"Know your planning policies!" is the exclamation by one of our Councillors when talking to residents about the Friary Park proposals "know your policies!"Dear Ealing Council, please read your planning policies! You seemed to have overlooked The London Plan policy on Tall Buildings. Here it is, I hope it's useful. (For others, it's fairly long, but interesting and very enllightening!)Appendix 2 – Relevant London Plan policy on tall buildingsPOLICY 7.7 LOCATION AND DESIGN OF TALL AND LARGE BUILDINGSStrategicA Tall and large buildings should be part of a plan-led approach to changing or developing an area by the identification of appropriate, sensitive and inappropriate locations. Tall and large buildings should not have an unacceptably harmful impact on their surroundings.Planning decisionsB Applications for tall or large buildings should include an urban design analysis that demonstrates the proposal is part of a strategy that will meet the criteria below. This is particularly important if the site is not identified as a location for tall or large buildings in the borough’s LDF. (PLEASE NOTE, EALING COUNCIL, NEITHER ACTON CENTRAL NOR EALING HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A LOCATION BY DEAR BORIS FOR TALL BUILDINGS)C Tall and large buildings should:a generally be limited to sites in the Central Activity Zone, opportunity areas, areas of intensification or town centres that have good access to public transportb only be considered in areas whose character would not be affected adversely by the scale,mass or bulk of a tall or large buildingc relate well to the form, proportion, composition, scale and character of surrounding buildings, urban grain and public realm (including landscape features), particularly at street level;d individually or as a group, improve the legibility of an area, by emphasising a point of civic or visual significance where appropriate, and enhance the skyline and image of Londone incorporate the highest standards of architecture and materials, including sustainable design and construction practicesf have ground floor activities that provide a positive relationship to the surrounding streetsg contribute to improving the permeability of the site and wider area, where possibleh incorporate publicly accessible areas on the upper floors, where appropriatei make a significant contribution to local regeneration.D Tall buildings:a should not affect their surroundings adversely in terms of microclimate, wind turbulence,overshadowing, noise, reflected glare, aviation, navigation and telecommunicationinterferenceb should not impact on local or strategic views adverselyE The impact of tall buildings proposed in sensitive locations should be given particular consideration. Such areas might include conservation areas, listed buildings and their settings, registered historic parks and gardens, scheduled monuments, battlefields, the edge of the Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land, World Heritage Sites or other areas designated by boroughs as being sensitive or inappropriate for tall buildings.Local Development Framework (LDF) preparationE Boroughs should work with the Mayor to consider which areas are appropriate, sensitive or inappropriate for tall and large buildings and identify them in their Local Development Frameworks. These areas should be consistent with the criteria above and the place shaping and heritage policies of this Plan.PS. I am writing to Dear Boris as we speak.
Angela White ● 4134d