School Extension ' Eyesore' Claims

Residents in West Ealing say they weren't consulted

People living near St John's School say they weren't informed about plans for a double-deck building extension and have complained to the Council.

Two white units costing around £400,000, have been sited on the corner of Alexandria Road and Felix Road to enable the primary school to increase its intake this year.

Local residents are unhappy with the structure and say they weren't formally consulted.

Peter Lee from the Council's planning department, told them that 194 public consultation letters had been prepared, and to the best of his knowledge had been despatched. He also claimed that on-street planning notices were correctly displayed.

Dave Randles from Felix Road says nobody has received the letters or viewed the notification. He believes the Council didn't carry out its duty and has lodged a formal complaint.

'' I do not accept the Council's Stage 1 response stating that the letter of 27th
October was lost by Royal Mail and have requested escalation to Stage 2. It is now apparent that other local residents failed to receive their letters as well and there is now considerable doubt as to whether any of the 194 letters were ever sent.''

A council spokesperson said:'' From September, St John's primary school will provide an additional 15 reception-year places. This is a permanent expansion that will help meet growing demand for primary school places in the borough. To accommodate the extra pupils, a new building has been erected on the school grounds. Although planning permission for the building was granted in December 2008, we are aware that residents have raised some concerns about its design and we are working to see if these can be addressed.''

Council officers will report back to the residents at a further meeting at the school on 3rd September.