URGENT: Starlite Ballroom planning application
There is a revised planning application for the Starlite Ballroom, a venue that opened sixty years ago this year and hosted bands including the Who and Pink Floyd. Read more here: https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheStarliteGreenfordPlease help to save a precious asset for the whole borough by objecting to this application http://www.pam.ealing.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServletas soon as possible, mentioning some or all of the following points:- The Starlite Ballroom is an asset to the area, a UK music heritage site, the venue for some of the world's best known musicians, such as Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, David Bowie and Jeff Beck.- It is the only large venue of its kind left in Greenford suitable for concerts, the stage at Greenford Hall is regarded as too high for that kind of event.- If restored it has the potential to stimulate regeneration in Greenford and the surrounding area, because its reopening would result in job creation and an increase in the general level of prosperity.- It has considerable potential for combined use as a combined community/arts centre and a commercial site, particularly because of its proximity to Sudbury Town Underground station. There is nothing of that kind in the area at the moment but there are successful examples of such projects such as Rich Mix London (http://www.richmix.org.uk/).- Residents have been asking for a local bus service connecting them with Ealing which would be justified and supported by the presence of the Starlite.- It is an unusual blend of pre-war and post-war Modernist architecture which reflects the changes in Greenford's architectural history. Its demolition would result in a loss of part of its local distinctiveness.- Having a prestige site like the Starlite on the doorstep on the doorstep is bound to lead to a rise in property values.- Its presence will stimulate local interest in heritage and attract tourist revenue, to the advantage of the borough as a whole. In January (16/1/2014, Vanessa Feltz Show, BBC 94.9) the Mayor of London said that there was potential for a music heritage trail through the borough - if there is nothing left to see there will be no point in creating it. Foreign tourists are already staying in the borough at hotels built in recent years.- If a block of flats replaces it there will be an increased concentration of residents needing more services, especially if they are bought to let and shared by multiple tenants, at a time when they are already stretched to breaking point.- It is highly likely that each new resident will own a car and as a result there could be a significant increase in the number of vehicles parked in the streets around it. Parking is already a problem there and fourteen off street spaces simply won't be enough. - Its use as a community centre would lead to an increase in pedestrian traffic, benefiting the small businesses around it.- New residents are more likely to do their regular weekly shopping at large supermarkets, rather than the small shops in its immediate vicinity.The whole of the borough of borough of Ealing has a tale to tell about the evolution of 20th century rock and blues, we already have events like The Hanwell Hootie and The Ealing Club has managed to retain its site at the Red Room in Ealing Broadway. If the council genuinely supports the preservation of local music heritage it must deny this planning application and support the Starlite.
Albertina McNeill ● 4254d3 Comments