Delivery riders crossing Finchley Road from the Deliveroo ramp 

• DESPITE councillors’ resounding vote refusing Deliveroo’s application to remain at Swiss Cottage – planning meeting on April 7 – jubilant residents find themselves right back where they started four years ago: with a Deliveroo without planning permission allowed to carry on operating at Swiss Cottage and years of litigation in sight.

Residents hardly had time to relish the long-awaited great news when a return email from planning officers, who had tried to convince councillors to allow Deliveroo to stay, brought us down to earth with the startling information that just “because Deliveroo has been refused permission doesn’t mean that they have to stop operating”.

And that there was no way to stop Deliveroo from operating until Camden issued them with an “enforcement notice” which, we were warned is “generally only issued in very extreme circumstances; for example, where it is necessary to prevent serious or irreversible harm to the environment”.

And that Deliveroo would, of course, not only have to be given “a reasonable period of time to comply” if such a notice was issued but time to lodge appeals not only against the refused planning permission but the enforcement notice as well. All of which takes time.

So if Camden does not issue an enforcement notice Deliveroo gets to carry on operating at Swiss Cottage, in effect for ever, and the decision taken by councillors will be rendered null and void.

And in the event that Camden Council does issue an enforcement notice residents, who by the way are not allowed to appeal, will just have to wait for Deliveroo to stop operating; however long it takes them to exhaust the appeal process.

And they will have no choice but to carry on recording breaches if they are to have any chance of defeating Deliveroo at the appeals.

As if this were not all Kafkaesque, Catch 22, and down-the-rabbit-hole enough, when it comes time for the appeal(s) to be heard, the council and residents’ case, which is to defend the decision to refuse planning permission, will be led by a council team who have consistently made it clear that they are happy for Deliveroo to stay.

Is there a solicitor out there who would like to help?

If you’re as incensed as we are, why not let the Camden appeals and enforcement team manager know? Elizabeth.Beaumont@camden.gov.uk

EDIE RAFF
Chair of Local Residents’ Group
& Cresta House Residents’ Association