The Appeal Update
Thank you for your patience whilst we went through the planning inspector’s report on the Manor Road tower inquiry. As you may know, the appeal against the decision by Ealing to reject the tower was upheld, so the planning inspector has granted the developer permission to build. The decision to award costs against the Council can also be found here.
We’ve reviewed the inquiry report and have also spoken with a leading planning QC. His opinion is that there are no reasonable grounds for challenging the report, via a Judicial Review, which would have been our last legal option. So we must accept there is no realistic scope for appeal against the inspector’s decision. This is a bitter disappointment to us all.
However, our efforts were not entirely in vain, in the process of the inquiry the inspector was damming in his criticism of Ealing Council. The process exposed how vulnerable Ealing now is to uncontrolled development due to the Councils persistent failures on planning policy and borderline negligent inability to provide basic statutory information on housing supply (known as an AMR).
“We need Ealing Council to get a move on and update their severely out of date local plan and, specifically, adopt an acceptable policy on tall buildings. And we need them to get their house in order and present the AMR on their housing figures. Something they have not done for over 7 years! These are key issues which were picked up by the Planning Inspector. Key issues which worked in the developers favour and against local residents. This colossal failure of good governance by Ealing Council has badly let us all down” said Justine Sullivan, Co-Chair of Stop the Towers.
It’s also worth remembering that all your comments and objections did manage to reduce the size of this tower by about 25% from the original plans, and delayed the start of building by nearly two years. So we can be proud of the efforts of all our supporters – thank you!
The next steps – our survey
While we may have lost the Manor Road battle, we are not prepared to surrender our whole borough, which now seems at risk of massive over-development. Given that there has been a change in leadership in the Council, and that it did defend this appeal, we are talking to the new leader about the way forward. We will keep you updated.
In the meantime STT, together with other Ealing Residents Associations, (Ealing Matters, Save Gurnell, Save Ealing Centre ans the Draytons Community Association) have produced a survey. We’d really like to learn what issues are of most concern to our members. Please do fill this in https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/C7G29V9
The survey is anonymous – we will not collect any information or publish the results in a form that would make you personally identifiable. With an election on the horizon (May next year), your views will help us continue to put pressure on existing councillors and candidates in the elections. Together we can help shape the future of our borough.
Thank you for your continued support.
STOP THE TOWERS
www.stopthetowers.org
To donate please click here