Wow, Kevin Wilson wins today’s ignorance award.There’s no nimbyism if the proposed development isn’t near where the person objecting to it lives. Quite easy to understand that.Nigel made two very valid points. The first is that few of these homes will address the ‘housing crisis’ we hear so much about. Ealing council doesn’t build traditional council housing. It prefers the affordable model, which requires a household income of £60,000+ per annum for those wanting to buy. Ealing council managed to build just 93 council properties in the ten years to last May. Not a record to boast about. It can’t even find developers able to build the projects already started. Go and look at the quarter built one overlooking Dean Gardens.Secondly, the proposed site is on the River Brent flood plain. That’s well known for flooding regularly during heavy rainfall. The council, in its wisdom, says it will put in mitigation to protect the properties. If recent events in California and elsewhere show anything it’s that you cannot ‘mitigate’ against nature. I wonder what the insurance premiums will be for those moving into these rabbit hutches.You’ve also got to remember that the swimming pool (and there certainly won’t be much else in the way of leisure/sports facilities on the site) will be the last thing built. That was the case with the Filmworks development, where the cinema was added on after everything else. It’s the same all over London.Developers expect to make a minimum of 25 percent profit on everything they build. Theatres, pools and other things that actually make an area better to live in don’t give that return. Hence the reluctance to build them.Oh, and to cap it all, this is a Broadway Living project, funded by a £400m loan to the council underwritten by Ealing taxpayers. That entity is already in financial straits and if this development doesn’t make money it’s likely Ealing will go the way of Croydon council and go bust. Remember that when you get a hefty increase in your council tax bill!
Simon Hayes ● 135d