| Topic: | 91 SHAKESPEARE ROAD - LAST NIGHT'S MEETING | Forum Home |
| Posted by: | Richard Grange | |
| Date/Time: | 19/01/11 13:30:00 |
| For those reading the forum I thought I would roughly sum up some key points about last nights (well-attended) meeting – particularly for those who may have missed it. 1) There is a site visit by local councillors planned for Saturday (although no details on times were available). It was agreed that it was very important that there are as many people there as possible to (courteously) convey the strength of opposition and the arguments against the development 2) There were many people concerned about aesthetic / conservation damage to the street caused by demolition of the club. It was pointed out that Shakespeare Road is currently an intact Victorian street (at least between Goldsmith Road and Spencer Road ) which would no longer be the case after demolition of the Conservative club. 3) There are plenty of people whose property adjoins the site who would appear to have good grounds to object on matters such as obstruction of light, having their house turned from a semi into a terrace etc 4) There is considerable concern that the developer misrepresented parts of its application. i) That the building is out of keeping with the rest of the street. (It is actually one of the oldest buildings on the street - and arguably one of the most attractive) ii) That there was benefit in that the development would be replacing an industrial site. It is quite clear that residents at the meeting were perfectly happy for it to stay an industrial site and it is important that people register this with the council. iii) That Rosebank Motors sees about 50(???? ) cars a day going in and out of it. (There was much amusement at this assessment) (There may have been more points like this...) 5) There was considerable concern at how the development had been advertised - and questions over whether due process had been followed. No notice of planning application appears to have been displayed outside the building. (There was disagreement over whether this was legal or not) Only a small number of people appear to have received letters about the project and the timescale for objecting appears very short. 6) It appears that the property was sold by Acton Conservatives to the developer. Conservative councillors also sit on the planning committee. However as the property was sold without planning permission there is no conflict of interest. (Clearly though people will be watching carefully how councillors vote on this issue.) 7) There is serious concern about the density of development on the site. These are very narrow family houses that are being proposed and appear to cram a lot of people into a small space. 8) There was considerable interest in what covenants the building may have regarding its use. (In spite of a formal request to the developer(?) - these have not been handed over) Anyway - that's pretty much all I can remember and I had to leave early .... so a guide but not comprehensive and other people may want to add stuff. |