| Topic: | Watermans to Close | Forum Home |
| Posted by: | Xanthe West | |
| Date/Time: | 06/09/12 15:06:00 |
| I've read, with interest, the article on the front page about Ballymore's development of Brentford's waterside. Most of it appears rather airy-fairy and seems to say it's still all in the consultation stage. Really? Some people who work at Watermans on a rolling term contract have not been given new contracts for 2013 so effectively their contracts terminate by the end of this year. Of course they're talking about this but word on the grapevine is that they maybe relocated to Feltham - what relocate Watermans Art Centre to Feltham - even though there is a huge cineplex in that area? De Souza - the agents marketing the now defunct Max Factor headquarters situated adjacent to Watermans have taking it off the market and won't even consider a six month lease for the premises - we've tried to get this for a project - and failed - even though we've all the money in place to do this. De Souza told us it had been taken off the market even though it's been empty for the past two/three years. Barratts have demolished and are building on the old, derelict cop shop - which had to be disbanded because the cells flooded on numerous occasions and because there was a 'mysterious' fire in the derelict office block next door which was only built during the late 1980s, have also been able to demolish these office blocks too and are now building a whole load of flats called - Kew Reach. It maybe in Brentford but Kew is a far better marketing strategy. What's the betting these flats will look more like overblown greenhouses - all glass and no bricks - in an attempt to fry residents to make the flow of people a 'green emission'. This is what will happen to Watermans and the adjacent office block and then flow into the park - which, afterall, was only created from a decrepit slag-heap of bygone years from the gas-works with monies given to the council from monies spent by Max Factor to get a waterside location for their head office to now being prime real estate being sort after the likes of Barratts. Why aren't heritage sites like Kew opposing this every which way? Afterall, back in the day, they made Hounslow council plant a load of trees to try to obscure the Haverfield estate from being seen by the Kew brigade. And very fine trees they are too. Watermans will be closing. Some time soon. You heard it here first. |