• FURTHER to the position outlined in the letter (Developer’s lorry plans look like an assault on the open space, August 30), 100 Avenue Road developers Essential Living (EL) have just now responded with a completely new set of plans (Construction Management Plan) in an attempt to disguise the fact they had never declared they were always planning to route 50 or more construction vehicles through Swiss Cottage Open Space via the children’s adventure playground from the A41.

Since last October this plan has morphed from 13 to 29 appendices as a result of the community’s constant requests for clarification. The net result is a shambolic, obfuscating, confusing, cumbersome mess. Even at this late stage, it is not for lack of technical expertise that it is almost impossible to understand exactly what EL proposes to do.

Even these new plans conveniently omit the number of HGVs that are to go into the open space from the A41. EL should have made things clear at the outset a year ago.

EL are now trying to appear magnanimous and reasonable with this new proposal by offering a concession to only route the unwanted “14 lorry movements” through Winchester Road, Eton Avenue Market and the open space for seven months during demolition – as long they’re allowed to route all the other lorries into the open space from the A41.

Any use of the open space amenity is what we have been fighting off for the past year. And now they propose to ruin it further. This “deal” is obviously unacceptable. Other feasible alternatives to construct 100 Avenue Road only from the A41 have been dismissed and should not be.

What is clear is that this is an entirely new proposal which, as such, ought to be newly presented as an entirely new public consultation before it goes back to Camden’s planning committee.

EDIE RAFF
Chair, Cresta House Residents’ Association

PETER SYMONDS
Chair, Combined Residents’ Associations of South Hampstead

JANINE SACHS
Chair, Save Swiss Cottage