Press Release:
Coalition – Why John Denham Must Call in Brent Cross Plans
The Coalition opposing the £4.5 billion development for a Brent Cross Cricklewood new town is urging Secretary of State John Denham to call the development in, for a Public Inquiry, in view of Barnet sending the papers to the Government Office for London and the Mayor of London.
The Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan believes the development clearly meets the criteria to merit a call-in, as set out in section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 [ref.1]. The Secretary of State’s powers to call this in are very general and discretionary.
Barnet should have referred this to the Secretary of State prior to the planning meeting on the grounds that Barnet owns some of the land. Some other grounds for call-in are :
- significant effects beyond the immediate locality
- giving rise to substantial regional or national controversy or where issues are of more than local importance
- raise significant architectural and urban design issues
- and in 2008 the sustainability of the proposed development was specifically added as a criterion.
Lia Colacicco, Coalition Co-ordinator and Mapesbury resident says:
“This scheme could be called in on several criteria, but in particular because its effects go far beyond the immediate area. Brent and Camden councils object to it, local people don’t want it in this form, and because it is completely unsustainable in terms of traffic, housing, and the environment. There was no meaningful public consultation, so we are now calling on John Denham to call it in immediately, so that these disastrous plans can undergo full public scrutiny”.
Darren Johnson (Green Party London Assembly Member) says:
"Given Boris Johnson’s manifesto commitment to cut London carbon emissions 60% by 2025 and build more environmentally friendly homes the Mayor must refuse this development. From 2016 all new homes are required to be carbon zero whereas this development falls far short of that.”
The Mayor, and Secretary of State John Denham, have until just 12 March to call in the plans for a Public Inquiry.
References
(1) Criteria for a Call-in. http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snsc-00930.pdf.See page 3 for Town and Country Planning Act 1990
Notes to Editors
1. The “Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan” comprises twelve residents’ associations plus the Federation of Residents’ Associations in Barnet (representing the 12 largest residents’ associations in Barnet), Brent Cyclists, the North West London Light Railway (NWLLR) group, Brent Friends of the Earth (FoE), Barnet & Enfield FoE, Camden FoE, Sarah Teather (MP for Brent East), Dawn Butler (MP for Brent South), Labour and LibDem Councillors from Brent and Camden, Navin Shah (London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow), Darren Johnson (London Assembly Member), Jean Lambert (London MEP), Brent Green Party, Barnet Green Party, Cllr Alexis Rowell (Chair of Camden Sustainability Taskforce), Brent and Barnet Trades Councils (TUC) and the Bestway Group.
2. The petition to call the development in for a public inquiry is available at: http://www.petition.co.uk/campaign_for_a_sustainable_brent_cross_cricklewood_development
3. The Coalition has a blog, which is rapidly putting news online at www.brentcrosscoalition.blogspot.com
4. Facts about Brent Cross and the Coalition are at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Cross and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_for_a_Sustainable_Brent_Cross_Cricklewood
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