Coalition: Mayor Has Betrayed Thousands of North-West London Residents

Lia Colacicco, Co-ordinator, Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan made the following statement on Boris Johnson's decision not to oppose the Brent Cross planning application:

We are not surprised that Boris Johnson has approved the Brent Cross application, but the complacency of his statement is breathtaking given the huge opposition to the scheme by residents in Barnet and neighbouring boroughs, the objections of Camden and Brent Councils and the potential catastrophic impact of the scheme.

In doing so he has broken his own manifesto commitments on carbon reduction, affordable homes, protecting small shops and environmentally friendly housing. He has betrayed tens of thousands of north- west London residents. Boris isn't the people's Mayor, he's the shopping mall, car-supporting, incinerator and tower block Mayor.

We now await the decision of John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on whether he will call-in the application so that a Public Inquiry can be held enabling a full, democratic and transparent consideration of the issues that will affect thousands of Londoners over the next 25 years. The negative impact will last for up to a 100 years and affect the whole of north-west London.