Many of our readers will have seen the front page article in last week's Surrey Herald in which it is claimed that the Crest Nicholson plans for the London Irish site in The Avenue are welcomed by LOSRA. Let's be clear: LOSRA, in partnership with SOLID (Sunbury Opposes London Irish Development) has, from the very outset, opposed any development of this site. It was with good reason that the Council had designated the land as 'protected urban open space' and this Association was a party to the Examination in Public at which that designated status was eventually approved by the (then) Deputy Prime Minister's Office.
In these short paragraphs it is not intended to rehearse the myriad stages of a long 6 years campaign. Suffice to say that, at its conclusion, permission to develop the site was eventually granted after a planning inspector, whilst refusing one application, signalled a green light for an alternative scheme provided certain conditions could be met. From this point onwards it was not a question of whether a development would go ahead, but when and what kind. Public consultations followed at which various options were discussed and these were eventuallly reduced to just two; one of which made no on-site provision for affordable housing; and the other, partial provision together with a financial contribution towards the off-site allocation of the remainder. The Local Planning Authority made it very clear that the first of these options would not be acceptable and it is the second which forms the basis of the planning application now up for public consultation (Ref: 14/00275/FUL).
LOSRA was invited by the Surrey Herald to comment and, very much in the spirit of 'best of a bad bunch', and conscious of residents' stated preferences, gave its qualified support. In short being "in favour" of the application should more accurately have read "in favour of this application when compared with all the others which had been variously proposed". We do not believe that the Surrey Herald article accurately reflected this sentiment.