Fight against new Wembley flats that could leave 50 homes ‘in complete darkness’
Neighbours are fighting against plans to build a seven-storey apartment block in North London over fears it will leave more than 50 flats in ‘complete darkness’ and devalue their properties. The scheme will provide no affordable housing as an assessment deemed it would otherwise be financially ‘unviable’.
Developers Daejan Investments want to demolish eight retail units at Sevenex Parade and London Road, in Wembley, to make way for a part-six, part-seven storey building comprising 41 flats. However, dozens of nearby residents are urging Brent Council to refuse the scheme due to the potential impact it will have on them.
One neighbour feels it will create ‘a complete wall’ in front of their building and restrict light to more than 50 homes. They said: “My flat and all the other 50 plus flats facing London Road receive our sunlight only in the morning from the North east side till noon. All the windows of our flats are facing this side only and there is no other way to get the sunlight.
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“The proposed construction of a seven storey building is too close to our flat and therefore it will create a complete wall in front of us blocking any natural sunlight at any time of the day and in fact we will come under shadow of it.”
The most vocal opponents to the scheme are the Central Apartments on Wembley Central Square (CARTA), whose chairman submitted an objection on behalf of more than 90 families. They feel that, should it go ahead, the scheme risks devaluing their homes, a significant loss of sunlight, and creating privacy issues.
The chairman wrote: “This is a significant risk to our investment and with this objection , we are hoping this development proposal would immediately [be] stopped to progress any further. In the event this proposal is progressed further without any further consultation [or] clarity on how the affected leaseholders' concerns would be addressed, commercially and technically, we reserve the right to explore legal options.”
Developers said plans have ‘carefully stepped down and back to ensure there are no significant impacts on the surrounding buildings’. A report by council officers states that the amount of lost daylight created by the development is ‘acceptable’.
If approved, the 41 flats would comprise 20 one-bedroom, nine two-bedroom, and 12 three-bedroom apartments. In what is becoming a familiar theme, the development will provide no affordable housing units as a financial viability assessment concluded providing any would make the scheme ‘unviable’.
The London Plan and Brent Local Plan outline a 35 per cent affordable housing threshold that must be met for new developments. However, if achieving this is deemed not viable following a viability assessment then it can still go ahead. If this development met the affordable housing target, the assessment concluded that it would have a deficit of £1.88m.
A statement by council officers reads: “[...] the review of the financial viability assessment has concluded that the scheme cannot reasonably deliver any affordable housing.” However, a later review will consider whether a contribution could be made towards affordable housing elsewhere in the borough.
Council officers have recommended the plan for approval. The application will be heard by Brent Council’s Planning Committee at the next meeting (May 8), where a decision on the development will be made.
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