Windmill Road Development ' Must be Scaled Down'
Local campaigners say it's still too big and it's still NO
Hundreds of Ealing and Brentford residents packed a local church this week to hear about the new plans for a hi-rise development just off the busy Windmill Road.
A second ( new) planning application has been submitted to Hounslow Council for the Reynards Mills Trading Estate - which is currently a unit of medium rise industrial blocks.
The developers, (LP Brentford/Invista), want permission to use the land for residential blocks - some as high as seven storeys - housing around 900 people.
They were forced to withdraw an original application in summer following a huge amount of opposition.
This new submission is only slightly different from the earlier one and campaigners at the meeting at St Faith's Church on on Monday (28th November) called it tokenism.
Carlyle Road resident and a local surveyor, Mark Trowel, said they were all very disappointed with Invista's lack of engagement with the community and had hoped, following the last round of objections, there would have been more local consultation.
He told the meeting that the developers had reduced the scale only minimally and had 'tweaked around the edges' as it was in the developer's interests to get permission to build as much as they could on the land.
Antoinette McGovern, a local teacher from Whitestile Road was warmly received as she reflected many local worries about the mass and density of the housing and the fact that it could be a 'gated community' - separated from the rest of the neighbourhood.
She referred to the inappropriate height of the buildings, traffic and parking issues and the lack of amenities for the new residents - including the shortage of school places.
She said: '' We are not an anti- group. We are realistic and know there has to be some development on that land. What we want is to help the developer make this attractive for new families and that has to fit in alongside the whole community.
''The application as it stands is too much - too many buildings which are just too high - we can't see how it could possibly work. The developers need to talk to us and we can help them make it work for everyone.''
James Guest from WRAG told the audience to alert their neighbours about the proposals, and to urge them to consider the impact of such a development in an otherwise low density neighbourhood.
He reiterated the importance of sending in a new objection to Hounslow Planning authority and cc'ing the local Brentford Councillors and local Ealing (Northfield ward) Councillors too.
Letters have begun to be received by residents giving 21 days to object.
A decision on the proposal is expected early next year.
email windmillroadaction@gmail.com for more information.
01 December 2011
