BY ERIC KING
Wimbledon locals have objected to approval plans by Merton councilors to grant planning permission a stone’s throw away from the main railway line into Waterloo station.
Planning committee members voted to approved plans for a two story building housing a pair of one bed and two bed dwellings.
Seven letters of objection from neighbors have been put forward protesting that the scheme is ”over development” and would increase pressure on parking, and cause overlooking. Approval plans by borough councils that are unpopular with the locals is nothing new, and often go ahead despite objections, but there needs to be a fine balance between ambitious plans of local organizations and plans that are reasonable and feasible. The proposals approved here are ambitious at the core, but the downsides and disadvantages seem to make the positive side of the ambition to be counterproductive.
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Also objecting is the Wimbledon Society. John Mays, chairman of the Wimbledon Society, who stated: “The proposed balconies at first floor level will cause overlooking to neighboring properties and loss of privacy, plus there is the potential for noise pollution.”
The objection here is valid since it becomes counter productive if the new dwellings are overlooking other properties and invading people’s privacy. Unless effective measures are put in place to eliminate this concern, the plan should be reviewed. Other objectors have pointed to concerns about traffic during the course of the building process.
Environmental Health officers at Merton Council plan to go ahead with the scheme, providing the applicant- G O’Donnell of Vineyard Hill Road, Wimbledon- submit a scheme for protecting the future occupants of the flats from noise and vibration caused by passing trains. The Wimbledon locals should be consulted to assess any scheme that is submitted.
