Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods, representing the users of South Kilburn's Granville and Carlton Centres are unable to attend tonight's Cabinet meeting which will consider the Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document. They have submitted the following comments for consideration by the Cabinet and a request that the Cabinet delay acceptance of the plan to enable the community to review what should be their plan.
The South Kilburn Masterplan Supplementary Planning
Document (SPD) is over 180 pages long over 3 sections. The people from South
Kilburn were given 6 weeks to comment on this document which lays out the plans
for their homes, parks, health, education, small businesses, and community
services in the area for the next 10 -15 years. Each site is given 2 A4 pages
in the document. The first half of the page gives the details about where the
property is with the second half of the same page incorporating a short paragraph
about each of these three issues: ‘Description’, ‘Justification’ and ‘Design
Principles’. The second page gives a vague shadow drawing of a huge block or
blocks in the place of the current buildings.
1. Firstly this is not an adequate amount
of time or information for the community to read, understand , digest and
examine the implications of such a massive plan. This can be seen by the small
number of community responses to the SPD. Surely changes of this magnitude
cannot be accepted on the basis of numbers of responses in double figures
when there are over 8000 people living in the area?
2. Secondly, all the buildings in the chapter called ‘Site Specific Principles’ are to be replaced with new buildings. Much of the plans arguments for this demolition are simplistic and debatable such as there is a lack of clarity about what is the front or the back of the property” (Crane and Zangwill) or the property “is currently in a prominent gateway position and the current development does not capitalise on this” (William Dunbar and William Saville Houses). This needs to be properly examined, each building on its own merit, before lives are disrupted for years and changed forever.
3. Thirdly, you are deciding on Monday 19 June 2017 that this SPD replaces the one was developed over some years WITH the South Kilburn Community and then voted on. How can a plan created by the Council and its consultants replace a plan voted on by residents? The 2005 SPD may need updating with changes to law occurring since the first was voted on but the scale and magnitude of the changes make this SPD beyond all recognition of the SK residents plan
Therefore I ask the Cabinet to please delay the acceptance
of this plan and help support the community to review THEIR 2005
Masterplan in a long term in-depth manner as befits a document of this size and importance and
with such huge ramification for the residents of South Kilburn.
Leslie Barson and Deirdre Woods representing the Users of Granville and Carlton
