Progress on Griffin Park and Making the Area Safer and Better Connected
Brentford West councillor Craig Owen reports back
Brentford West councillor Craig Owen
October 30, 2026
Brentford is building again, despite all the headwinds in the construction industry that has resulted in a serious slowdown in the market. September saw me visit representatives of EW Living to talk all things Griffin Park – I visited a very flat and empty site to discuss progress on the Section 106 agreement (which is reaching its conclusion) and the plan for a series of community workshops early next year. These workshops will provide residents with the opportunity to scrutinise the plans for construction and the mitigations to manage against any negative impact e.g. noise, dust, and construction traffic.
To the south of Griffin Park, a contractor has now been appointed to deliver the redevelopment of Charlton and Albany Houses, which will provide over 100 new Council homes for families. I am looking forward to attending the groundbreaking ceremony next month.
September also sadly saw the removal of some mature trees in the garden of Brentford Library – nobody wants to see the removal of trees if we can avoid it but with the roots growing asymmetrically against the boundary wall and the resulting risk to their stability, the Council decided they needed to be replaced. On the positive side, as an invasive species, we can replace these trees with more suitable species that will be better for the grounds as a whole. The Council is taking views on what types of trees could replace the Trees of Heaven, and this includes some beautiful ornamental species. We will also look to include species that can get us back to having that full canopy as soon as possible. Please get in touch with me if you’d like me to pass on thoughts to officers. The longer-term intention for the grounds is to make the space greener and more user-friendly as a space to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings in keeping with our Climate Resilience Plan.
I’m pleased to report progress on making our streets safer and life easier for Brentford residents. A consultation has opened regarding event day restrictions in the Brook Road South and Brentford Station Controlled Parking Zones. Residents have consistently raised concerns about match day parking with me and the impact on their ability to use their cars during those times. Guy and I also met with officers on Orchard Road to identify where we could add some additional car parking space as an interim measure to help ease parking pressure on the road – I hope to say more on that in next month’s update.
Those who read my updates also know I have a keen focus on the bridge over the railway connecting Brook Lane North and Layton Road with Brook Road South. There are some mirrors on order that once installed, will let people see if anybody is on the bridge before going up. I hope this will give people some peace of mind on using the bridge and discourage any anti-social behaviour.
I also welcomed and responded to the consultation on the proposed West London Orbital Line, a new rail link between Hounslow and Hendon via Brentford, Acton and Old Oak Common. I believe this line would be great for Brentford West – it will be easier to connect to the Elizabeth Line and eventually HS2; there is no impact on SWR services into Central London; and the line will be an economic catalyst for the Golden Mile. The consultation closes on 18 November.
Lots of meetings too this month! The Brentford and Syon Area Forum met for the first time since the election and ran some workshops with residents on four priority areas: development and housing; green and blue infrastructure; clean streets; and tackling anti-social behaviour.
On parks, we are blessed with a lot of green space in Brentford West which are going from strength to strength – but there is always more we can do.
On anti-social behaviour, I know there is an issue with the police station site which I am in communication with Topland on – they have gone to some lengths to make the site as secure as possible. I have also raised various issues with our local police team at our quarterly meetings and would urge residents to always report incidents or concerns. The police take a data-led approach to prevention, and this helps them allocate resources to the parts of Brentford that need it.
On litter and fly tipping – everyone’s favourite topic! By moving to weekly street cleansing, community skip days (currently being trialed), one free bulky waste collection a year and more targeted enforcement activity, we can bring down incidents of flytipping.
I also attended a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which covered the APCOA contract and cybersecurity. We discussed the work programme for the Committee for the municipal year, and I made the case to bring forward the work to discuss heat resilience to make any changes ahead of the summer, as well as a programme of work on how we can boost electric vehicle uptake in the Borough. I also made suggestions to the panel chairs of the children and young people panel to consider youth provision and the housing and environment panel to consider homelessness in the Borough – how we can reduce cases, help people into private sector accommodation where it makes sense, and increasingly how we can work more closely with central Government to tackle homelessness, especially given it is now a priority for the Prime Minister.
To end on some casework wins:
- The streetlight on Enfield Walk has been boosted to give the Walk more light, after I raised this with officers.
- Helped a resident secure an EHCP for their child.
- Helped a resident with their Blue Badge application, which was successful.
- Got a bike frame on Downside Walk by the station removed that had been there for a decade (!) thanks to the hard work of the local housing estate team.
- Worked with officers to delay a whole street cleanse on Enfield Road given the pressure on parking caused by the Cadent gas works.
- Worked with officers on the wording on the website for parking permit changes, to make it clear upfront that you need to allow some time to get the permit transferred to a new vehicle.
A bumper update but great to be busy and delivering for residents in Brentford West. See you next month!
Cllr Craig Owen
Brentford West
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