Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Another one bites the dust | |
Posted by: | Tracie Dudley Craig | |
Date/Time: | 25/08/19 15:42:00 |
Dear all - Thank you, once again, for your responses. I apologise for not having written sooner, but a bout of screaming sciatica has kept me away from the keyboard. I restricted myself to phone-based online shouting which, given its speed, responsiveness and loading issues, doesn't favour this site. Back is now on the mend - poor you! Vanessa - it is massively irksome that the defence of our environment falls upon the residents, who are ill-equipped with time, cash and clout to make the impact they could - I applaud your endeavours regarding the allotments. I understand our elected representatives' desire to remain impartial in these matters, however the lack of tangible support speaks volumes about where loyalties lie. It's deeply disappointing. (In the same breath, granting an organised grass-roots residents' organisation two whole minutes to have their say at a public meeting is nothing but a bloody disgrace.) NV - that is extremely gracious of you. The funny thing is that I do not think that O'Riordan's is a building of spectacular note, however it does possess character, history and a certain charm; god knows, that stretch of the High Street lacks any of those. For that very reason it remains important as a point of principle, although I don't think that will make the slightest bit of difference to its fate. I visited the VicSoc site and don't hold out much hope for their input, but thank you very much for contacting them - it will be interesting to see what they might have to say. (Another disappointment was in their 'publications' section - the entire 'Care for Victorian Houses' series of booklets is out of print. I'd have had those, since we need to do a bit of work on the hovel.) Councillor Lambert - oh, Councillor Lambert! First, yes... the Trimmer building is still standing and we can only give thanks that it didn't fall prey to arson or an 'accident' with the old wrecking ball. If you played a part in its preservation, then a gold star and a merit badge are rightfully yours. This doesn't, however, detract from the fact that the Trimmer building 'as is' is far removed from the Trimmer building 'as was': it looks as though it's made of Lego, a Disney-esque simulacrum - now with bi-fold doors. As I've said before, I am aware of your diligence in responding to posts on this forum, and the time you take to do it, so credit where it's due. However, (if you remember) I wrote that 'Legitimate questions are met with evasion, defensiveness, impatience and exasperation' - and this brings me to my second point - which, I'm afraid, you have just proved. Councillor Lambert, you are an elected representative, a public servant. No one forced you to stand. We, the electorate, put you and your colleagues into council to represent us. In this context, 'I won't comment' doesn't wash. Neither does blaming forum members for misinformation regarding the works going on at the Trimmer site - surely you should KNOW what took place there? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'd have thought that councillors representing the wards affected by all this redevelopment would be pleased that residents gave a damn, cared about what was going in around them. Or are we just a massive inconvenience? No one could argue that Brentford didn't need a leg-up, but the redevelopment that has been approved does not respect the area in any way and - I am absolutely certain of this - will fail in its superficial objective to regenerate the area. I say superficial, as I think everyone knows what's actually at the core of all of this - and it isn't the well-being of the residents. Successful urban regeneration is invariably organic, and comes from people - yes, people - adopting an area, creating homes and businesses and attracting social and retail infrastructure as a consequence. The imposition of a planner's grand scheme (looks gorgeous on paper until - you know - people come and ruin everything) does not translate well in the real world. Thousands of flats are being built - for whom, precisely, are they intended? The existing blocks are not full and nothing will attract anyone to the area until there is something resembling an actual 'area'. Leaving a town centre with half a High Street, no supermarket or post office, half-inhabited apartment blocks and precious little policing, all in the shadow of Stalag Luft III, is not the action of a council that cares about its residents. Even with the Ballymore and L&Q horror shows pending, it will be years - YEARS - before anyone finds out whether the great experiment, the Brentford 'Project' has actually worked. (Should you be interested, I could save you a lot of time with that answer.) We've come a long way from discussing the fate of a scruffy little pub sandwiched between apartment blocks. It hardly matters any more, since the outcome is pretty much a given. What does matter is that our neighbourhood isn't ours. Our hopes, wishes and opinions count for very little. It remains in the balance as to whether it's a place where I want to continue living. And that sucks, because - until now - I've never enjoyed living anywhere as much as here. |