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Topic: A Garden - Ealing planners - do they know its Greenfield?
Posted by: Victor Mishiku
Date/Time: 17/10/21 23:33:00

In the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) “The Planner” Planning News of 14th October 2021, it was reported that “Councils to get funding for brownfield land development”.  “Brownfield” = previously-developed land, which following a change in the law on 9th June 2010 does NOT include ordinary domestic gardens in built-up residential areas.

While this is good news for the protection of Ealing borough’s leafy neighbourhoods and green open spaces, there is a problem when it seems that Ealing Council Planning Department do not always grasp what is a garden or otherwise!

In the recent case at 1 Golden Manor W7 which is the subject of my original posting, I related that the LBE Case officer twice incorrectly told the Planning Committee assembled at the Town Hall on 21st July 2021 that the large garden at this Conservation Area property was “previously-developed land” (Brownfield).  This error was left uncorrected by the recently-appointed Chief Planning Officer who was attending the Committee Meeting.

In the published Agenda Report (which was not available to the public attending on the night!) and again verbally, Councillors on the Planning Committee were misdirected by the senior Case Officer that the gardenland in question was a Brownfield site (like a derelict factory) rather than Greenfield land (like a park).

The same mistake occurred in another case in W13 on a previous occasion when the Ealing Planning Team Leader told the Committee that a garden does not count as “Greenfield” if the garden concerned belongs to a house and that instead it is a “Brownfield” site! This is a strange proposition when most gardens are associated with the house to which they belong! 

Again, the Planning Area Manager (before her promotion to Chief Planning Officer) remained silent as her senior staff member talked nonsense!

In the statement from the RTPI three days ago, they even refer to “Brownfield” land as including “unsightly derelict buildings” and that 57.8 million pounds has been allocated to 53 Councils to develop “Brownfield” land.

However, it is to be hoped that in all the excitement Ealing planners will in future remember what the difference is between a garden and a derelict factory?

Victor Mishiku
"The Covenant Movement"  17/102021
vmfree@madasafish.com


Entire Thread
TopicDate PostedPosted By
Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee21/07/21 21:56:00 Victor Mishiku
   Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee21/07/21 22:38:00 Libby Kemp
      Re:Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee22/07/21 11:21:00 Raymond Havelock
   Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee22/07/21 13:06:00 Tony Heath
      Re:Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee22/07/21 22:51:00 Rosco White
         Re:Re:Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee23/07/21 09:05:00 Tony Heath
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Backgarden development refused tonight at Committee23/07/21 16:16:00 N V Brooks
   Re: Follow-up re. Backgarden development refused10/09/21 00:03:00 Victor Mishiku
   A Garden - Ealing planners - do they know its Greenfield?17/10/21 23:33:00 Victor Mishiku

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