Leaf report welcomed

1:20pm Thursday 3rd January 2008

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CAMPAIGNERS fighting a proposed development in the heart of Ealing have welcomed a report saying the 40-storey tower is in the "wrong location".

The English Heritage report came in the same week Irish developer Glenkerrin submitted altered plans for the Arcadia Centre site.

Nick Woolven, chairman of Save Ealing's Centre, an alliance of more than 20 residents' groups from across Ealing, Acton and West Ealing, said: "This report backs up the things we have been saying all along.

"We recognise the fact the town centre needs redeveloping, but these plans are not the answer, and we hope he council take on board what English Heritage have said and reject them."

The report, handed to the council on Friday, December 21, advises Ealing Council to reject the plans because they are out of character with the area and may set a precedent for future tall buildings in the borough.

It says: "English Heritage strongly objects to the proposal, and the impact upon the character or appearance of the conservation areas and the wider historic environment.

"Both the tower and the mid-rise elements would be out of keeping with the established scale of Ealing town centre, and would earmark a significant change for the character of the conservation area, and the perception of Ealing as a suburban centre.

"Given the lack of precedent and the established suburban character, it is considered that this is the wrong location for a development of this scale."

Glenkerrin spokeswoman Lisa Ronchetti said: "Glenkerrin UK continues to work closely with English Heritage and the other bodies to address the concerns raised by this report about the redevelopment proposal.

"In addition, our revised application also seeks to address some of the points made in the report."

The changes to the designs were made in the wake of criticism by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), and were submitted at the end of December.

The revised plans include a change in the order of the three finger blocks fronting Haven Green, moving the tallest to the middle, and rotating The Leaf itself through 25 degrees anticlockwise to create more space between it and Ealing Broadway station.

The changes have not been well received by Mr Woolven. "The changes are just tinkering at the edges, where the real cause for concern is the scale of the development as a whole," he said.

A new consultation period has now been started by the council. Representations must be made by Friday, January 25.

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