← More from My London
Parents set to live in the shadow of a recently approved block of flats in West London have slammed the council for giving the plans the green light after arguing that their daughter will “grow up in darkness.”
Hillingdon Council approved the proposals for a six-storey block of flats on Tavistock Road in West Drayton on Wednesday, October 14. Concluding the meeting, the committee chair and Councillor for Ruislip, Philip Corthorne, cited potential costs associated with a future appeal when approving the decision.
This comment left residents living in the neighbouring Fitzroy Court feeling let down. Georges Farhart, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “As a social care manager who spends my days advocating for vulnerable people, it is staggering to see elected officials completely abandon their duty of care to their own constituents.
“The justifications used during the public hearing were deeply concerning…The Chair explicitly pushed the approval through by citing the fear of the developer appealing.”
Georges and his wife Justyna objected to the plans in writing, telling the council that due to the height of the development, and the proximity to their flat, their daughter will rarely see sunlight in her room - a reduction of 80 per cent compared to now. However, this was deemed appropriate because it is considered that less time is spent in the bedroom.
Justyna, an architect, said: “I comply with these [building daylight and sunlight] standards when designing a building and it talks about habitable rooms and a habitable room is a bedroom and it's a living room. There's no distinction that the living room is more habitable than the bedroom - that is complete nonsense."
“I mean, it's absolutely horrendous. Imagine like you live in a cave.”
Georges described the decision as condemning his five year old daughter “to a dark box based on a technicality.” He feels that the Hillingdon Council Planning Committee “voted to sacrifice the living standards of existing West Drayton residents to appease a developer and avoid potential legal costs.”
Responding to these concerns, a council planning officer said: “The inspector reviewed daylight/sunlight in detail at appeal. BRE guidance leans away from safeguarding bedroom windows because residents spend less time awake in them… the six-storey scheme offers an improved compliance rate over the approved eight-storey scheme.”
Hillingdon Council originally rejected an application to build an eight-storey building of 32 flats due to concerns about building height and the loss of light for neighbours. However, the developer appealed to the national Planning Inspectorate, and an independent inspector overturned the council’s decision and approved the scheme in September 2022, which was not built within the three-year time limit.
On the first floor, a massive brick wall and ground-floor terrace structure will be built 3 metres to 3.5 metres directly in front of residents' bedroom windows. Other neighbours face a stark wall just 9 metres away.
Justyna added: “Imagine like your children growing up against [a brick wall] just... especially for kids, they spend most of the time in the bedroom. That's where they do their homework... grow up."
Throughout the planning process, Justyna claims that the council and developers, Linea UB7, did not proactively engage with residents of Fitzroy Court about their concerns. She added: “During the entire planning committee meeting, councillors failed to ask a single question regarding existing residents' living standards.
"Not a single question from the councillors was about what's going to happen to residents. Not a single question, not a single concern.” According to Justyna, this is in stark contradiction with council branding “putting residents first.”
She told the LDRS: "It was very grotesque to look at the sign behind them when they made that decision... Hillingdon residents put first... and not even one single question was about our living conditions.”
Hillingdon Council said: “We recognise the concerns raised by residents at Fitzroy Court, but it is unfair to suggest that those concerns were not given proper consideration or adequate scrutiny. The impact on neighbouring properties was an important part of the planning assessment and was carefully considered before a decision was reached.
“Planning decisions must be made in accordance with planning legislation and the relevant planning considerations. In this case, there was already an established planning permission for the site, which had been upheld by an independent Planning Inspector. That decision formed an important part of the planning history which the committee was required to take into account.
“The development now approved is two storeys, approximately six metres, lower than the previously approved scheme. The Planning Inspector had already considered the impact on neighbouring properties, including daylight and living conditions, and concluded that the development was acceptable in planning terms.
“Residents’ objections were considered alongside the planning history, inspector's previous ruling and officers’ recommendations.
"While we recognise that some residents will be disappointed with the outcome, it would be wrong to suggest that their concerns were not adequately assessed or that the decision was reached without proper scrutiny.”
Linea UB7 were contacted for comment.
Want to see more of the stories you love from MyLondon? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives... simply click here.