There have been no new major site applications. The updated Local Plan originally planned for the Spring will not now be ready until the Summer – and this is thought to be due to the difficulties of reconciling the proposals with the realisation that the huge area of land required for the Crossrail Elizabeth line sidings cannot be built over economically and therefore will radically reduce the area of land available for development.

Continue reading →

We have reported previously on the progress of the Local Plan which is now with the Inspector to make his final report.

In the meantime, the Council have issued their draft Planning Guidance Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which covers much of the nitty gritty detail. Much of this is currently contained in the Development Management Local Plan document, which sits beside the Core Strategy. Once approved the new documents will replace both of these. The new document has been expanded to include some matters which are currently in the Core Strategy or the subject of existing SPDs.

Your Committee will be submitting a response to these proposals by the deadline of Friday 15th December.

If you wish to comment to either us or the Council, more details can be found on the Council website at www.lbhf.gov.uk/localplan

OPDC Local Plan

OPDC Planning Applications

• Will the rules on Fire Precautions be drastically upgraded ?
• Will developers want to proceed with such towers ?
• Will people want to live in them?

We continue to challenge the very high densities proposed in the OPDC area which result in these tall towers. We hope that the latest lowered growth predictions by the GLA for London may enable some reductions.

Again, we have previously reported on the development of the Local Plan for the Old Oak and Park Royal Development area.

This has to follow the same standard national procedure and consultation timetable as the H and F Local Plan. We commented on the initial plan in some detail and OPDC are due to publish their next stage Plan, which should incorporate and respond to comments made.

Members of your committee will be examining and commenting on the revisions.

We have reported on the progress on the new Hammersmith and Fulham Local Plan over the last two years.

The revised Plan incorporating several of our comments and recommendations will now be the subject of this Inquiry by a Government appointed inspector. He will be assessing the soundness of the plan and conformity to planning law including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the London Plan. The hearings will take place in the Council Chamber of Hammersmith Town Hall over a period of six days, commencing on Tuesday 13th June. Continue reading →

Kensington Gate: This is a site at the top (north) end of Scrubs Lane and is within the OPDC area and adjacent to the Car Giant site. We have been invited to view proposals which are an advanced pre-application stage. We do not know much of the detail except it involves a tower block of about 25 storeys.

OPDC : (See Newsletter Page 4) Also attached is the Society’s detailed response to the Draft Local Plan for the OPDC area. This involved a lot of analysis and attending copious briefing and discussion meetings. My thanks go to Melanie Whitlock and Angela Clarke for their help and support with this exercise. Our major concerns are spelt out in the Newsletter but if you would like to see what else we had to say, please take a look, although it only really makes sense if read it with the OPDC documents which can be viewed on line. We hope that our comments will help make the overall development a more humane environment for all who will live, work and visit there.

The Council’s Email Alerts to Planning and Licensing applications are always informative. To never miss a planning application in your area, register with the Council. You specify the area you are interested in – and it’s as easy as that. In addition to receiving prompt notice of applications you can click through to the application itself, look at the documents and, if it is a small application, click on ‘Make a public comment’ and write your comments in the box provided, then receive a receipt (and your comments) in your email Inbox. If your concern is of interest to the Hammersmith Society please forward to us. We’ll be glad to respond.

The first meeting of the group of local residents to review proposals for the Town Centre including the Flyunder took place on 3 December.

There are 25 on the panel and the Hammersmith Society Committee is represented by myself, Melanie Whitlock, Rosemary Pettit and Richard Winterton.

The first meeting involved a summary of the group’s terms of reference and what the Council hopes to achieve. The brief is wide ranging and ambitious. Meetings will be held once a month and the outcomes will influence the Local Plan and the Supplementary Planning Document proposed for the Town Centre due to be published in May/June. The next meeting on 21 January will include a briefing by Transport for London (TfL) on their various proposals for the Broadway site including a rumoured threat of 40 storey towers. We understand that the Council will issue progress reports on the Working Party from time to time.