Great news! The Secretary of State's planning unit has issued a "holding order", so Greenwich Council cannot issue final planning consent until the Secretary of State has reviewed the case.
This is a fantastic opportunity for people's voices to finally be heard. We have produced a new information leaflet (see home page) and are looking for volunteers to print and distribute this.
This decision has bought much needed time for us to evaluate the flawed assumptions made by IKEA in arriving at the patently absurd claim that their store will reduce traffic compared with the existing stores roughly a quarter the size. If Eric Pickles is persuaded that this development raises more than local issues, he can order a public inquiry which will enable all sides to be heard. It will finally provide the opportunity for proper consultation and consideration. Outline consent was originally rushed through by Greenwich Council in 9 weeks, with the result that many residents were unaware of it.
IKEA's business model actively encourages car use and draws traffic from far and wide. We have calculated that at least 9 London boroughs will be affected by the resulting logjam on the A2, A12 and A206.
IKEA have said that they expect 35% of visitors to travel to their store by public transport and that this will be the store "best connected to public transport" in the UK. In fact, of the London stores, it will be furthest away from a Tube, train or tram station (apart from Lakeside, Thurrock, where the train station is a mere 14 metres further away). IKEA Tottenham attracts only 21% by public transport, so IKEA have estimated that they will improve this by 66% or 2/3rds. These figures do not stand up to scrutiny, but we need help from traffic experts and planners to prove this.
Please help if you can. Please also write to the National Planning Casework Unit explaining why you think this demands a public inquiry. Contact details muredach.diamond@communities.gsi.gov.uk; reference NPCU/RTI/E5330/73828
Sample letter:
This is a fantastic opportunity for people's voices to finally be heard. We have produced a new information leaflet (see home page) and are looking for volunteers to print and distribute this.
This decision has bought much needed time for us to evaluate the flawed assumptions made by IKEA in arriving at the patently absurd claim that their store will reduce traffic compared with the existing stores roughly a quarter the size. If Eric Pickles is persuaded that this development raises more than local issues, he can order a public inquiry which will enable all sides to be heard. It will finally provide the opportunity for proper consultation and consideration. Outline consent was originally rushed through by Greenwich Council in 9 weeks, with the result that many residents were unaware of it.
IKEA's business model actively encourages car use and draws traffic from far and wide. We have calculated that at least 9 London boroughs will be affected by the resulting logjam on the A2, A12 and A206.
IKEA have said that they expect 35% of visitors to travel to their store by public transport and that this will be the store "best connected to public transport" in the UK. In fact, of the London stores, it will be furthest away from a Tube, train or tram station (apart from Lakeside, Thurrock, where the train station is a mere 14 metres further away). IKEA Tottenham attracts only 21% by public transport, so IKEA have estimated that they will improve this by 66% or 2/3rds. These figures do not stand up to scrutiny, but we need help from traffic experts and planners to prove this.
Please help if you can. Please also write to the National Planning Casework Unit explaining why you think this demands a public inquiry. Contact details muredach.diamond@communities.gsi.gov.uk; reference NPCU/RTI/E5330/73828
Sample letter:
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