Call in for Brent Lea

Decision to be looked at by Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Tony Louki has led a call-in for the decision of the Cabinet to approve the Free School Arrangements for Floreat Free School made on 16th June.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee, made up of councillors not in the Cabinet will hear from Cllr Tony Louki and Cllr Steve Curran on the decision making process.

There will be opportunity for the public to ask questions and make comments as well as the members. The committee has the power to make recommendations on the decision, including recommending that the decision be reconsidered by Cabinet.

Residents/local groups are advised to submit any questions they wish to raise, or statements they wish to make, to alan.weaver@hounslow.gov.uk by Monday, 13 July.

The call-in queries the decision made on the basis of

• Brent Lea is Metropolitan Open Land that has been in continual use as a park, was created as a replacement and will not itself be replaced.
• Temporary planning permission was granted on the basis that the free school would leave after its occupation.
• The park will not be sold at market rates.
• Brent Lea was not part of the council's list of suitable school site, and Floreat never suggested it as a proposed site
• Free school developers have been consulted all along the process whereas residents have only been brought into the discussion at the end.
• Not enough information about the process undertaken has been made available.
• Consent for flats is given without enough consideration towards recreational space or space for schools.

Councillors signing the call in are: Tony Louki, Keith Anderson, Mel Collins, Colin Ellar, Elizabeth Hughes, Hanif Khan, Lily Bath, Bob Whatley, Alan Mitchell, Shaida Mehrban, John Todd, Sheila O'Reilly and Sam Christie.

Full details of the meeting, to be held on 15th July at 7pm in the Council Chamber can be read on Hounslow Council's website.

To date...

Brentford is in need of extra primary and secondary places, and existing schools have had extra classes added where possible.

Find the planning application by visiting planning search (agreeing T&Cs, and then selecting "search planning applications") and then entering 00707/AK/P1 in the box marked Planning number.

There was a public meeting on 28th May to discuss the temporary application.

Letters from Brentford Community Council to LBH on this issue.

The temporary application was approved at Planning Committee on 4th June (see both item 4 and the addendum report item 11). Cllr Elizabeth Hughes stated that she would have voted against it had the application been for a permanent building.

The agenda, decisions and minutes from Cabinet meeting on 16th June, where the recommendations were unanimously approved.

July 10, 2015