NIMBYs Attack Arcadia Centre

Despite the radical changes made to the Ealing Broadway Leaf that will see it transformed entirely, some people still aren't happy.

Save Ealing's Centre (SEC) are already campaigning against the building despite having not reviewed much of the information on it that the planning application has been provided but they have already identified a number of issues with regards to the scheme.

Scandalously the studio flats will be "pokey"... imagine that... small studio apartments! Small studio apartments are supposed to be like that, that is their entire raison d'etre. SEC though believes that a studio flat should be a minimum of 65 square metres in size which would make them the largest studio apartments in London.

There will be children living in the development but no kindergarten. How about the children go to nursery outside the development? Things like this are paid for partly thanks to the Section 106 agreement the developer would come to as a condition of planning approval.

"All primary school children will have to cross at least one busy road." So??? If they are young perhaps the parents would walk them to school as responsible parents do, or if they are a bit older they could have been taught some road safety.

The SEC condemns the lack of play areas but what's that just over the road? Haven Green... a nice big play area that they are fighting to save from being overshadowed. Surely you want this valuable local resource to be used to it's full extent?

Larger flats should be for older people, not for children because "it would attract older couples who would have space to store their possessions and accommodate visiting grandchildren". Hold on, the flats aren't suitable for children, besides, when you're looking to downsize what are you going to do? Oh that's right... buy a larger place to keep your stuff in just in case the kids visit.

The key issue though, and the one that SEC mention first in their check list is building height, which apparently shouldn't be any more than 6 to 8 storeys anywhere in Ealing and a maximum of five stories facing Haven Green. Why? To stop "any part of the building being visually intrusive". This would even prevent a mature tree replanting programme in the unlikely event someone were to buy the site and turn it into an urban forest.

Perhaps most damning of their approach is this quote from their website which states "the application is still being reviewed by SEC and we will provide more reasons to object shortly." In other words, they are actually looking for reasons to object.

A rational person would not be so driven by prejudice but rather come up with the reasons for and against and then let people make up their own minds but even if this building would lead to world peace, an end to global hunger, and universal love between all people, some in Ealing would still oppose it.