Major cash injection targets streets, parks and youth centres as council invests in Brent

Parks, public spaces and youth centres are among a long list of local projects that will see a huge cash injection over the coming months.

From better roads and pavements to greener parks and thriving youth clubs, close to where you live, you will see and feel the difference.

The investment, totalling £26.9m, will soon provide the biggest upgrade to local public spaces in years including:

• Over £14million towards improving streets, parks and public spaces
• £4million investment to upgrade Youth Centres to Cricklewood Boxing Club in Dollis Hill, the Jason Roberts Foundation gym and sports hall in Stonebridge, The OK Club’s sports hall in Kilburn, Roundwood School and Community Centre, and the Young Brent Foundation’s Anchor Youth Hub in Roundwood
• More anti-social behaviour officers to patrol high streets late into the evenings and on weekends and more CCTV cameras to keep our town centres safe
• £400,000 towards supporting residents struggling with the cost of living
• 1,500 new trees planted across the borough
• New street lighting, rain gardens and plants for Church End and Roundwood – delivered as part of the Green Neighbourhood project
• Extra classroom space and a new cafe for students taking adult education courses with Brent Start
• Secure bike and scooter parking for Kingsbury, new bike hangers across the borough, plus a new public art mural – delivered as part of the Green Neighbourhood project

Much of the funding for these improvements has been secured by the council through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which is money the council raises from developers building in the borough. A portion of this money is set aside to address the local impact of new construction and is guided by residents’ priorities.

Councillor Jake Rubin, Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Community Power, said: "I’m delighted Brent's Cabinet has approved these investments into local and borough-wide community projects.

“This is funding for the issues residents tell us they care about most: vital support for the cost of living, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, and massively improving the look and feel of our borough’s parks and streets.

“This is also Brent’s biggest climate investment since declaring a climate and ecological emergency in 2019, with £3.2 million for projects focused on climate action alone."

Earlier this month it was announced that five much-loved youth centres across Brent will receive a major boost as the council’s Cabinet agreed £4million in funding to upgrade the spaces. This is in addition to £8million going towards resident priorities, such as extra support for residents struggling with the cost of living, more than a thousand new trees and late-night antisocial behaviour patrols in Brent. In July, the council’s Cabinet approved £14.5million investment to revitalise the borough’s roads, parks, and public safety infrastructure.