Protestors are against proposed 195 homes in Harrow

People nearby The Ridgeway, Harrow, are against the proposals of redeveloping 265 The Ridgeway which is currently at a consultation stage.

While a planning application has yet to be submitted to Harrow Council, people living nearby The Ridgeway are concerned that the current proposals of the redevelopment with 195 homes with seven storey blocks could be “out of character” for the area and cause more traffic on an already strained road.

Illustrative view of the proposed projects

Susan Green, who lives just 10 minutes away from the development, started a petition against the new homes three weeks ago, which now has over 900 signatures online and 200 signatures in person. She said: “This development is not an appropriate legacy for the site and will be utterly out of character with the surrounding area.

“Traffic is a problem as it is already a narrow road. There’s currently a D1 category on the land, meaning it’s non-residential and a place for education, religion or sport, I hope to keep it that category.

“People are fed up with the overdevelopment going on.”

A small protest organised by Ms Green took place outside the land on November 13 at 10am, hoping to spread awareness of the petition. It was joined by labour MP of Harrow West Gareth Thomas who shared his support with the protests concerns.

Mr Thomas said: “This proposal for 200 flats and houses on this site is shocking, it is completely out of keeping with the character of the area and will have a big impact on local infrastructure.

“I hope the developers will recognise that this is completely out of keeping with the local area.”

The Harrow Gospel Trust who has owned the land for twenty years has appointed TateHindle as architects for the proposed project. It is proposed that 40 per cent of the homes will be set aside for affordable rent and shared ownership.

The Trust have also suggested that the re-development will provide funding to deliver a new pedestrian link and improve a current footpath to West Harrow station which is located 500m from the site.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Harrow Gospel Trust said: “The Harrow Gospel Trust have been part of the community for over twenty years, working closely with their neighbours and supporting local groups.

“We are now working with Council officers and talking with the community about options to re-use the land in a meaningful way, delivering much needed homes, bringing new life to the site and creating an appropriate legacy for the Trust.

“No decisions have yet been taken regarding scale or heights and we are at a consultation stage. We welcome the views of residents and neighbours – also expressed as the community event we organised recently – and will consider them carefully before submitting a planning application.

“There are many potential uses for this site, we firmly believe housing is one of the better options and as a brownfield site, surely it is better to build here than on the Greenbelt.”

The online petition can be found here while the online proposals can be found here.