Forum Topic

Percival House skyscrapers

I've just received a leaflet showing that the Council are planning to replace the current Percival House with a series of skyscrapers, including one 26 storey high! This is right next to the Town Hall in the centre of Ealing.More information is on www.saveealingcentre.comand a shocking video, showing what this will look like is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcybRWxvVH0&feature=youtu.beWe have only a few days to comment on the application!

John Blue ● 1657d21 Comments

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=37Pz04LdnY0It's hopefully this one.

Philippa Bond ● 1632d

    👌

Rosco White ● 1632d

What relevance has the pandemic with the original subject - Perceval House skyscrapers? Separately from this, in my opinion the NHS suffers, in part at least, because there are "ten managers to every one nurse/front line staff". These managers seem more interested in looking virtuous then serving the public.In local government, here in Ealing, the present administration seems like that as well. Hence the LTNs and being a quisling to developers in facilitating the building of unnecessary studio and one bedroom flats in overbearing tower blocks. On this last point, Philippa, you touched upon this in your comment in the afternoon of 06/11/2020.

Anthony Hawran ● 1632d

Covid was caused by The Tory Cuts!!!            🤣

Rosco White ● 1632d

Not really - you're being too tunnel visioned - there's a bigger picture and it includes the Tory cuts which Rosco repeatedly mentions deliberately to irritate and which sure as hell have come back to bite us all - in particular with the lack of preparation for a not unexpected pandemic.I suggest you look at the websites for Ealing Matters.  There was a good webinar recently.There are also some articles on here about the protests about the towers.

Philippa Bond ● 1632d

I read both, yours and Rosco's. But you, Philippa, are the one who went off the subject, Perceval House skyscrapers, and started going on about the NHS.

Anthony Hawran ● 1633d

A relevant, and sensible, posting from Ms Bond.As usual.    🤣

Rosco White ● 1633d

So you didn't read Rosco's.  I can only spend so much time ignoring his right wing rants.

Philippa Bond ● 1633d

Philippa, why are you going off the subject? The subject is about Perceval House skyscrapers, and not about the NHS and its front line staff shortages. There are no Tory cuts for this council, if they are able to afford to demolish and then build a new lavish HQ every thirty five years for their own ego, with the peoples money.

Anthony Hawran ● 1633d

Whaaaaaaaa?      😕

Rosco White ● 1634d

This country would not have been in such a bad place re the pandemic if the NHS had not been starved of funds.  It takes three years of studying to become a nurse and there is a huge shortage of staff right the way across the health service.  So your rant on Tory cuts has definitely come back to bite you and everyone else.

Philippa Bond ● 1634d

Errr, maybe all Local Labour Voters should relay this to ole "Two Houses, Two Jobs, Secret Council Loan, 'It's The Tory Cuts!' ", instead of voting him back in time after time????You get wot you vote for.  😆

Rosco White ● 1634d

There are still hundreds of towers which have not had their dangerous cladding removed with residents unable to sell/remortgage and having to pay out enormous bills for 24 hr security in case there is a fire.Coroner's recommendations still don't get acted on.There is a mad scramble by some Councils to allow the building of many very small flats when there is a demand for family units.  Small flats make more money for developers.Here is an interesting article about home ownership:https://theconversation.com/prioritising-home-ownership-hurts-everyone-owners-as-well-as-renters-149347

Philippa Bond ● 1634d

Across the road from the present council bureaucracy in Perceval House, why is Dickens Yard still half empty of residents? Why build more such high rise death trap towers? Is building high the only option? It seems that Ealing Council top dogs, like Julian Bell and Shital Manro are only intersted in showing off how virtuous they are at meeting targets in providing unnecessary studio/one bedroom rabbit hutches. And all, so it seems, that these rabbit hutches will provide them with a steady income stream, as if it were a COUNCIL TAX FARM, for their own benefit.It seems they are disingenuous or incapable of providing three bedroom and family type housing that is genuinely affordable. They seem to want to show off their vanity and manhood in overbearing 26 storey death trap tower, like the one proposed on the Perceval House site and elsewhere within Ealing and the borough, with this building type. Genuine housing need is not met and the borough is disfigured.

Anthony Hawran ● 1638d

The application probably won't get to the planning inspectorate - the Mayor will probably wave it through to ensure he meets his housing targets. It needs to be remembered that the funding London gets is partly dependent on those targets being met and because of the limited amount of land going high is the only option. This is another central government policy - they are putting more pressure on London authorities to build while they continue to offer gold plated protection to their heartlands in the shires where it remains highly difficult to get a loft extension let alone a 26 storey building.

Mark Evans ● 1638d

As mentioned in several journals.  Developers have been encouraged by Ealing borough in particular, to lodge applications way over the top.All part of the 'wearing down' process to leave any opposition drained of resources and energy.Then these developers come back with a triumphal 'new enlightened' proposal chichis still obscene but in actuality exactly what they wanted.If they lodged that in the first instanced that would also be vehemently objected to and possibly rejected and then they really would have to go back to the drawing board.Either Ealing's Officers and councillors are too dense to understand this or up to their necks in collusion.

Raymond Havelock ● 1642d

Unfortunately, our Manor Road Developer friends will now simply Appeal to the VERY perverse Planning Inspectorate.I have had three dealings with the PI and trust me, they wallow in their absolute power and often make the most illogical decisions that will leave you utterly gobsmacked.I wish the Manor Road Objectors Good Luck, but it augers not well.

Rosco White ● 1642d

Great news about the Manor Road development — it shows that there is a level of opposition at which the council will baulk at waving through schemes. I misspoke when I said the Perceval House scheme had over 2,000 objections confusing it with the Manor House one. Nevertheless, 700 people commenting is still a pretty big number and I would be more inclined to think that the West Ealing scheme being in a residential area meant more people's homes were blighted which is likely to arouse stronger feelings than something that is just blighting the centre of town.

Gordon Southwell ● 1642d

The Manor Road application received around 2400 public comments, with only around 20 in favour.  The Perceval House application - the one being discussed in this thread - has so far received 720 public comments, 3 in support.I assume that the campaign waged locally by the Stop the Towers group led to a massive response to the ridiculous West Ealing development whereas, as the OP implies, this much bigger development has attracted less notice.

Phil Kay ● 1650d

Over 2,000 people have now commented on the application so Mr Blue must have been the last people to have heard about it in the area. To be fair to Ealing Council they do seem to have made a more genuine effort to let people know about it. However, more credit should go to Save Ealing Centre who have been very effective in spreading awareness — the video is an excellent piece of work.

Gordon Southwell ● 1650d

There is an article on the front page of this website.

Philippa Bond ● 1657d