John Lewis Partnership(JLP) is facing criticism over its plans to erect a tower for housing in Ealing, as locals believe the height of the tower would breach the local council rules.
Campaign group Stop the Towers believes John Lewis’ rental home plans, which aim to provide 428 new homes to Ealing, are in breach of local planning rules as it states a building can only be 7-13 storeys high at the specific site.
Plans to build a 20-storey building were presented to the local council on 4 August and with the deadline for public comments coming at the end of the month, campaigners are upset John Lewis only provided brochures to residents on 19 August, less than two weeks before the deadline.
John Lewis plans Source JLP
Denise Colliver and Justine Sullivan, the co-chairs of Stop the Towers said in a statement: “The arrogance of JLP’s development team is breath-taking. They’ve ignored both the weight of public opinion and the Local Plan site-specific guidance.
“No one objects to appropriate, proportionate development that will genuinely benefit local communities. But yet again we are seeing developers trying to ride roughshod over local people’s wishes and needs, ignoring democratically implemented local plans, just to make a fast buck.”
Arguing John Lewis may have issued the plans purposely at a time when families in the local area were on holiday, the campaign group is now calling for Peter Mason, the local council leader, to maintain his stance against the plans.
Mason previously claimed he and his area wouldn’t be bullied into complying with the plans and promised to clamp down on tall tower projects.