On 16 January 2018, Ealing Council Cabinet approved the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum (WECNF) Neighbourhood Plan. WECNF, a Government designated body of volunteers, began working on the plan as an interim body in May 2012 and continued as a designated body as from March 2013.
On 3 May 2018, at the same time as and in the same Polling Stations as the Ealing Councillor Elections, two referenda will take place on the plan. One is for local businesses and the other is for local residents. Ealing Council has yet to announce the boundary of the referendum area. If over 50% of those who vote in both referenda vote ‘Yes’ then the Neighbourhood Plan will be adopted by Ealing Council as the statutory planning guidance for the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Area. As such it would join the Ealing Council Local Plan, The London Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework as the set of planning guides for property developers to follow in central West Ealing.
Eric Leach
Chair, WECNF
www.wecnf.org
My heart sinks to think that bundled in with this plan is the removal and destruction of the historic, ornate iron railing fence around Dean Gardens, which has been an attractive feature of West Ealing for more than 100 years. Too much of our local history is being taken away by developers and now local people – many of whom have campaigned to protect local heritage assets in the past – have a plan to do the same. Are you willing to let these heritage railings just be taken away, scrapped, sold or given to “mates” of those removing them? What is the “plan” for them should they be removed? They survived two world wars, as well as council plans in the 1980s to remove them. How ironic and shameful it would be if the character of Dean Gardens was changed forever by actions of those one would normally expect to protect it. We already have a bland enough local environment thanks to “designing” out opportunities for crime.