In a landmark moment for community-led regeneration and reparatory justice, Westway Trust has formally pledged the land at Bay 56—located beneath the Westway flyover in North Kensington—to remain under the leadership of the African Caribbean community for the next 76 years. This commitment aligns with the full duration of the Trust’s lease, including any future extensions, and marks a significant milestone in the Trust’s journey toward equity, accountability, and healing.
The pledge was announced at a powerful community event, on 3 September 2025, directly under the flyover at Bay 56. Around 150 individuals and organisations representing the African Caribbean and culturally diverse communities of North Kensington gathered to bear witness and speak to the significance of this moment. A recurring theme throughout the event was the importance of legacy—ensuring that future generations have access to space but also recognition, dignity, and leadership.
As part of this pledge, Westway Trust has committed to engaging with the African Caribbean communities approximately every five years to determine the formal sub-lease holder, ensuring that leadership remains representative, inclusive, and community-driven.
This initiative forms a cornerstone of Westway Trust’s Reparations Framework, which is grounded in five internationally recognised principles of reparatory justice:
- Guarantees of Non-Repetition – ensuring systemic change and future protection
- Restitution – returning what was unjustly taken
- Compensation – acknowledging and addressing historical harms
- Rehabilitation – supporting healing and restoration
- Satisfaction – affirming dignity and truth
Speaking at the event, Toby Laurent Belson, Chair of Westway Trust, acknowledged the enduring tension between grassroots communities and institutional structures.
There have been so many people—many in the room today—who have been putting so much energy into meeting that challenge
he said, recognising the decades of advocacy that led to this moment.
Isis Amlak, representing the African Caribbean Cultural Centre LTD, reflected on the long struggle for recognition and space.
The African Caribbean community deserves recognition and a guaranteed space. I would like to focus on the legacy and the next steps.
Venu Dhupa, Westway Trust’s CEO, spoke of the significance of the pledge in the Trust’s journey of transformation.
Social and Racial Justice is about empowering people and groups to feel able to take responsibility and accountability. With both these comes possibility, the prospect of people to realise their hopes, which arguable is the most important element of empowerment. This is a significant commitment from the Community Led Board of the Trust, to its communities.
This pledge is not only symbolic—it is structural. It represents a shift in power, a recognition of historical injustices, and a commitment to long-term community-led stewardship. Westway Trust’s transformation continues, with this pledge serving as a model for how institutions can move from consultation to co-creation, and from apology to action.