Waltham Forest Council's planning committee reject plans to develop Highams Park station car park (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Waltham Forest Council's planning committee reject plans to develop Highams Park station car park

11:31pm Tuesday 1st December 2009

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RESIDENTS cheered with delight after councillors rejected plans for a 56-home development to be built behind their homes in a station car park.

The block of flats were opposed by residents of Coolgardie Avenue, Highams Park, 119 of which signed a petition out of fears it would be a crowded development, cause parking problems and destroy the wildlife habitat.

But residents feared the mixed development of flats and houses would get the go-ahead because the council-owned car park has been little used since parking tickets were hiked up to £5 a day.

At a planning committee meeting at the Town Hall this evening, housing cabinet member Marie Pye urged councillors to approve the application because of a massive housing shortage in the borough.

But Conservative councillors Alan Siggers and Edwin Northover said they thought it was an over-development for that part of Highams Park.

Cllr Alan Siggers said: “We need housing but you cannot just shoe horn everything into a site. Any development has to be looked at in the context of the surrounding area.”

Lib Dem councillor Bob Wheatley said: “I pity the people living in Larkswood Road. This will be out of character with the area. If we are going to develop the land, why can't we build decent, affordable houses instead of blocks of flats?”

Concerns about the ownership of the land were raised by Coolgardie Avenue resident Oliver Shykles, representing Coolgardie Avenue residents, who said a family left the land to the council as a trust.

He said: “Twenty years ago, a couple whose property backs onto it request to extend was refused because it was said that the land was held in a trust. The council has been unable to provide beyond reasonable doubt that the land isn't held in a trust.”

Council officers advised councillors that this was a legal matter and not one to be considered by the planning committee, but several councillors said the issue of ownership should have been resolved before the application came before the committee.

Mr Shykles also questioned whether a 100-year-old house in Larkshall Road should be demolished as part of the development and a council officer confirmed that the council's conservation officer has not been officially consulted on this.

The house is a women's refuge and residents would have to be moved to another location, officers said.

Six councillors, two Conservative, three Lib Dem and one Labour voted against the plans and three Labour councillors voted in favour.

The planning application was rejected on the grounds of it being an over-development, likely to cause increased traffic, not in keeping with the character of the area and because a lack of amenity space.

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