The South Park/Loxford Action Group met with Redbridge Council to discuss proposals to build more than 150 homes in the area.
This development — on a site crossing over Loxford Lane and Boundary Close — is fronted by council-owned development company Redbridge Living, who wish to build 159 residential units.
The action group, chaired by Anver Patel who lives in the nearby South Park Drive, has a number of issues with the development, including concerns over the size of the buildings and the pressure these plans would place on local amenities.
Listed in the proposal brief is a mixture of buildings of varying sizes: Block A that fronts South Park Drive will have five storeys, with Block C (south of the site) having six.
The proposal lists Block D — at the junction of Loxford Lane and South Park Drive — as having six storeys, but acknowledges that it would actually be seven storeys tall.
It sets out that, because its upper floor has been pulled back by 2.2 metres from the elevation fronting South Park Drive, it looks like a six-storey building.
This seven-storey block is a bone of contention for the action group. Anver said: “When we met with council leader Councillor Jas Athwal, we talked about the size of the tower in the junction between Loxford Lane and South Park Drive which we feel is too big and doesn’t fit the style of the area.
“We acknowledge the fact that there is a need for housing, but we think it should be houses rather than flats.”
Of the 159 proposed homes, 142 would be flats (across Blocks A-D), with the remaining 17 units reserved for three-storey housing.
Other issues raised by the action group include the number of parking spaces - 72 - proposed, alongside fears that such an extensive development will put pressure on the area’s facilities.
These plans were originally due to be discussed at tonight’s (November 19) planning committee meeting, but the council has confirmed this has been withdrawn from the agenda “for the correct notices to be served by the applicant”.
The new end date for the consultation period is December 8, with residents able to comment by visiting this link.
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