Common friends ready for long fight

12:56pm Sunday 17th August 2008

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A “long running war” in Barnes continues despite a community group successfully stalling what they called “excessive” development.

Officials recently refused an application to turn a former goods yard into new public open space and residential property after objections from the Friends of Barnes Common (FBC).

In the past 20 years the site in Queens Ride, has been the subject of several proposals, the latest being an enabling development.

FBC chairman, Mike Hildesley, said: “We are not objecting to an enabling development, we actually want something to happen.

“But we felt the developer was just playing games and putting the costs up to justify a much bigger development.”

Due to the nature of materials once stored at the yard there are questions over how much decontamination and restoration of the land is required.

Mr Hildesley believes applicant Fulcher Consultants Limited was being “ridiculous” in suggesting the various costs involved could total more than £2m.

The proposal involved returning some of the area to common land, building 14 flats, provision of new access road and the provision of parking, servicing and plant areas.

FBC wants to see the enabling development minimised so the majority of the site can be returned to the common, as it was originally.

Mr Hildesley described the campaign as a “skirmish and a long running war” and, along with fellow group members, is waiting to see whether the latest decision will be appealed.

A Richmond Council spokesman confirmed: “The planning application to create a new public open space and residential development in Barnes Goods Yard was refused as the form and mass of the proposed work would have been detrimental to the surrounding area and would have resulted in an unacceptable loss of metropolitan open land.”

Agent for Fulcher Consultants, DP9, have so far been unavailable for comment.