Ealing Arcadia Centre Development: Rejected

Good news for Ealing: John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has rejected the Arcadia redevelopment proposal for Ealing Broadway, previously rubber stamped by Conservative-run Ealing Council and London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

Denham's decision, which follows last summer's public enquiry, is a victory for common sense and will come as some considerable relief to those of us who live or work nearby. Politicians come and go, and London is littered with evidence of their bad planning decisions. Long after the politicians are gone, it's ordinary folk like you and me who have to live with the awful consequences. This proposal was a monumentally dumb one from the get-go. Ealing Council's unremitting stubbornness over the issue has bordered on the unforgiveable. It's as if they learnt nothing from the previous Labour group's experience who pushed an equally dumb West London tram scheme proposal, running roughshod over the wishes of local people: and were unceremoniously kicked out of power as a direct result. We won't have to wait long to see if a similar fate awaits the Tories.

Arcadia (Leaf) Development -- Public Enquiry underway

"Arcadia Centre" -- the story so far...

Some time ago, Ealing Council thought it would be a clever idea to build an ugly high rise housing estate in Haven Green, right in the centre of our town. In 2007, a planning application was submitted by Glenkerrin, a group of Irish developers. After a consultation process, the application was revised to include seven buildings: an 85.7m tower, 567 new flats and 37 new retail units. On December 17th, 2008, at a highly charged sitting of the Council's "Planning Committee" (who turned out to be a committee of stuffed shirts), under the chairmanship of Councillor Ian Potts (Conservative, Ealing Broadway -- remember that name next time you're voting), rubber stamped the revised application, and ignored an unprecedented tidal wave of objection from local residents.

Then on January 21 2009, when Mayor Boris Johnson added his rubber stamp to the plan, it seemed to be game, set and match to the vandals and wreckers.

Finally, when all appeared to be lost, and in a highly unusual move, Hazel Blears, the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, called the application in (pdf), effectively taking the matter out of the -- incapable -- hands of Ealing Council. The final decision, which may be delayed until next year, now rests with central government.

Which brings us up to date. As part of the new review process, a formal independent public enquiry was launched yesterday in Ealing Town Hall, and may last for up to twelve days. Among those giving evidence are Ealing Council (who, by the way, are forking out £1.5m of your money to pay for some of the most expensive planning barristers in the business), and "Save Ealing's Centre", a group funded by local residents.

Will Good finally triumph over Evil? I wouldn't bet on it, but let's wait and see.