West Kensington and Gibbs Green planning policy
Planning for the future together
Hammersmith & Fulham Council and H&F Homes want to bring major improvements to West Kensington and Fulham over the next 10-15 years to ensure that you and your children benefit from better housing, access to jobs and a better environment to live in.
Already millions of pounds are being spent on ensuring we have Decent Homes, but now H&F Council and H&F Homes want to ensure we have Decent Neighbourhoods too.
Our vision and desire to improve the area for you and future generations has been set out in an important document that has just been released (called the Local Development Framework Core Strategy Options paper) that looks at ways in which the borough as a whole could develop over the next 20 years.
While there are no actual proposals on the table at the moment, we want to work with local residents to bring new housing, new jobs and new opportunities into your neighbourhood.
In planning for the future the council pledges to:
Work with you in creating an even better neighbourhood
Protect leaseholder and freeholder investments and to work with you in delivering options that are right for your family
Offer everybody a home in the same area that suits their needs
Ensuring there is no reduction in council rented housing, but planning for more family-sized housing.
FROM DECENT HOMES TO DECENT NEIGHBOURHOODS
The Earls Court complex may be redeveloped after 2012 - offering a once-in-a-generation chance to bring major improvements to the wider area. For example, we know that overcrowding is a big issue for many residents. Getting around on local roads can be diffi cult with imposing, ugly high walls between the depot and houses on West Kensington estate. Community facilities are not used properly and public space is badly designed. Most of all, we know and understand that many local residents do not have the same training or job opportunities as people do in other areas.
The council and H&F Homes are committed to delivering short-term improvements to the quality of your home through the Decent Homes programme. However, we want to move beyond that in the longer-term by ensuring you are living in a Decent Neighbourhood as well with the focus on:
Improving the environment around us
Creating more job opportunities for local people
Offering you the chance to get on the property ladder
Creating mixed communities with different types of housing Improving communal areas and open spaces.
THE COUNCIL'S PREFERRED VISION
In looking at how the borough should develop over the next 20 years, we have highlighted the West Kensington area as one of five key development areas within the borough. The council's preferred way forward is to:
Encourage the development of an International Convention Centre and additional offi ces and hotels at Earls Court as a major way of boosting the local economy and bringing new jobs. These proposals would involve the smaller Earls Court 2 building - which is sited in Hammersmith & Fulham - but not the Earls Court 1 Exhibition Hall which falls within the boundaries of the Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
Use the investment this would bring to the area to transform and improve West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates over the next 15-20 years. This means working with you to look at options around redeveloping the estates, ensuring that you and future generations benefi t from better quality housing, better open spaces, better transport links and improved community links.
More details
The document itself is called the Local Development Framework Core Strategy Options paper and it is available in full on our website at http://lbhf-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal
Copies are also available in libraries, at Hammersmith and Fulham town halls and at the Hammersmith Broadway Information Centre. We can send you copies if you wish. There is a £10 charge for each copy if you are not a borough resident or business.
A summarised version of the overall document is included with the June 2 edition of the council's printed newspaper, H&F News.
You can find out more about the Local Development Framework Core Strategy Options process and how it could impact on your area by visiting a drop in session on:
Thursday July 2 at the
Gibbs Green Hall Community Centre,
Dieppe Close, W14
between 4.00 and 7.00pm
Any questions? Please call Angela O'Connor on 020 8753 1951 or email: westken@lbhf.gov.uk
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
It is important to stress that there are no plans or proposals at this stage. The council is consulting on a policy that will guide future development in the area and across Hammersmith & Fulham. At this stage the paper sets out options, with the council indicating our preferred way forward. We want your views before publishing our draft strategy in October 2009. This then needs to be submitted to the government before an examination in public in 2010. The fi nal document will be adopted in 2011.
YOUR VIEWS ARE IMPORTANT...
Your comments need to be in writing by 17 July.
You can tell us what you think by:
Registering and commenting online: http://lbhf-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal
Emailing: ldf@lbhf.gov.uk
Faxing: 020 8753 3036
Writing to: Development Plans Team, Environment Services, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, W6 9JU.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU - JOIN A RESIDENTS GROUP!
Hammersmith & Fulham Council and H&F Homes want to hear from tenants and leaseholders who would like to be part of regular resident groups that will play an important role in looking at options for the future. We aim to set up the groups by the end of the summer and will be reporting back to all residents regularly as ideas emerge on how we can improve our neighbourhoods. If you would like to get involved please call Angela O'Connor on 020 8753 1951 or email westken@lbhf.gov.uk
QUESTIONNAIRE PRIZE DRAW
Many thanks to all of you who took the time to complete the questionnaire, which also offered people the opportunity to win £100 of High Street shopping vouchers. The lucky winner of the store vouchers prize is Diana Belshaw who lives on Gibbs Green - congratulations!
Page last updated: 05/04/2011
