Campaigners in new fight to save Bridge Park Centre

LONDON:

A group of campaigners in Harlesden has launched a bold initiative to prevent a historic community centre in Brent, northwest London, from being demolished to make way for a multi-purpose regeneration project.

The Harlesden People’s Community Council (HPCC) is hoping to garner enough signatures and support to get the Bridge Park Centre recognised as a national heritage site due to its significance to black British history.

The Bridge Park Centre was a creation of the HPCC - a cooperative organisation formed in 1981to improve community relations at a time when there were fears there could be widespread rioting in nearby Stonebridge, which was a sprawling housing estate in the area.

Between 1982 and 1988, the group was the driving force behind turning the disused Stonebridge Bus Garage into a community complex that ‘championed black excellence and self-empowerment’.

Located near the old Stonebridge Estate, Bridge Park Centre was officially opened in 1988 by then Prince Charles and it became the largest black-led community enterprise in Europe until 1995.

Alongside sports and entertainment facilities, Bridge Park was home to the borough’s first IT centre, a crèche for working mothers, start-up units for local businesses, and a 24-track recording studio. According to HPCC, the centre played an integral role in preventing a race uprising during the turbulence of the 1980s.

However, Brent Council sold Bridge Park to a developer in 2017, which prompted local campaigners to legally challenge the sale. In 2020, the group lost the case in the High Court, with further appeals attempting to overturn the judgement proving unsuccessful and leaving the centre at risk of closure.

Last month, the Council revealed it is working alongside Stonebridge Real Estate Development Limited (SRED) to redevelop Bridge Park and the neighbouring land currently occupied by the Unisys buildings - a former office complex which has been derelict for more than 20 years. The project is expected to deliver more than 1,000 homes, alongside a new leisure centre, a hotel, and parks.

According to the Council, the current condition of the building requires substantial investment to keep it open, which the local authority suggests is unaffordable. The proposal would, therefore, mean that the building would close in 2025 prior to demolition, with a decision on whether the project is to go ahead expected in the next few months.

However, in an attempt to safeguard the site, HPCC is trying to raise public support to have the centre listed. Listing is the process of adding a building to the National Heritage List for England, which is a way of legally protecting those of national architectural or historic interest. The process from application to decision usually takes up to six months, but can be less if the building is at risk.

Both Brixton Market and Brixton Recreation Centre in south London were listed in 2010 and 2016 respectively, with one of the major reasons being their ‘historic interest due to their significance to black British history’. HPCC is calling for Bridge Park to be given the same heritage status.

FITTING TRIBUTE

According to HPCC’s long-standing member and former mayor of Brent, Bertha Joseph, the sale of Bridge Park was a hard blow to the community.

She said, “The role which Bridge Park played in training young local people is something which the Council could not do because they did not have the connection with the local community.

“Taking Bridge Park away from the community was a very harsh blow, bearing in mind how Bridge Park was conceived, from the sweat and brow of the HPCC members. Never have we seen a group of young people taking control and doing such a huge project and making such a success of it. Bridge Park is a Community Centre which we should all be proud of.

“All the other communities which came long after us have community centres and no one dares take it from them. Why it is that it’s always the black community which has no one to speak on our behalf? When I was on the Council, I was very vocal and didn’t give a hoot about positions on the Council. It’s such a shame that we’re always the easy pick.

“HPCC pioneer Leonard Johnson and his team worked very hard to ensure that we had a building which we could call our own. Now that it was snatched away from us, the least that they can do is to have the building listed. Bridge Park has been a bridge for many who crossed it and gained a brilliant future with their careers.

“I sincerely hope that the Council listens to the community who gave a resounding YES to the listing of Bridge. It would show respect to our community and a fitting tribute to the late Leonard Johnson, our community champion.”

Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, said, “We understand the deep affection that local residents have for Bridge Park Community Centre. However, the current centre has reached the end of its usable life and is no longer fit for the future. Parts of the building are not compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and would require huge sums of money to bring it up to modern building standards, which doesn’t represent value for the taxpayer.”

However, HPCC disputes the claim that the building is no longer fit for purpose and suggests that retrofitting Bridge Park would ‘not only preserve the structure but also accelerate the delivery of essential community facilities while being more environmentally sustainable’.

Delaney Brown, another long-standing HPCC member feels the case for preserving Bridge Park is rooted in its unique historical and cultural significance, as well as its successful example of grass-roots empowerment.

He said, “Demolishing Bridge Park erases a vital chapter in black British history and undermines the community’s achievements. It dismisses the hard-earned success of creating a self-run, inclusive space and sets a dangerous precedent of disregarding community voices.

“Cllr Butt’s claim that Bridge Park is ‘not fit for purpose’ overlooks its potential for renovation and modernisation rather than demolition. The structure represents far more than its physical form; it is a testament to community-led resilience and progress.

“Demolishing undermines the narrative of black empowerment in Britain and erases a vital part of the area’s cultural identity. The council’s actions risk alienating future generations who could have benefited from the legacy of this iconic movement which is still going.”

The ‘Save Bridge Park’ campaign’s official launch will take place at the Harrie Massey Lecture Theatre at University College London on January 23 at 6 p.m. Speakers will include founding members of the HPCC along with experts from UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture and Sarah Remond Centre to discuss the significance of Bridge Park, followed by a Q & A session.