It was posted by nature lover on Saturday and was removed from the forum.Posted in Nature Reserves, Town Planning | Tagged Chiswick, Nature ReserveSave Gunnersbury Triangle nature reserve from developmentPosted on February 1, 2012Gunnersbury Triangle Local Nature Reserve is Chiswick’s hidden gem — a little patch of countryside, alongside the District Line, and much loved by local people. It’s a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, and has been managed by London Wildlife Trust on behalf of LB Hounslow since 1985. It has a unique history as a test case for urban nature conservation (as a result of a public inquiry in 1983). Almost 30 years of careful and sensitive management have helped to maintain it as a local oasis, a place of peace and tranquility for people and wildlife.The management of the Triangle is overseen by a Steering Group of expert and dedicatedlocal people and volunteers. It is committed to further improving the Triangle, and the quality of the visitor experience in line with the ecological sensitivities of the reserve.The Triangle is currently situated next to a low-rise (2-storey) industrial estate on Colonial Drive. Blackstone, a global property investment company, plan to replace the estate with an 8-storey, mixed-use development.The new development would tower over Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve, totally eradicating its wonderfully secluded atmosphere. The Triangle is highly prized for its beauty, peace and tranquility and now this is under threat. (Image shows developer's first draft of design, superimposed on a view taken from the reserve)The Colonial Drive development would affect the nature reserve in the following ways:• The development is too tall, too large, and too close to the reserve boundary• It would impact on flora and fauna, especially near the boundary between the sites• Visitors’ sense of being in a wild place away from the city would be severely compromised• Balconies overlooking the reserve would increase the feeling of intrusion• It would create light pollution – the buildings loom over the woodland habitat of bats and birds• Future residents’ pets, noise and potential use of the reserve as an extended garden (e.g. for barbecues and recreation) could disturb or damage wildlife and habitats.The development at Colonial Drive threatens to destroy the tranquillity of Gunnersbury Triangle, and is likely to result in long-term adverse impacts on the reserve’s ecology. We are extremely worried that a truly wild corner of Chiswick will be gone forever!
Nicola Howard ● 5316d