Angry reactions to Secretary of State's decision
Secretary of state Eric Pickles has decided not to "call in" the outline planning application for the controversial £8 billion redevelopment of Earls Court.
Planning minister Nick Boles has told the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that the secretary of state will not call in applications lodged by developer EC Properties, a subsidiary of Capital and Counties, or Capco.
The decision follows Mayor of London Boris Johnson's approval of the plans in July.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has described this announcement as a "milestone".
The application by EC Properties, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital & Counties PLC, is based on Sir Terry Farrell’s masterplan, allowing for 5,845 new homes in Hammersmith & Fulham, new shops, offices, leisure facilities, public open space, a new school, new transport links, healthcare centre and community centre.
The consent also includes £490 million of community benefits from a Section 106 agreement, and council says final details of the agreement are expected to be finalised in September.
Cllr Nicholas Botterill, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, said: “This is fantastic news, ushering in a new generation of opportunity and prosperity for West London."
The decision however has had an angry response from opposition politicians and unions.
London Labour Assembley Member Nicky Gavron says the planning minister sent her a copy of a letter saying that he does not believe the project raises issues significant enough to warrant a public inquiry. However, five of the six grounds rejected fly in the face of all the facts. Local residents have fought to save their homes and protect the 12,500 jobs in the area that rely on the Earls Court Exhibition Centre.
London Assembly Labour Group Planning Spokesperson, Nicky Gavron AM, said:
“This decision is a failure by the Government to listen to the serious concerns of local people. It is extraordinary that the Government waved this project through despite the many unanswered questions. This controversial redevelopment will see the loss of the iconic Earls Court exhibition space and a well-established local community.
“I believe Nick Boles is using localism as an excuse to allow the demolition to go ahead, when in fact it is local people who want to halt the demolition. This is one of the largest redevelopment projects in London but any criticism has been tossed aside as the Mayor and his local authority partners ploughed it through the planning process. A project of this scale that impacts on London’s economy and mixed communities deserves proper scrutiny, but the Government have failed to do so.”
In a letter to Labour’s planning spokeswoman on the London Assembly, Nicky Gavron, Boles said that planning decisions "should be made at the local level wherever possible" and that the power to call in a case is only used "very selectively.”
According to Gavron, Boles said there was no need for a public inquiry because the proposals do not have a significant long term impact on economic growth, raise significant architectural and urban design issues or involve the interests of national security or of foreign Governments.
“This decision is a failure by the Government to listen to the serious concerns of local people,” said Gavron. “It is extraordinary that the Government waved this project through despite the many unanswered questions. This controversial redevelopment will see the loss of the iconic Earls Court exhibition space and a well-established local community.”
The plans for the 32-hectare site are for more than 6,700 homes and a raft of infrastructure and public realm improvements over a 20-year construction period. Earls Court exhibition centre will be demolished as part of the scheme.
Last month, industry experts, politicians and London locals took to social media to express their concerns.