Brent Council’s leader has promised to prioritise “forgotten” Kensal Rise after agreeing to a walkabout with campaigners.

%image(15563430, type="article-full", alt="Cllr Muhammed Butt with Fiona Mulaisho, chairwoman of Kensal Rise Residents' Association on a walk about of "forgotten" Kensal Rise Pic credit: Toby Walsh")

Cllr Muhammed Butt joined Fiona Mulaisho and Toby Walsh of the Kensal Rise Residents Association (KRRA) after they badgered him to come to Chamberlayne Road to see the myriad of problems blighting the area.

Ms Mulaisho, chairwoman of KRRA, said: “We are glad Cllr Butt turned up as we’ve been going on about these issues since 2006 and nothing’s been done.

“There are recurring themes that are getting worse, the biggest being air quality. The highways, roads and pavements lack investment and funding and there’s safety on the mile long Chamberlayne Road. In the last three years there have been 46 collisions including one fatality.

“It’s an opportunity for Brent Council to focus on us, the forgotten ones. We’re Brent’s dirty little secret, Kensal’s veneer looks quite good but scratch beneath the surface and the neglect and decay is there for all to see.”

Cllr Butt was shown damaged and patchy pavements outside businesses and down side streets, serious fly tipping issues, and made aware of the constant rumble of buses, a huge contributor to the area’s high pollution levels, in excess of EU limits.

Mr Walsh added: “We are shining a light on the neglect of Kensal Rise and Kensal Green which has been overlooked for far too long while neighbouring areas have been given funding.

“We have a diverse community, an entrepreneurial community. People come up from Notting Hill and it’s a different world. Why can’t we inspire and excite people about what Brent has to offer?”

Cllr Butt said all the issues would have to be looked at in a “collective, collaborative manner” as he praised the campaigners’ “energy and passion for the area”.

He said meetings needed to be held with transport chiefs and would prioritise the area after utility companies, such as Thames Water, gas and electric companies, had completed their work on the high street.

He added: “The shopkeepers and business are part of the community and they should also take responsibility for their frontages.

“Brent should be a shining example celebrating its diversity. All the utilities must finish their work and then we can concentrate on the high street and surrounding area.”