A row has erupted between Labour and Conservative councillors in Harrow over the state of a derelict site beside Harrow Leisure Centre, which had become a hotspot for illegal fly-tipping until it was recently cleared.
The land, previously used for Harrow and Brent’s Special Needs Transport fleet, was left vacant after the vehicles were relocated in August 2023. According to Labour councillors, the area was allowed to fall into disrepair for more than 18 months, attracting widespread dumping and becoming a blight on the community.
Labour Group leader Councillor David Perry raised the issue during a Harrow Council meeting in February, claiming that the Conservative-led administration had failed to secure or monitor the site properly. He revealed that the clean-up operation had cost Harrow taxpayers £348,000.
The clearance of the site, which had become an eyesore next to Harrow Leisure Centre, was finally undertaken after a public campaign and media coverage. Labour say this action came only after their pressure and public scrutiny forced the Council to act.
However, Cllr Perry said the Council’s response still falls short.
“I am pleased to see that, after 18-months of neglect from this Conservative-led Council, the Leisure Centre dumping site is finally being cleared,” he said.
“While it is disappointing that the site was ever allowed to get into such a filthy state, and that Harrow taxpayers have had to bear the brunt of the £348,000 clean-up costs via their newly increased Council tax, at least the site can now be put to good use instead of contributing to Harrow getting dirtier.
“However, Harrow Council still have work to do; while the site is cleared, those responsible for illegally dumping on the site have gotten away scot-free. I and my fellow Labour Councillors are therefore calling for an investigation into how this site was allowed to get into this state by the Council, why their enforcement and securing of the site was so weak, and how they intend to prosecute those responsible.
“It is only when justice is served to those responsible that our residents can rest assured that the Council is taking its job of keeping Harrow clean and safe seriously.”
In response, Harrow Council Leader Cllr Paul Osborn accused Labour of misleading the public and politicising the issue.
“It is disappointing that Harrow Labour continue to spread misinformation,” he said.
“This site has been largely derelict for over 18 years, for the last 12 years of which Labour was running the Council. They spent millions of pounds on unviable and unwanted planning proposals which would have seen large blocks of flats built on this site. We have now developed an attractive scheme which has received planning permission for 149 family homes, half of which are houses and over 40% will be genuinely affordable.
“In preparation for works commencing on this site, the Council’s officers were working with contractors to arrange the professional clearance of the site. This was weeks before the news story appeared in the media. So to say that this has only been cleared due to Harrow Labour’s campaign is completely false. In fact they launched their petition after the clearance of the site was already scheduled and agreed with the contractor. They are treating Harrow residents as fools.
“Council staff were negotiating the clearance cost of the site when Cllr Perry and the Labour Group decided to publish one of the cost figures quoted to the Council. This made it difficult for the Council to obtain other quotations and potentially cost the Council more money as a result.
“The old driving school site was secured to a reasonable level. The site is surrounded by an 8-foot-tall metal spiked fence and the gates are locked with heavy duty chains and padlocks. There are also bollards to restrict access.
“The majority of the fly-tipping was dumped by a criminal gang who turned up with a convoy of vans and heavy machinery to cut through the locks on the gates and ripped up the bollards. Our security staff challenged them, but they had to retreat after being threatened with violence. After this the convoy of vans dumped rubbish at the site.
“The police were called during both incidents, and there is an ongoing police enquiry to identify the culprits.
“Our CCTV at the site did record some of the vans entering the site, but the license plates on the vans were either fake, stolen or obscured. This is not unique to Harrow, other mothballed sites across London have been broken into and targeted in the same way in recent years.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
