Charity Seek To Reassure Over Northfields Allotments Plans

Pathways planning exhibition over controversial proposals

Housing charity Pathways want to develop a section of Northfields Allotments to build affordable housing and rehouse current residents from Dean Court - but this could mean the loss of up to 10% of the current site.

The news has caused anger and the Ealing Dean Allotments Society voted to oppose the current proposal; to oppose any revised or future proposals to develop on or sell any part of the allotment site; to take all necessary steps to prevent development on or any loss of land from the current site; to call a further Special General Meeting once a planning application has been submitted

(Artists impression of proposed development)

Pathways Chief Executive, Clive Wilson, has said they are listening to local concerns and are now hoping to use less than 10% of allotment land for the development.

Mr Wilson spoke to freelance writer Rory Thomas:

''We’ve had conversations with the allotment holders and other people, and we think we can possibly reduce it to 5% of the site, though we still need to do more detailed work. In the end there is a trade-off here, between being able to provide 110 new good affordable homes (for the elderly) and what we consider to be a very marginal – especially if it goes down to 5% - loss of open space. Even at 10% we think this is an acceptable trade-off.

''This scheme isn’t about maximising housing on the Northfields site, it is about redeveloping the Dean Court site, and in order to do that we need to use a portion of Northfields as our first decant. But that’s the only reason we are doing it, and if we could do it without that, we would. But building on what we are calling the “enabling block” on Northfields helps us to decant those 18 residents for development.

''We believe we can replace more allotments than we take – potentially on the rooftops as suggested – and if we end up only moving 5% of the plot holders then we can pretty much guarantee they’ll all be able to get a plot on Northfields site. No one is going to be evicted out on the street, this is not the case, we know we can relocate people. There may be some delay with relocation due to the waiting list, but if they want a rooftop allotment then they will be able to get one”.

(Clive Wilson CEO Pathways)

Allotment holders have support from the local ward councillors and Labour MP, Rupa Huq, in the campaign against development. A petition against the plans now has nearly 1,000 signatures. They want the charity to find alternative land for the development, but Mr Wilson says this just isn't feasible:

''As the Chief Executive of 350-year-old charity, my main responsibility is to deliver better services for our people in need, but I can’t do that by putting the charity at risk. This way we keep our 18 residents together, and there simply are no other options that will allow us to do that. So, we will be open to look at other options, and we have looked at some suggested to us. But within the context of keeping the community together and minimising the risk, we believe this is the best option.

''Our scheme has moved on but the opposition hasn’t, and that petition is stuck in time as far as I’m concerned. It's only of relevance to those proposals that we announced for consultation on the 31st of August. Having said that, we are not dismissing people’s views, we are actively going out and seeking them to find out ways we can mitigate some of the impacts they think they’re going to get, and we are prepared to go even further.

''On the 12th of November we are going to have an exhibition at St John’s Church inviting everyone in the local area and those affected to have a look at what our proposals are. We will no doubt receive opposition which we can then build into our plan”.

17th October 2016