part 3 - people and place · golders green synagogue 1922 jewish migration to golders green from...
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PART 3 - PEOPLE AND PLACE
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3.1 OVERVIEW OF THE SURROUNDING AREA
The scale of development proposed for Brent Cross South will have an impact on a number of different communities in the area. It is important to understand the differences of these existing communities, particularly as the development area spans five ward boundaries. This consultation has focused upon the following areas:
• West Hendon• Golders Green• Childs Hill• Mapesbury• Dollis Hill
GOLDERS GREENWEST HENDON
DOLLIS HILL
MAPESBURY
CHILDS HILL
PART 3 PEOPLE AND PLACE
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3.2 THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Golders Green
The southern portion of the Golders Green ward makes up the majority of the Brent Cross South project area, falling across the Whitefield and Cricklewood neighbourhoods - which are the most deprived parts of the local area.
The southern part of the ward is made up of five core residential areas which includes the Whitefield Estate; Brent Terrace, the Prayle Grove estate; the Claremont Estate and the Golders Green estate. This area also includes the Whitefield and Mapledown schools.
These areas are separated by large expanses of green space such as the Clitterhouse Playing fields and Claremont Park as well as parcels of railway and light industrial land.
These residential areas sit slightly further afield from Cricklewood high street and benefit less from immediate access to local shops and amenities. There are large retail outlets and a 24/7 supermarket.
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Childs Hill
The Childs Hill area benefits from a series of small green open spaces, including Basing Hill and Childs Hill Park. It also sits between two local shopping destinations; Golders Green town centre and Cricklewood Broadway.
Many of the people met through the engagement process from Childs Hill identified themselves with the Cricklewood neighbourhood. Much of the main Cricklewood ‘town’ falls within the Childs Hill ward and provides the area with a vibrant and diverse high street. Cricklewood also benefits from an active community who promote and carry out local initiatives such as town and high street improvements, arts and local cultural events and a local street market. Key stakeholders in the area also include residents from the Cricklewood Railway Cottages - which was established as a conservation area in 1998.
The Childs Hill area has a high number of foreign residents, which includes European, Australian, American and Scandinavian. As it borders Golders Green, it is also a destination for Jewish residents (17%).
The area has a significantly high proportion of privately rented housing available, 37.8% of the housing offer compared to the London average of 25%. From discussions, the area has been described to have had an influx of young professionals coming to the area to live in and around Cricklewood and Childs Hill whilst working further afield (central London).
This is combined with a strong multicultural community who live and work locally. The area has been described as historically multicultural and has a rich Irish heritage. This is noticeable on Cricklewood Broadway, which has a number of Irish pubs and events aimed at the Irish community.
3.2 THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
PART 3 PEOPLE AND PLACE
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3.2 THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
PART 3 PEOPLE AND PLACE
West Hendon
The West Hendon ward falls primarily into the Brent Cross London / North project boundary, and currently has poor access to the south side of the area due to insufficient connectivity over the North Circular. The community here therefore would prioritise the current shopping centre and offerings to the North of the main road.
Improvements to connectivity brought with the new development would increase the number of residents who travel to the south side of Brent Cross, and reduce the dependency on cars.
Early engagement (via pop-up events) revealed that there was little interest in the Brent Cross South scheme from the West Hendon area. People that we spoke to were primarily concerned with the Shopping Centre development.
Mapesbury
Of all of the wards surrounding the project site, Mapesbury has the highest number of privately rented properties, which is nearly double the London average. It is also seen locally as one of the most affluent parts of the local area.
The Mapesbury area is located between two local shopping destinations sitting adjacent to the southern portion of Cricklewood Broadway and Willesden Green. In this respect feedback from residents local to the Mapesbury area has primarily been focused on bringing improvements to Cricklewood Broadway.
Feedback told us that the Mapesbury ward also benefits from good public transport connections into central London, both from Cricklewood and Willesden Green. A significantly low number of residents in Mapesbury own their own home.
Although we heard that those who live in the areas surrounding the project site rely heavily on cars, this is not the case in Mapesbury, where the percentage of residents who do not own cars or vans is significantly higher that the London average (53.1% as opposed to the 37.5% London average).
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Dollis Hill
The ethnic make up of Dollis Hill’s population is the most significant in terms of its contrast to the London average, with a low percentage of the population identifying as White British (14.3% as opposed to the London average of 44.9%), over twice as many identifying as Asian (30.6%) as well as a significantly high population of Black residents (21.3%). During discussions with the local Crest Academy teachers were keen to stress the diversity of the school and Dollis Hill area in general.
Feedback from the engagement has told us that Dollis Hill is a relatively young and multicultural area , but that there is limited provision for young people. Brent Cross is seen as an opportunity for the area to gain access to more and better facilities.
Some residents of Dollis Hill prioritised education as a discussion point, stating that the area has become a destination for young families. This correlates with the neighbourhood statistics which show that there is a much higher than average number of households with dependent children (40.5% of the total household composition) than the average for London (30.9%). Dollis Hill also had the highest number of children aged 0-14 in 2011 compared to surrounding neighbourhoods, although these numbers were also above the London average. This suggests that further engagement should have specific focus on younger people.
Dollis Hill also has the highest number of residents who have bought homes, rather then rented privately or socially, at 51.7% of the total tenure mix, which, combined with the high number of families with dependent children and the relatively low house prices for London suggests that between all areas surrounding the project site, this area is a destination for young families who are buying their first home.
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3.3 LOCAL IDENTITY
PART 3 PEOPLE AND PLACE
A research project was undertaken by Soundings aiming to understand the identity of the project area and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The team followed four routes around the area shown on the area identity study map on the opposite page, and stopped at multiple locations along these routes to ask local people a series of questions about that precise area in order to gauge where socially constructed boundaries between places are and which areas people believed were which.
These results were then mapped and overlayed on a ward boundary map. Conclusions were then drawn as to how far people perceive boundaries to extend in contrast to reality, and how contested some identities are for many local people.
Some results were highly surprising, and as displayed on the map opposite. For instance, the project site has no clear identity (hence the central grey area), suggesting that it is at a clear intersection between the key surrounding neighbourhoods and has no well known and protruding identity of its own.
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North Circular
Cricklewood Ln
Claremont Rd
The Vale
Dollis Hill L
ane
Cricklewood Broadway
Hendon Way
Hendon Way
M1
Edgware Rd
Golders Green Rd
Finchley Rd
Finchley Rd
The Welsh Harp
Gladstone Park
ClitterhousePlaying Fields
Brent Cross Shopping Centre
Golders Hill Park
CRICKLEWOOD
MAPESBURY
CLITTERHOUSE
CHILDS HILL
GOLDERS
GREEN
BRENT CROSS
HENDON
WEST HENDON
DOLLIS HILL
NEASDEN
WILLESDENWEST
HAMPSTEAD
NOT SURE WHERE THIS IS....SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CRICKLEWOOD AND BRENT CROSS
CRICKLEWOOD IS AFTER THE HENDON WAY
THIS IS ALL CRICKLEWOOD!
AREA IDENTITY STUDY MAP
3.4 LOCAL HISTORY
The area has a strongly rooted industrial heritage, which began with agricultural use of land to service London. This was later replaced by railway work following the introduction of the Midland Mainline Railway.
The railway, built in the mid to late 1800s, revolutionised the suburban area, and led to the development of Cricklewood, Golders Green and Childs Hill. Many members of the local community engaged in the consultation process are residents of old railway cottages, in Brent Terrace and the Railway Terraces.
This boom in industry prompted the subsequent arrival of the air industry to Cricklewood and Hendon. The Handley Page Aircraft Factory, and Claude Graham White’s Aerodrome both contributed largely to both World War efforts. These, in addition to the Dollis Hill Research Institute, Smiths Clocks and others have put the area on the map as an early centre for innovation and large scale production.
Cricklewood in particular was a popular destination for Irish migrants who moved to the area to find jobs in these industries, and many contributed towards building what is now the North Circular. A strong Irish presence remains in the area today.
The Golders Green area experienced its own rapid change upon the expansion of the Northern Line. Suburban dwellers moved to the area, seeing it as an extension of affluent Hampstead Heath and homes in the area were advertised to be a part of ‘luxury suburban living’. This saw an influx of Jewish residents moving to the area, which now has one of the highest populations of Jewish residents of any London ward.
RailwayIndustry
Midland Mainlineopens St Pancras to
Bedford line - Cricklewood Station
1868-70
Cricklewood Railway Terraces
1860’s
Brent Terrace1860’s
Agriculture
Renters Farm1309
Clitterhouse Farm1770
Oxgate Farm1400’s
Jewish Culture
Golders Green Synagogue
1922
Jewish migration to Golders Green from the East End
Development
Golders Green Estate1930
Irish Culture
The Galtymore Dance Hall 1952
The Crown Pub 1750’
Irish migration after the Second World War
Bentley Automobile1921
Smiths Clock Factory1921
Local Industry
1300 1900
Handley Page Aircraft Factory
1912-1970
Hendon Aerodrome1908-1968
Cricklewood Aerodrome
1912
Air IndustryDevelopment
The Welsh Harp1858 - 1889
UndergroundGolders Green1907
HampsteadGarden Suburb
1908
1850
Brent CrossShopping Centre
1976
ModernIndustry
Romanian migration
Romanian Culture
1950
HISTORY TIMELINE:PART 3 PEOPLE AND PLACE
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RailwayIndustry
Midland Mainlineopens St Pancras to
Bedford line - Cricklewood Station
1868-70
Cricklewood Railway Terraces
1860’s
Brent Terrace1860’s
Agriculture
Renters Farm1309
Clitterhouse Farm1770
Oxgate Farm1400’s
Jewish Culture
Golders Green Synagogue
1922
Jewish migration to Golders Green from the East End
Development
Golders Green Estate1930
Irish Culture
The Galtymore Dance Hall 1952
The Crown Pub 1750’
Irish migration after the Second World War
Bentley Automobile1921
Smiths Clock Factory1921
Local Industry
1300 1900
Handley Page Aircraft Factory
1912-1970
Hendon Aerodrome1908-1968
Cricklewood Aerodrome
1912
Air IndustryDevelopment
The Welsh Harp1858 - 1889
UndergroundGolders Green1907
HampsteadGarden Suburb
1908
1850
Brent CrossShopping Centre
1976
ModernIndustry
Romanian migration
Romanian Culture
1950
HISTORY TIMELINE: