CHINGFORD: Residents "not consulted" about flats plan

1:09pm Friday 12th March 2010

By Sian Harrison

RESIDENTS of a block of flats are angry after an application for an extra storey to be added to their building was approved without their knowledge.

People living in a block of six flats at Ridgeway Court, in The Ridgeway, Chingford, say they were not consulted by the council over the plans to build two further flats on top of their building.

However, planning documents show residents living in about 80 surrounding properties were consulted about the application, submitted by Atlantic Housing.

The scheme was granted permission subject to conditions under delegated planning powers on January 21.

According to the residents, the first they knew of the plans was on February 22, when the owner of one of the top-floor flats received a Party Structure Notice dated February 10, informing them works were to be carried out.

After investigating how the application had been granted without prior consultation, the residents discovered they were missed off the list of neighbours for consultation by the council's planning department, despite being owners and tenants of the block.

They also claim an error was made on the application form, as the applicant's agent CG Architects gave incorrect information about the ownership of the block.

Holly Smith, 25, speaking on behalf of the residents, said: “The council has completely failed the leasehold owners of the flats and deprived us of our rights to consultation.

“Aside from any rights under the planning laws we also feel we have been deprived of our human rights to consultation.

“The application must surely be defective because the form was completed incorrectly and none of the correct notices were served on the freeholder or leasehold owners of the flats.

“We have suggested to both the planning department and the applicant that the easiest resolution for everyone would be for a fresh application to be made, for the correct notices to be served and the correct consultations to take place, but so far neither has offered to do this.”

The residents have issued a formal complaint to the council and are awaiting the outcome.

A council spokesman said residents have been advised they have the option of seeking a judicial review if they want to take action before the outcome of the complaint, which is currently under investigation.