Fait Accompli?

The new St. George's Fulham Reach show house
on Hammersmith Embankment

H&F Conservatives are becoming infamous for developing relationships with property speculators that residents say are too close for comfort. 

Contentious schemes such as Shepherds Bush Market, Hammersmith Grove, the Town Hall tower blocks and many more have all been block voted through by the Conservative majority defiantly ignoring residents' concerns.

You’d think therefore that when it came to granting planning approval the Conservatives would be a little bit sensitive to these accusations. For example, they should at least insist developers waited for the Conservative members on H&F Council's discredited Planning Applications Committee (PAC) to give their unquestioning go-ahead before a brick was laid. Well, take a look at page 16 of next week’s PAC meeting.

On 11th April the PAC will sit down to consider whether or not to give a green light for a “variation of Condition 2 of planning permission” granted to St. George for their Fulham Reach development last autumn. Somewhat predictably, H&F Council's planning officials recommend “that the application be approved” and go on to urge a condition that“the development shall not be erected otherwise than in accordance with the approved drawings.” But the show house it refers to is already finished and has been erected as you can see in the photograph.

Residents wishing to see how the Administration deals with this should turn up to Hammersmith Town Hall at 7.00pm next Wednesday. Prior to that, you can also send any objections you might have to Jason Kaye, H&F Council's case officer, by emailing him by clicking here and quoting 2011/03596/VAR.