Campaign Against Morrisons Development

Friends of St Paul's Recreation Ground urge residents to oppose the plans

Front page of leaflet

Further to the recent public meeting about the proposed development on Morrisons site, Friends of St Paul's Recreation Ground have got together with other groups to create a leaflet encouraging local residents to respond to the consultation.

In it they say the development should be stopped because:

" it will:
• Mean NO supermarket for 2-3 years ripping the heart out of the community
• Completely overshadow St Paul’s Primary School, affecting the health and education of OUR children
• Provide NO relevant accommodation for Brentford residents
• Create MORE parking issues
• CUT OUT natural direct sunlight from a huge part of central Brentford
• Seriously BLIGHT and IMPACT the St Paul’s conservation area

"A public meeting held on Friday January 27 attended by over 150 people closed with a resolution to agree to:
• Reject the proposed development for the Morrisons site as it is overbearing, out of scale and out of character in terms of its appearance compared with existing development in the vicinity
• Demand coordination of all development proposals where all assumptions are challenged and answered collectively by both local government and the community working together
• Demand a clear a vision for Brentford in the future involving the whole community – young, old, with or without children
This resolution was supported by a unanimous show of hands".

Friends of St Paul's Recreation Ground are asking everybody to comment on this application in the next fortnight before the officer's report is written which is expected to go to Planning Committee for a decision in March. Comments can be sent to planningcomments@hounslow.gov.uk and copied in to your local (Brentford and Syon ward) councillors.

The leaflet can be downloaded from the Facebook page where you can also offer to help distribute printed copies.

Local resident Nick Kilby said "What with the Ballymore inertia and Police Station site standing derelict for a few years now, it seems somewhat perverse that if this proposal is approved the development will destroy the current community hub and the one thing that currently works for all. It will also be a monstrous construction overshadowing a conservation area. You couldn’t make it up!”

Gary McAuley said " I hate the way Morrison’s presents a blank facade for a whole block and does not serve as an inviting gateway to the rest of the high street... I am not sure how the developers are intending to incorporate flats, supermarket, parking lot and open space on that block without going unreasonably high".

Essential Living's planning application is to demolish the existing supermarket and build a 10 storey high mixed use scheme which will provide a new supermarket and other shops/cafes served by a secure car park and include 225 flats for the private rented sector some of which will be available (25%) at rents at some discount to the full market rate. The Hounslow Local Plan calls for at least 40% of homes in new developments to be affordable.  

The supermarket will be of similar size to the current Morrisons, whose lease runs out in 2018. There is as yet no proposed solution to the need for a temporary supermarket during the construction period. The local plan advised a floor space ratio of 75:25 retail to residential use.

The development will include a piazza which will open up a vista to the spire of St Paul's Church.

The expectation is that the planning application will be heard at planning committee in March with a 18-24 month construction period starting next autumn.

CGI of how the development will look from the High Street

February 10, 2017