10:42am Wednesday 17th March 2010
By Tristan Kirk
PLANS for a civic centre in the heart of Wembley have been approved by councillors.
Brent Council wants to bring together its services which are spread across 14 buildings in the borough in a new civic centre.
The plans were assessed by the council's planning committee last night and given the green light.
Work will now begin on making the civic centre a reality, on land off Engineers Way a stone's throw from Wembley Stadium.
The civic centre, the centrepiece of the regeneration of Wembley, will bring together council departments from the Town Hall, Brent House, Chesterfield House, and Mahatma Ghandi House.
It will include a 1,000 capacity community hall, a library, two cafes, a shopping area, and council offices and committee rooms.
The owners of Wembley Stadium have expressed concern to the planning committee about congestion brought by the new civic centre, and urged the council to ensure traffic on events days at the stadium is not adversely affected.
Parking at the new civic centre has been a bone of contention among councillors, with just 158 car parking spaces planned for the site.
The council plans to use privately owned car parks when needed, but has promised to reduce the number of spaces it uses year by year to make the centre more environmentally friendly.
Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of the council, welcomed planning permission being granted last night, saying it would make the council much more efficient and save around £2m a year.
He said: “As well as being an environmentally friendly building, it will provide fantastic new facilities for residents when finished and local jobs during construction and operation phases.”
The future of the town hall, a listed building, remains unclear. The council will look to sell it, but its protected status may hinder its selling value.
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