SEC is a voluntary alliance of 26 residents' and community groups from Hanwell to Acton. SEC seeks good planning for Ealing Town Centre that will reestablish it as the focal point for Ealing borough's residents. Contact Us to help, for info, to make a donation.

Did you miss the Dickens Yard objections June 27th deadline? You can still write one. The Authority must still take account of you views, if it can, before making its decision in September. So keep writing to Steve Austin AND send a copy to your councillors. Send your objection to Steve Austin and your Councillors at HOW TO OBJECT.

Save Ealing's Centre (SEC) analysed the plans in depth and came to the conclusion this development for 7 high rise towers with 698 flats and 1500+ new residents is wrong for Ealing.  Read SEC's Objection Letter.

We all must lobby our councillors to insist Ealing Council puts together an overarching integrated development plan, that combines residential, retail, transport, infrastructure and community facilities for Ealing Town Centre. This will attract the right type of developer for our prime sites and ensure that the developments, as a whole, will provide the right mix of facilities that will make Ealing the centre of the community once again.

Introduction  

Dickens Yard is the largely poorly maintained car park situated behind Ealing Town Hall and the shops on the north side of New Broadway. The 4.4 acre site is bounded to the north by the railway lines, to the west by Longfield Avenue and to the east by Christ the Saviour Church and Christ Church Junior School. The land is owned by Ealing Council.

In April 2008, developers St George submitted a Planning Application for a predominantly residential development in Dickens Yard. The red silhouette below illustrates the effect.

Dickens Yard Proposal is the The Wrong Solution

SEC is opposed to this development, for 7 high rise towers accommodating 698 flats and 1500+ new residents, and is leading a campaign to stop the Planning Application being accepted by the Council’s Planning Committee. SEC’s main objection to the Dickens Yard proposal is that it is simply OVERDEVELOPMENT.  These proposals are similar to those submitted in 2007 by Glenkerrin for its 'Leaf' / Arcadia site.

SEC has carefully studied the Dickens Yard plans, compared them with the Council's 2004 Site Brief for Dickens Yard, assessed the facts and concluded that this development is NOT GOOD FOR EALING. Please read our Access & Traffic, Residential, Scale & Architecture, Retail, Arts & Culture, Sustainability and Socio-Economic analyses by selecting the topics from the menu on the left.

On 5th June, English Heritage submitted a letter in response to the St. George Dickens Yard Planning Application, to Ealing Planning and stated '...that the application should be recommended for refusal.' . 

If this application is approved it will set a dangerous precedent for 'bigness' in the centre of our town. This will no doubt lead to the building of lots more buildings which according to English Heritage exhibit 'incongruous scale, composition, silhouette and proportion'. 

In July 2008, the Government's advisor CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) joined English Heritage in finding fault with the St George proposals. CABE has informed the Council that they are not supportive of the current planning application from St George as they do not consider that the proposals gave the ‘quality of living environment’ now expected of such developments.  The full text of the letter will be publicly available online at CABE’s web site shortly. 


Interestingly, The Times 8th July issue had an article headlined ‘Good design builds safer societies’. This was an interview with Richard Simmons, Chief Executive CABE where he says that "better design is the answer to almost all our social problems - or at least, a significant part of it."  Read the full article, called Designs for a Better Future, at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/public_sector/article4282824.ece

 

HELP US and download our flyer, window poster and newsletter and send them to  friends. Download Flyer  Download Window Poster