Christmas Past - Christmas Present - Christmas Future?

Christmas Past

Christmas Present Christmas Future?

Our first picture!

Thanks to Vic for our first 'Seasons Greetings' picture. Perhaps a montage of pictures would be best for the Christmas Cards - so send in your favourite pics of Middleton and I'll put them together in cards for our Councillors.

Cheers!

Calling all residents of Middleton, Corringham & Rotherwick

Sunday December 11th from 6:00 pm - let's meet to get to know one another and plan how to work together to save our neighbourhood from the developers.

I'm bringing lanterns, blankets and lawn chairs and some mulled wine.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Another resident eloquently objects to retroactive planning permission for number 21

Many thanks to this resident who rightly points out that the history of this unlawful development needs to be made part of the record. It would be a gross injustice if the developer of number 21 were to be rewarded for breaking the rules. It would seem only right that any monies he has received from illegal lettings should be clawed back by the Council.

Dear Ms Thomas

Could you please explain the status of this application and in particular why the summary dossier on the website states 'Unfortunately, the consultation period for this application is not open'; also why, when one clicks on 'view documents', a message appears stating 'there are no active search results to display'.

My understanding is that there have been repeated complaints to the Council over the past 4 or 5 years about the illegal conversion, without planning permission, of a former family house into a large number (originally 9) of bedsits. This conversion originally included the opening up of a front basement area with full-size residential window. Later this was decked over - I suspect only temporarily - perhaps in response to inquiries from the Council. The house has since been occupied by numerous tenants.

Earlier this year I drew the case personally to the attention of Cllr Andrew Harper, on an occasion when he was passing through Middleton Road to view the outside of another property that was at the time the subject of a planning application.

Please could you set out the full history, with relevant dates, of enforcement action taken by the Council and explain why the owner has not been required long since to reverse the illegal works that have been carried to No 21 and to restore it to its original state.

It goes without saying that I and majority of neighbours in Middleton Road will wish to object strongly to this application and will look to the Council - as we have been doing for several years - to refuse a certificate of lawful development for work which should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. Consequently we expect the Council to take decisive enforcement action in this case and to see it through to conclusion.

Yours sincerely

A letter regarding number 21

Many thanks to the resident who responded quickly to the outrageous news that developer at number 21 is looking for retroactive planning permission for the unlawful development that went ahead without planning permission. Could it be that flouting the rules will be rewarded by our Councillors?

Dear Elizabeth Thomas

I just received in my email this morning notification of a new planning application for 21 Middleton Rd, NW11 7NR (F/04808/110)

I signed a letter of protest from the residents of Middleton Rd to the Council on 7th October 2007 and also wrote a personal letter of protest against this development at the time.

In spite of the concerted objections from the residents of Middleton Rd this development went ahead without planning permission.

For the same reasons I objected originally I would once again like to lodge my strong objections to this development which is not in the interests of the residents of Middleton Rd or indeed of Golders Green.

The only beneficiary of this type of development in a residential street traditionally occupied by individual families is the developer.

Learning the planning ropes

Just got this from customer services at Barnet. Thought it might be useful to those of you who, like me, are just learning the planning ropes.

Thank you for your enquiry. I am sorry for the delay in responding to you. You can find out when planning committees are meeting by visiting our website (www.barnet.gov.uk) and clicking on the link to ‘Council Meetings’ (a subheading underneath reads ‘Committee papers and upcoming meetings’).

Here is a direct link to the web page: http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/index.asp?intSubSectionID=-1&intSectionID=1

Golders Green comes under the ‘West Area’ planning committee/sub-committee.

Crime rising hand in hand with character changing development?

Another burglary on Middleton Road. Heartfelt sympathy to the victim. Police on the doorstep recognize that when the character of a neighborhoud is changed from single family to multi-dwellings crime can increase. She also pointed out that these changes are exacerbated on Middleton Road as there is a 'quick getaway' to the A406.

This is an excellent reason for all of us to continue to block dangerous development on Middleton Road and to push for the enforcement of findings against unlawful development which have been allowed to go unaddressed.