The Dame is rather jealous of Mr Conrad's piece in the http://www.kctimes.co.uk/
He has written an excellent piece on the proposed destruction of this vibrant piece of Victorian architecture.
When it comes to Conservation this Conservative council fails on every count,
Cllr Coleridge will be linked with that awful vandal, the late and very sinister, Nicholas Freeman, as a destroyer of our heritage.
It was Freeman who ordered the illegal destruction of the old Town Hall.....a dreadful little fellow.
What a precise and excellent article by the Times journalist Oscar Conrad. He captures exactly how the Planning people of Kensington and Chelsea are presiding over the destruction of the history and culture of the Royal Borough. The reptiles Coleridge, Stallwood and Warwick have created a Borough wide building site that is replacing a functioning society with luxuryy buy to leave properties for rich foreigners spending crooked money. Even the Prime Minister has spoken out against the scandal.
ReplyDeleteSo far there are no photos of brown envelopes changing hands. But "poverty stricken councillors" with offshore trusts, multiple bank accounts, and sundry properties in and outside the Borough have been discovered by investigators.
DeleteStandards Committee member Cllr Coleridge famously said that these arrangements are "quite normal".
That "consultation expert", Cabinet Member Cllr Weale, was forthright during the Holland Park School consultation.
Delete"We agreed to listen but not to hear"
Quite so.
Paget-Brown should be ashamed of himself. He is setting the tone for Hornton Street and has allowed a culture to persist that is totally divorced from the attitudes and wishes of the residents that he is supposed to represent.
DeleteA nice man. But the wrong man for the times.
Thank goodness for writers like Conrad. They have the ability to sum up a situation, publish, and allow others to marshal their thoughts and actions. This is a situation that requires and a very loud noise and very determined action. The planning system is about as bent as one can imagine and in the pockets of crooked developers. It is not just Marlborough School - there is a list as long as your arm of suspect developments forced through the Planning Committee by Councillors and Officers against massive opposition from residents and the Kensington Society
ReplyDeleteLets hope that one of the Councillors finds his or her voice at the debate and makes a name for themselves in leading the charge and getting this shameful decision thrown out.
ReplyDeleteWhat an opportunity for fame!
Its a damp and windy old building that leaks. Torch it.
ReplyDeleteLet's first torch you...you sound wet and full of wind
DeleteCllr Palmer?
DeleteWho are the Ward Councillors for this development? What public position have they taken?
ReplyDeleteThe Planning Department in Hornton Street, and the Councillor filled Planning Committee is a thoroughly corrupt and bankrupt organisation.
ReplyDeleteThere is a gross abuse of process to "fix" decisions in the favour of developers. Officers consult in private with developers (pre application process) and residents and the Kensington Society are excluded. Officers recommend what to do to the Chairman of the Planning Committee (reptile Warrick) who holds a pre meeting of Conservative councillors and instructs them how to vote before Planning Meetings. Objectors are given three minutes at Planning Meetings to make their arguments but the decision is already made. "Consultation" is a joke to give the impression of participation.
It is a process made in heaven for bribery.
The Planning Department is overstaffed and stuffed with job creation programmes. Currently, there are half a dozen massive exercises underway (eg Chelsea Conservation Are Appraisal, Cornwall Gardens Conservation Area Appraisal, De Vere Gdns Conservation Area Appraisal etc) with thousands of pages of worthless words about guidelines for planning. But when it comes to decisions, none of this means a single thing. What is the point? It is all about Officers and Councillors playing with residents while playing their private games with developers.
Time for useless Paget-Brown to wake up. The Council should be trying to preserve what it has taken hundreds of years to build up. The Royal Borough is not Dubai.
The campaigners to save Marlborough School have a battle on their hands. This is not a fight for girls.
ReplyDeleteThey need to muster their arguments and get the press behind them. They need seasoned campaigners to lead the charge. Names that come to mind are Dr Gordon Taylor (Ban the Congestion Charge in West London) and Dr James Thomson (Save Sloane Square).
This is all too late.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The prats are pissing in the wind and shovelling shit.
DeleteDon't be crass and vulgar....you sound sooo thick.
DeleteIf you want to use the Dame's great site make yourself at least sound intelligent and interesting. That comment makes you sound dumb
How amusing that the campaign believes that a petition of 1,500 signatories will make any difference. Our arrogantly ignorant council managed to disregard a petition of 11,000 signatories on behalf of the Sutton Estate.
ReplyDeleteDespite their protestations they always seem to find in favour of their friends in development against the interest of local hard working families.
The Suttons must hang onto their petition and hand it in when the dreaded planning application appears.
DeleteOf course the Planning Officers and Planning Councillors find in favour of the developers. £s speak louder than words.
DeleteFunny isn't it that the Chelsea Society did not oppose this vandalism? Could it possibly be because their Chairman is the legal adviser for developers? When both the planning department and the "amenity" society won't protect the built environment, we are in a bad place. More vandalism to come with Crossrail - oh surprise surprise RBKC and the Chelsea Society support it.
Delete