Woodcote (Epsom) Resident’s Society (WERS) supporting your concerns
A controversial planning application for the redevelopment of Green Gables in Ashley Road for a large linked block comprising 22 student flats was refused by the Council’s Planning Committee on 3rd November 2022.
This refusal was very much down to the support and advice given by W(E)RS to local residents who would have been adversely affected by the development.
The application was recommended for planning permission by Council Officers.
Cllr Liz Frost’s spoke against the application as Ward Councillor on behalf of objectors to the Committee meeting members.
Cllr Steven McCormick, following several questions to officers during the meeting, moved a motion of refusal on the grounds of visual impact; loss of outlook; loss of privacy and lack of clear evidence demonstrating a need for the development, which was ultimately seconded and supported by a majority of members and a refusal for planning permission was decided.
A resident from Ladbroke Road who would have been one of the residents most harmed by the proposal stated in a message to John Mumford, W(E)RS Committee member who advised on how best to set out his planning objections, that: ‘your guidance on addressing the second-round objections was most supportive. I am also aware that you have assisted Liz Frost to whom I am also most grateful for her unstinting support from day one. A third person, Steven McCormick, was so well prepared(!) and most robust in ensuring his constructive questioning was addressed at the meeting.’
W(E)RS and our ward Councillors will always listen carefully to residents’ concerns. Where appropriate, we will represent views at the Council’s Planning Committee especially if we feel that the harm from a proposal outweighs the supposed benefits. We also work hard to secure amendments to schemes so that they overcome residential amenity problems and can ultimately be recommended for planning permission.