Drama at Brent Planning Committee as decisions overturned within minutes and allegations of intimidation fly. Kingsbury High MUGA approved,

The recording of Thursday's very unusual Planning Committee appears to have been delayed.

 

Brent Council website today

 

This is unusual but the meeting was extremely unusual. Three decisions were made on the Wembley Hospital, Chaplin Road: FOR, AGAINST, DEFER and serious allegations made about intimidation of residents by the applicant for Thanet Lodge.

One the recording is available I will cover fully but meanwhile the story can be told in my Tweets.

 

Proposed development on Wembley Hospital site

 

DEMOLITION OF WEMBLEY HOSPITAL AND REPLACEMENT BY HOUSING 

 

 Recorded Decision:

RESOLVED to defer the decision for the following reason(s): ·       As the majority of Members on the Committee had indicated that they were minded to refuse the application, it was agreed to defer a final decision to a future Committee meeting in order to enable a further report to be provided addressing the indicative reasons outlined as the basis for refusal, including: i)               insufficient provision of affordable housing; ii)              insufficient parking provision on site and impact of congestion on surrounding streets; iii)            lack of community space; iv)            lack of on-site play space for older children; v)             insufficient provision of family sized housing; vi)            harm to neighbouring amenity including loss of daylight; and vii)           impact on non-designated heritage asset and character to the streetscene.   Voting on the above decision was unanimous and accordingly, the application was deferred to allow for further assessment and consideration of the matters identified by the Committee.

 

THANET LODGE GARAGES, BRONDESBURY

Recorded Decision

 

Decision:

RESOLVED to defer the decision for the following reason(s):

 

·       To allow the ownership certificates relating to the application to be evaluated prior to determination and to clarify whether the scheme would fall within the definition of self-build.

 

 

A positive aspect of the meeting was the incisive questions posed by Cllr Suzanne Gallagher and Cllr Anton Georgiou who had clearly done their homework and showed they would not be fobbed off. This makes a refreshing change. Cllr Gallagher's contribution regarding the applicant's claim that the Thanet Lodge application was self-build was particularly effective.

 

Oh, and despite polite representations made by two Roe Green Village residents, the application by Kingsbury High School for a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) in the school grounds was finally approved. Changes in where the MUGA was situated, a curtailment of the use of lighting, and assurances about the ecological status of the materials used for the MUGA were the background to the decision.