Save the Green Belt

Save the Green Belt

To: <alice@cprelondon.org.uk>

Dear colleague,

I hope you don't mind me asking you to take action again. But the Prime Minister and Chancellor are, right now, considering whether to release Green Belt land for housing as a measure to be included in the upcoming Autumn Budget. We know that releasing Green Belt land will not solve the housing crisis; will lead to unnecessary loss of countryside; and will add a minimum of 1 million new car journeys every week into London's Green Belt. Please take a few minutes to email your MP: we've made it quick and simple!

1. Find your MP here, enter your postcode and click on the 'Send a message' button
2. Below is an example of what you could write

Thank you as always
Alice Roberts, Green Spaces Campaigner

Suggested letter
Dear [Your MP's name],

I am writing because I am deeply concerned about the Chancellor’s proposed release of Green Belt land for housing in the upcoming Autumn Budget.

I am pleased the government is taking action on the housing crisis, but this will not alleviate the problem and needless countryside will be lost.

Please can  you raise this concern in writing, as soon as possible, with both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister who stated in Parliament that “the Green Belt must be protected.”

It is a false belief that releasing Green Belt land will tackle the housing crisis, as the crisis is one of affordability, not simply land availability. CPRE research showed that since 2009 only 16% of houses built on Green Belt outside of local plans were classed as affordable, and nearly three-quarters of the housing proposed on land to be released from the Green Belt will be unaffordable for most people living in the local area.

Yet more Green Belt is being released, with 425,000 houses planned as of July - the biggest year-on-year increase in building proposed on the Green Belt for two decades.

If the government is truly committed to tackling the affordable housing crisis, the Autumn Budget could include much more effective measures:

• Much firmer action on developers who are failing to build what communities need. The use of viability assessments by developers to undercut their affordable housing requirements must be stopped.
• Incentives and enforcement on slow build out rates. To ensure developers’ existing commitments are met before further land is released. 
• The untapped possibilities of brownfield sites could be invested in. Suitable Brownfield land has the potential to deliver over a million homes and brownfield sites are proven to be developed on average six months faster than other sites. Why not build there first?

At the heart of these solutions is a firm and enforced commitment to putting community interests at the center of government policy, protecting the countryside in the process.

Please let me know the Chancellor and Prime Minister’s response.

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Alice Roberts

Head of Green Space Campaigns

CPRE London

07792942691

To: adrian.stannard@btinternet.com

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Securing the Olympic Legacy

Olympic legacy

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LBWF to install sprinklers

Better Health for Londoners

Mayor's Health Policies

Town Centre - month to go

The plans for the Town Centre will go before the Planning Committee on 

Wednesday 29th November at 7pm in the Assembly Hall 

- not the Town Hall as they expecting a lot of opposition to the plans. A petition of over 2,000 signatures has already been handed in.

Put the date in your diary as it is vital we fill the Hall to show the councillors this is not a popular scheme.
If you have not already submitted your objection there is still time and below are the details you will need:

Application Number: 171355

The Plans are available here

CAPITAL & REGIONAL’S TOWN CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT

45 Selbourne Road, E17 7JR

Planning Application 171355

Some suggestions about where to concentrate objections.

Comments in italics are from the Design & Access Statement.

1.       Planning App – Full planning permission for a new Town Square and new leisure and retail, Outline Planning Permission for the 4 residential tower blocks for 500 dwellings. This is because they have not signed up a developer to build the tower blocks and it needs to be vague so the developer can say what they want to build. In other words the Planning Committee has to decide if tower blocks are appropriate to this site and conform to the London Plan, Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) and the Town Centre Area Action Plan (which they do!).

2.       The purpose of the tower blocks is to “by reputation and by physical presence, promote Walthamstow in a wider London context and mark the location of the Town Square”. The redesign of the adjoining public space “which presently performs poorly and adds little to the enjoyment of visiting the Town Centre”.

3.       The London Plan expects Waltham Forest to build 862 units of accommodation but the council has decided to allow 12,000 units across the Borough by 2020, 50% to be affordable! There is no need for this development to help meet the London Plan target – that is already well achieved.

4.       Density permitted is managed by PTAL and the Town Centre, being adjacent to transport links, is the highest rated at PTAL 6. This allows for between 200 and 700 habitable rooms per hectare (Hr/Ha). Capital & Regional (C&R) state this development is between 115 and 164 (Hr/Ha). This needs to be checked to ensure it is correct.

5.     London Plan, which this development has to comply with, states for high rise developments: a  generally be limited to sites in the Central Activity Zone, opportunity areas, areas of intensification or town centres that have good access to public transport

b  only be considered in areas whose character would not be affected adversely by the scale, mass or bulk of a tall or large building

c  relate well to the form, proportion, composition, scale and character of surrounding buildings, urban grain and public realm (including landscape features), particularly at street level;

d  individually or as a group, improve the legibility of an area, by emphasising a point of civic or visual significance where appropriate, and enhance the skyline and image of London

e  incorporate the highest standards of architecture and materials, including sustainable design and construction practices

f  have ground floor activities that provide a positive relationship to the surrounding streets

g  contribute to improving the permeability of the site and wider area, where possible

h  incorporate publicly accessible areas on the upper floors, where appropriate

i  make a significant contribution to local regeneration.

6.       LBWF Policy CS1 identifies the Town Centre for 2,000 new homes so this is only a quarter of what they want in the centre of Walthamstow.

 Policy CS1.4 relates to an attractive and vibrant Town Centre.

7.       Town Centre Area Action Plan states “no negative impact on amenity values due to overshadowing” Objections need to prove this is not the case.

8.       Link to station – there will be a tunnel from the station to the shopping centre. I assume this can be built as they had great difficulty building the stairs from the Bus Station because of a huge pipe which is in the way. I forget if it is a sewer or water. Objections need to explore if this really can be built at an economic cost.

9.       LBWF Town Square Design Objectives state “minimise loss of open space and demonstrate that improvements provided by the re-imagined Town Square compensate for any proposals to reduce open space.” Objections need to address this issue.

10.   The consultation held by C&R last year showed a majority thought “the lawns are the most popular element of the existing gardens and there is a desire for any future proposals to retain them”. “The avenue of Limes should be retained” Check the plans against this public view. One picture seems to show some of the limes missing!

11.   Construction period – “the Mall must remain fully operational during the development” “Development proposals must not impact on the High Street Market” “Development site sits above an underground line which presents logistical challenges in construction”

At the two consultation sessions ask how this will be achieved and the delivery of all the plant and equipment to the site without clogging up the existing streets. How will the work force arrive at site?

12.   Transport – the residential will be car free except for 25 disabled spaces located in the existing car park. There will be 904 cycle spaces for the residents of the flats.

COUNCIL’S VISION FOR TOWN CENTRES

http://www.investwalthamforest.com/pdf/Waltham%20Forest%20Town%20Centre%20Strategy.pdf

http://democracy.walthamforest.gov.uk/documents/s55182/ITEM%203%20The%20Evening%20and%20Night%20Time%20Economy%20Appendix%202%20Town%20Centre%20Strategy.pdf

Town Centre Area Action Plan

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/node/1259wn Centre Area Action Plan

LONDON PLAN

Tall Buildings

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-seven-londons-living-spac-12

Planning Apps

Only one of consequence this week. The web site is as usual barely working and the plans have not been loaded properly but it appears protruding balconies are planned. I suggest you write objecting as these always look an eyesore as they are used for storage instead of pretty boxes of flowers. Protruding balconies are also not compatible with the mainly Victorian architecture of the area. 5 storeys is excessive.

173636

201 High Street, E17 7BH

Demolition of existing cafe (Class A3) and residential unit (Class C3)and construction of five storey building comprising ground floor retail unit (Class A1) and 8 x residential units (Class C3) comprising4 x 1 bed and 4 x 2 bed units including projecting balconies with balustrades to front and flush balconies to rear with access door at front ground floor level. Provision of cycle and bin storage at groundfloor level.