RBKC OFFICER ALISON 'FLIGHTY' FLIGHT TELLS COMMITTEE TO IGNORE RESIDENTS

DURANT/CAPCO CHAIR

Thousands of residents have complained about  noise, vibration and dust from Earl’s Court; so many, in fact, that Hammersmith & Fulham Council requested a deferral of a vital decision due to lack of consultation with their residents and LBHF. 




Alison 'Flighty' Flight, Strategic Development Team Leader told the  RBKC Planning Committee to ignore residents and pass the conditions allowing Capco to proceed with their 61-90 nights of working unchecked.

'Flighty was the officer famed for 'locking on' to a DP9 contractor at the November 2014 meeting, which passed the original planning application.

This junior officer had the temerity to tell the meeting last night ‘that there was no obligation for the Council (RBKC) to consult residents’. One wonders whether these officers ever ponder upon who pays their wages.

There might not be an obligation, but this site is acknowledged as being complex and estimated to take 20 years before completion. On that basis alone there is a duty of care to residents and this lack of consultation could account for wide-spread ignorance of the proposals from neighbouring residents who are simply fed up with the level of noise, dust, vibration and feel that they have been let down by the Council.

It would appear that there is more scrutiny over a basement excavation than one of the largest construction sites in London. The recommendation that consideration of resident objections could be incorporated into an ‘informative’ attached to the S61 Notice is not robust enough to protect residents. 

It is limited in enforcement power and can only be considered to be pro-developer by placing the concerns of residents aside. This is not only a scandal but a shambles!

One resident said ‘I am not confident of the management of the project. It would appear that the main contractor is operating totally unchecked.’

Is it really acceptable that noise levels at night should be based on residents keeping their windows closed? 

Did the panel understand the noise to be generated by the largest crane in Europe - this is toys for boys without the detail.

Reporting of problems is haphazard, inconsistent and, in some cases, takes a long time for the Contractors to respond. 

Where is the dedicated full-time team of Environmental Health Officers promised in the initial planning consent? Washing cars does not address the levels of dust experienced by residents and there are no details of how they will deal with dust once the white plastic sheeting panels are at ground level.

Residents have still not been given access to the Asbestos Risk Survey. Why is this?

Resident consultation relies on the Neighbourhood Group, which is weighted against residents, and does not include many of the RAs in Earl’s Court so this is consultation by tick box, rather than genuine consultation.

So why did the Council pass Conditions that fail to protect residents, without achieving guarantees that the identified problems had been considered, evaluated and effective improvements put in place? 

The phalanx of Capco employees and their PR rep outnumbered the objectors. 

This is yet another example of a council ignoring residents and obsequiously pandering to the whims and greed of a ruthless South African property combine.