Queen's Park Area Residents' Association

Diary date: The annual QPARA bird-walk in Queen’s Park on Saturday 2nd June

By msnorbury | Published: April 8, 2018

Please join us for a stroll through Queen’s Park and Paddington Cemetery. Meet at the park café at 9.30am. The walk will take about 90 minutes, but people can join or leave at any time. We will be looking out especially for Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Swifts. Last year a record 18 walkers spotted or heard 22 species. Bring binoculars if you have them, but if not, just bring yourself!

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker

PS We have had over 100 redwings in the Park at any one time during the last three months but they have now returned to the Continent.

Posted in The Park | Tagged Bird Walk | Comments closed

Next Clean Air for Brent meeting is on Wed 18th April, 7-9pm, Harlesden Methodist Church

By msnorbury | Published: April 5, 2018

Posted in Events | Comments closed

Queen’s Park Day stall applications now open

By msnorbury | Published: April 1, 2018

You can apply for a Community or Trade stall at Queen’s Park Day, until 17th May. Click here for more information and to download the application forms.

Queen’s Park Day 2018 is on Sunday, 16th September.

Posted in Queen's Park Day | Tagged Stall applications, stalls | Comments closed

Potential stall holders are getting excited about Queen’s Park Day 2018

By msnorbury | Published: March 23, 2018

Plans for our much loved Queen’s Park Day are progressing well. This mid-September family fun day will take place this year on Sunday 16th. As usual there will arena events, competitions, music, food and stalls. And also as usual, we are receiving enquiries every day from individuals, businesses and community groups who would like to have a stall. The good news is that applications for stalls will be open from 1st April until 19th May. You will be able to download an application form from the QPARA website along with guidance on how to apply. We would be really grateful if you would hold back your enquiries about stalls until after 1st April, as we can’t accept any applications before then.

Posted in Events, Queen's Park Day | Tagged Stall applications, stalls | Comments closed

This year’s “Open Gardens & Studios” will be on Sunday June 17th 2018 between 1-6pm

By msnorbury | Published: February 26, 2018

This wonderful biennial event will take place in the area surrounding the park, with some 15 private gardens open to the public as well as some 14 local artists/ceramicists showing their work. Entry is by ticket only which can be purchased in advance or on the day.

This event is in its 16th year and is a wonderful way to be part of the local community, be inspired with ideas for your very own terrace or garden, and see some of the inspiring and brilliant local Art talent.

We are looking for new gardens to include in our event, so if you have recently moved to the area, or have never taken part and would like to be part of this unique event, please do get in touch with us by 21st march 2018 by writing to rbudwig@aol.com

If you are a local artist and would like to take part, please email us by the 21st march 2018 to jb@johnblandy.co.uk

Please put the 17th in your diaries and we look forward to seeing you then. Happy spring

The Open Gardens & Studios team 15.02.18

Posted in Events, Open Gardens and Studios | Tagged Open Gardens and Studios | Comments closed

Queen’s Park station ticket office – use it or lose it

By msnorbury | Published: January 10, 2018

Several Overground ticket offices have closed recently following installation of smarter ticket machines. Queen’s Park ticket office is still on the danger list. New machines have just been installed and their use will be monitored for 3 months. If this falls below a certain threshold, the axe will fall. So keep buying your local and long distance rail tickets there if you want to keep the ticket office open. Weekdays are your best bet, as the it sometimes closes at weekends.

Posted in Transport | Tagged Queen's Park station, Ticket office | Comments closed

Would you like to help QPARA?

By msnorbury | Published: November 5, 2017

If you would like to become more involved our work to make the Queen’s Park area an even better place than it already is, we would love to see you at our Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Meet your neighbours and mingle over a drink and some food before the meeting starts.
Put yourself forward to help out in any way that you can, by volunteering practical help, joining action groups, or helping to running our events or meetings.

You can join the Association at the AGM, but you are also welcome to come as a guest.

We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday.

Posted in Other | Tagged AGM, Annual General Meeting | Comments closed

Corrib Rest update

By msnorbury | Published: November 3, 2017

The owners of the Corrib Rest have given Brent Council notice that they intend to lease out the ground floor as a pub and community space.

As QPARA is the organisation that nominated the Corrib to be listed as an Asset of Community Value, Brent has to notify us directly. This is in case any local community interest group wishes to be treated as a potential bidder. If they express an interest within 6 weeks, it would trigger a moratorium of 6 months during which the owner cannot grant the lease. This is explained more fully in the following extract from Brent’s letter to QPARA:

The notice from the owner was received on the 16th October 2017.
The initial moratorium period, in which community interest groups can request in writing to the Council that they be treated as a potential bidder in relation to the land runs from 16th October 2017 and ends at 11.59pm on 26th November 2017 ( 6 weeks beginning with the date on which the Council received the notice from the owner). Any such notification within the 6 week period from community interest groups received by the Council will be forwarded to the owner of the land.
The full moratorium period of 6 months will be triggered if a request from one or more community interest groups is received within the 6 week period as stated in no.2. The six month full moratorium period ends at 11.59 pm on 15th April 2018 (6 months beginning with the date on which the Council received the notice from the owner).
If this full moratorium is triggered the owner cannot dispose of the land in that six month period, other than to a community interest group. If no community interest groups request to the Council that they be treated as potential bidder in the 6 week interim moratorium period, no full moratorium period applies and the owner is able to dispose of the land after the 6 week interim period to whomever they wish.
The protected period in which the owner can dispose of the land ends at 11.59pm on 14th April 2019 (18 months beginning with the date on which the Council received the notice from the
wner – 16 October 2017). If disposal does not take place in this protected period the owner must give further notice under s95(2).
From 14th April 2019 the owner of the land at Corrib Rest Pub at 76 – 82 Salusbury Road, London NW6 6PA is able to dispose of the land without any restrictions.

QPARA understands that the owners have instructed agents to market the pub space by granting a new lease and inviting rental offers in excess of £150,000 a year. A QPARA member in Hopefield Avenue has already been approached for information about the community space by a Brighton chain of pubs.

More details of the process are given on Brent’s website: https://www.brent.gov.uk/media/16409089/s-95-notice-of-disposal-corrib-rest-pub.pdf

Posted in Other | Tagged Corrib Rest | Comments closed