So why has Mr Stallwood, our boyish director of planning, agreed to join the Dame for tea and fancies with some of her lavender scented friends:dames d'un certain âge.
Well, every last Tuesday of the month, the Dame has a famous clairvoyant over to her vast Ennismore Gardens triplex to tell her ladies what the month has in store.
‘But, why young Stallwood?...Well, the truth is that our planning supremo can look forty years into the future and make astonishing revelations!
In fact, so accomplished is young Graham one wonders he doesn’t go on the telly and make a fortune-or even work full time for the awful Ratblats.
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| The Dame's Seance |
In fact, so accomplished is young Graham one wonders he doesn’t go on the telly and make a fortune-or even work full time for the awful Ratblats.
All sorts of miraculous events are being claimed for Crossrail 2.
Most involve totally spurious claims about how the station will accelerate housing stock in the vicinity.
For example, Mr Stallwood claimed Crossrail 2 would ‘generate’ 3,500 new homes over a forty-four year period.
The Dame’s team of experts looked at the claims and found them deeply wanting...actually they were thoroughly mendacious.
When challenged Mr Stallwood reversed fast instead saying the station would ‘support’ 3,500: a world of difference!
He drew no distinction between whether these new homes would have occurred anyway even without the station.
But, in any case, were it even true it would mean an addition of just a derisory 79 new homes annually over the 44 year period.
And where would the land for the 3,500 homes be found?
Certainly not within 2k radius of the proposed station unless you demolish the social housing dominating the area.
The Dame’s expert also questions Mr Stallwood’s claim to be able to forecast 44 years into the future.
Take, for example, the 44 year period since 1971.
In that period we have had:
In that period we have had:
- The oil price shock,
- The 1990 property crash,
- The rise of China,
- The huge growth in international demand for property in up-market locations in a few cities where Anglo-Saxon conventions of property law prevail
So young Graham says the station will “support the delivery” of 3500 high-end properties whilst claiming the proposal would not reduce social housing!
All this when the GLA forecasts for population growth for RBKC, as a whole, are an increase of just over 10,000 people in the period to 2040.
What are RBKC up to?
Why claim 3500 new homes and lot's of stamp duty yet, when challenged saying it won’t affect social housing on the sites identified?
Is this smoke and mirrors or do they have plans for all this social housing and if so why not be honest and transparent about it?
TFL has no cost benefit analysis of the station to justify it and RBKC, as its primary advocate, makes claims which, on closer examination, do not distinguish between normal housing development and that generated by the station itself.
Mr Stallwood is on his way through the Royal Borough and is bolstering his CV. He is young and ambitious and therefore sometimes lacks judgment. From his position as a young Director of Planning he increasingly shoots from the hip as part of his strategy to get noticed.
ReplyDeleteThe Dame needs to keep a close eye on the teenager and pull him up when required.
Shows promise but not yet ready for the big time. And may over extend himself and end up as an even younger "has been" than David Cameron
When the Ratblats make a fuss of planning directors and make them feel important, the likes of Stallwood need to understand that when they are in post they have value, but on the open market they will be dropped like a hot brick
DeleteThis story sounds like a whipper snapper throwing his weight around. Good idea for an old hand like Cllr Freeman to take Mr Stallwood aside for a quiet chat. All about the birds and the bees
DeleteThe Dame and the hornets have Stallwood in their sights. He better watch out. Loose talk = silly fellow.
ReplyDeleteGraham Smallwood is Jonathan Bore's protege. Enough said.
ReplyDeleteThousands of million pound flats are currently being built at the extreme north of the rotten borough. Despite an almost total lack of public transport links, these flats are sold to foreigners as adjacent to Mayfair and the Eye!
To make way for these new absentee residents, the council evicts lower income families to the wilds of Essex etc.
Smacks of self-importance, so prevalent at the Hornet's Nest...
ReplyDeleteSmacks of self-importance, so prevalent at the Hornet's Nest...
ReplyDeleteDame,
ReplyDeleteThe Map of potential development areas shaded red are ALL Council estates.
Don't know if these are targets for developers, council and Crossrail in the future.
Is a little more detail on how young Graham came to this conclusion needed?