Local Authority

A COUPLE fear someone will soon be killed outside their house after a car crashed into their front garden for the fifth time in less than four years.

Roy, 79, and Jackie Redrup, 55, have lived in Field End Road, near the junction with Farthing Close, in Eastcote, for 15 years, but these freak accidents only started in 2006.

The latest crash happened on November 1, when an off-duty police officer careered through both their front garden walls before ending up on its side next to their house.

The second crash, in October 2007, involved a car hitting their hedge before flipping over it and landing on their neighbours' cars in their driveway.

Mr Redrup said: "The area has become an absolute danger to any pedestrian.

"In the morning and the evening there's a lot of traffic so the cars move slowly, but at night they travel at great speeds.

"In all the accidents the drivers said they suddenly lost control of their cars for some reason."

Mrs Redrup thinks excessive speed is the reason for the crashes and wants Hillingdon Council to do something about the road before someone is hurt.

She said: "This is a 30mph road and if the people who crashed had been doing 30mph or less they might have lost control of their cars but they wouldn't have done as much damage to our property as they did.

"It's not about our walls because we can replace them, but one day someone will be killed."
The couple think the road should be made 20mph or a speed camera should be installed. They have also contacted Eastcote Residents' Association (ERA) for their help.

Ian Brooks, transport and road safety member for the ERA, said: "The volume and speed of cars on the roads is creating risks, which is leading to crashes, which is then leading to a perception that there's a lack of safety. That is undermining the quality of life because less people want to walk and cycle, and therefore congestion increases.

"We are concerned that the responsible authorities are not working effectively together on this."

Mary Worrall, head of highways and green spaces at the council, said: "Hillingdon Council is aware of issues relating to this specific area and has already been liaising with the owner of the affected property to look at ways that these issues can be addressed.

"The accidents that have happened in this part of the road have been a result of drivers not taking due care and attention and so the council is considering ways to ensure drivers are using this road more safely."

NEIGHBOURS turned up to a planning meeting to object to proposed plans to build a house in their road, but were unsuccessful in their attempts.

An application to build a two-storey four-bedroom house at 23 Lime Grove, Eastcote, with a basement and a detached garage to the rear, involving the demolition of the existing house and garage, was approved at the north planning committee last Tuesday (27).

Speaking at the meeting, Lesley Crowcroft, a member of Eastcote Residents' Association, said: "This proposed application is for a four-bedroom house in the midst of the bungalows in Lime Grove.

"The garden size is border line, as is the distance from the house in Myrtle Avenue. Both side elevations are less than one metre from the boundaries. To squash this dwelling into this small space is like squashing the ugly sister's foot into Cinderella's slipper.

"The bungalow is already a sustainable home with four bedrooms, therefore there is nothing to gain from this application."

HUNDREDS of residents are continuing to campaign against an onslaught of applications to build a house in their area, which they say is blatant garden grabbing.

In the last eight years seven applications have been submitted to build either one or two houses in the back gardens of 63, 65 and 67 Lowlands Road, Eastcote.

The first six were all refused by Hillingdon Council's north planning committee and at appeal, but the last one was recommended for approval at last night's (6) planning meeting.

Lesley Crowcroft, the planning member for Eastcote Residents' Association, spoke at the meeting.

She said: "The local distinctiveness of the Deane Estate is the long gardens, long straight roads, modest houses of a simple design and the openness with many visible trees.

"This proposal does not harmonize with the street scene, being squashed into back gardens.

"It is blatant garden grab. Not only will the proposed dwelling have a smaller than average garden, three existing gardens will also become out of character with the area."

Eastcote councillor, Bruce Baker, said: "The planning applications that have been submitted are causing the local residents a huge amount of stress and concern.

"In every one the applicant has shown absolutely no regard for the history and character of the area and the concerns of the residents. They are nothing less than harassment.

"We have an opportunity to send a message to this applicant that any future plans for this site will not be determined."

The committee members decided to defer the application for a site visit before they make their decision.

Mrs Crowcroft said: "We are most unhappy with the officer's report, as were the committee members.

"We do understand that the LPA try to avoid applications going to appeal because of the cost. However, this is no reason to recommend approval to proposals that will clearly cause demonstrable harm to the neighbourhood, as well as being sub standard in their presentation."

PLANS are being proposed to add another 15 homes to the development of the former RAF Eastcote site.

The developers, Taylor Wimpey, are holding a public exhibition for people to view the revised proposals for the Pembroke Park site in Eastcote Road, Eastcote.

Planning permission for 385 homes was approved in March last year and the developers now want to add an extra 15 homes.

The exhibition is being held on Monday (12) at St Thomas More Church in Field End Road, Eastcote, from 2pm to 7pm.

TWO empty shops in Eastcote are to reopen following the approval of planning permission.

The former wine shop in High Road will be turned into a centre for the manufacture and fitting of dentures.

The vacant unit at 108 Field End Road will be used for financial and professional services.

Both applications were approved at the north planning committee on Thursday (17).

A 'Raising the Flag' ceremony is being held at Warrender Park to mark its Green Flag status.

The event will take place at the park off of Lime Grove, Eastcote, on September 18 at 3.30pm.

All are welcome to attend.

A GRADE II listed building is going up for auction with a guide price of over half a million pounds.

Highgrove House, in Eastcote Road, Eastcote, is being put on auction by Hillingdon Council on September 15.

The building was built in 1860s and is a Grade II listed manor house set in private grounds.
Before it closed more than two years ago it was used by the council as a residential hostel for council tenants.

Planning permission has been granted for the refurbishment and conversion of the building to provide 12 residential units and the erection of four two-bedroom houses in the grounds of the house.

The road leading to the house is now called Lidgould Drive, after a previous owner.

The auctioneers are Allsop and the auction is taking place at The Cumberland Hotel, Great Cumberland Place, London. The guide price is £550,000+.

The property will be open for viewing every Tuesday and Saturday before the auction between 1.30 to 2.30pm.

THREE out of five shops on a small parade will now serve food after an application for a restaurant was approved.

Plans for the new restaurant at 1 Black Horse Parade, High Road, Eastcote, were approved at the north planning committee yesterday (27), despite a 20-signature petition objecting to the proposal.

At the moment there is a hairdressers, a double fronted convenient store, an Indian restaurant and a Chinese takeaway, as well as the empty unit on the small parade.
Lesley Crowcroft, chairman of the Eastcote Village Conservation Area panel, spoke at the meeting.

She said: "Although we don't like to see empty units in the area because it makes the place look run down, we are really concerned that we have six shops and three of them are going to be takeaways. Is another one really that necessary?

"Azalea Walk also experience great difficulty with parking in their road from people using the shops and the extraction units will add to that buzz and hum which can be quite unacceptable, especially if you want to open your windows."

ALMOST 100 people signed a petition against plans to build two houses on the corner of a road.

The application to build two houses on land forming part of 9 Woodlands Avenue, Eastcote, was given nine reasons for refusal at the north planning committee yesterday (27).

Lesley Crowcroft, the Eastcote Residents' Association member who deals with planning, spoke on behalf of the petitioners at the meeting.

She said: "Any sort of development on this corner site would be visually intrusive.

"The floor space is below the required minimum and the amenity space is inadequate.
There is no excuse for such a bad application to be put in."

NEW plans to turn an old office block into flats are being drawn up.

Eastcote Residents' Association (ERA) met up with the developers who want to turn Initial House, in Field End Road, Eastcote, into flats ahead of their second public consultation last yesterday (25).

A previous developer submitted two plans to turn the building into flats, but one was withdrawn and the other was rejected by Hillingdon Council.

The new developer has drawn up plans for 44 flats on four floors and 48 parking places.

The plans are still in the process of being drawn up and the ERA has requested further details, plus a further consultation when more internal and external details are available.