Threat to Green Belt Recedes as Council Amends Draft Local Plan
41 sites no longer marked for development
Ealing Riding School site no longer designated for development. Picture: Ealing Riding School
February 22, 2024
Ealing Council published revised details of its Draft Local Plan at this week’s council meeting which show that significant rezoning of Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) is no longer included.
The earlier draft document had resulted in push back from local campaign and residents’ groups but a document presented this Wednesday evening (21 February) shows that the proposals to be presented to the Planning Inspectorate for the future development of the borough no longer include the most controversial items. The document is supposed to set the planning framework for the area for the next 15 years and the council’s ambitious housebuilding targets meant that many previously undeveloped areas were being designated for building on.
There has also been a significant reduction in the number of sites across the borough which have been marked for development. They have fallen from 118 to 81 due to the removal of 41 sites and the addition of four new ones including Dean Court and Oaktree Court in Acton, the Airways Estate in Northolt and Toplocks Estate in Southall. Removals from the list include the Ealing Riding School which many feared was under threat of closure having been included in the plan.
The Liberal Democrats welcomed the changes made to the plan but were still critical of what the party said was a lack of clarity on carbon offsetting especially in buildings which are over six storeys high. They also wanted to see a proper height limit for buildings which could be built across the borough and believe that there is an emphasis on building increasingly tall buildings in the wrong areas, such as Friary Park in Acton and Waitrose in West Ealing.
They are advocating a minimum of 50% ‘truly’ affordable housing being built in the borough going forward.
Councillor Jon Ball, Liberal Democrat Opposition spokesperson for Planning said, “The Liberal Democrats continue to work with residents and are pleased that Ealing Council have seen sense in Green belt changes although they still have a way to go regarding Warren Farm and considering the exclusion of younger generations from access to housing which is truly affordable. The Local Plan and supporting documents total 1,209 pages of impenetrable waffle, jargon and repetition. The Labour administration have failed to engage local people by failing to produce an accessible plan that residents can meaningfully engage with.”
We have asked Ealing Council for comment.
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