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Planning Committee Site Visits - Friary Park and Goldsmiths Arms

Sat, 11/16/2019

Some planning applications have site visits by the Ealing Council Planning Committee on Saturday 16th November just before the committee meeting to approve or reject the application.
Large, complex or contentious applications are usually the ones that are visited - and we have two of those in the CANForum area for the up coming planning committee meeting of Wednesday 20th November 2019 at 7pm at Ealing Town Hall.
These planning meetings are usually well attended by residents so it’s good to arrive early to claim a seat.

The site visit gives an opportunity for the members of the planning committee (elected Ealing borough councillors) to see the site and discuss with a representative of the developer. Local residents can also attend, although they are not always allowed to accompany the committee on their tour. Having nearby residents at the site can help demonstrate to the committee members that there is strong local interest in the outcome.
For most people this is the last chance to engage with the council before the decision is taken.

Site Visits: Saturday 16th November 2019

Friary Park - at 10:00
This is the area of housing close to Acton Main Line station. The planning application, which is recommended for approval by the council officers, is to knock down the entire low rise estate and replace it with new buildings including towers of up to 24 floors with a total of up to 990 residential units.
CANForum has been very proactive regarding this development. To date CANForum has met with the developers and Ealing Council and has raised a
number of concerns.
For example:

  • Height of the towers
  • The massing (density of homes and people)
  • Multi-year disruption for the residents including those in nearby streets
  • Lack of new infrastructure
  • Environmental impacts on the area
  • The over-towering and possible shadowing caused by the tall building to residential homes nearby

Goldsmiths Arms - at 10:45
The Goldsmiths Arms was unexpectedly closed and sold over two years ago. The developer wants to demolish it and replace it with a residential block with some small shops on the ground floor; It is proposed to put in a building up to 6 floors high proving 65 residential units and 4 car parking spaces.
The planning officer has recommended to the committee that this should be approved.
CANForum has supported local residents in their campaign to have this pub reopened. We welcome the support that there has been from councillors and the local MP.
The recent news that Fullers would still be interested in running the pub if terms could be agreed should make the council reconsider the statements made by the developer about their inability to find someone to take it on.

The agenda for the subsequent committee meeting is at https://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPubli...
and that page also has summary documentation for each application.
The full documentation for each application can be found by searching the Ealing Council Planning portal using the reference number from the summary - at https://pam.ealing.gov.uk/online-applications/

Attachments: