Good Morning Neighbour! ☕
Harrow Council's Town Centre masterplan is out for public consultation until 23 October, with drop-in events landing next weekend. While the planners deliberate, Station Road is already shifting: an award-winning Spice Village restaurant is taking the old Adore unit, and a fourth Aarti Sweet Centre has opened its doors this month. Plus Hillingdon Open House is in full swing, with rare dovecote access at Eastcote House Gardens today only.
In today's Good Morning Pinner:
Harrow's Town Centre masterplan consultation is open until 23 October, with public events on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September
Aarti Sweet Centre has opened on Station Road, and award-winning Spice Village has confirmed it is taking the old Adore site
A proposed Hatch End takeaway close to two high schools has been refused under the childhood obesity rule
Let’s dive in.
- Chinar
If someone forwarded this to you, you can get the Pinner updates every Sunday at goodmorningpinner.com.
This Week around HA5
Harrow Council's Town Centre masterplan consultation opened on Friday and runs until Friday 23 October. Councillors raised concerns at last week's meeting about evening safety in Greenhill, the lack of genuinely affordable and family-sized housing amid mostly one- and two-bedroom flats, and the pressure on transport from future growth. The draft vision statement is online now, with two drop-in public events at Harrow on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, followed by wider stakeholder engagement and walking tours in the week beginning Monday 5 October. Worth a look if you shop, work, or travel through the town centre.
Today is the only chance this year to climb the normally-closed dovecote at Eastcote House Gardens. Hillingdon's Open House Festival is in full swing across both weekends and into the week, with Manor Farm's Great Barn and Manor House also open for drop-in today. Most sites are free, no booking needed, though the Civic Centre tour in Uxbridge tends to sell out fast and asks for a free Open City account. Hillingdon Open House
A proposed vegetarian canteen at 350 Headstone Lane, Hatch End, has been refused planning permission under the school-proximity obesity rule. The site sits around 21 metres on foot from Hatch End High School and 148 metres from Shaftesbury High School, both within the 400-metre London Plan buffer for new hot food takeaways. Five neighbour objections cited traffic, parking, cooking smells and litter; the highways team did not object, but planners also flagged insufficient evidence that nearby homes would be protected from noise, odour and disturbance. Permission was formally refused on 10 September.
Meet the Lovely Humans
Know someone local with a brilliant story, unusual side project, or wonderfully niche obsession? Hit reply with their name and one line about them, and we will slot them in next Sunday.
Local Business News
Award-winning Spice Village is taking the old Adore unit at 1-4 Dominion Parade, Station Road, Harrow. Founded in Tooting in 2004 by Suleman Raza MBE, the Spice Village Group holds a Tiffin Cup and British Curry Awards, and the new Harrow site will feature one of the group's largest vegetarian menus to date, with traditional cooking over coal grills and tandoor ovens. No firm opening date yet, but the group says more details are expected in the coming weeks. Worth pencilling in if you have been wondering what is going in next to the bus stop.
Aarti Sweet Centre has opened at 3 Central Parade, Station Road, Harrow, taking over the unit previously occupied by First Acupuncture for more than 30 years. Pure vegetarian Indian sweets, farsan and savoury snacks on offer (Kaju Katri, Chocolate Barfi, mixed sweet boxes), open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 7pm, closed Mondays. The Harrow shop is the chain's fourth branch, following two in Leicester and one in Coventry. Handy if you are already heading into town for the masterplan drop-in next weekend.
Spotted a new opening, refurb, hygiene-rating change, local offer or shopfront mystery? Hit reply and send it over. Bonus points if it involves a sign going up and half the high street quietly trying to work out what it means.
What’s Happening This Week
Events with (£) are paid.
General
Sound Bath | Pinner Village Hall | Sun 13 Sep | 4pm (£20) - Immersive healing tones and vibrations for mind, body and soul. Book here
Strength & Balance | St Martin's Church, Ruislip | Mon 14 Sep | 10am and 11am (£7) - Mobility, balance and coordination in a small group. Info
West Harrow Choir First Open Rehearsal | Ashburnham Hall, St Peter's | Mon 14 Sep | 8:30pm - Free, no audition, just turn up and sing.
Janina's Cacao & Sound Ceremony | Pinner Methodist Church | Mon 14 Sep | 6:30pm (£33) - Cacao plus crystal singing bowls for relaxation. Book here
Board Game Mondays | Queen's Head | Mon 14 Sep | 7:30pm - Free entry, bring your game face.
Strength & Balance | Eastcote Community Association | Tue 15 Sep | 12pm (£7) - Info
Quiz Night | Queen's Head | Tue 15 Sep | 8pm (£) - £2 entry, with £1 going to Mount Vernon Cancer Centre.
Slimming World | Pinner Green Social Club | Wed 16 Sep | 7pm (from £6.65) - A warm weekly group with real food and ongoing support.
Strength & Balance | Eastcote Hockey Club | Wed 16 Sep | 1:30pm (£7) - Info
Evening Baby and Toddler Swimming | John Lyon Prep School | Wed 16 Sep | 6:30pm (£15-£18) - For little ones from 3 months to 4 years.
Pregnancy Yoga | Blossoming Lotus, Stanmore | Wed 16 Sep | 7pm (trial £15) - Gentle small-group class.
Nurturing Sound Bath | Monika Gago Studio | Wed 16 Sep | 7pm (£25) - Small welcoming groups, no experience needed. Book here
St Luke's Charity Cheese & Wine Tasting | Mouse & Grape | Wed 16 Sep | 7pm (£50) - 100% of ticket sales donated to St Luke's Hospice. Book here
Gentle Chair Yoga | St Lawrence Church, Pinner | Thu 17 Sep | 11:30am (£15 / £12 class pass) - Info
Zumba Gold | St Albans Church, North Harrow | Thu 17 Sep | 10:30am (£10) - Low-impact dance fitness.
Sunday Sound Bath | Pinner Village Hall | Thu 17 Sep | 4:30pm (£20) - Crystal singing bowls and Tibetan bowls for deep relaxation. Book here
Mindful Craft for Adults | North Harrow Community Library | Thu 17 Sep | 2pm (free) - All materials provided, no experience needed. Info
Quiz Night | Three Wishes Pinner | Thu 17 Sep | 7:30pm (£) - £3 entry per person, £50 bar tab for the winning team.
Quiz Night | The Ascott | Thu 17 Sep | 8pm (£)
Speed Quiz | The Whittington | Fri 18 Sep | 8pm (£) - £3 entry, with cash prizes on offer.
Ruislip Country Market | St Martin's Approach Car Park | Fri 18 Sep | 10am-12pm
Zumba Gold | Eastcote Community Association | Fri 18 Sep | 9:45am (£7) - Info
Strength & Balance | St Paul's, Ruislip Manor | Fri 18 Sep | 12:15pm and 1:15pm (£7) - Info
Lunchtime Seated Sound Bath Meditation | North Harrow Community Library | Fri 18 Sep | 12:15pm (free) - Beginners welcome. Info
The Welcome Space | Pinner Village Hall | Fri 18 Sep | 2pm - Free Friday drop-in for older neighbours and carers.
Futsal Class | Barnhill High School | Fri 18 Sep | 5:30pm (£8-£12) - Weekly session for all abilities.
Yoga with Nikky | Eastcote House Gardens | Sat 19 Sep | 8am (£12 drop-in) - Vinyasa flow to start the weekend.
Eastcote House Gardens Yoga Retreat | Eastcote House Gardens | Sun 20 Sep | 10am (£65) - Half-day retreat with vinyasa flow, sound bath, vegan lunch and a glass of fizz. Book here
Activities for Children
Junior Parkrun | Pinner Village Gardens | Sun 13 Sep | 9-9:45am - A free, friendly 2km for under-17s (and their grown-ups on the sidelines).
Crafternoon Time | Roxborough Heights, HA1 | Mon 14 Sep | 11am (£10+) - Weekly family crafts and activities.
Kids Kung Fu | Harrow High School | Tue 15 Sep | 5:45pm and 6:30pm (£) - Two age groups for 4-6 and 7-13 year olds. More info
U9s Training and Trials | Parkfield Youth FC | Thu 17 Sep | 6-7pm - Contact Jason at 07772671464 before attending.
Weekly Classes
Boogie Knights | Bishop Winnington Ingram Primary School | Every Mon and Tue | 7am (£7.50) - Dance-themed fitness for all levels. Book here
Beginners Pilates | Pinner Village Hall | Every Tue | 9:45am (£52.50 for 5 weeks) - Calm and friendly Pilates for beginners and returners. Book here
Chair Pilates | Pinner Village Hall | Every Tue | 11am (£11 block / £13.50 PAYG) - Gentle Pilates based around a chair for support and balance. Book here
Gala Academy Badminton | St John's School | Every Tue and Sun | 7pm (£338 for 13 weeks) - Coaching and training for adults and children 5+. Book here
Tai Chi | Whitmore High School | Every Wed | 7pm (£) - Beginners Wu Style Tai Chi class. More info
ColourWheel Art Class | Eastcote Cricket Club | Every Thu | 9:30am and 1:30pm (£395) - 12-week course for beginners and improvers, all materials included. Book here
Eastcote Qigong and Tai Chi | Eastcote Community Association | Every Fri | 10:45am (£7) - Slow, flowing movements for balance and mobility. Info
Yoga with Nikky | Eastcote House Gardens | Every Sat | 8am (£12 drop-in) - Vinyasa flow to start the weekend.
Plan Ahead
Gentle Chair Yoga | Cannon Ln Methodist Church | Wed 30 Sep | 7:30pm (£15) - A slow, gentle evening to release tension, with calming breath, simple mantra and meditation. Book here
The events and activities list is growing as I speak with more organisers each week. Reply to this email and let me know what you'd like to see here!
Organising an event? Submit it here to get it added.
Community Corner
Seen a local sign, mystery shopfront, very specific noticeboard drama or useful community callout? Hit reply and send it over. These are the tiny things that make this newsletter much more fun than a spreadsheet wearing shoes.
Civic Updates
Harrow's Town Centre masterplan consultation is open until Friday 23 October. Two drop-in public events are landing next weekend at Harrow, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, with wider stakeholder engagement and walking tours in the week beginning Monday 5 October. The full explainer is in This Week in HA5 above; the easiest way to have your say is the online survey on the Harrow Council website.
The Pinner Post Office closure inside the Bridge Street TG Jones is still on track for Wednesday 14 October. If you want to write in before the Post Office makes a final call on a standalone branch in Pinner, the address is FREEPOST Your Comments, marked for the National Consultation Team. Reminder: the two nearest alternatives are Cannon Lane Post Office (HA5 1HR) and North Harrow Post Office (HA2 6DZ).
Pet of the Week
Want your pet to take the highly unofficial GMP crown next week? Hit reply with one photo, their name, and the tiny household role they have appointed themselves to.
Inspiration from previous winners: Pepper the Glossy-Coat Inspector, the Junior Train Inspector at the Miniature Railway, or a certain Head of Roast-Chicken Diplomacy. Whether yours is Chief Sock Recovery Officer, Lead Investigator of Squirrel Activity, or Director of Sunrise Window Patrol, we want to hear about it.
Closing
Thank you for reading Good Morning Pinner today.
If you only do one thing today, climb the dovecote at Eastcote House Gardens before the doors close this evening. If you only do one planning thing this week, block out Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September for Harrow's Town Centre masterplan drop-in, and pop into Aarti Sweet Centre on Station Road while you are in town. And if you only do one good thing for your local newsletter, hit reply with an event, a story, or a sign you have spotted in passing.
Got a story, event, local win, or random neighbourhood question? Hit reply. I read every one.
See you next Sunday, same time, same place.
P.S. - If you found something useful, please share it with a neighbour!