The council leader has called Redbridge Conservatives “irresponsible” and “negligent” after they claimed 261 homes could be built on a library site

The comments came in response to a Tory announcement that a meeting will be held on March 5 to discuss the council’s plans to create a new community hub on the site of Gants Hill library.

The community hub will see several public services housed on one site, enabling the community to access council services, doctors, police stations and libraries in one place.

The move is to improve efficiency and cut costs for the authority and the Gants Hill library site will be one of many community hubs dotted throughout the borough.

But Conservatives have drawn attention to the area’s local plan outline for 261 new homes due to be built in Barkingside, the ward Gants Hill library sits in.

The Tories believe these 261 homes will be situated on the same site as the community hub and have arranged a meeting to discuss these plans with the public.

But Cllr Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council, has denied this and said there are no plans to build those homes on the Gants Hill library site.

In a statement, the Barkingside Conservative group said: “We have received many calls and emails from concerned residents and a recent survey has shown the demand for a public meeting to discuss what is going on.

“We have therefore decided to call a public meeting on Tuesday March 5 from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm to be held at Gants Hill United Reformed Church, Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill.”

The meeting has been organised and will be chaired by Kartik Parekh, who lives in Barkingside.

He said: “This is such an important local issue and residents are very confused with what is being planned for the library and car park.

“Redbridge Conservatives support the concept of a community hub as this can add community features such as a police hub or a doctor’s surgery but there is concern of overdevelopment on the site and the news of a possible 261 homes on this small site is a worry”.

Mr Parekh is said to have invited council leader Cllr Jas Athwal, a Barkingside councillor, Conservative group leader Cllr Linda Huggett and Keith Prince, assembly member for Havering and Redbridge, to sit on the panel at the meeting.

But the council leader is not best pleased with the way Conservatives are spreading the message of a potential 261 homes on the Gants Hill library site.

He said: “As I have repeatedly made clear to the Conservative councillors, there are no plans to build 261 homes on the Gants Hill library site.

“I am disappointed that after being clearly informed that this is not the case, the Redbridge Conservative councillors have continued to spread this lie, frighten residents and call an unnecessary meeting.

“The report being referred to is clear, a capacity of 261 new homes has been identified in Barkingside ward over a 15-year time span and a community hub will be built to aid the infrastructure needs of the area. This has come from the adopted local plan which was passed by the council and is a publicly available document, published on the council’s website.

“The wilful misinterpretation of a public document by the Conservatives to is not only disappointing but is disingenuous and hurts the residents by the spread of fear and mistrust.

“The Conservative group must stop this deliberate misleading of the public. To advertise this number under false pretences and frighten Barkingside residents is both irresponsible and quite frankly negligent.”