The ROCKWELL FILES...

Hello All

I guess it was only a matter of time: "Support" for the One Battersea Bridge proposal has now surpassed objections.

On 11th April, 185 new letters of "support" were filed to Wandsworth Council's vulnerable planning portal. That brings Support to 1,773 versus 1,747 Objection.

But who are these people and what were they being told before they sign?

All submissions carry the exact same Proposal summary, as well as curiously repetitive one liner reasons for signing - based on agreeing to a general and open-ended question that London needs more social housing.

That said, there are one or two laughably random reasons that make you wonder what these people were told by Rockwell's people. 

One of my favourites is from Sophie Ryder, of 110 ESWYN ROAD LONDON SW17 8TN, who "wrote": 'Great homes create sunny days'. Sophie was clearly made aware of the issue she was supporting.

And Mr Somnit Bishwas, from BROMLEY-by-BOW (this submission was probably fished via a targeted digital advert), wrote sagely: 'It creates jobs and homes'. What "it" was he referring to?

In other news, residents are starting to fight back against the canvassers: Two angry Battersea residents lodged complaints to Wandsworth Council yesterday. Here are their comments:

Ms. Fiona MacNeill, of Albion Riverside, wrote: 

'Very concerned (and dissapointed) to see that many of the supportive comments for this planning application have been 'collected' by a professional company commissioned by the developers for Glassmills /1BB.
It is clear reading the support comments that local residents have been actively misled into thinking 1BB will be full of affordable homes and that Rockwell developments is an affordable homes champion. Some sort of 'washing'.... In fact astroturfing = public deception.

Wandsworth council must not allow such cynical manipulation of their local residents who have supported the proposal because they think it will deliver significant volumes of affordable homes. You know this is not true. After construction the developers will renege, as they always do on the grounds of profit margins, and substantially drop the % of afford homes. The council must stand strong on behalf of its residents.'

And Ms C Pilton, also of Albion Riverside, wrote:

'A man stopped me in Battersea Park this week to ask if I supported social housing and, if so, would I sign a petition ? This took the form of a letter to the LBW’s Planning Department saying I supported the Glassmill proposal because ... the letter said I could ‘write one sentence on local issues, one on housing issues and / or one on your ideas’. Such underhand and manipulative activity would explain why all but a handful of emails supporting the application follow exactly the same format.

I took photos of the comment form - prepared by Your Shout whose client is Premontoria Battersea Ltd - and discovered the company has been employed by Rockwell to knock on doors and approach people in the neighbourhood. Is the council prepared to allow Rockwell to abuse what the LBW’s Planning Department has, to date, upheld as a democratic process ?

I reiterate my objections made on 10th June to the original application and on 4th November to the amended application on 4 November; I await a reply to the latter regarding the dubious way in which this planning application has been handled, compounded by the activity detailed above.'

It is going to be truly fascinating to see how the planning committee and its chairman Cllr Tony Belton deals with these letters. How can they be given any credence?  We shall see...

Regards

RMc