UPDATE 2021-12-20: This letter has been submitted by the MCA as a representation to the planning application 4362/21.
Crescent Road is one of South Woodford’s hidden gems. It is a delightful no through road with Victorian terraces on one side and a row of mature trees and other vegetation on the other. The trees and other vegetation are also home to various animals including bats and hedgehogs.
The residents were, therefore, shocked to receive an invitation through their letterbox to attend, at very short notice, an on-line meeting for City Plumbing Ltd (a business based in Raven Road on the other side of the green corridor). It was clear that City Plumbing Ltd were planning to build a block of flats with entrances onto Crescent Road.
At a packed meeting on 22 September at Mill Grove which is in Crescent Road, residents unanimously supported the campaign to oppose this unwarranted planning application.
Margaret Watson, a Crescent Road resident said “It was just unbelievable that such an inappropriate development is being planned. Apart from the destruction of the trees (which, itself, should never be allowed), Crescent Road was designed for housing on one side of the road only and developments on the other side are simply not acceptable to us.”
Alison Hodges, another resident said: “The proposal hasn’t yet gone to planning and we want it stopped before it ever gets there. City Plumbing should be in no doubt that we will oppose any application every step of the way.”
In addition to the unprecedented destruction of trees and loss of vegetation, the plan will have the following negative impacts on the area:
- Impact on parking in the street as the 18 flats will have insufficient parking and there will be less parking available for existing residents.
- Impact on already stretched local schools, nurseries and services in the local and surrounding areas.
- If approved, this is likely to lead to further flats being built in the whole of the commercial area in Raven Road which will further impact on the trees, parking, local services and transport links.
- Not in character or keeping with the traditional Victorian and Edwardian red and yellow brick houses currently in the road.
Crescent Road should not be the means of access or parking for a property that is being built in the separate Raven Road business park. If flats are to be built, all access and parking should be provided in the Raven Road business park which has enough space and already has existing access and road capacity for the properties. The Crescent Road residential area should not suffer for the business park owners’ gain.
In the meantime, the residents are planning their opposition to the proposals. Ged Rumak added “We want a preservation order put on the trees because their loss anywhere along the road would be unacceptable. We also believe that there are legal grounds for preventing the destruction of the trees on City Plumbing’s property and other trees do not even belong to them.”
We have also started an on-line petition which can be found at: https://www.change.org/Stopcityplumbingdevelopment