Earlier in the year Merton Council’s planning committee rejected proposals to build 456 new homes at 265 Burlington Road thanks to over 400 local residents writing in to object.
Along with Conservative councillors, I wrote to the Committee to express my view that this application was inappropriate for the site and the local area and would overwhelm public services nearby.
The developers, Redrow, are now appealing this rejection to the National Planning Inspectorate.
Representations can be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by entering the case reference 3250440 here: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk
The appeal will be determined by the inspectorate holding a public inquiry, and arrangements for this are being finalised.
This process is separate to the current planning application for the office block at 265 Burlington Road, and it is difficult to see how the two applications fit together: https://www.stephenhammond.net/news/planning-application-20p1253-office-block-265-burlington-road
I have included my three letters to Merton Council’s Planning Committee during the consultation below.
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Good morning,
I am unable to speak at the Planning Applications Committee on Thursday 13 February, so I would be grateful if this email could be provided to the members of the Committee.
I am extremely surprised and disappointed that Merton Council’s officers have recommended that the Planning Committee approves the application for the development of the Tesco site on Burlington Road.
I hope that members carefully consider the that there were 492 individual objections, which is an extremely high level for a planning application. As well as those individual objections, there were objections from myself, local councillors, Sacred Heart school, Residents Associations, the Design Review Panel, and the Children, Schools and Families Department.
I hope the Committee rejects this serious over-development which is wholly inappropriate for the local area.
My two letters of objection during the consultation period are below.
With best wishes,
Stephen Hammond MP
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20th August 2019
I am writing to oppose planning application 19/P2387 which would see 456 new homes built at 265 Burlington Road.
This application is inappropriate for the site and the local area and would overwhelm public services nearby.
With over 80% of these new homes being of two or three bedrooms, it is clear to see how this of new homes, without any corresponding increase in the number of school places and resources at GP and dentist surgeries, is detrimental to the local area and those living in it.
Furthermore, I am concerned about the impact this development will have on local traffic flows. The development proposes 220 car parking spaces, which will presumably add a minimum of 220 additional cars to the already congested roads in the area. The effect of the level crossing on West Barnes Lane must also be considered, with the existing traffic backlogs and the resulting air pollution from cars idling, only going to worsen.
Finally, I would like to draw attention to the height of the development. The buildings are proposed to range up to 15 stories in height, 11 stories higher than the current highest buildings in the area. This is both further evidence of how the development is inappropriate for the local area and leads to concerns of overlooking and loss of light and privacy.
For these reasons I believe the application should be rejected.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Hammond MP
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16th December 2019
I am writing to oppose the revised planning application for 456 new homes to be built at 265 Burlington Road.
This application is still inappropriate for the site and the local area and would overwhelm public services nearby. The revised application merely changes the height of the buildings and does nothing to address this point.
With over 80% of these new homes being of two or three bedrooms, it is clear to see how this of new homes, without any corresponding increase in the number of school places and resources at GP and dentist surgeries, is detrimental to the local area and those living in it.
Furthermore, I am concerned about the impact this development will have on local traffic flows. The development proposes 220 car parking spaces, which will presumably add a minimum of 220 additional cars to the already congested roads in the area. The effect of the level crossing on West Barnes Lane must also be considered, with the existing traffic backlogs and the resulting air pollution from cars idling, only going to worsen.
Finally, the end of the consultation period for this development is 01/01/2020, with residents being made aware of the revised application last week. This is an important development, and only allowing representations over the Christmas period is not acceptable and will lead to fewer responses. I would urge you to extend the deadline for submissions.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Hammond MP