50 Years On Anti-Racist Defiance Then & Now — Sat 6 Jun 2026, 10:30 AM–5:00 PM, Villiers High School, Southall, UB1 3BT
Southall Stories - Investigative Journalism

Digging the dirt, unearthing the truth

As read by Ealing Council’s Press Office

Berkeley's School Governors Board Member

This has shocked us all to the core.

@BerkeleyGroupUK's Head of Construction at #SouthallWaterside asked to join the board of governors at the adjacent Blair Peach Primary School.

This is from the minutes of that meeting (29/11/17). 1/7

"The HT reported that a smell/odour from the building works has on certain occasions been extremely strong, resulting in headaches ad asthma attacks. In addition, a white cloud / mist was apparent for two days." 2/7

"The HT confirmed that she will close the school if she feels that the health and safety the staff and students is compromised." 3/7

"A Governor asked if he felt there could be conflicts of interest between those of the school and the construction site. RW hopes that by enabling a two-way conversation, matters can be influenced such that concerns are dealt with before they become an issue." 4/7

"...the Governors debated the issue of community concerns regarding the Berkeley development. However, it was agreed that this was a separate issue from any concerns the school may have." 5/7

HT = Head Teacher at Blair Peach Primary School #Southall (I emailed her about this on Friday. She replied to say she has nothing to say, and that if I try to contact her again she will seek legal advice).

RW = Richard Watler (@rickwatler, who has now blocked me on Twitter) 6/7

#Southall children being physically harmed by @BerkeleyGroupUK's #airpollution at #SouthallWaterside, contaminated old gasworks site.

Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself!

@johnmcdonnellMP @CarolineLucas @juliangbell @VirendraSharma

7/7t2m.io/z6shGyFn

★ End of article ★

Help Keep This Work Independent

Southall Stories is an independent, community-focused publication covering local politics, planning and environmental issues affecting Southall and Ealing.

Everything is free to read and there is no corporate or political funding. Investigations often involve many hours of research, Freedom of Information requests and document analysis.

If you find this work useful and would like to help keep Southall Stories free for everyone, you can support the site in one of the following ways.

❤️

One-off donation

Make a single contribution towards the costs of independent local journalism.

Donate with Stripe

📅

Monthly supporter

Help fund future investigations with a regular monthly contribution.

Become a supporter


Alternative payment methods: PayPal  •  Monzo