To the Councillors of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,

We are asking you not to permit the building of a multi-storey residential property over the proposed redevelopment of Cheyne Nursery in Thorndike Close, Chelsea.

We stress that we have no objection to the redevelopment of the Nursery itself or to its providing of improved children’s services.

However, we object the residential block proposed on the premises of the current Cheyne Nursery for the following reasons:

• The residential block is proposed to be on a narrow footprint on top of part of the Nursery and to be from five to seven storeys high.
• It would be disproportionately massive on this site and in this context, being considerably higher than the houses in Thorndike Close and would overshadow these, causing overlooking, loss of daylight and sunlight a well as affecting houses in nearby Uverdale and Tadema Roads.
• It would also greatly increase the car traffic in Thorndike Close.
• The block would furthermore have an overbearing and overshadowing effect on Westfield Park especially on the Rose Garden there.

The completion of the Lots Road Power Station site will shortly produce another 420 residential units in Lots Village, thereby providing a substantial contribution to RBKC’s housing needs. We have grave concerns that as well as the promised and long awaited 55 units of extra care affordable housing, the Council is nevertheless  seeking to develop yet more sites in Lots Village, which is foremost an employment zone and  in an area that is already one of the most densely populated in the country.

The local residents.