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The proposed development
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Brethren
On the morning of Saturday 19th
December 2020, a team of volunteers arrived at the Pavilion site, 265 The
Ridgeway, adjacent to West Harrow Allotments with chainsaws and chopped down
the trees and foliage in the green corridor running North of the site boundary. The group of volunteers behind this were
Harrow Gospel Hall Trust, otherwise known as the Brethren, part of the Plymouth
Brethren Christian Church. LINK
Whilst their website states that their values
are “caring and respectful of others and we recognise the rights of all
humanity within society”, the Brethren volunteers ignored requests from both Adam
Swersky, West Harrow Councillor and Dave Corby, Community Engagement manager at
Harrow Council, to stop. Adam Swersky
has tweeted since that it’s the “Worst thing I’ve seen in 6 years as a cllr.” The tweet includes video of the destruction in progress. LINK
Indeed, the Brethren have shown contempt for the Council by removing the tree belt against their wishes.
The Covenant
The swift decimation of this
tree belt green corridor by the Brethren on Saturday can perhaps be seen in
response to a request from Harrow Council to carry out a second Ecological
report of the biodiversity found here. The
Brethren have instead damaged the wildlife potential of the Green Corridor and
of the Pavilion site, hoping to push through their major planning application to
build a seven-storey tower block, including 178 residential units on this site.
The land was originally sold to the Brethren over
twenty years ago for limited use as a place of worship, under the terms of a
covenant made with Harrow Council. The issue
of the covenant was discussed at a Harrow Council meeting in the summer, where Harrow
Council leader Cllr Graham Henson stated “it would not, at this stage, enforce
a covenant at the site in The Ridgeway, West Harrow, that only permits
non-residential use.” LINK
Both the Brethren and Harrow Council appear
to not be honouring the original covenant agreement, with the Brethren looking
to sell the land to property developers for huge financial gain, part of the
265 The Ridgeway development: LINK .
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Birds eye view of the site and its trees
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The
Tree Belt and Tree Protection Orders (TPOs)
This
is wanton destruction of part of an extensive wildlife corridor, one that links
the green spaces of West Harrow allotments to the West Harrow Recreation
Ground. It will also affect the wider Green Corridor that extends
from Rayners Lane to West Harrow. The habitats here were a belt of
young trees including Sycamore, Oak, Ash and Elm. A Tree Protection
Order (TPO) had been requested by the West Harrow allotment holders on some of
these trees, believing they had landscape
value, contribute to the character of a conservation area and/or have
historical importance. Unfortunately, Harrow
Council’s TPO officer Rebecca Farrar visited the site independently in October
and found that the trees were not of TPO value, because the individual trees
did not constitute protection and that the tree belt was not visible from the
highway or other public open space. Campaigners
believe that the tree belt was TPO worthy because the allotments do include
public open space and are accessible to the public, as a result of the footpath
through it. For anyone walking through the allotment now, they will
notice the loss of privacy, countryside and shelter belt effect that was
afforded by the tree belt.
The tree belt had also hidden the Brethren’s prayer
hall, which is now fully exposed
The allotments are now exposed
Ecological Report
The Brethren had been
asked by Harrow Council to carry out a revised ecological report to their 2018
one (see here LINK ). This was seen as necessary as the 2018
information is now out of date, and as Simon Braidman from Harrow Nature
Conservation Forum has stated, the initial report was inadequate as it failed
to identify any SINC (Site of Nature Conservation Importance) land was part of
the Pavilion site. Whilst the SINC land,
located to the West of the Pavilion site, was not destroyed on Saturday, the
action carried by the Brethren provides no confidence in them preserving such an
important and legally protected area of biodiversity.
The
Wildlife and Biodiversity
A
diverse range of native species have been found in this area, including seven
different species of bat, which have been recorded in the
vicinity. Other wildlife recorded foraging, nesting, breeding and
travelling through this corridor, include:
- Badgers
(a set had been previously, illegally blocked
- Song
Thrush (red listed) were recorded from the trees destroyed
- Tawny
Owl and Bullfinch recorded from the SINC land to the West of the
site
- Slow
Worm from both the allotment site and the SINC land on West Harrow
Recreation Ground to the South of
the Pavilion site
- Green
woodpeckers, Starlings and House Sparrows
If
this building goes ahead it will be an ecological disaster for the area and the
neighbouring park. The threats to wildlife and habitat include:
- Increased
light levels and lighting in public access from the resultant development
to West Harrow Tube Station. Two bat species: Brown-Long Eared Bat and
Daubenton’s Bat will be detrimentally affected in terms of foraging and
transit from roost to feeding grounds – they will not cross brightly lit
spaces and in the case of Brown Long-eared Bat, will not cross areas where
there is no continuous or nearly continuous vegetation
- Any
increased lighting will cause insect distribution disturbance from natural
patterns. Bright reflective metal will mimic water under artificial light
and insect with aquatic life stages will lay their eggs on the metal,
thinking it is water.
- The
high-density development will cast shade onto the gardens of the town
houses and intruder lighting will disturb circadian patterns of
amphibians. The increase in domestic animals will mean an
increase in predation of birds, reptiles and small mammals.
- There is
a threat of tree thinning directly to trees in the SINC land, reducing
habitat for birds to forage and nest
- There
will be a high possibility of increased flooding to the allotment plots.
The area is a flood plain and the allotments already
flood. Hard surface standing especially the town houses could
increase flooding and make plots untenable.
- Most of
all the threat is to the landscape and how the local people view the
area. Anyone visiting the allotment will be aware of how
beautiful and well set it is, providing great views to Harrow on the Hill
and a place for people to relax, away from the pressures of the town.
Campaign against the development
West Harrow residents, West
Harrow Allotment and Garden Association, Harrow in Leaf and Harrow Beekeepers
have been campaigning against the proposed Ridgeway development since 2019,
launching a Change.org petition, which has garnered nearly 3000 signatures: LINK . The local campaigners have been calling on
Harrow Council’s Planning Group to reject the planning application submitted in
April 2020 (view here: LINK ) ,
citing that the tower block is not in keeping with the local area, will have a
detrimental impact on the local neighbourhood, park and allotments and also impact
local infrastructure. Whilst a decision
by the Council’s Planning Group has been delayed until early 2021, Harrow
Council have not seemingly been supportive of local campaigners. Indeed, when Harrow Council were asked for comment
after the act of wildlife vandalism on Saturday, their response was that
Brethren were in their legal right: “Officers have looked into this matter and
it is not considered that the developer has conducted any illegal or authorised
activity.…Provided no harm is caused either directly or indirectly to protected
sites, species or habitats nor works that would otherwise require a license or
consent from the relevant authority undertaken without approval, a landowner is
within their right to conduct such operations on their land as they choose,
with the proviso that this does not amount to a change of use in planning terms
nor cause nuisance to others.”
I am calling on Harrow Council to do the right
thing and reject this short-sighted and hugely detrimental development in West
Harrow. It is completely out-of-keeping
with the rest of the low-level area and will have a negative impact on local wildlife,
surrounding green spaces, local residents, as well as the roads and local
infrastructure. Harrow Council must do
all it can to preserve green spaces in borough, in line with its Climate Change
Strategy, which states: “We will ensure that our natural environment is
protected from and helps to protect us, from the adverse effects of climate
change. We take care to preserve our
community’s many green spaces and trees, and to protect its biodiversity.”
Harrow Council must stand by their words. LINK
Please contact the local MP Gareth Thomas or the
West Harrow councillors to express your concern about what is happening and request
the rejection of the 285 The Ridgeway planning application:
Gareth Thomas gareth.thomas.mp@parliament.uk
West Harrow Councillor Kairul Kareema Marikar kairul.marikar@harrow.gov.uk
West Harrow Councillor Christine Robson christine.robson@harrow.gov.uk
West Harrow Councillor Adam Swersky adam.swersky@harrow.gov.uk
Related articles:
https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/18043607.protestors-proposed-195-homes-harrow/
https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/18590072.harrow-council-responds-ridgeway-covenant-concerns/
https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/18584406.west-harrow-residents-oppose-ridgeway-housing-plans/
