Why are expert heritage warnings for St Martins Approach missing from the Hillingdon planning portal?
The RRA has obtained the reports the Council didn’t upload. Experts want digs BEFORE decisions are made.
The Ruislip Residents’ Association has obtained two important expert reports relating to the planning application at St Martins Approach (49461/APP/2025/3009):
- Historic England’s consultation response (released to us through an Environmental Information Regulations request)
- The GLAAS (Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service) consultation response, sent directly to the RRA
Because the site sits within the Ruislip Village Conservation Area and close to the Grade II listed Manor Farm, these findings are especially important for understanding the risks to our historic environment.
At the time of publishing this update, neither of these consultation responses appears on the Hillingdon Planning Portal, even though they form part of the evidence that should be available to the public before the council makes a decision.
We have formally asked Hillingdon Council to upload these documents to the planning portal, as required by national rules on transparency.
Transparency details
These rules require Local Planning Authorities to consult statutory bodies such as Historic England and the Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service (GLAAS), and to make their responses publicly available on the planning register before an application is determined
To ensure residents and local groups have access to the full picture, the RRA is making both documents publicly available. Everyone should be able to see the same expert advice that the council has received and our community deserves to know the risks to our local heritage before the diggers move in.
The RRA will continue to monitor the situation and keep residents informed.
You can read the full reports below:
GLASS response: Archaeological Advice for Proposed Residential Development at St Martins Approach, Ruislip
GLAAS advises that the current planning application lacks sufficient detail and requires a pre-determination archaeological field evaluation to assess potential impacts on buried medieval remains. While the housing development is expected to cause minimal harm to the setting of nearby scheduled monuments, the high probability of significant archaeological assets necessitates further trial trenching before a planning decision is made.
Historic England: Heritage Impact Concerns and Statutory Compliance for St Martins Approach, Ruislip
Historic England argues that the current application underestimates the site’s significance, particularly regarding how the “open” space contributes to the setting of the Ruislip Motte and Bailey and other Grade I and II* listed medieval assets. The letter concludes that the council must seek further archaeological evidence and justification for the development to ensure the proposal complies with national planning policies and statutory duties to preserve the Ruislip Village Conservation Area.
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