Ealing Council Officers Refuse to Accept Lammas Park Petition
'Ditch the Swamp' campaign opposed to drainage scheme
Zoe Dobson with the petition (left) and the drainage pond in Lammas Park
February 20, 2025
An attempt by an Ealing resident to deliver a petition with nearly a thousand signatures this Friday (31 January) was thwarted by a refusal of council staff to accept it.
Zoe Dobson launched the ‘Ditch the Swamp’ campaign after becoming angered about the state of Lammas Park which has been blighted by a drainage project being managed by Ealing Council and Thames Water.
For the last nine months, much of the park has been inaccessible and completion of the work has been held up by the initial planning permission not covering the full scope of the Northfield Avenue and Lammas Park Flood Alleviation Scheme.
The delay is not the only issue for Zoe Dobson, who was a regular visitor to the park before the work started, and other opponents of the scheme as they say, once complete, the project will result in two large drainage ponds being situated next to a children’s play area.
The council’s claim that the stormwater overflow system is necessary to protect neighbouring properties from flooding is also disputed.
As well as the petition, there have been 199 objections lodged to the application (244565FULR3) for the next stage of the drainage project.
Project Centre, which has been appointed by the Ealing Council to design and complete the scheme, is seeking approval for revised proposals for the storage of surface water and the landscaping of the park after project completion.
Those campaigning against the scheme are hopeful that the number of people signing the permission and objecting to the planning application will, at the very least, force the council to bring the application before the borough planning committee. This will allow councillors to have a vote on whether or not to approve. If permission is given, work should resume on the site in the spring. The council has said previously that it hopes that areas of the park can be reopened by summer.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “A petition was received by the Lammas Park lead project officer on 27 January and we responded on 7 February. Democratic services officially received the petition on Monday 10 February and they spoke to the petitioner on the phone that day. We have never, and would never, refuse to accept a petition.
“Lammas Park falls in a critical drainage area identified with a high risk of flooding. The construction of the Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) Project, which has been designed with safety as paramount, will substantially reduce the number of properties exposed to flood risk. Additional benefits include improved air quality, an enhanced public amenity and more biodiversity.”
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