Public Hearing In July In A Bid To Determine Pissarro Site Future

Developer appeals again following refusal of revised scheme

A CGI of the new design for the Pissarro site

A Public Hearing is to be held into the controversial Corney Reach development proposed for the former Pissarro restaurant site. The developer, Fruition,has appealed to the Planning Inspectorate for the second time, following the refusal of the revised design by Hounslow Council Planning Committee in February.

The Planning Inspector has decided that a public hearing is necessary to clarify matters and test the evidence by questioning; and also because of the level of public interest the appeal has attracted.

The proposed date for the hearing is Tuesday 09 July 2019 .

Residents opposing the development at the former Pissarro site in Corney Reach had been buoyed by a unanimous decision by Hounslow Council Planning Committee (February 7th) to oppose a revised application for the site.

Developer, Fruition Properties, wants to demolish the former restaurant and replace it with residential homes. A Council planner had recommended approval of the redesigned application but the Committee voted against it.

A previous application had been refused by Hounslow Council and this decision was upheld by a Planning Inspector last year, following an appeal lodged by the developers against refusal.

The residents had said they did not believe the revised application satisfied the reasons that the Inspector had given for dismissal and they presented their arguments to councillors at the Planning Committee. There were 116 objections lodged. The locals want it retained as a community asset or pub.

The revised plan had reduced the height of one of the blocks, along with the number of flats in the scheme, in an attempt to deal with concerns about the impact on neighbouring properties and density.

The developers propose the erection of three block buildings of a maximum height of three storeys. This would contain seven flats, five two-bedroom and two three-bedroom, plus associated access, amenity space, landscaping, refuse storage and car and cycle parking.

Current view of the site

The first application had been declined because of the scale of the design, the loss of outlook and increased enclosure for neighbouring residents, lack of communal amenity space and failure to comply with Local Plan policies. When the Planning Inspector refused the appeal, it was on the basis of the effect of the development on the living conditions of surrounding occupiers, with particular regard to outlook.

Following the unsuccessful appeal the developer, Fruition Properties, entered into pre-application discussions with Hounslow Council planners. Initially revised plans were rejected by the Council so the developer reduced the number of flats in the development by one and lowered the rear block by a storey as well as reconfiguring part of the roof. An earlier proposal for the site put forward in 2016 had envisaged 11 flats at the location.

April 12, 2019