EastSheenMatters

On Day 3 you will hear from a number of local schools about their objections to the proposed 1200 pupil secondary school. I have seen a lot of their evidence. It makes compelling reading, ignored to date by the Council, so attend or watch the livestream if you can.

They will be followed by Tim Catchpole, Chair of MESS, and Richard White who will be giving evidence about false letters of support for the applications, filed by the developer’s agents.

All Opening Statements have now been uploaded to the Inquiry website at gatelyhamer-pi.com and then go to Uploaded Inquiry Documents

gateleyhamer-pi.com

This site is now the best place to go for evidence and livestreaming links.

It appears that a day’s hearing is uploaded to the system overnight.

Today’s hearing concerns overall design. The first hour was a presentation by the architect. Subsequently there has been a roundtable discussion, which at present is about heights and whether seven stories should be the maximum height. The architect has just said that the Local Plan is ‘broad brush and guidelines’. A convenient interpretation? That is not the Mortlake Brewery Community Group. A key point for the Inspector to decide?

We’re off! After some weeks of uncertainty the Inquiry started in Clarendon Hall at York House, which has plenty of space. Livestreaming seems to be working efficiently. Go to https://gateleyhamer-pi.com/en-gb/stag-brewery/

The Inspector Glen Rollings opened proceedings with an outline of the applications and how matters would proceed. He demonstrated how keen he was to ensure that residents were heard. He said that anyone who wanted to contribute could be heard at the start of proceedings on every day when he was sitting.

Counsel for the parties, the developers Reselton Properties Ltd, the London Borough of Richmond, the GLA, the Mortlake Brewery Community Group and the West London River Group. all made opening statements. The first three are available on the Inquiry website at https://gateleyhamer-pi.com/en-gb/stag-brewery/inquiry-documents/documents-during/

There is clearly a difference in conceptual understanding of what should be on the site. The developers and the Council now seem to regard it as an urban development, emphasising that it was not an Arcadian part of the Thames. Local people will be emphasising that they agreed with the design as it was in 2011, which was a village. Now it was ‘too tall, too dense, too big’.

Affordable house, heritage, local traffic, the need for the secondary school and the relevance of the Local Plan are all going to be obvious areas of contention.

The Inspector spent the afternoon with party representatives on a site visit, starting on the Chiswick Bridge side and walking round to the Maltings. Would they make it before dark? He had already visited twice and spent time in Sheen Lane.

Start Tuesday 5th November 2024 10am

Venue Clarendon Hall

Inspector opens the Inquiry.

Opening statements from Counsel for the parties.

You can now register for the livestreaming service to be provided by Richmond Council for the Public Planning Inquiry starting tomorrow. You might find the easiest route is through the Inspectorate Administration site.

https://gateleyhamer-pi.com/en-gb/stag-brewery/

Or go to richmond.public-i.tv

You will be able to access specific hearings. You will find:

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“Tuesday, 5th November 2024 at 10:00am

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The only certainty for the first day is that you will hear Opening Statements from Counsel for each of the parties. The Inspector will then go on a site visit. Tim Catchpole and Richard White will be giving evidence on THURSDAY MORNING, before the discussion on education matters.

Stan Crockett, a well-known character around locally, is 80 in January 2025. He was born when the family was living in Portman Avenue, went to school at East Sheen Primary School and then Mortlake Boys School, and has lived in Thornton Road for 55 years. He still works round the area.

His father Reginald, a notorious west country sheep stealer between the wars, turned his life round and opened a grocery shop at 325 Upper Richmond Road. As a fourteen year old Stan earned £3 per week at Stewarts the Butchers, now Artisans. He recalls cycling up to Chelsea to deliver four lamb chops.

Stan and his wife Margaret are well involved in the Sheen community and as members of the Mortlake with East Sheen Society, well informed. They have seen a few changes in the area, not all good. They recall when a council employee used to come round to ensure hedges were well maintained and check on potholes. There were not so many hairdressers, cafes or coffee bars and no vape shops. We didn’t do all our shopping at a supermarket. People didn’t wander round looking at their mobiles or cycle on pavements.

Like so many local residents they find the proposals for the development at the Stag Brewery difficult to understand. Why such density of residential units? Why a 1200 pupil secondary school, when all the local primary schools are reporting a shortage of entrants? And what are the implications for the already difficult local medical, transport and traffic problems?

Stan might be related to the legendary Davy of the Alamo. He had six children so who knows?

Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning at All Saints – Friday, 15 November – 10.00am to 12 noon. Home produce, Plants and Christmas cards will be on sale.

Grand Auction & Dinner at All Saints. Saturday 16 November. 7pm for 7:30pm. Enjoy a glamorous evening (black tie optional) with fine 3-course dinner, great company and enticing promises to bid for. Even Jon Blythe on a promise.

Supporting Glass Door and All Saints funds. Tickets £25. Individual tickets and those for tables of 8 available from: allsaintsgrandauction@gmail.com or from All Saints on Sunday mornings.

Jonathan Haynes will be instituted and inducted as Team Rector at a service led by Bishop Martin, the Bishop of Kingston on Monday, 4 November, at 7:30pm in Christ Church. All warmly welcome.

Two Nicks on early shift at Waitrose this morning.

Thank you to two eagle-eyed readers of my previous post, who spotted that Reselton did not actually pick up a bargain when it bought the Brewery. Not by a million fold. It illustrates the risks of early hours drafting. But it has the benefit of emphasising the point!

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