21 Dec 2024
Comment on re-phasing
If you too would like to comment, please use the following link before 2/1/2025
As a summary we have several concerns regarding the Transport Yard Development (off Wood End Road, North Greenford, Ealing) that we’d like to bring to your attention. In the map below these are the buildings in the top left hand corner next to the proposed expansion of our Local Nature Reserve (highlighted in blue and pink).
Current situation: changes to development phasing
The new planning application which is seeking to divide the already approved Transport yard development into three phases. Phase 1 - Access road, Phase 2 (blue) - two buildings at three stories tall and Phase 3 (pink) two towers, one at 7 stories and the other at 8 stories. This will allow the developer to spread their costs. The concerns are:
It is possible that less financial contributions are paid to the council, than those outlined in the original Section 106 agreement.
Section 106 - contributions the developer must make to mitigate the impact of their project on the community, such as funding for infrastructure or providing public amenities such as GP services and schools.
It is believed the developer is seeking to deliver the most financially profitable part of the development next. The affordable housing and open space which has less profit will be left to later in the scheme and as such we are concerned may not be completed.
Action
We suggest that the S106 agreement be redrawn to contain financial "tariffs" that will come into play should phase 2 and 3 not be completed within a set time scale. The hope would be to ensure the development does deliver the social housing and the open space to the development.
We also call on Ealing Council to bring in Friends of Grove Farm and other local groups to discuss conditions that will help protect the area’s ecological protected status particularly with regards to noise and landscaping/tree protection mitigation during the construction phases.
Background
Planning permission was granted for three tower blocks at the Transport yard off Wood End Road, Ealing in October 2022. The original planning permission can be seen in the link below.
Further issues
The development has already carried out work on site, converting the area into a storage yard which has resulted in:
Road widening and concreting which has affected the SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation), GIS designation ‘Sudbury Lane’.
Hard standing being used to bring up the levels of the Transport yard affecting TPOs (Tree preservation orders), GIS designations NLT T1, T2, T3, T4 and G1. Where the hard standing has spilled onto tree roots. As well as hard standing spilling into Grove Farm’s Metropolitan Open Land.
Additionally, it should be noted that only recently Ealing Council was reviewing Grove Farm’s MOL (metropolitan open land) status which protects it from development, ensuring it remains a green space. One of the factors that was key to their decision was the openness of the site, which they suggested was compromised by existing towers and buildings.
They, chose to leave Grove Farm’s MOL status in place, however the height of the buildings approved in this planning permission will have great impact on the openness Grove Farm’s MOL. The size of the proposed buildings in phase 3 at 7 and 8 stories, will tower over Grove Farm, visually dominating the skyline and hindering openness thus effectively creating the issue that could be detrimental to Grove Farm’s MOL status in the future.
The development was approved even though it goes against the following policies (para 137, 149 NPPF; London Plan Policy GG2), that state the openness of MOL should be protected. The Council’s own Core Strategy 2012 Policy 5.4 states: the Council should (c) …identify open spaces such as parkland, playing fields, canal and river corridors that are valued for their tranquillity, and designate them as quiet areas in recognition of their intrinsic value and to protect them for future generations”. Building such tall buildings which will harm the openness of the MOL goes against this policy.
The proposal did not accord with part B of London Plan Policy D9. London Plan Policy D(D) states proposals “should…enhance local context by delivering buildings and spaces that positively respond to local distinctiveness…” The local vernacular is semi-detached houses. Policy D9 “seeks to ensure that tall buildings are appropriately located, well designed, of high quality and able to enhance both their immediate and wider setting.” They should only be in areas designated for tall buildings and as such, the site is not designated. Two of the buildings will impact the openness of the MOL and will be clearly visible from Grove Farm.
Much was made of the site’s “brownfield” status, but the situation is more nuanced: in place will be the visual intrusion of additional tall buildings and significantly more human occupation and disruption to the MOL.
We raise these issues because whilst we recognise that the development has received planning permission, we would like to note that there are lessons that can be learnt for the future and changes can be made to the current management of the development. Future developments should not be approved that go against the NPPF, the London Plan and Ealing Council’s own policies, with more care being taken to preserve the integrity of Metropolitan Open Land on Grove Farm and elsewhere in Ealing.