Note that these are for guidance.  Please personalise and write about the issues that concern you most


The most critical statement to include is:  I am writing to you to request that you use your powers to call-in these planning permissions...

(For more information, please see our Briefing Note)

Date
 
Dear Mr Pickles,
 
Earl’s Court and West Kensington Opportunity Area

Recently Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea granted permission for the demolition of the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre and development of the site for a 7,600 residential mixed office and retail development. This application is interdependent with the application granted by Hammersmith and Fulham in September of this year, will cover 77-acres and cannot be considered to be a minor development.
 
I am writing to you to request that you use your powers to call-in these planning permissions on the following grounds:

1.    The development involves land ownership by London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, TfL and EC Properties LP. The TfL properties include Earl’s Court Exhibition Centres 1 and 2 and the Lillie Bridge Engineering Depot. The Mayor has the power to direct whether or not these planning applications can proceed or determine that the applications should be refused. Therefore, there is a clear conflict of interest as the Mayor is also the head of TfL in making this decision.

2.     There has been widespread concern raised by residents both in Earl’s Court and on the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates and it is felt that the submissions by residents have not been given due consideration. The proposed development requires to be independently evaluated in a London wide context given the impact on the wider area, particularly the impact on the tube and road network, as the assessments put forward are not credible to existing users of the station and the road network, and will have an on-going detrimental affect for road transport in North-West London.

3.   Air Quality is a major concern in the area, with approximately 165 ‘bad’ days a year for PM10s and an average NO2 concentration (101.4 mg/m3) of more than double the recommended EU limit at the Cromwell/Warwick Roads junction.   The developers acknowledge that during this 20-year project these levels will increase during  construction, and with 4,300 parking spaces on the completed site this will have a permanent increase in road traffic usage. The proposed plans already concede that Cromwell Road is at capacity and the Earl’s Court One-Way System is routinely gridlocked. North End Road was not constructed to be able to able to withstand the prospect of increased traffic usage. These are contraventions of the EU Air Quality directives.

4.    The loss of the Exhibition Centre, will affect UK businesses, exhibition organisers and exhibitors, and remove an important mid-consumer showcase venue. Locally, many businesses have been set up in response to the existence of the Exhibition Centre and there is no Cultural or Conference facility alternative to replace the footfall to this destination location.

5.    It is felt that this development has not be considered in the light of the other string of developments from Lots Road to Kensal Opportunity Area including Westfield’s, White City, Park Royal all of which will create an additional burden on the present road infrastructure.

6.   The density of the site, in one of the most densely populated areas of the most densely populated Boroughs, is ill considered and a case of overdevelopment. The architecture and urban planning are out of character and context with its immediate neighbours in their proposed heights, scale and massing.

7.    The Open Space, particularly the Linear Park, will be compromised due to the height that will be required by National Rail future operational needs for this area to be a height to accommodate European sized freight — this would result in a barrow shaped Linear Park, or an elevated section which would not be appropriate for general use, for example football.

8.   Of the 7,500-7,600 residential units in this mixed development site, only 760 will be Affordable Rented to replace the homes of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estate, 760 will be Affordable Intermediate and the balance ‘Market’ priced homes with £3m + being quoted by the developer for the Town Houses along the perimeter edge, making the majority of housing on site to be beyond the reach of the average Londoner at a time of Housing crisis in London.

9.   Throughout the planning application many items were regarded as being ‘Minor Adverse’, but given the 20-year length of the project and the proximity of homes to the site prolonged exposure to noise, dust, pollution and in the case of Philbeach Gardens residents, night time working 10m from their bedroom windows cannot be considered to be minor adverse.

10.  Residents of Warwick Road, Eardley Crescent, Philbeach Gardens, Kensington and Nevern Mansions will not attract any Environmental Improvements to their properties, and will be most affected during the course of the development works.

(For more information, please see our Briefing Note)
TOGETHER WE CAN STILL SAVE EARL’S COURT!