Huge Opposition to Lammas Park Flats Plan |
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Six storey building being proposed on site of East Lodge
February 11, 2025 Over 900 people have already made objections to a proposal (250344FUL) to build a six-storey block of flats within Lammas Park. The designs by Red + White have been submitted by a company called East Lodge Lammas Ltd and envisage demolishing the existing East Lodge to build the block within the grounds of the park. The building would include six flats, one four-bedroom, three three-bedroom and two two-bedroom units. The East Lodge was built in 1893 as part of a broader project to enhance Lammas Park. It is a two-storey building with four bedrooms and a large garden. The applicant states that the property has been unoccupied for the last 20 years and that it is uninhabitable. This is disputed by local residents who say that the family, who had been housed there for forty years by the Guinness Trust, were moved out a couple of years ago having been told that they were being temporarily relocated to allow renovations to take place. The site is located on the western side of Church Lane and the eastern side of Lammas Park, set apart from the semi-detached and terraced dwellings on the other side of Church Lane. East Lodge is on Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) but classed as ‘grey belt’ because it has already been built on. The applicant says that demolition and the provision of new flats would be justified given the need for housing in the borough, particularly family sized units.
The application states, “Overall, it is considered that alongside the benefits presented by increased provision of housing, the replacement building is of higher quality that which exists, and therefore the removal of East Lodge is acceptable in relation to heritage policy. “ A report by Red + White acknowledges that the East Lodge ‘does have some architectural merit’ but it is not covered by any statutory heritage designation and does not appear on Ealing’s Local Heritage List.
A consultation is currently being held to expand the boundary of the Ealing Green Conservation Area, and East Lodge would be incorporated into it when the process is finished. The proposed design seeks to integrate seamlessly with its surroundings by using materials, detailing, and architectural forms that reference the site's historical context. Sustainable measures like green roofs and improved landscaping are incorporated to increase biodiversity. With the application having been validated on 27 January, there has been an unusually high response to the consultation on the application with the overwhelming proportion of comments being negative. Grounds for objection range from harm to the park’s environment, loss of light, wanting to maintain the current East Lodge building and building on MPL. Some objectors have linked the controversial drainage project currently taking place in the park to the timing of the application.
Comments must be received by 27 February and if you wish to give feedback on the application search on the planning section of the Ealing Council web site using reference 250344FUL.
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