Please can you write to the Examiners in Public of the London Plan and call for the Kingston "nascent" Opportunity Area to be withdrawn from the London Plan?
Your message should be addressed to Roisin Barrett, William Fieldhouse and David Smith and sent to the EiP secretary at:
eip.secretary@london.gov.uk
You can ask the Examiners to consider the lack of evidence to support the proposed designation of Kingston as a nascent "Opportunity Area":
"Opportunity Areas are London’s major source of brownfield land which have significant capacity for development – such as housing or commercial use - and existing public transport access or public transport access that could potentially be improved. Typically they can accommodate at least 5,000 jobs, 2,500 new homes or a combination of the two, along with other supporting facilities and infrastructure. Intensification Areas are built-up areas with good existing or potential public transport links, and can support redevelopment at higher-than-existing densities. They have significant capacity for new jobs and homes but at a level below that which can be achieved in the Opportunity Areas." Source - GLA: A City for all Londoners, November 2016
There is absolutely no evidence that Opportunity Area status is right for The Royal Borough or that the housing target in the London Plan for the OA is achievable or appropriate.
As soon as we are designated as a "nascent Opportunity Area" in The London Plan - the developments we see will be bigger, taller and denser than anything we are seeing now. In addition, the council has no recent Design Code to influence heights, densities and designs across the Borough so anything will go. This will be devastating for our communities and neighbourhoods, for our heritage assets and for the natural environment both in Kingston and across a wider area
You can read Just Space's summary of last week's session on Opportunity Areas and their call for a moratorium on all new Opportunity Areas until an independent review of existing OAs has been completed here:
https://justspace.org.uk/hearings-eip-2019/m14-notes-23-january-2019/