The Brentford group becoming a louder voice for the community

By Hannah Davenport

1st Oct 2021 | Local News

Jim Storrar, Brentford Voice Planning Lead. (Image: Jim Storrar)
Jim Storrar, Brentford Voice Planning Lead. (Image: Jim Storrar)

Local resident's group Brentford Voice (BV) is becoming a main representative for people in the area and spokesperson for its future.

The volunteer-led Community Interest Company (CIC), established in 2019, aims to have a louder local voice with a strong local presence and to, 'make a difference where it matters'.

This comes after the recent proposal for the dissolution of Brentford Community Council (BCC), an independently funded organisation which was established in 1989 as a representative voice for Brentford.

BCC has monitored town planning issues and development proposals in the area for the last 32 years, however, its dissolution has opened the way for BV to be the new 'voice of Brentford'.

BV has a board of 6 directors, and about 600 people on their mailing list with a further 60 or 70 signed up to paid subscription, according to Brentford Voice's planning expert Jim Storrar.

Storrar, one of the original board members, said the most important people in Brentford Voice are those out in the community.

Storrar, 73, said: "We've got a fantastic community in Brentford and I think people are really committed to it and just want to do things."

The Brentford Voice motto 'people just do something', is a reference to the show People Just Do Nothing, famously shot in the Brentford Towers.

Storrar, who has lived in the same house in Brentford for 45 years, said it's about changing the negative connotations for the area.

He said: "So we thought, let's actually do something rather than whinging.

"And it can be very frustrating at times because you're dealing with the council, but we also have a good relationship with them, and we would like to encourage the community to share their concerns with us."

Their autumn newsletter, was just released for the public, bringing attention to the 'changing face of Brentford'.

Issues concerning conservation, heritage, green projects, transport, arts leisure and culture are all covered, along with town planning issues and development proposals.

Brentford Voice chair, Martin Case said: "Now the BCC has dissolved we are the only amenity group working on Brentford wide issues so we do hope that we can become the voice of the community."

He added: "We are planning to have some 'local conversations' in the very near future which more than anything will be listening sessions where we can take on board the views of our community and then hopefully action those."

BV is planning to hold an AGM on Thursday 28 October.

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