7.30pm Wednesday 23 October 2013 at All Saints Church on Putney Common

The Friends of Putney Common (FofPC) has decided to hold an Open Meeting on Wednesday 23 rd of October to discuss the Council’s proposals for the Putney Hospital site. It will be open to all residents and interested parties. Booking is not necessary and the meeting will start at 7.30pm for 8pm at All Saints Church on Putney Common (close to where the 22 bus terminates).

Nick Evans, Spokesman for Friends of Putney Common said:
“It is extremely disappointing, but not unexpected, that the Council should think it appropriate to bring forward their plans for luxury flats and a new 2FE school immediately before the imminent Judicial Review. Yet again they have failed to listen to residents by putting forward the same flawed plans. FofPC is determined to give residents a chance to express there views, and the Open Meeting on the 23 rd of October at All Saints Church will give them that opportunity.”

On the 16th of September Wandsworth Council’s Planning Department published a new ‘Screening Opinion’ which stated that an Environmental Impact Assessment for the site was not necessary. During the previous month revised reports were also added to the online planning portal, amounting to hundred’s of pages of additional information. Nonetheless it is FofPC’s view that both the Screening Opinion itself and the reports are seriously flawed. The Council seems to expect residents to believe that the environmental impact of the proposals will be limited and can be compared to the situation over 15 years ago when the hospital was still operating.

Despite receiving over 800 objections in 2012 and having its last planning permission quashed in the High Court soon after it was granted, the Council is bringing forward exactly the same proposals. Nothing has been changed in over 12 months.

What is more the Council has limited the consultation period for the new information to the minimum 21 days, with all comments and objections to be received before the 17 th of October. It is expected that the application will then be considered by a Planning Application Committee to be held on the 7 th of November 2013. To facilitate the opportunity for residents to place objections online on the WBC’s planning portal for 2012/0758 (the planning reference) FofPC has made available the following short link to the WBC planning summary: bit.ly/putney_hospital_objection. They can also express their views at the Open Meeting before the Planning Application Committee meets.

FofPC believes that the Council has also completely ignored the Judicial Review being held on the 9 and 10 of October into the powers of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators to grant the Council the right to build roads on Putney Common. The Open Meeting will go ahead whatever the Judicial Review decides.

Friends of Putney Common


September 26, 2013