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.

And another eloquent letter!

Excerpts from one of many letters, in addition to online comments and petitions, urging Barnet to reject the over-development of number 5&7 Middleton Road. Residents also urge Barnet to deal effectively with the unlawful development which continues to fray the fabric of our neighbourhood.

23 November 2011

Dear Sirs,

re: Planning Appeal in respect of 5-7 Middleton Road, London NW11 7NR ref:F/01668/11

We are appalled at the renewed planning application for 8 flats within the two houses at 5-7 Middleton Road, following the rejection of the Appeal against the refusal of the original application, and so write to repeat the objections we made to the original application. We signed the petition which was submitted on behalf of all the residents of Middleton Road, but feel it is important to restate our main, personal objections as follows:

(1) Parking, traffic and safety -8 flats with only 6 parking places would increase demand for parking in the street, which is already beyond capacity. We already have a serious problem resulting from parking in this street, in particular when mothers deliver and collect their children from the school at the end of the road, because already there are insufficient parking spaces.

Should the proposed development be allowed, there would clearly be even more pressure for parking places in an already overcrowded street, because, as we are well aware, 8 flats would probably mean at least 12-16 cars to accommodate, with only 6 parking places envisaged. At present the cars from these houses can park on their own drives. The flats envisaged in the planning application would appeal largely to students and other young people who would tend to share the flats, each with their own car.

This increase in demand for parking places takes no account of the parking needs of visitors to 8 separate households.

It is, of course, completely clear that this increase of activity in a street which currently is largely comprised of sole occupation family houses, together with the increase in parking and traffic congestion which would result, would increase the risk to the safety of the children attending the school.

(2) The proposed development is completely out of keeping for a mainly residential road, currently largely comprised of sole occupancy family houses.

Despite its proximity to Golders Green, this road has remained a relatively quiet family road; this development, if allowed, would lead to a further erosion of the character of this pleasant road, on the edge of the Garden Suburb Conservation Area.

(3) Noise and disturbance - by allowing the development of 8 separate households, which would appeal mainly to students and multi-let properties, there would be a large increase in noise and disturbance resulting from many more visitors. This would lead to a permanent deterioration in the quality of the character and atmosphere of the road.

This is, obviously, only a summary of the main objections we have personally to these proposals. We continue to back unreservedly the objections set out more fully in the petition. Although we note the views expressed by the Inspector in his determination of the appeal against your rejection of the first application, we continue to believe that our objections are sustainable and urge you to reject this application again.

Yours faithfully,

L& K C.

Words of encouragement from North Finchley

Totally sympathise with your fight against developers in Middleton Way. Nice photo in the Times!!

Don't let them wear you down. We kept up a steady campaign over 4 years against developers who were planning to demolish a lovely house at the corner of our road and repace it with flats. In the end they gave up and sold the house to their tenants in spite of having finally won the fight on Appeal. No doubt it was the recession which caused them to cut their losses and sell the house but I would like to think that, by putting up such a hard fight and winning several battles on the way, we forced them to this happy outcome!

Now we are fighting developers next door. It's never ending.

(We've respected the privacy of this supporter.)

And another wonderful letter urging Barnet Council to reject the planning application for number 5-7

REQUEST TO SPEAK AT THE PLANNING COMMITTEE

24 November 2011

Mr David Campbell
Finchley & Golders Green Area Team
London Borough of Barnet
Planning, Housing and Regeneration Service
Building 4, North London Business Park
Oakleigh Road South
London N11 1NP

Dear Mr Campbell

Planning Application F/04396/11:
Proposed conversion of Nos 5–7 Middleton Road NW11 7NR
to form eight residential units

In common with the majority of residents in our street, we wish to object to the above application in the strongest possible terms.

General comments and background

Apart from provision for a Section 106 Agreement, this application in all material respects is identical to Application No F/01668/11, to which we objected in a letter (signed by Thomas Radice) dated 20 May 2011. We see no need to add to the comments made in our previous letter; in fact we are happy to repeat them (see below).

We would however like to put on record that we fully endorse the additional points made by Jeremy Charles and by Ken and Lin Craig in their letters of 23 and 24 November respectively.

When the previous application was considered by the Council’s West Area Planning Sub-Committee on 13 July, planning permission was refused for two reasons:

(1) ‘The proposed development by reason of the number of units would result in overdevelopment and be detrimental to the amenities of neighbouring occupiers contrary to policies D2, D4, H23 and H26 of the Adopted Unitary Development Plan (2006).’ [quoted in full]

(2) The absence of any proposals that would form the basis of a Section 106 Agreement. [paraphrase]

We see no reason to change our view that the Council’s first reason for refusing permission for the previous application was, and continues to be, based on robust and readily defensible grounds and is fully in accordance with the adopted UDP and national planning policy guidance.

In conclusion we strongly urge the Council once again to reject this application, having particular regard to the potential impact on parking and traffic movement.

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter.

Yours sincerely

J & T R.

cc (by email) to Councillors Harper, Marshall and Seal (Garden Suburb Ward); Mr Martin Cowie (Assistant Director of Planning and Development Management, London Borough of Barnet)

A Letter which speaks for Middleton Road

REQUEST TO SPEAK AT THE PLANNING COMMITTEE



Environment, Planning & Regeneration Service London Borough of Barnet Building 4, North London Business Park Oakleigh Road South London N11 1NP



Attention: Mr David Campbell – Senior Planner
Finchley & Golders Green Area Team


Re : Your New Reference: F/04396/11 (Old :F/01668/11) at Site :5-7 Middleton Road NW11 7NR


Dear Mr. Campbell,


We reside and own the property at 8 Middleton Road NW11 7NS, directly opposite the proposed site.


Please treat this email as formal notification that we very strongly object to the proposed planning application and urge the Council to reject it, as was done earlier when this application was submitted under ref F/01668/11. Our objections and concerns as communicated previously to yourselves on 25/05/11 under that reference are attached, which please treat as continuing to apply and an integral part of this notice of objection.

Further, we want to put on record our significant concerns about the Planning Inspectorate decision and analysis letter dtd 13Oct11 (“DL”) in respect of F/01668/1 (Simon Miles, Inspector), as it is fundamental to the discussion and the Council’s ability to deliberate on the matter at hand.

May we request that in the event a rejection is again subjected to an appeal, we would request that the concerned residents are given the opportunity to have a hearing with the Inspector (rather than written representations only), so that the concerns and evidence of the interested parties (including Golders Hill School, and possibly Hampstead Garden Suburb Conservation Trust ) may be reasonably presented .

Lastly, we also fully endorse the various points made by other residents –Jeremy Charles, Ken& Lin Craig, Adam Quint, Jennifer &Thomas Radice –among others, and which I have not considered necessary to repeat here.


Sincerely



S&C J.

Planning failing communities & favouring developers

That lefty, liberal, crazy newspaper The Telegraph has been highlighting the problems that real people in real communities face when planning fails them and favours developers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/hands-off-our-land/

Middleton Road is just one example of how the Planning system can fail communities and favour developers.

Residents Oppose Planning Permission for Number 5-7 Middleton Road

Residents have heard 'through the grapevine' that the previously rejected planning application to transform the two semis at 5 & 7 Middleton Road into 8 apartments, will now be approved. The approval will follow the payment of monies to the Council under a 'section 106 Agreement'.

Residents are still suffering from the lack of action by the powers that be on an irregular (unlawful) development of another property on Middleton Road. To add insult and fresh injury to this ongoing injustice, residents are now being told that the irregular development will be used as a precedent to favor the 5 & 7 application.

Residents were not informed in a timely manner of these decisions that are in the pipeline. However, even with the late notice from the authorities residents have mobilised to submit a new petition signed by the majority of those affected.

We don't trust the planning procedures. We think that the decision about this development should be delayed until a local residents meeting can be held where all residents' questions, comments and objections can be addressed.

Please join us to prevent planning permissions that favour developers over neighbours and neighbourhoods.