Dear Ealing Residents and Stop the Towers Supporters, 

NEVER KNOWINGLY UNDERESTIMATE DEVELOPMENT GREED 

This morning (22nd February) Stop The Towers, with James Murray MP, met with John Lewis for the first preview of their plans for the Waitrose site in West Ealing. 

Shockingly John Lewis are ignoring both public feedback to their initial consultation, and totally disregarding the site-specific guidance, by planning three tower blocks of up to 19 storeys. The site-specific guidance for that site in the Draft Local Plan is 9-13 storeys, which is still taller than the current cluster of up to 10 storeys in that area. 

The proposals will dwarf the neighbouring streets, and as STT suspected, will use the controversial (and as yet un-started) Manor Road tower to justify the height. 

During our meeting, John Lewis said they had been discussing these plans with Ealing Council for 18 months, which begs the question why is Ealing Council ignoring its’ own site-specific guidance?  John Lewis also couldn’t tell us why no pictures of this enormous development were included in their recent 10,000 flyers or as yet, on their website? 

Justine Sullivan of STT, who attended the meeting commented, “Why has Ealing Council been talking with John Lewis about these plans since 2021, but not insisted John Lewis stick to Ealing’s own draft local plan? Now is the time for Peter Mason (Leader of Ealing Council) to stick to his election promises and ‘clamp down on tall towers’.  Surely he’s not going to sit there and do nothing and let developers tell him his plan has no weight.” 

At the end of the meeting, JLP asked us not to share any of this information with members of the public and that they can come to see the exhibition for themselves. 

In the interest of transparency and openness, which is what the council also promised, STT told JLP it was unfair of them to expect us not to tell local residents and indeed loyal Waitrose customers.  Justine Sullivan added  “I wonder why they weren’t keen for you to see this image in advance? What message does this ‘cloak and dagger’ behaviour imply?” 

Please do attend their consultation and tell them what you think at the West Ealing Community Library, Melbourne Avenue, W13 9BT on the following dates: Thursday 23 February, 4pm-8pm and Saturday 25 February, 10am-2pm

You can also email your views to consultation@waitrosewestealing.co.uk