The Holiday Inn owners have withdrawn their appeal, so there will be no Planning enquiry. No reason was given. Maybe it was because there was a change of ownership in November of last year, or maybe it was because the residents had made a good case for the appeal to be dismissed. Either way, it is a result. The residents close by, have told the Dame they wish to express their thanks to all those who supported and assisted the opposition to this hideous development and in particular Friederike Maeda, Claudia Bronda, Michael Bach and Roy Burns as well as Councillors Marshall and Coates. Let us hope that they will get their garden square back and no further planning application is made. But if they make an unreasonable application, you can be sure that the residents will fight it, tooth and nail.
It is very encouraging to hear that residents believe that Cllr Marshall and Cllr Coates have added value in the collective effort to resist the absurd idea of a Casino in Cromwell Road.
ReplyDeleteThe Dame has been campaigning hard for councillors of the Royal Borough to become less self obsessed and do what they were elected to do. It is wonderful to hear that this may be starting to happen.
Congratulations Cllrs Marshall and Coates
Don't forget the Evening Standard whose writers gave the story good coverage and exposed the ideas to public scrutiny.
DeleteFrom the residents point of view there are far too many failures of the planning system in the Royal Borough. There are a number of reasons for this:
ReplyDelete(i) corrupt Officers
(ii) lazy councillors on the Planning Committee
(iii) a "developer friendly" Hornton Street
(iv) complacent residents
(v) determined property developers
All of this has been exposed by the Dame and the climate may be starting to change. The Kensington Society has for too long been a lone voice of opposition fighting for the rights of residents. Occasionally a councillor will stand up to be counted (eg Cabinet Member Cllr Ahern who campaigned for planning to become more "resident friendly"). And on rare occasions a councillor will go in to bat (eg Cllr Coates who successfully saw off a ridiculous basement development in Clareville Street that had been stitched up by Officers and the developer). And very occasionally a Resident Association will pop its head above the parapet and get noticed (Caryl Harris, Chairman of the Queensgate Association is a good example).
But the Dame is pulling all of these threads together into a coherent battle force. Thank you dear Dame.
Believe this rubbish and you will believe anythin
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Deletewhat rubbish???
DeleteResidents are not complacent they are jaded and worn down by the council corruption and no official holding them accountable
DeleteWhat complete and utter rubbish. Kiensington Society MAY help you if you pay a subscription, and then if they can be bothered.
DeleteAmanda Frame is too busy cosying up to the council.
As for Caryl Harris, if popping her head up above a parapet means her attendance at numerous council functions, and as she has said that the residednts association is their to support council officers, then she sure as hell does that.
They are a hindrance, and take the recognition that other people if they are successful.
If residents want to action, inevitably they have to fight for it for themselves, becauze Caryl will certainly not help them, and the Kensington Society, particularly Amanda Frame, are ineffect5ive.
18.26 your disdain is misplaced, from what I see the Kensington Society do a good job in lobbying and representing our interests in the preservation of Kensington for us and future generations? Likewise there are many very active residents associations and the good ones amongst the councillors who do the best they can in spite of the general tide of what is going on. Your anger would be better directed against the fact and reality of the endless building of unnecessary basements, knocking down of buildings and the corruption of de elopement of large sites for luxury buy to leave properties which are ruining our environment with pollution, noise and stress for all of us and do not benefit the community. This is what we all face on a daily basis and what many residents as individuals and together wresidents assocations are spending a lot of time trying to deal with It exhausting but people keep on going despite the endless planning applications. You should be celebrating that for once there was a victory due to everyone's efforts (and there was alot of work down to uncover old land deals, legal work freedom if information detective work etc) so that there will not be the blight iof 24 hour casino, rather than being critical of others. Finally If you had any real interest in what was happening around you and the bigger picture you might actually join the Kensington Society and take a subscription which you might find valuable in helping you to become involved and knowledgeable about what actions are being taken to help residents rather than being so dismissive of others efforts.
Delete18:26
ReplyDeleteAnd what have you ever done for residents?
The Kensington Society is an excellent organisation. It engages in endless major planning battles. In addition It's members and friends help it quietly scrutinise such seemingly minor matters as the placement of individual BT communications cabinets, the proposed demolition of an original Victorian shop front or even the granting of a single alcohol licence.
ReplyDeleteCriticism is the excuse of the lazy.
That was supposed to read "Amanda & Michael's Happy Little Helper."
ReplyDeleteThe Kensington Society is brilliant.
ReplyDelete