Denham Must Call In Brent Cross Decision - Teather

3.57.19pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Jun 2009

Sarah Teather is leading the local campaign against the Barnet Dump

Liberal Democrat Brent East MP Sarah Teather and local campaigners have handed in a petition to Secretary of State John Denham demanding that he call in the unpopular Brent Cross Cricklewood development.

If approved by Barnet Council, the development would include a large waste dump on the border with Brent which could see hundreds of extra lorries passing through residential areas. The development will also bring an estimated 29,000 extra cars per day onto the road, and have a dramatic impact on other local shopping centres.

Local residents associations and environmentalists have succeeded in collecting over 2,500 signatures against the development. Both Brent and Camden Council have also formally opposed Barnet's plans.

Sarah Teather has written to new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government John Denham on behalf of local people, asking him to intervene. Planning law allows the government to intervene when a planning proposal will have a significant impact on residents from beyond the decision making borough.

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:

"Regeneration should be about making an area better, not worse. I am pleased that so many local groups and organisations have come together to fight this hugely unpopular proposal. Thousands of local people have signed the petition demanding that the Secretary of State call in the scheme.

"It's quite clear that we don't want a massive dump on our doorstep in Dollis Hill. It simply can't be right to force hundreds of extra rubbish trucks through a residential area. Anyone who has ever used the Edgware Road knows that it already suffers chronic congestion. The impact of tens of thousands of extra cars could be disastrous.

"This development is bad for the environment and bad for Brent. Yet a huge number of people set to be effected by this scheme are unable to hold Barnet Council to account for their plans. In the face of such overwhelming local opposition the Secretary of State must now promise to call in the development and hold an inquiry."

Viv Stein, Spokesperson for Brent Friends of the Earth said:

"This is one of the largest developments in the country and will have a massive impact on traffic in north-west London . Barnet cannot be allowed to build a whole new town and business district on our doorstep without even a new tube station. The Northern Line and the North Circular already operate close to capacity. We need a Dockland-style light railway to help all those extra people move around the local area.

"Environmentally this scheme is a 20 year old green washed dinosaur. There's not a single solar panel or wind turbine in sight, and we fail to see how it meets the essential standards set out by the Mayor requiring all new major developments to be zero carbon."

Related Links:

Friends of the Earth objections

Brent Council objections

Sign the petition

Barnet Council Planning