THE DAME HAS ERRED

The Dame does make mistakes and when she does she is abject in her apologies. Sue Harris is head suit for Environment and Communities-not planning. 
This Sue was the idiot who gave the green light for the Carrabino piano legal fiasco. You can read about that waste HERE



To the left in every way in every way is Sue Foster who now runs RBKC planning. 




Sue has done well out of local government picking a close to £100k payoff funded by the poor bloody ratepayers of Lambeth.

We K&C folk must hope we don't get turned over!

Sue must be a bit overwhelmed having to deal with highly educated and articulate Kensington folk.
Sue, coming from Hackney and Lambeth is probably used to getting her own way: she might find life not so easy doing battle with residents living near Avon House.

Foster seems to think she can just ignore residents and steamroller the planning committee into granting permission for mysteriously rich Swiss-based 'Bimbo' Hart's disgusting redevelopment of Avon House in Allen St. 
To catch up readers to need to read THIS
But then why would Sue care? 
Like Bimbo she doesn't live in the Borough. Here' s what a resident had to say about Foster's ludicrous statement supporting Bimbo.

Dear Dame,

I am writing to you as a resident of Kensington who lives adjacent to Avon House, Allen Street. I read with great interest your 'expose' on Harry Bimbo Hart, a connected financial investor who is behind the redevelopment into an “ultra-luxury” care home. 

The Director of Planning has just released an addendum to their original report recommending the planning committee approve the proposal. Some of the statements in the report, however, are so very clearly biased that I feel the Director of Planning should be ashamed of herself. For reasons known only to herself she is deliberately misleading elected councillors.

For instance, 16 Allen Street have had their own surveyor assess the light impact which results in reduction in daylight distribution of 54.1% (down from 55.9% before the amendment of this current design). This is very significant and much more than the 20% BRE target value. 

Yet  her report then says “ Despite this conclusion from the neighbour's consultant, it is clear that the revised scheme has helped to reduce the impact upon 16 Allen Street in terms of loss of light. Nonetheless this impact would not so significant as to result in a harmful impact upon the living conditions of the occupiers of this property.”

It is wholly irrelevant if the revised scheme has “helped reduce the impact” when that impact is a very tiny improvement from 55.9% light reduction to 54.1%. 

How can a light reduction of this magnitude not be harmful? More than half the light in that room is gone. 

This is truly disingenuous...actually, it is a lie from a highly paid Council officer.

RBKC gave permission for a double basement for purposes of a neurological care centre. 

Yet now we read “The proposal includes two levels of basement accommodation, as established by an extant 2016 permission and in order for the care home to function successfully” 

So do care homes without a second basement not function successfully? 

Sue Foster must think the Planning Committee are idiotic to accept such a dimwitted claim!

This exception was for a specific medical purpose yet this purpose no longer exists. 

How RBKC can endorse this development when there are 127 objections to date with 20 support statements is truly astonishing especially when this care home will be an “ultra-luxury” care home. 

We all want the site to be used to good purpose and a thoughtfully designed care home to be operational. Yet an “ultra-luxury” care home developed by financial investor Melford Capital will not likely generate the benefit to our community which we all seek. I would strongly encourage RBKC planning to revisit their endorsement, consider their statement that a 50%+ daylight reduction is not harmful and respond to residents' emails. 

In other words, RBKC planning officers should do the job taxpayers pay them to do.

As per your previous article on this matter I now truly wonder what “pull” Harry “Bimbo” Hart has in RBKC and their planning department.

AN ALLEN ST  RESIDENT