The Public Inquiry into the development at 9-42 The Broadway, which was due to start next Tuesday 9 May, has been cancelled after developers Benson Elliot withdrew. Their planning application, originally approved by Ealing Council and the London Mayor, had been 'called in' by the Secretary of State for re-examination after strong opposition from local groups and from Historic England, concerned about the adverse effect on central Ealing's Conservation Area.

It is understood that BE have sold the whole site to British Land, who already own the aneighbouring Ealing Broadway Centre. BL are now expected to review the plan and come up with new proposals which would not meet the same objections as both the two previous Council-backed schemes. The policy vision of the new Central Ealing Neighbourhood Development Plan will also be a key factor.

Central Ealing's local community plan today got the go-ahead to proceed to a referendum from the independent Examiner appointed to review it.
The Examiner carried out his review over several weeks, including a public hearing in February. His report proposed some changes in the draft submitted by the Forum, but has recommended that the plan should now go to a local vote. 
Ealing Council has to consider the report and decide whether to accept the recommendations. These include giving more people a say on the plan, by widening the referendum area in which residents and local businesses can vote later in the summer.
Full details are on other pages. 

The independent Examiner today carried out his public examination on the submitted version of the neighbourhood plan

A day-long session at Ealing Town Hall heard his questions being answered by Forum members and others who had submitted comments in the consultation which was carried out last November.  This covered a range of topics on the general policies in the plan and on how they could apply to different parts of the town centre.  This included the site covering 9-42 The Broadway, about which a separate public Inquiry is  to take place in May. 

The Examiner will produce his draft report by the end of March. He may make recommendations for changes to some of its proposals, and Ealing Council will have to respond in time for the final details to be settled by mid-April. This will include how wide the referendum area should be, when the plan goes to public votes of residents and businesses later in the year.

The public examination of the Central Ealing Neighbourhood Plan will take place on Thursday 16 February in the Town Hall.
The Examiner, Mr John Parmiter, has invited anyone interested to attend the meeting in the Nelson Room and has published his agenda, which can be seen on the Public Hearing page.
The one day session is just one part of the examination, and gives the opportunity for Mr Parmiter to ask questions of the Forum and the various other parties who have raised points in the earlier consultation.
While the meeting is informal, only those who have been asked to attend to answer will be able to take an active part. Nevertheless it will give the chance for people to learn more about the details of the plan and the reasons why changes have been made to the original proposals.
The Examiner’s report will be published in March. He may suggest some further changes, after which the plan is expected to be put to separate referendums of local people and businesses before coming fully into effect.
More details of the plan and the consultation responses can be seen on another page.

The large redevelopment plot in Ealing Broadway town centre known as 9 – 42 The Broadway, previously part of the Arcadia site, is about to be sold again, the Forum has learnt.
 
British Land, who already own the Ealing Broadway Centre opposite, have made an offer in the region of £50m for the 0 63 ha (1.6 acre) site.
Benson Elliot, a private equity company, bought the wider Arcadia site after former developers Glenkerrin went into administration. BE refurbished the block now occupied by McDonald’s, Morrisons and TK Maxx, and sold it in 2012 to a US real estate company.
Last year, they got planning permission from Ealing Council for plans to develop the rest of the site south of the railway line, with a mix-used scheme with 191 homes and shops, including a new space for the Ealing Club, the birthplace of British Rhythm and Blues and the Rolling Stones.
The scheme was however called in by the Secretary of State, who set up a public Inquiry after strong opposition to the plan from Save Ealing’s Centre and Historic England. This is due to be held in May.
British Land will almost certainly want to make changes to the Benson Elliot plans. it is not known what impact this may have on the public Inquiry, but the Inspector has already said that the effect on the proposed scheme of the emerging Central Ealing Neighbourhood Plan, submitted for examination by the Forum in September, will be considered. 

2017 will see the culmination of four years’ work on Central Ealing’s neighbourhood plan. The final proposals have gone forward to scrutiny by an independent examiner, with a public hearing fixed for February.

Two main themes run through the plan. First, we face the challenge of balancing development with the need to preserve the characteristics which make the town special. The aim is to ensure that we can have sustainable growth while conserving the human scale of green spaces and historic buildings which led to Ealing being called ‘Queen of the Suburbs’.​

​With Crossrail due in 1918, the second target is for Ealing to avoid becoming just a dormitory town, but be a regional centre of excellence for culture and education. The social infrastructure needed for an expanding population can also support a growing business economy round the skills employed in these activities.

The examiner’s report will be made in the spring. The plan will be then put to votes in parallel referendums of local residents and businesses. It will need a majority in both to put into effect.

You can help achieve this by letting more people know of the proposals, though signing up to our Newsletter through the Contact page.

Happy New Year!

The Forum's annual meeting last night (Wednesday 29 June) agreed that the revised Neighbourhood Plan should be submitted as soon as possible.

The meeting was told that the draft is now with an external professional examiner for a 'health check' , so that any last minute changes needed could be made before it goes to Ealing Council for the last stages of approval. Some final plans and supporting documents had still to be added, Forum Secretary Tony Miller told the meeting, but these were expected to be ready in good time for submission by mid-July .

The next stage will be a further public consultation and official Examination, before the plan can be submitted to  referendums of local businesses and residents. "We hope tis can be by lat autumn", Tony told Forum members.

The meeting also approved accounts for last year and re-elected committee members for the next 12 months. 
 

The Forum’s Annual General Meeting will be held from 7 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday 29 June, at the Ealing campus of the Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College, The Green, W5 5EW.  All are welcome.

The main business of the meeting will be to hear about the Neighbourhood Plan for central Ealing that is now ready for official submission. (See details here.) This will be followed by discussion of the background for these policies, and an outline of what will happen next.

We will also cover the latest position on plans for 9 – 42 The Broadway, movement on the cinema site and progress on plans for a performance arts centre.

Formal business will be short, but will include the Committee’s report and financial statement for last year.  The meeting will also elect the management committee for the forthcoming year. Details for the present committee, including where there are at present some vacancies, are shown below. If you would like to be nominated for election as a representative in one of the sections as appropriate, please contact Tony Miller, the secretary.

Forum committee members

The elected committee has 12 members, four elected from each of three constituencies in central Ealing, as follows:

Business reps:
Ann Hunter (Ealing BID Co)
Andrew Cazalet Treasurer ( Lido Tax Consulting)
Mary McDougall (Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College - co-opted)
[One vacancy]

Local community reps:
Robert Gurd (Ealing Civic Society)
John Hummerston (Ealing Arts + Leisure)
Tony Miller Secretary (CEPAC)
Rev Jennifer Smith (Ealing Green Methodist Church)

Local residents:
Gordon Chard
George Brennan Not standing for re-election
[Two vacancies]

During the past year there have also been four co-opted members:
Ann Chapman
Cllr Paul Conlan
Mary McDougall [as above]
Thomas Roth-Berghofer


Tony Miller, Secretary
[email protected]

The seven week consultation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan ended on 9 May, with over 50 detailed comments being received.

The Forum's Management Committee will now review them all, and make any changes to the plan to meet the points that have been made. When this has been done, the final plan will be submitted to Ealing Council for it to take forward to a further public review.  It then has to go to an official independent examination before going to a vote in a referendum of all residents and businesses in the area. This is likely to be in the autumn.

In the meantime, details will be presented to the Forum's Annual Meeting on Wednesday 29 June. ​Watch out for more details!

A good attendance at our AGM approved last year's accounts and re-elected those committee members who stood again - details in our last blog.  We still have a vacancy for someone who lives within the neighbourhood area to become a residents' rep, and for a local business rep.  If you are interested, please contact the secretary, Tony Miller, at [email protected].

The meeting heard details about developments on the Empire cinema site, new plans for 9-42 The Broadway (the old Arcadia site), and the campaign for an central Ealing performance arts centre.  Most importantly, the first published drafts of the Forum's policies for the neighbourhood plan for central Ealing can now be seen on the web site, in preparation for being presented to Ealing Council before a further public consultation. Comments and ideas are welcome!