Working together to make West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors.
Tuesday 4th December 16:00 – 19:00, Telfa Room Ealing Town Hall
Drop in session to talk about construction progress and upgrade works at Crossrail stations across Ealing.
“Opportunity to talk to some of the team responsible for the work on your new stations and hear about our planned Christmas works”
Ealing group’s arts centre bid
Campaign group CEPAC has made a bid for a performance arts centre to be set up in Ealing’s Victoria Hall, which is covered by a charitable trust.
CEPAC’s proposal was lodged with the Council last week, to meet the deadline for bids for Ealing Town Hall under the Assets of Community Value rules. These rules have so far delayed the Council from agreeing a deal to sell the whole building to Mastcraft, a ‘boutique’ hotel developer.
The Council must now consider all the options for the future of the Hall and its related areas. It also has still to get permission from the Charity Commission if it wants to sell any of the Trust property.
The Council’s own figures show that the Trust’s Halls have been producing a profit, which is meant to be retained for charitable purposes. Chair of CEPAC John Hummerston said: “Studies by our professional consultants show that a properly run arts centre could generate an income at least 50% higher than the Council has managed to achieve, while meeting a long-felt need in the local community.”
Work will need to be done on the Grade II listed Hall to put it into a better state and make it fit for a stand-alone arts centre. “A new set of trustees should be appointed without delay”, says John. “An independent charity would have access to funds that are not available to the Council, and we know the public will be eager to back a separate Trust as an alternative to the present council-run committee.”
Binfield Property Investment Trust’s Planning Application for Chignell Place, a short cul-de-sac off Broadway in West Ealing centre, proposes 63 flats rising to eight storeys. 59 of these flats are one bedroom flats and many of them look to have a Gross Internal Area (GIA) of about 24sq m. Both the new Draft London Plan and The Mayor of London’s 2010 Interim London Housing Design Guide specifies a GIA (minimum space standard) for a one person dwelling of 37 sq m. For a bedroom alone the Guide specifies a GIA of 6.2 sq m and for ‘adequate bed space’ 8 sq m GIA.
The flats will be available to rent.
No flats for the disabled are planned and only four of the flats will accommodate a wheelchair. There are no public or disabled car parking space and no able-bodied car parking places.
There is a ’Laundry’ on each floor, with a GIA of 3 sq m. Presumably this would house one washing machine for 10 -12 flats. There are bike stores on each floor but only one small, all purpose lift. A small café is also on the plan.
The plans are perhaps suitable for a student hall of residence, but the Planning Application is not couched in this way. One does wonder whether this 24 sq m living space will become a West Ealing centre standard should this application receive Ealing Council approval
Attached is a section of one of the plans – this shows Apartments 46, 47 48, 49, 50 and 51 on the fifth floor.
It’s quite hard to get a good sense of how the site will look once complete but the image directly above clearly shows the actual area to be developed and the one at the top of this article and below gives some idea of how it will look from the Uxbridge Road.
The Planning Application reference is 184490FUL and the Planning Application website is here. The deadline for comments is 30 November 2018.
Eric Leach
Vice Chair
West Ealing Neighbours
It sounds a bit trivial but i do think little improvements can make a difference and I think these new litter bins in Melbourne Ave are a great improvement on the previous ones.
Melbourne Ave was re-designed a few years ago and had new paving, trees, planters and bins. I have to say I think the whole project was design before function and the bins were exactly that. They always looked a mess so I hope these new ones will prove more successful. After all, Melbourne Ave is the nearest we have to a town centre and it deserves to look decent. That’s why WEN took on the maintenance of the planters and will look after the raised flower bed across the road once the plants are in.
Thanks to the Feeling Ealing website for spotting this story. As part of TfL’s cost savings the 207 and 607 buses will terminate at Shepherd’s Bush and not Westfield as from April 2019. They used to terminate at Shepherd’s Bush before Westfield was built with the final stop a couple of hundred metres short of Westfield. As the Feeling Ealing site says, it’s not a huge change but it’s inconvenient for people with mobility problems and parents with young children.
A couple of days ago I saw the sign in the window at Bensons for Beds that it will close down on 16th September. Then I was told that Star Burger (Burger King as was) looks shut, temporarily or permanently is hard to tell. Followed by the recently-opened Foodies store which also looks closed. On top of these, Express Print has moved to Harrow. That makes four shops closing in the last month and all are in the stretch of the high street going west past Melbourne Ave.
It’s obvious that the footfall drops off drastically once you get past Melbourne Ave. Admittedly, not every shop relies on footfall. A good example, is Juniper which sells school uniforms. This is a destination shop to which people will travel because such specialist shops are few and far between. Nevertheless, for most shops, getting enough passing trade is going to be a vital part of survival.
It makes me wonder whether the Council should no longer insist that when a high street site falls empty or is redeveloped it must include ground floor retail space. What is the point when there are empty shops nearby? Wouldn’t it make more sense to allow housing on the ground floor? I think that may be what will happen when the site of the Community Shop, also in this same stretch of the high street, is eventually redeveloped.
High streets are all under pressure from our changing shopping habits. Every year the percentage of shopping done online goes up and we have less need for the high street shops. Sure, we can’t get our hair cut online, our nails manicured or our teeth filled but almost everything else we can easily buy online.
One of the most interesting people writing, not to say warning, about the future of our high streets is Bill Grimsey,one time head of Wickes and Iceland. He said recently:’
“Forget retail for town centres, they need to become community hubs based on health, education, entertainment, leisure and arts and crafts.”
Mr Grimsey’s report says that facilities such as libraries and digital and health hubs should be part of the offering to bring back people to town centres, together with housing and some independent shops.” The BBC article is worth a read. It may all be a coincidence that these shops are all in the stretch where the footfall drops off considerably but well worth thinking about what we want the future high street to look like.
Mastcraft – which is looking to take over the Town Hall and turn it into a “Boutique Hotel” with the loss of The VIctoria Hall from much public access, has announced that there is to be a public consultation on its plans from Thursday 21st June to Saturday 23rd June in the Walpole Room in the Town Hall. It is expected that their plans will be based on this scheme which, if they were to proceed, would involve the demolition of property that is in the Victoria Hall trusts ownership.
The consultation is open on
Thursday 21st June 09:30 – 12:30
Friday 22nd June 14:30 – 17:30
Saturday 23rd June 10:30 – 15:00
There is more information about these plans on Save Ealing’s Centre website.
After a long delay A2Dominion have submitted their planning application for the old art-deco fronted Woolworth’s site in West Ealing. It’s likely to prove a controversial application given the many hundreds of people who signed West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum’s petition to save the art-deco facade. (You can still sign this petition here.) The application sees the site demolished so the facade will go if the application is approved by the Council.
The application is for 120 flats and just under 1,000 sq metres of retail space on the ground floor. The block will be up to 11 storeys at the front along the Uxbridge Rd and up to 15 storeys at the back on Singapore Rd. From looking at the drawings this makes it taller both front and back than any of the existing nearby buildings.
The application can be found here. The closing date for comments is 8th June.
If you would like to object to this application we have produced quite a detailed set of six points for you to consider. Also, at the bottom you will find a template letter with short summaries of these six points which you can use and amend as you wish.
Reasons for objecting to A2Dominion’s plans for 96-102 Broadway, West Ealing
1.Planning policy issues
Falls short of Ealing Council’s target of 50% affordable housing
Ealing Council in its Housing and Homeless Strategy 2014-19 has as one of its key outcomes to ‘Ensure 50%of new homes are affordable housing’. Plans for this site are for a total of 35% affordable housing and not 50%. This proposal includes 35% affordable housing split between 62% affordable rented and 38% intermediate housing. With the full 50% affordable housing the site should have the following:
42 social housing units against the proposed 26
18 intermediate housing units against the proposed 16
So, the plans fall short on both counts.
Exceeds London Plan density matrix
The Design and Access Statement submitted with the proposal states that in accordance with Policy 3.2 of the London Plan (2016) and Policy 3.4 of the Ealing Development Management DPD (2013) this site is classified as ‘Central’ due to its location in a Metropolitan Town Centre. The density range guidance for this site is therefore 215-405 units per hectare and 350-1100 habitable rooms per hectare.
This site is approximately 0.20 of a hectare. The proposal is to build 120 units. This gives a density of 100/20 x 120 which comes to 600 units per hectare, almost 50% higher than the maximum density specified in the London Plan.
Whilst the Council and/or developers may argue that the London Plan is only for guidance it does clearly state ‘development proposals which compromise (the matrix) should be resisted.’ We believe the Council should resist this proposal as its density clearly compromises the standards laid down in the London Plan.
2.Height
With up to 11 storeys at the front on The Broadway and up to 15-storeys at the back along Singapore Road this planned building is significantly higher than any around it. Whilst the architects have made some design and height alterations following last year’s public consultation the proposed building still dominates the skyline. It remains out-of-keeping with the size and height of the new buildings that have established the current standards along this stretch of the Broadway – Pershore House, Rosemoor House, Hyde House and the Holiday Inn Express hotel.
3.Cumulative impact of high rise blocks on Singapore Road
Commenting on the previous Green Man Lane Estate proposal, the then Mayor and Deputy Mayor expressed serious concerns about the scale and massing of the proposed buildings along Singapore Road. Particular concerns, as listed within the report (ref: PDU/2553a/01) included the size and overbearing scale of the elevations facing Singapore Road, the articulation of the building through the massing, and the scale of the building when viewed from Broadway, along with the buildings’ visual relationship with the town centre.
Adding an even higher building of 15-storeys on Singapore Road simply further increases these concerns and the impact on the many hundreds of residents already living and soon-to-be-living along this road.
4.Design
The design is out of context with the existing and planned buildings on either side. The initial design has been amended following last year’s public consultation. This current design is claimed to be a modern interpretation of the building’s original art-deco façade. The art-deco style of building is a significant visual feature of this end of the West Ealing Broadway with the two Catalyst Housing Assn owned buildings either side of St James Avenue and 154A The Broadway (above the Juniper shop) which had to keep its art-deco style when the Council gave permission for an additional floor to be added. The design for this new building lacks the subtlety of the next door building Rosemoor House which has incorporated an art-deco style frontage on The Broadway in a much more muted and less brash style.
The proposed balconies on the Broadway side are very unlikely to be used by residents for sitting out on given the high level of air pollution along this very busy road. From past experience the balconies will be used for storage and hanging out washing. This will make the frontage look a mess as has happened with the Rosemoor House next door.
5.Loss of art-deco facade
The proposed demolition of the existing building will mean the loss of the iconic art-deco façade. This façade is almost certainly the most recognisable feature of the West Ealing high street.
In 2013 at a public meeting of the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum local stakeholders voted to preserve this 1926 icon. Over 1,000 have signed a petition to preserve the façade. You can add your signature at:
www.wecnf.org/save-our-heritage-petition/
6.Social impact
The cumulative effect of all the recent and proposed housing developments along and close to the Broadway in West Ealing may raise significant social problems for the area. In the last few years this stretch of The Broadway backing on to Singapore Road has seen, or will see, an extraordinary number of high-rise housing developments – the Green Man Lane Estate, The Appleton (BHS site), Rosemoor House, Pershore House, and Hyde House, let alone the developments that may be proposed at the recently purchased Sainsbury’s site. This level of development raises the serious prospect of bringing with it serious cultural and social problems associated with this type of densely packed housing. West Ealing has long-suffered from serious anti-social behaviour, much of which centres on these new housing developments, and this and similar developments threaten to undo all the effort and hard work put in to tackling anti-social behaviour by the Council, police, housing associations,faith groups and residents’ groups.
Template letter for objections
Katie Crosbie
Planning Dept
Ealing Council
Perceval House
14-16 Uxbridge Road
Ealing W5 2HL
Date:
Dear Sir/Madam
96-102 The Broadway, West Ealing. Application Reference: 182180FUL
I wish to object to this application for the following reasons:
1.Falls short of Ealing Council’s target of 50% affordable housing
Ealing Council in its Housing and Homeless Strategy 2014-19 has as one of its key outcomes to ‘Ensure 50% of new homes are affordable housing’. Plans for this site are for a total of 35% affordable housing and not 50%.
2.Exceeds London Plan density matrix
The density range guidance for this site is 215-405 units per hectare and 350-1100 habitable rooms per hectare.
This site comes to 600 units per hectare, almost 50% higher than the maximum density specified in the London Plan.
3.Height
With up to 11 storeys at the front on The Broadway and up to 15-storeys at the back along Singapore Road this planned building is significantly higher than any around it. The proposed building will dominate the skyline opening the door for yet higher developments in the future. It remains out-of-keeping with the size and height of the new buildings that have established the current standards along this stretch of the Broadway – Pershore House, Rosemoor House, Hyde House and the Holiday Inn Express hotel.
4.Cumulative impact of high rise blocks on Singapore Road
Commenting on the previous Green Man Lane Estate proposal, the then Mayor and Deputy Mayor expressed serious concerns about the scale and massing of the proposed buildings along Singapore Road. Particular concerns included the size and overbearing scale of the elevations facing Singapore Road.
Adding an even higher building of 15-storeys on Singapore Road simply further increases these concerns and the impact on the many hundreds of residents already living and soon-to-be-living along this road.
5.Design
The design is out of context with the existing and planned buildings on either side. The art-deco style of building is a significant visual feature of this end of the West Ealing Broadway. The design for this new building lacks the subtlety of the next door building Rosemoor House which has incorporated an art-deco style frontage on The Broadway in a much more muted and less brash style.
6.Loss of art-deco facade
The proposed demolition of the existing building will mean the loss of the iconic art-deco façade. This façade is almost certainly the most recognisable architectural feature of the West Ealing high street.
7.Social impact
The cumulative effect of all the recent and proposed housing developments along and close to the Broadway in West Ealing may raise significant social problems for the area. In the last few years this stretch of The Broadway backing on to Singapore Road has seen, or will see, an extraordinary number of high-rise housing developments – the Green Man Lane Estate, The Appleton (BHS site), let alone the developments that may be proposed at the recently purchased Sainsbury’s site. This level of development raises the serious prospect of bringing with it serious social problems associated with this type of densely packed housing.
Yours faithfully
Notes from West Ealing Neighbours’ Annual General Meeting on Thursday 26th April 2018 at St John’s Church, Mattock Lane, West Ealing
Review of past activities
David Highton, chair, opened the meeting with a brief review of some of West Ealing Neighbours’ activities over the past couple of years:
Election of the committee
David Highton, Eric Leach, Diane Gill, Andrew Cazalet, Jane Humphreys were all willing to stand again for the committee and Laura Cross was willing to stand as a new committee member. These nominations were proposed and seconded and accepted by the meeting.
David noted that there were a number of other people interested in getting involved and we will follow up with them after the meeting
Difficulty of dealing with the Council over claiming benefits
Tony Eley talked briefly about his own experiences of how difficult it was to claim housing benefit now everything is done online. He asked the audience to raise this with candidates for the local election and what they could do to help improve this very difficult situation for many older people, non-English speakers and residents not able to access or use the internet.
Public Space Protection Order
Abbi Shaw, Safer Communities Officer gave some statistics about the impact of the PSPO:
As part of the analysis undertaken on the West Ealing PSPO, crime and ASB data from April – October 2017 was reviewed in comparison with the same period from the previous year (prior to the introduction of the PSPO).
The analysis showed that, compared to a borough wide reduction in overall crime of 5% during April-October 2017, crime in the PSPO wards is down 29%. Particularly striking for me are the significant reductions in criminal damage (45% compared to 9% borough wide) and drug offences (77% compared to 3% borough wide).
Reductions in ASB, violence and sex offences and public order are all significantly better than those across the borough too.
Wider analysis was also done around other emergency services data, which showed a 24% reduction in alcohol related calls to London Ambulance Service compared to the same period the previous year.
She then took questions covering problems about the PSPO displacing anti-social behaviour from West Ealing to Northfields, Hanwell and Ealing Broadway. As a result, the Council is working on a borough-wide PSPO with a consultation likely in December.
In reply to a question about the problem of reporting incidents on 101 she said changes were likely to be made to this service. But residents could contact her to report incidents and these would be logged and investigated.
West Ealing Business Inprovement District
Anna Elliott BID Manager explained about how the BID works in West Ealing. Busineses with over a£10,000 annual rateable value contribute 1.07% of the rateable value to the BID. There are some 400 levy payers. All the money raised is used to provide services and other benefits to local businesses such as a waste collection service, pest control services and a wide range of publicity and promotional activities such as the recent and successful children’s craft activities at Easter.
The BID’s first 5 year period ends next year so she is leading the campaign for the ballot in Novemebr when businesses will vote yes or no to renewing the BID for a further 5 years.
She explained a new BID initiative which is a map of the West Ealing shopping centre showing key businesses, cultural events and more on one side and a list of shops by category on the other.
West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood project
David Highton spoke briefly about this £8.6m TfL funded project. It has only just started and the most useful information is in the FAQs handout which everyone should have. The plan includes a redesign of Dean Gardens (as mentioned earlier) and a range of measures to improve the area along and both sides of the Uxbridge Rd. The improvements are aimed at making it more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists along with improving the air quality. WEN is on the stakeholder group which will meet regularly and help shape and guide the final plans.
Concerns were raised by a number of people about TfL not being car friendly and this could affect elderly and disabled people who need to use their cars to come to West Ealing. Also, concerns about wasteful ideas which may lead to unnecessary changes to pavements and Dean Gardens. Another question raised about ensuring pedestrians are properly considered in the plans.
One key role for West Ealing Neighbours is to give maximum publicity to this project and the plans so as many residents as possible know about them and are able to put forward their view and ideas.
West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum (WECNF)
Eric Leach, Chair of WECNF, talked through the group’s plans for West Ealing which will go to vote alongside the local election on 3rd May. If over 50% of both residents and businesses who vote are in favour then the plans will become part of the formal planning decision process. The plan can be seen at the local library and on their website www.wecnf.org
Using our surplus funds
David Highton explained that WEN has almost £7,000 in the bank. We don’t need to hold this amount so are there any ideas as to how some of it could be spent to benefit the local community? For example, WEN has spent about £3-400 on the improving the planters in Melbourne Ave. We could, for example, take on planting the flower beds that are due for inclusion in the Council’s redesign of the patch of grass by Sainsbury’s.
Two ideas were suggested: we could fund live music in St James Ave as part of making it a more inviting and attractive space and we could hold more public meetings as there are now only two ward forums a year.
The committee will consider these and any other suggestions and report back on its decisions.
Any Other Business
The meeting closed at 9pm and David thanked the committee for its work and support.
Tackling anti-social behaviour in West Ealing
Public meeting on Thursday 26th April 7.30-9pm in the lounge at St John’s Church in Mattock Lane
Come and join us to hear about some of the major projects happening in West Ealing:
Tackling anti-social behaviour
It’s just a year since the Public Space Protection Order came in to force in the centre of West Ealing. How effective has it been? Do you think it’s resulted in less anti-social behaviour or is it just the same as ever? Come and hear the Council’s Safer Communities Team report back on the PSPO’s first year.
Making West Ealing more attractive to shoppers
Do you shop in West Ealing? Anna Elliott the new chief executive of the West Ealing Business improvement District has some ambitions plans to make it a nicer place to shop. Hear what plans she has to attract more shoppers.
Liveable Neighbourhoods –transforming West Ealing
Ealing Council has won £8.6 million from TfL’s Liveable Neighbourhoods fund to improve West Ealing town centre and its surrounding streets to make conditions better for walking, cycling and public transport. It’s early days but come and find out a bit more about this major scheme.
Electing a new WEN management committee
We need people to join our management committee. It doesn’t have to take a lot of your time. If you’re interested do please email WEN chair David Highton to find out what’s involved – westealingneighbours@gmail.com
We will also report back on our activities in 2016 and 2017 along with an update on West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum’s plan covering central West Ealing which goes to a vote Thursday 3rd May.
Website: www.westealingneighbours.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/124290860921562/
Email: westealingneighbours@gmail.com