MP Criticises "the Curve" Planning Application

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Statement by Ruth Cadbury

"Right now in London a balance has to be struck between the unmistakable need for more housing, and what level of development is appropriate. There is no straight answer as to what is and what is not acceptable in any one place.

"I have been involved in planning in London for much of the last 30 years; as a ward Councillor, a member of Hounslow's Planning Committee including two terms as Chair, and as a planner working for a local authority and for Planning Aid for London. In all that time I have never seen such an example of gross overdevelopment as the "Curve" now proposed for the half-acre site at Chiswick Roundabout.The site is a traffic island now surrounded by advertising hoardings. It lies between the A4 west-bound arm into the roundabout, the north circular exit and Larch Drive which is the slip road from the A4 to the North Circular and is the access to B&Q.
The planning application involves a building rising 32 storeys high, leaning out over the pavements on all sides. There'll be few parking spaces, so most residents of the 320 flats, the workers and visitors to the building will arrive by foot, having crossed at least four lanes of heavy traffic to get there.

"In my view the development will provide an unacceptable living environment for anyone living there both because of the access arrangements, and its proximity to such busy roads. The extent of pedestrians crossing to and from the building will almost certainly disrupt traffic on this very busy junction, and I assume there will have to be long-term road closures during the construction phases, with the inevitable associated congestion that will ripple across outer West London.

"I am amazed that Kim Gottleib persists in ever more intense development proposals for this site, this is at least his third proposal. I suggested to him years ago that if he insisted on developing that tiny site, he should consider a development that involves some of B&Q's land (the car park is seldom full), move the slip-road closer to the A4, and release the island into a reasonably sized site. But then that would perhaps be too sensible. Although the official consultation period ended on 1st February, it is not too late to make your views known about the application to Hounslow. The planning officers will consider the application before making a recommendation to the Planning Committee to either approve or refuse it."

To find out more about the application and make comments go to: http://notices.allofhounslow.co.uk/#notice/P/2015/5555