I want to let everyone who signed this petition know what has happened over the past week.

On 9 April 2026, TT Group — the developer behind the proposed 190-home, six-storey development on Queen's Drive — instructed Reed Smith LLP, a major international law firm, to file a formal defamation complaint against this petition with Change.org, requesting its removal.

The complaint targeted the petition content and called for it to be taken down in its entirety.

I responded within the deadline, setting out that the petition raises legitimate planning concerns shared by hundreds of local residents — concerns about school capacity, healthcare provision, traffic congestion, and the impact of a six-storey development on a predominantly low-rise residential area. These are matters of significant public interest, protected by the Defamation Act 2013.

On 13 April 2026, Change.org reviewed the complaint and confirmed that the petition will NOT be removed.

I want to be clear about what happened here. A company with an £8 billion property portfolio instructed one of the world's largest law firms to try to silence a community petition about a planning application. This is the kind of tactic known as a SLAPP — a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation — and it is exactly why the UK government and the Solicitors Regulation Authority have taken steps to discourage this behaviour.

It didn't work. The petition stays. The campaign continues.

To every one of you who signed — your voice matters, and no amount of legal pressure will change that. If you haven't signed yet, now is the time. If you know neighbours, parents at Ellen Wilkinson School, or anyone affected by this development, please share this petition with them.

This community will not be intimidated.

Jason Cohen
North Ealing