Below is a copy of my letter sent today to the Greater London Authority:
To:
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
Stewart Murray, Planning, Greater London Authority
Dear Sirs,
Calling-in of Galliard Homes / AFC Wimbledon Application re Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium
I write to you in regards to the above application, which as you are aware relates to the construction of a football stadium and 600 homes at a site that is located on the border of Merton and Wandsworth. However, the site is entirely within Merton Borough and as such it is due to be determined solely by Merton Council, in the near future.
Having been in communication with large numbers of local residents on the Wandsworth side of the proposed development, it is clear that as the application stands, the clear majority of local people in Tooting and Earlsfield are very concerned about the impact of the development on local traffic and parking, transport and other services such as school places and GP surgeries. This strength of feeling was once again evidenced at the well-attended public meeting between Galliard Homes and Wandsworth residents earlier this week.
I note your letter of 4th February to Merton Council setting out a number of concerns, many of which overlap with the above. We very much hope that in due course the applicant will make provision in an updated application for the additional ‘community infrastructure’ needed to address these concerns, but at this stage it is uncertain as to whether this will happen.
As it stands, Merton Council will receive the ‘planning gain’ benefits of the application, in the form of new affordable housing, the Community Infrastructure Levy, the New Homes Bonus and ongoing council tax receipts from the new residents. This is in contrast to Wandsworth residents who will receive a very significant part of the ‘planning pain’ associated with the new development, for example:
- Car parking and roads: Wandsworth has the majority of the nearby residential car parking spaces available to football supporters driving to the ground, so will likely experience the most inconvenience from the development on match days
- Public transport: the high frequency of the local train and Tube services at Earlsfield and Tooting Broadway respectively make them the most likely destination for football supporters travelling to the stadium by these modes of transport; likewise, it is likely that those travelling by bus will use the regular bus services operating on the nearby Garratt Lane; all of three of these options are already highly overcrowded and in real need of capacity upgrades
- School places: this part of Wandsworth saw its primary schools very oversubscribed last autumn; given the popularity of these schools we can expect that a significant number of the new development’s residents who have primary age children will apply to these schools, further disadvantaging local Wandsworth families hoping to send their child to a school within walking distance.
Other general concerns include the impact of increased traffic on already congested roads and of course the flood risk, as highlighted by the Environment Agency.
As I have noted to you in previous correspondence, the large majority of residents in Tooting and Earlsfield are happy in principle to see the site developed, but their concerns on some of the specific aspects of the Galliard Homes application do need addressing.
Given all of the above, we feel it would be best to ask the Mayor to determine the application since he will be able to adjudicate across both Boroughs and arrive at a fair outcome. I look forward to your response in this regard.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Watkins
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Tooting