An impression of the proposed development at 156 West End Lane

• MORE than 1,100 local residents submitted objection letters to the proposed development at 156 West End Lane, which was publicly-owned land currently occupied by local employer Travis Perkins. Residents were ignored, as we so often read in these pages, and planning permission was granted on June 23 2017.

It came as a shock to learn that a major variation of conditions of this permission was submitted on August 9 2019, yet not one single resident was informed; neither was our campaign which played a significant part in rallying objections and trying to hold the developer and council to account.

The developer, HA, A2Dominion, claims that these are merely minor amendments. Increasing the number of units from 164 to 180 is “minor”, increasing the number of one-bedroom units from 69 to 102 is “minor”, according to this greedy developer. One-bedroom units will increase the profit for this developer but will not meet the housing needs of families in the area.

If your readers search Clyde House Wandsworth they will get the measure of this corporate business masquerading as a social housing provider.

The developer claims that this increase can be met without any change to the footprint of the buildings. So how does it squeeze in so many extra one-bedroom units while claiming to maintain the larger units in the so-called affordable block?

This information is absent from the planning statement. Have they reduced the number of larger wheelchair-accessible units? Reduced the bedroom sizes for family units from three-bed six-person units to three-bed four-person? We have requested as a matter of urgency that this crucial information is obtained by Camden planners.

It’s bad enough that Camden approved a development that places all the families who will live in the so-called affordable units in the block facing the highly-polluted West End Lane, knowing the dangers of air pollution on young lungs.

While on this deeply-segregated development the private block, now full of one-bed units, is designed to overshadow the existing children’s play space on Lymington Road, a public, green, open space, intended to provide outdoor play spaces for those with no outside space of their own.

A2D’s cynical profiteering proposal will steal daylight and sunlight from local children and families for most of the year.

Shame on this developer, shame on Camden’s planning committee and shame on Camden for selling the last piece of public land in this area that could be developed for genuine council homes.

Comments can be left on Camden’s planning portal 2019/4140/P

IAN FERRIE
JOSEPH BLACK
BRIDGET DUNNE
Save West Hampstead
Stop the Blocks! Campaign Team