Metropolitan Housing Trust who run the Chalkhill Estate as Metropolitan Housing Thames Valley have submitted an application for the demolition of 105 garages and re-use of other space to build 61 infill homes on the 'science blocks' site on Chalkhill Road.
The estate was designed with a considerable amount of green space and there are many trees, some of which will be removed. Of the 105 garages 71 are currently unused and the application claims only 18 are used for car parking.
The garages are quite close to existing blocks and will be demolished and replaced by housing
Existing garages and car park in blue above
There are CGIs of some of the buildings in the application papers:
51 new trees will be planted to compensate for the loss but this is not sufficient to make up for the reduction in canopy cover provided by the mature trees on site that predate the estate. The developer will contribute £26,292 for mitigating the loss through new planting in the vicinity of the development.
Einstein House Objection
I am writing to formally object to the above planning application, specifically the proposal to construct Block E directly behind Einstein House. My objection is based on the following planning concerns:
1. Loss of Light (Daylight and Sunlight Impact)
The proposed Block E will significantly reduce the amount of daylight and sunlight received by residents in Einstein House. The block is approximately three times the height of the current garages and will be located in close proximity to habitable rooms, including bedrooms and living rooms.
During consultation, we were informed that a daylight/sunlight report was conducted. However, no such report assessing the impact on existing homes has been included in the planning documents. The only report presented appears to relate to light within the proposed new blocks. This is a critical omission, as the council must be satisfied that BRE guidelines regarding adequate light to habitable rooms are being met. The height and massing of the proposed development will cast significant shadows over Einstein House, especially during winter months, severely affecting the quality of life for residents.
2. Loss of Privacy and Overlooking
Block E will be positioned approximately 12 metres from Einstein House. This is well below the 18-21 metre standard separation distance typically recommended between directly facing windows of habitable rooms. The proposed design includes balconies and windows that will directly face into the bedrooms and living rooms of existing residents. These rooms are considered habitable spaces and therefore deserve protection from unreasonable overlooking. No mitigation measures (e.g. frosted glass, angled balconies, or screening) appear to have been proposed to reduce this impact.
3. Noise Pollution and Anti-Social Behaviour - New Footpath
The plans propose the removal of the current secure gated area at the rear of Einstein House and its replacement with a public footpath. This significantly impacts residents' privacy, safety, and wellbeing.
Opening this area to public access may encourage anti-social behaviour, especially during evenings, and will create ongoing noise and disturbance. The proposed new lighting for the path while necessary for safety will further affect residents in ground floor flats through light pollution and reduced sleep quality. There is also no detail in the application on how this new public space will be managed or maintained to ensure current resident's safety.
4. Parking Pressure
There are already major parking constraints in the area. The proposed development does not include a robust parking strategy. While a small number of designated spaces appear in the plans, there is no clarity on whether new residents will be restricted from using existing street or estate parking.This will almost certainly exacerbate existing pressures, especially as no Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) or traffic management scheme is proposed. The application also appears to lack a comprehensive Transport Assessment to evaluate local capacity.
5. Poor Site Planning - Disproportionate Impact of Block E
While the wider development includes some open and green space, the positioning of Block E raises serious concerns. Unlike the other proposed blocks, Block E has been placed extremely close to existing homes in Einstein House just 12 metres away and at a height that is significantly taller than the current garages it replaces.
This placement creates an unbalanced development where one group of residents (in Einstein House) bears a disproportionate burden of the scheme's impact, including loss of light, privacy, and increased noise.
The council should require a review of the mass and siting of Block E to reduce its uniquely high impact and ensure a fairer and more sensitive design approach, especially when other blocks in the proposal do not create similar issues.
6. Lack of Transparent Consultation
Residents were not meaningfully consulted on key elements of the proposal. Several important documents such as the daylight/sunlight assessment for existing residents and detailed traffic or security plans were not shared during the consultation period.
This raises serious concerns about the transparency and fairness of the process, especially considering the significant impact this proposal will have on existing residents' lives.
7. Impact on Mental Wellbeing and Quality of Life
The combined effect of reduced daylight, increased noise, loss of privacy, and general overdevelopment will severely affect the mental wellbeing and quality of life of residents in Einstein House. These concerns should be taken seriously in line with Brent Council's Local Plan objectives and commitment to high-quality, healthy living environments.
Objections raised here fall in line with Brent's Local plan policies, London Plan policy and BRE daylight and sunlight guidelines.
For the reasons set out above, I respectfully urge Brent Council to refuse this application in its current form, or at the very least, require significant redesign and another consultation to mitigate its serious impacts on existing residents.
Einstein House Residents
9 comments:
The garages look more developer-led 'sites' than neighbourhood amenities, very much the way South Kilburn garages look in regeneration year 24. Note the strategic use of fly tipping. Need to get a future maintenance plan for the re-invested in green space, or that too will be developer-led/ meanwhile 'site' a few years down the line. Mine the gaps!
Anyone know who 'Krinkel working in partnership with Brent' are?
Krinkel (under another name) took over estate grounds maintenance from Veolia. Encountering some criticism for 'chainsaw massacre' of shrubs and very rough grass cutting.
Removing anything to do with cars for the sake of active travel 🙄
Didn’t they knock down the old estate as it was overdeveloped? The replacement for the garages look nice though
This application will be passed by Brent's planning committee, half of them go openly by the motto of Build Baby Build.
Removing anything to do with cars is for the sake of building new flats. Pretty obvious that these will be car-free flats, as that land space previously required for cars is to be C21 developer mined.
Same with the developer mining of green spaces and welfare state infrastructure of estates/ zones. Wrong type of people to include in welfare state forward planning, so Build Baby Build. Easy to literally build/develop the welfare state, the civic, the human, the life support infrastructure entirely out of the zones. No space theory.
Just think of the fun and judgements that cradle to grave state supported conservation areas will be able to have regarding these precarity building zones of mega population density only.
Reform Plus Plus Plus is the clear direction of travel.
Permanent development. Even the smallest scale estates are 'sites' of developer-led un-care.
And of course one of the planning committee, a prominent one at that, is a Professional Lobbyist and pushes and writes blogs for changes to planning policy by lavishly wining and dining Labour MPs. It's all on the Internet.
MINE THE GAPS, this is a new Brent permanent development.
Watch as the renewed but size reduced green space is neglected/ Krinkeled and its playground removed for another build. Towers.....
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