No Time for Triumphalism.
9.11.2015
For over a year the Kingston Residents’ Alliance, the Kingston upon Thames Society and others have been fighting to stop St George’s inappropriate development of the Old Post Office Site. Inappropriate to Kingston on grounds of height, size , massing, lack of permeability and ‘affordable’ housing. At the Development Control Meeting on 5th November, the council officers presented a case for the development which almost sounded as if it had been written by the developers. Up till this meeting there had been overwhelming support for St George’s scheme from the majority of our Councillors, but we can only be thankful that they listened to the groundswell of public opposition at the meeting and unanimously rejected the planning application.
This is not the time for triumphalism, this is not the time to relax, the developers may well appeal and the legal grounds in the rejection are very restricted.
The proposed Eden Walk development on the site of British Home Stores, Boots and Sainsbury’s is the next important scheme to be coming up for consideration. It has a far better plan than the Old Post Office development, but it still suffers from the problem of excessive height. The tower block is even closer to the Market Place and will impinge heavily on the historic centre of the town. The Scheme boasts a ‘Sky Restaurant’ with views across Kingston to Richmond Park and Hampton Court. If it has those views then obviously it is visible from those places and will spoil views from Hampton Court and Richmond Park.
Have your say, comments need to be put forward by 4th December, help our Councillors protect our town.
As local residents we must be continually vigilant, and make our opinions known to prospective developers and our Councillors. We do need redevelopment on these sites, but it has to be the appropriate redevelopment or the very fabric of our town will be destroyed forever.
George Rome Innes
KT2 Resident
9.11.2015
For over a year the Kingston Residents’ Alliance, the Kingston upon Thames Society and others have been fighting to stop St George’s inappropriate development of the Old Post Office Site. Inappropriate to Kingston on grounds of height, size , massing, lack of permeability and ‘affordable’ housing. At the Development Control Meeting on 5th November, the council officers presented a case for the development which almost sounded as if it had been written by the developers. Up till this meeting there had been overwhelming support for St George’s scheme from the majority of our Councillors, but we can only be thankful that they listened to the groundswell of public opposition at the meeting and unanimously rejected the planning application.
This is not the time for triumphalism, this is not the time to relax, the developers may well appeal and the legal grounds in the rejection are very restricted.
The proposed Eden Walk development on the site of British Home Stores, Boots and Sainsbury’s is the next important scheme to be coming up for consideration. It has a far better plan than the Old Post Office development, but it still suffers from the problem of excessive height. The tower block is even closer to the Market Place and will impinge heavily on the historic centre of the town. The Scheme boasts a ‘Sky Restaurant’ with views across Kingston to Richmond Park and Hampton Court. If it has those views then obviously it is visible from those places and will spoil views from Hampton Court and Richmond Park.
Have your say, comments need to be put forward by 4th December, help our Councillors protect our town.
As local residents we must be continually vigilant, and make our opinions known to prospective developers and our Councillors. We do need redevelopment on these sites, but it has to be the appropriate redevelopment or the very fabric of our town will be destroyed forever.
George Rome Innes
KT2 Resident