Campaigners are celebrating victory after the Duke of Northumberland’s property arm lost a planning appeal to build on a patch of London allotments, reports The Northumberland Gazette.
image for illustration: View of Syon House from Syon Park by Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Northumberland Gazette writes:
Northumberland Estates had planned to build 80 flats on Park Road Allotments in the west London community of Isleworth.
The plans would have seen three-quarters of the allotment land lost and were unanimously rejected by Hounslow Council in October 2021… Despite more than 1,000 letters of objection from members of the public following a campaign led by councillors and residents, Northumberland Estates made the decision to appeal the council’s ruling.
Following a public inquiry, the appeal has now been rejected on the grounds it would harm the protected local open space and heritage assets…
Cllr Salman Shaheen, member for Isleworth and cabinet member for public spaces on Hounslow Council, said: ….“Today’s decision preserves allotments that have been worked and loved by the people of Isleworth for over a century and will safeguard our little patch of paradise for generations to come…
“….This site must be maintained as allotments for the good of the people of Isleworth in perpetuity and I look forward to discussing with Northumberland Estates how this can be facilitated.”
