Public Meeting on Thursday 13th December at 8pm

Council Has Submitted Planning Application to Build on Botwell Common/Lake Farm Country Park

Local MP John McDonnell said “Last week the council sneaked out its planning application to build on our local country park. The planning application was not listed on Monday on the list of planning applications submitted in the last fortnight although it had been submitted formally the previous week. The documents relevant to the planning application were also not available. This is an absolute disgrace and means that local people will have less time to consider the application and lodge any objections. It also looks as though the councillors are trying to rush the application through over the Christmas period when many people and organisations will not be available to object.

I have called a public meeting next Thursday 13th December at 8pm at Botwell Church Social Centre, Botwell Lane, Hayes. Please come along to hear about the Council’s planning application and to help us protect our local country park.

Everybody with an interest in protecting our open spaces and green belt should come along as if the council gets its way and builds on this open space, no area of green belt will be safe in our community.

The planning application is to put a school on the eastern end of Lake Farm Country Park between Botwell Lane and Botwell Common Road, Hayes.

This is for New 3 Form of Entry primary school (630 students) plus a nursery (45 students) and an Special Resource Provision Unit for approximately 12 pupils, associated car parking, hard and soft play areas, sports pitches, pedestrian and vehicular access routes and landscaping.

There are now doubts whether this new school is needed as two new primary schools have been agreed to be built in our area since the original council decision to build on Lake Farm was taken. In addition there are many other sites the council could use but they want to sell off those sites at our expense.

The planning application reference number is 68911/APP/2012/2983. It is open for you to comment on this application on the London Borough of Hillingdon website. Alternatively you can write to Jean Palmer, Director of Planning, Civic Centre, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1UW. Please quote the planning reference number.”

For further comment contact John on 078956292576