HWA objects to proposals to redevelop The Firs on Church Grove

Please see below our objection to The Firs development application on Church Grove

We object to the revised proposals for The Firs for the following reasons:

Car parking.
The approved proposals include for parking for 9 cars plus 1 disabled. The then accompanying Planning Statement stated the requirements within the Council’s Development Management Plan and how those approved proposals meet them. These new, revised, proposals only provide 1 disabled parking space and is therefore contrary to that Management Plan. This is unacceptable. Parking in Church Grove and the neighbourhood is a major problem for householders as there is a shortage, against need, for residents’ spaces. It is essential that new residential developments in Hampton Wick provide parking spaces and meet their obligations.

Front Elevation.
The revised Front Elevation is shown on an A3 drawing at a scale of 1:200, and is not labelled with a description of materials etc. being used. This is far too vague and imprecise for a Conservation Area -the overall aesthetic is as if they are trying to echo the design language of the nearby Heron House. Is that correct? The approved scheme went to some trouble to demonstrate careful design, detail and choice of materials-the revised proposals should do the same.

Design Statement missing.
There needs to be a Design Statement, including a description of the materials used.

The Front Elevation is misleading as it does not show the bin stores in front of the building.

We welcome the retention of the existing front garden wall.

Unlike the approved drawings, the revised Ground Floor plan does not show the front edge of Heron House. The approved scheme was careful to align the new building with Heron House, whereas the new proposal does not. The front corner will therefore be prominent from the street, which is inappropriate.