Please sign the petition in support of Hillingdon’s Planning officers to discourage councillors breaking planning policy this Thursday

In March, the Hillingdon Planning Committee met to discuss an application for Dyson Drive in Uxbridge, where residents are asking for permission to replace some green space with nine new car parking spaces on the new St Andrews estate.  Officers strongly recommended that the application be refused.

Cllr Rita Chamdal spoke in support of the residents, her constituents.  Her partner, Cllr Roy Chamdal sits on the Planning Committee and spoke first – in support of the application, and wanted to go against the advice of the planning officers.

Cllr Keith Burrows, colleague of the two Cllrs Chamdal, also spoke favourably in going against the advice of planning officers.  A third Conservative councillor on the committee, Cllr Adam Bennett left the room for the discussion (and watched via YouTube from outside) because he lives very nearby.

The meeting proceeded and the councillors were very close to overruling the officers’ recommendation that the application for more parking spaces on Dyson Drive be approved.

Throughout the meeting, Chris Brady (Hillingdon’s Planning Team Leader) spoke strongly against the proposals, Dr Alan Tilly (Hillingdon’s Transport, Planning and Development Team Manager), Roz Johnson (Hillingdon’s Head of Development Management and Building Control) and Natalie Fairclough (Hillingdon’s Legal Advisor) all spoke against the proposals.

Should the application be approved, it would result in an over-provision of parking spaces by an even bigger ratio than Dyson Drive already has.  The meeting broke off to have a site visit so that the councillors could see the site for themslves, and this Thursday, the September Planning Committee meets – with a decision due to be made on the application.

There has been a 50-strong petition in support of the application.  Officers still recommend refusal, based on the fact that 56 flats shouldn’t have more than 46 parking spaces – but they already have 70… so they should not be approved when asking for another nine.

Both Ruislip Residents’ Association, and the borough-wide Hillingdon Alliance of Residents’ Associations support Hillingdon’s planning officers and experts, and strongly request that the councillors refuse the application.

We have started a petition on the Hillingdon ePetition website:

We the undersigned petition Hillingdon Council to refuse application 78464/APP/2024/3196, in line with the Planning Officer’s recommendation.

The application for 9 new parking spaces on Dyson Drive creates an unsustainable overprovision of parking. The site’s 70 existing spaces already significantly exceed the maximum of 46.5 permitted for its 56 properties under the current London Plan standards.

This is a significant policy departure that would set a harmful precedent for future developments across our borough. It undermines policies on sustainable transport and causes the unnecessary loss of green space. We ask the Committee to uphold its planning policies and refuse this application.

This petition is submitted with the full endorsement of the Hillingdon Alliance of Residents’ Associations.

Please consider signing it.