QK/George Eliot redevelopment - planning application is in - consultation deadline 13th August

Westminster Council's application for the Marlborough Hill Campus project - ie the rebuilding of Quintin Kynaston and George Eliot schools - has now been lodged and the deadline for written submissions is the 13th August.

The pre-consultation engagement with Westminster led to some changes though the concerns of Swiss Cottage ward residents about height and bulk at the northern end of the site will remain. What I haven't yet found in the documents (68 in the full planning application) is anything about whether pupils will be allowed off the campus at lunchtime - we would hope for their sake and that of local residents that they will be kept on campus.

As the Westminster 21 day consultation period gets underway, Camden will also conduct a parallel consultation, inviting local councillors, Abbey Road Housing Co-operative, Hilgrove Estate Residents Association and local residents to comment direct to Westminster with a copy to Camden Planning Service. Unfortunately, and unlike Camden, the Westminster planning process does not allow deputations by residents or councillors at their development control (planning) meeting, which presumably would consider this in September. Without defending Westminster's approach, they obviously need to have a system that allows for the handling of very high volumes of applications across the City of Westminster. As ward councillors Roger, Don and I will look through the materials, liaise with those we know are concerned, and put in our representations to Westminster.

You can find all the application documents here:

http://www3.westminster.gov.uk/planningapplications/currentsearch-details.cfm?CASENO=10%2F05869%2FCOFUL

And here are the two parts of the design and access statement which may be the most useful thing to look at initially:

http://idocs.westminster.gov.uk:8080/WAM/doc/Background%20Papers-1879778.PDF?extension=.PDF&wmName=&wmTransparency=0&location=volume22&pageCount=1&contentType=application%2Foctet-stream&id=1879778&wmLocation=0

http://idocs.westminster.gov.uk:8080/WAM/doc/Background%20Papers-1879779.PDF?extension=.PDF&wmName=&wmTransparency=0&location=volume22&pageCount=1&contentType=application%2Foctet-stream&id=1879779&wmLocation=0