Lynne Featherstone

Meeting with local residents in Muswell Hill to support their fight against a planning application. The application is for a large house which will replace 6 old garages and is sited on a hill. It is huge and dominating and will completely bugger the local people around it.

A previous planning application on the site from 1988 for a bungalow was rejected because it would seriously affect the local amenity. Given that the new application is vast by comparison, along with it being in a conservation area, I hope the application will be refused.

The Planning Committee is supposed to be quasi-judicial and decisions made solely on non-political, substantive planning grounds only. However, as it is made up of something like 8 Labour and 2 LibDem members – and the sight of me appears as a red rag to the Labour bull – I tend not to go as ward councillor to speak in favour of the residents as Labour – regardless of rights or wrongs – see me and vote the other way. Very childish.

I suggest various bits and pieces and will lodge a written objection, make sure more residents are consulted and try and find out what the planning officers are minded to recommend.