Ealing Council Planning Department
Number 89-91 Shakespeare Road, the old Conservative building was sold without planning permission in 2011. The site also had no associated parking with it. The new developers put in an application for 4 x 4 bedroom houses with parking. Planning was refused on the grounds that 4 x 4 bedroom houses was deemed to dense for the site and no parking. They next submitted 3 x 3 bedroom houses (they have scratched out bedroom 4 and put dressing room but other than that it looks exactly the same) 2 flats and an underground parking stacker. The local residents strongly objected and after going to committee (12 councillors) it was refused again. They appealed and finally , Ealing council did an inexplicable U turn and offered 3 on street parking spaces and the planning went through for 3 houses and 2 flats. The original Developers promptly sold the site to new developers who immediately put in an application for 4 x3 bed houses with dressing room again. This was passed by only one planner with no fuss and last week a new planning application for the 4th parking space came through the post. What is the point of nearly 3 years of objecting, appeals and site visits and all the associated work involved at the council when the end result is exactly what the Developer wanted in the first place? Is it a sort of ruse to make locals think that there are proper rules that protect ordinary people from having their areas built over by greedy Property Developers? It does not seem worth the time and effort to object when objections mean nothing. The council have also given the Developers permission to erect 2 enormous container offices in the street which has blocked the pavement and is a danger to all the children who walk to Derwentwater school. Many of the objectors of The Oaks Development which has also been passed by Ealing Planners have suggested that the Conservative Party might be a better bet when it comes to local Government and the future of Acton . I tend to agree as anything has to be better than this!
Simon Thompson ● 4537d1 Comments