Willesden Green campaigners get organised

WEMBLEY MATTERS has a list of topics to be discussed concerning the redevelopment of Willesden Green library centre, demolition of the listed 19th century old library etc. Details of some of the issues involved can be found on the Keep Willesden Green website LINK.

KEEP WILLESDEN GREEN

 Please join us to discuss the development of the

WILLESDEN GREEN LIBRARY

and the impact the proposals may have on Willesden Green

FEBRUARY 16TH 2012 7pm

KINGS HALL, 155 Harlesden Road, Willesden Green, NW10 2BS 

You can use Brent's "ePetition" system to support the retention of the bookshop and or to save the old library building. The original old library is a quirky, small, turreted building, currently housing an Irish community advisory service. The high road is a 19th century and partly older setting. The Spotted Dog development has preserved the facade of that 18th century building. Some of the shops, for example the builders' merchants at the corner of Ellis Close also retain their original facades. Let's keep the distinctive local character. Here is a Google Streetview look at the old library centre:

View Larger Map

If the builders Galliford Try (how did they get the gig by the way?) are wanting to take this away, they are likely to turn the whole site into a horrible, anonymous, dreary, corporate warren. Maybe not, but what are the odds? The space around and about the current library centre is used for quite pleasing travelling markets, the French market appears at intervals and another world market has got going as well. Most architects these days just want to make a box. Oh no correction, more recently they want to created twisted boxes. Local people have different priorities, none of which involve boxes of any kind.

Sceptical but not cynical, the Willesden Herald hopes the new development will be an improvement, as the new sports centre turned out to be many times better than the old one in every way, but "Since the fate of man rests still uncertain, let's reason with the worst that may befall."

Ed

Update, Feb: The initial artist's impression of the new development shows, would you believe?, a stupid big set of letters WGCC on the site of the listed old library building. (You can see it in this report.) Can you imagine anything duller of more depressing? I have suggested a fountain, for all the good it's going to do. (Ed)