arthur Breens ● 5830d

Surely it would have been more prudent to convert this building than to effectively demolish it and build new.What is it with Ealing Council and demolition?

Eric Alan Leach ● 5829d

Eric you are right. Demolition, demolition, demolition. And sorry so sorry but we have probably lost this one. The planning committee is sitting tonight. Too late to do anything about it. Any response from Cllrs Millican, Kapoor, Chapman or Cowing? Looks like a Dam Busters raid to me. Get in quick and low and leave the enemy (us) still trying to get out of their pajamas before the flood. This is what happened to the LDF so called consultation last year. This year's round? Not in this month's Around Ealing. Not all the docs available. Problems with Data Protection compliance. Thank goodness Cllr Gary Malcolm is asking for an extension see news item. Otherwise this would be another Dam Busters raid. Hey aren't we paying officers?...to work against us, the law, debate and democracy?

Arthur Breens ● 5828d

I went to the council planning committee meeting about this and it was a complete stitch-up. The council bascially admitted that the reason they are planning to build this in a conservation area with a totally unsuitable modern design is that if they spend any time improving it, they will miss the window for the funding.

Liz Haas ● 5823d

Closing down other youth clubs is definitely a bad idea. Small is beautiful, and decentralised/distributed is good. Surely a short walk to a small local centre is better for the development of community rather than a long trek by car or bus or foot in the dark during winter... The buses are definitely not safe as we encountered a bunch of cruising drunk afro-caribbean teenagers tonight on the 207 through West Ealing, I would not want my children to travel far to a youth centre therefore local is best.

Mark Maytree ● 5821d

I worry about the look of this new building. I still haven't seen a sample of the bricks to be use or the colour of the pointing or if we will get Flemish Bonded brickwork and not acres of boring Stretcher Bond. I worry that anyone is interested in capital projects when services are at risk due to cuts and redundancies. And I worry about things being done in a rush. Look what happened to our cinema. What cinema?

Arthur Breens ● 5815d

New drawings have appeared. Hope new facade will be in second-hand London Stocks recycled from the demolition of the old building. This is the "green" solution and quite possible with such high levels of youth unemployment in the borough and soft lime mortar not cement mortar separating the bricks. Green Youth for Youth, rings all the bells?

Arthur Breens ● 5811d