We, the undersigned, believe that Capital Wharf Management Company Ltd (c/o Kinleigh Folkard Hayward 5 Compton Road Wimbledon London SW19 7QA) acting on behalf of unidentified residents of Capital Wharf should be stopped from constructing additional railings on the river wall at Capital Wharf, Wapping as outlined in Tower Hamlets Planning Application PA/12/01850.

We consider that the decision by Tower Hamlets Council to approve this planning application was flawed and objections by the local Wapping community have been ignored.

BACKGROUND
No one owns the views of the River Thames. Wapping is defined by its location. The history of Wapping and of the Thames are one and the same. It is both wrong and anti-social of a small number of anonymous residents of one block of flats (Capital Wharf) to restrict the view of the Thames from one of the best vantage points in the area.

This view of the river, as all others, should be open to all in Wapping, both residents and visitors.

OBJECTIONS
Specifically we object to the addition of any railings to the river wall at Capital Wharf on the following grounds:

1. There was no appropriate assessment of the impact of the railings on people’s ability to enjoy this view of the River Thames, especially the young, old and those with disabilities.
2. No consideration was given to the fact that many wheelchair users enjoy this view, as it is one of the few riverside areas they can access.
3. Ignoring the needs of wheelchair users is discriminatory and this is against Tower Hamlet’s Council’s statement on equality and diversity which states that ‘We will promote diversity and equality in everything we do to improve the quality of life for everyone living, working and visiting Tower Hamlets’
4. To date no detailed evidence of any claimed anti-social behavior in the river walk way at Capital Wharf has been published
5. Only when this evidence is in the public domain will it be possible to evaluate the claim by Capital Wharf residents that ‘the use of the boundary wall as a seating platform has caused nuisance to the residents and owners of the flats, where their private amenity spaces are facing the riverside’.
6. There is no basis in fact of the claim by residents of Capital Wharf that the boundary wall in its current form and height ‘is potentially a health and safety risk’. If there is a health and safety risk where are the statistics to support this claim?
7. It is not known how many residents of Capital Wharf support the addition of railings along the riverside walk. This may be the wish of just one person that will affect many thousands of people for many years to come. This is undemocratic.
8. We would therefore ask those residents of Capital Wharf who wish to have the railings installed make themselves known, as have the signatories to this petition as detailed below, and engage in a public debate.