At the Ealing Parks Foundation, we are firmly objecting to planning application 261463FUL - Park View Place Development, UB6 0FF. A couple of our core aims as a charity are to protect wildlife and natural landscapes, and to ensure that greenspaces are preserved so that they support community wellbeing. The Park View Place Development conflicts with these aims for the following reasons: 

 

As noted by the Friends of Grove Farm and many other passionate residents of the Borough of Ealing, the proposed planning will greatly harm the local ecology namely by partially building on, or by overshadowing, Grove Farm’s Grade 1 SINC. Where the application is proposed to be located would harm a mature woodland that the council are meant to safeguard.

 

The current plans for Park View Place note the planting of 100 trees, wildflower meadows and habitat features to support wildlife. However, new planting and habitat creation with the cost of destroying an established landscape will not break even when it comes to protecting the local ecosystem. Woodlands have understories and rich soil networks that take many years, if any, to successfully duplicate. What’smore, the remaining woodland may change given the height of the apartment blocks that will obstruct natural light, contribute to the already prevailing Urban Heat Island effect and potentially disturb various wildlife given the inevitable change in light pollution.

 

There is also no guarantee that the proposed planting plan or landscape design will be cared for and tended to so that it becomes its own flourishing biodiverse network much like the current SINC landscape at Grove Farm. It has even been noted that there will be a habitat loss of 30.77% due to the loss of woodland. Mature woodlands are home to a plethora of flora, fauna and fungi that cannot be restored nor replicated quickly since it is time that ultimately helps wildlife to thrive. Thus, we object on the grounds that the development plans will irredeemably harm the wildlife found in the current SINC at Grove Farm and will not be satisfactorily replicable.  

 

We further object to the plans as they would greatly impact one of the borough’s many wonderful greenspaces that are designed to enhance the welfare of our community. Whilst the plans are detrimental to aSINC, they would also harm an area that is designated as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). Only in exceptional circumstances should development be located on MOL; we do not feel that any circumstances have been met. 

 

One exceptional circumstance proposed in the application is the offer of affordable housing, but it has been highlighted that the current plans have already dropped this offer from 37% of flats to only 25%. A disheartening change when we are considering the permanent alteration to a welcomed area of calm, openness and wellbeing. Regardless of this, we stand with the Friends of Grove Farm in saying that we do not object to new housing, affordable or otherwise, but we do not feel it can be at the expense of an area that has been rightfully designated as MOL. Particularly when alternatives could be considered, as highlighted by the Friends of Grove Farm in their objection. Our green spaces are important. They contribute to wellbeing, they minimise anti-social behaviour through more community engagement and theyare said to indirectly alleviate the strain faced by emergency services through such community involvement and pride for one’s local area. It has been expressed by many residents of the area that Grove Farm offers an escape and sense of calm in an increasingly urbanised area that MOLs were designed to protect. By building on what is already protected land and building to the extent highlighted in the plans, this landscape will be altered permanently, and that sense of immersion and seclusion will be lost. Subsequently, we feel the impact this will have on the community’s wellbeing and spirit will be palpable and detrimental. As such, we further object as we do not concede that exceptional circumstances have been met to build on Grove Farm’s MOL, namely when the harm caused will be incommensurable. 

 

We wish to thank you for acknowledging our objection and hope to hear of reasonable adjustments to the plan that are consistent with the suggestions made by the Friends of Grove Farm.