A 150-year-old Victorian house in Snaresbrook is set to be demolished and replaced with nine modern flats following approval by Redbridge Council’s Planning Committee last week.
“We are all truly devastated by this outcome,” said Kirsty Thomas, who was part of a network of almost 200 local and non-local residents who objected to the planning application for 8 Sylvan Road.
Planning Committee member and Wanstead Village councillor Daniel Morgan-Thomas, who voted in favour of the development, stated: “When sitting on the planning committee I am obliged by law to act in a quasi-judicial capacity for the whole borough, not in my usual role as ward representative. As I said before voting, there was much in the application that was not good and I was sympathetic to the many residents who had objected on good grounds. However, committee members are bound by national planning policy to view applications with a ’tilted balance’ in favour of housing development, because Redbridge has failed the government-imposed Housing Delivery Test. The committee’s ability to refuse permission is consequently very limited as the likelihood of appeal dramatically increases, for which the council (and therefore all taxpayers) would bear the cost should committee members be found to have made an unlawful decision.”