Duke of Northumberland battles the council and Hounslow residents over plan to build 80 new flats on allotment patch

Councillors, MPs and residents came out in force to voice their opposition to the scheme at a public inquiry accusing the plan of being ‘cynical’, ‘greedy’ and ‘out of touch’.

The inquiry was called by Northumberland Estates after its proposals were roundly rejected by Hounslow Council’s planning committee in October 2021.

The appeal hearing against the decision to block the bulldozers was described by one local councillor as a ‘Dave vs Goliath’ situation for residents.

During the opening statements the duke’s team pushed the idea that new buildings would not only be desirable but necessary.

Melissa Murphy KC argued that the rent from the new housing would provide crucial revenue for the renovation of Grade I-listed Syon House, a historic Hounslow landmark, as well as provide 40 per cent affordable housing and homes for key workers for nearby West Middlesex University Hospital.

The development in question comprises seven buildings varying between 2.5 and 3.5 storeys, which will provide 80 homes and also includes a concierge building, car and cycle parking, landscaping and associated works.

However, Ruth Cadbury, the Brentford and Isleworth MP, told the inquiry that she viewed the application as ‘particularly weak’, adding that although she rarely speaks out against planning matters ‘the sheer weight of local public opposition’, compelled her to attend the meeting.

Councillors have reported receiving almost 1,000 letters from concerned parties requesting that the scheme be stopped, while a separate petition with 3,000 signatures has also made its way to the desk of local authorities.

The MP added that the borough has ‘generally exceeded its housing targets including for affordable housing, so this small site would make relatively little contribution to the overall housing supply’.

Ms Cadbury said she believed that the Northumberland Estate’s inclusion of the proposal’s plan to provide key worker homes was ‘merely doing so to garner local support not long after we had all been clapping for NHS workers during the pandemic’, because this feature was only added after a planning application was submitted.

Cllr Salman Shaheen, representing Isleworth and cabinet member for parking, parks and leisure, said that the plans would see the destruction of a treasured community asset simply to line ‘already deep pockets’.

He added that ‘a man richer than the king has shown no evidence to prove that the only way to fund the repairs to one historic asset is by destroying another historic asset’.

The councillor went on to label it ‘an ill-conceived plan designed not to support a treasured historic asset, but to destroy one for private gain’.

The Isleworth community has had access to the allotments since 1917, when one of the duke’s ancestors leased the land to the council to help in the aftermath of World War I.

Although the land has been in continuous use as allotments for over 100 years, Cllr Shaheen has said that if plans aren’t rejected ‘once it is gone, it is gone forever’.

A decision on the fate of the allotments is not expected until November.

Northumberland Estates, director of planning and development, Colin Barnes, said: “We are confident that our development plans will provide the borough of Hounslow with many benefits.

"The scheme addresses the well documented shortage of this type of housing in greater London, offering 40% affordable housing in an area where many people are priced out of the market, as well as housing for key NHS workers to meet a requirement identified by West Middlesex Hospital.

“We have committed to providing long-term allotments on the southern portion of the site that can accommodate existing allotment holders and attract new users. In addition, we have reaffirmed that the income from the development will be used to restore, conserve, and maintain Syon House, a Listed Building within parkland that itself provides significant community benefits.

“Although some have tried to personalise the issues discussed at the inquiry, we hope planning permission will be granted and we can deliver a scheme that benefits allotment holders and the wider community."