New Look For Chiswick War Memorial

New design causes controversy with some locals

Mr. Joseph Mirwitch, who opposes the project says that the changes will "threaten the destruction of the special sense of place" that is the Turnham Green War Memorial.

"The War Memorial, installed in 1921, is an obelisk in unpolished Aberdeen granite. Its setting comprises a rare complete 1920’s design scheme, which includes the mature bush shaped Yew trees surrounding the obelisk, and the low mature Yew hedge & the metal fencing at the boundary.

"The Turnham Green War Memorial is a place with a special and wholly satisfactory character, the severity of the monument being humanised by the mature planting. It is an enclosed and peaceful area, and has a very special sense of place. It is fondly regarded and enjoyed by local residents.

"The proposal is to completely remove: the mature bush shaped trees; the mature yew hedge; and the original metal fencing. The War Memorial is to stand alone in an open paved amphitheatre. The so called ‘public consultation meeting’ convened earlier this week was a deeply flawed exercise. A relatively small number of people attended. The options offered for consideration excluded the choice of improvement of the planting by appropriate pruning, and garden maintenance.

"The proposal would completely alter the special character of The Memorial and its setting. A humane and poignant design would be ruined. This is a destructive proposal which is neither necessary, nor desirable, nor appropriate. We do not understand why precious funds earmarked for much needed environmental improvements in Chiswick are to be spent on such an unnecessary and pointless a project."

Another resident who did not wish to be named said that he did not think the vote at a "small" meeting was a mandate for change. He suspected hundreds of people were not aware the monument might be altered.

"The predominant view expressed from the floor by people representing bodies llike the British Legion was one of no change, or option 1 with some minor housekeeping, he claimed.

Rebecca Frayn of the organising committee has refuted the claims and states:

Any discussion about the re landscaping of the war memorial must be considered in the context of the Green as a whole.  Friends of Turnham Green have been working closely with Hounslow Council to renovate a Green that had fallen into substantial disrepair.  There were derelict buildings on one corner, the paths were cracked and some sections prone to flooding.  In addition large sections of the boundary fencing were - and still are - falling down.  This had ramifications not only for the community, which came to a head when there was a serious sexual assault behind the derelict buildings in 2006, but also for local businesses.  In recent years at least half of the flank of the high road fronting the Green has become chronically blighted with many businesses losing the struggle for survival and a significant number of shops remaining permanently boarded. 

In an attempt to turn things round, Hounslow Council designated Turnham Green a key park and committed funds to a five year renovation plan. The Green is a high profile face of Chiswick and the arrival of Westfields and growing success of on-line shopping mean traders are entirely dependent on foot fall for their turn over.  Concern had grown over the fact that the war memorial, which fronts the commercial end of the Green, presented an over grown aspect, causing the memorial itself to virtually disappear from view.    

A public presentation of ideas for reframing the memorial was presented at a Friends of Turnham Green meeting in November 2012 (publicised on posters and the W4 website).  Following this meeting the proposal was presented by FOTG to the Chiswick Area Forum on 22 January 2013 and local councillors agreed that a public consultation on the issue should be held, resulting in the meeting on the 23rd September 2013 in Christ Church.

 A number of attempts have been made to make a presentation to the Royal British Legion and their chairman, Paul Lynch has been kept up to speed on all developments.  The results of Monday's ballot indicated a substantial majority in favour of re framing the memorial.  The next stage will be for a report to be presented to the London Borough Hounslow.  The re landscape itself will be shaped by anyone who volunteers for the landscaping committee and will hopefully represent as wide a cross section of the community as possible.

 It is important to emphasise that there is no proposal to alter the memorial itself.  By common consent this would remain entirely unchanged.  All parties are agreed that an appropriate space for contemplation is paramount.  

The voting options that were presented at the public consultation were as follows:
Option 1 - To leave the Memorial landscaping as it is : This had 13 votes (9 votes cast at the meeting, 4 proxies)

Option 2 - To remove the trees and hedge but leave the existing paving and seats : This option had 6 votes. 

Option 3 - To design new circular paving and seating around the memorial: The option had 30 votes. (20 votes cast at the meeting, 10 proxies)

Three ballot papers were returned with no option crossed on them, and had to be disregarded.  A summary of the consultation has been prepared, including a collation of the comments on people's ballot papers, as well as a break down of how many people voted in each category.  These comments will be reviewed and incorporated into any design work.  

Notice of the meeting was posted up around the Green for the past 3 weeks (including on the war memorial itself) and the membership of the Friends group - around 160 - were all informed of it by email. In addition notice was given on the w4 website last weekend which has over 16 500 subscribers. It was also posted on the Chiswick Twitter which has a following of 2 400.  Notices were also put up in Chiswick including local businesses and the Library. 

Last January local councillors agreed that the Friends should put up a range of proposals for wider public consultation.

Anyone interested in being part of this committee should contact Rebecca Frayn on rebeccafrayn@mac.com

September 27, 2013