One million pounds has been secured to transform the high street of one of Brent’s most deprived areas.

The funding will be used to provide the community of Church End, known locally as Church Road, with new facilities, groups, improvements, and activities.

These include a new youth hub and café, a cooking club, a year-round festival market, improved lighting to Church Yard and an addition service drop-in.

Local group Somali Advice and Forum of Information (SAAFI), along with Brent Council and other community groups, have secured £300,000 worth of Greater Local Authority (GLA) funding as part of its High Streets for All Challenge.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Funding for Church End's high street will mean a new year-round festival market, youth club and caféFunding for Church End's high street will mean a new year-round festival market, youth club and café (Image: Saafi)

Brent Council has topped up GLA with an additional £700,000 to improve Church Road, building upon an existing council-led regeneration project.

Rhoda Ibrahim, chief executive officer of SAAFI, said, “I am excited to see change coming into Church Road, it’s been long overdue.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Rhoda Ibrahim, chief executive officer of SAAFIRhoda Ibrahim, chief executive officer of SAAFI (Image: Saafi)

“We have watched these kids grow up in the area with nothing. We need to help them set their minds for a better future."

Church Road is an area with high levels of antisocial behaviour.

According to Brent Council figures, it has the highest concentration of criminal activities per business and highest high street vacancy rate (16p per cent) in Brent.

The area recorded the second highest Covid death rate in England from March to April 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding is part of a £30m investment in Church End.

The future for Church End investment will include 99 council homes and a new market area.

The council has provided £20m in funding and the GLA has granted £10m.

Brent & Kilburn Times: The community-led improvements in the area have been made possible thanks to a partnership formed by the Somali Advice and Forum of Information (SAAFI) and a number of other local organisations which include: African Women Centre, Brent Mencap, Fashioning our History, Free the Forgotten, St Mary’s Church, Trussell Trust, The Village House Hub and United BordersThe community-led improvements in the area have been made possible thanks to a partnership formed by the Somali Advice and Forum of Information (SAAFI) and a number of other local organisations which include: African Women Centre, Brent Mencap, Fashioning our History, Free the Forgotten, St Mary’s Church, Trussell Trust, The Village House Hub and United Borders (Image: Saafi)

Construction is expected to begin this month, with aims to be completed by 2025.

The council’s Covid-19 Recovery Fund will also mean it will deliver an additional £3m worth of improvements in the area to help businesses and local communities post-pandemic.

Improvements will include restoring pavements and roads, planting more trees and adding more streetlights.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said: “This [investment] will bring a new wave of opportunities for local people and I cannot wait to see the vision for this area come to life.”