A CELEBRITY journalist has spoken of his community pride at the launch of a new town charter.

A CELEBRITY journalist has spoken of his community pride at the launch of a new town charter.

Louis Theroux, a long term Harlesden residents who is best known for his wacky When Louis Met… documentaries, described Harlesden as a wonderful place, but warned that more needed to be done to unify the community.

Mr Theroux, who has been elected Harlesden town champion, said: “In so many ways Harlesden is a wonderful place, full of energy and life.

“But it isn’t living up to its potential. The roads are decaying, the buildings are dilapidated, and some of the finest buildings are derelict. We have five or six communities existing side by side, which don’t really speak to each other.

“We could do so much better. Working together we can tame the traffic, create new public spaces, care better for our buildings and streets, and promote a sense of community. This Town Charter is a chance to do all that.”

He was speaking as the Harlesden town charter was published for the first time on the Brent Council website.

The charter, drawn up by architects Urban Design Skills with the backing of Brent Council and Transport for London, aims to create a community led vision to inform future planning and developments in the area.

It is officially unveiled to the public at a meeting on October 4.

The charter stresses the importance of cleaning up the street scene and calls for a new public square or space to provide the community with a civic centre.

Poor public transport links and clogged roads choked with traffic are also highlighted as demanding immediate improvement.

Through revamping Harlesden’s physical layout and improving traffic flows, planners say they hope they can create a more united town centre free from the high levels of crime, and fear of crime, which currently tarnish its reputation.