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Have you heard of the Bridge Park Community Centre? The centre in Harlesden, north west London, was once the biggest Black-led community enterprise in Europe, and it has been credited for stopping race riots in north London in the ’80s while the Brixton riots were going on. But now it’s at risk of being demolished.
Harlesden People's Community Council (HPCC) started the centre in the ’80s to empower Black people in the area. From a small garage on the estate, the group ran classes in maths, English, electronics and Black history. The co-operative then took over a disused bus shelter which Brent Council helped it to buy, where the co-op then built the Bridge Park Community Centre.
But it’s future is in trouble. Brent Council wants to knock down Bridge Park, which is now a leisure centre, and build 1,000 homes, retail space, a hotel and new community hub in its place. The council said the site had been partially derelict for 15 years and would cost too much to renovate.
However, campaigners say knocking down the centre would erase Black British history. They are fighting for Bridge Park to be put on the National Heritage List for England, saving it from demolition. The campaign wants to create the possibility for an alternative re-development which wouldn’t see the building knocked down. It also aims to honour the ‘remarkable achievements’ of Leonard Johnson, who was the man who stopped a mob of rioters in the 1980s, and founded the centre with the HPCC.
Delaney Brown, a HPCC member since 1981 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. And it unashamedly omits the unbelievable sacrifice that Leonard Johnson gave his life for and he should be given a posthumous National community award
‘Councillor 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.’
Leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt, said: ‘We do want to rebuild. When you rebuild, it doesn’t mean that you’re losing the history – you can bring back the ambitions that people had at that time into the new space.
‘Going forward, we can create those spaces and utilise them and make sure that those uses are part and parcel of the plans we develop – something that will deliver for all our communities.’
If you want to get involved, there will be a public meeting at 6pm on January 23, taking place at UCL, where the campaign to save Bridge Park will be officially launched by the HPCC. Find out more information here.
A consultation process has begun, with a planning decision expected later this year.
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