The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will be presented with Westminster's city council's decision to refuse planning permission to Westbrook for their Dolphin Square application on Monday, July 15th.

A presentation of the papers will be made by the GLA case officer, Connaire O'Sullivan, and the Mayor's decision on whether to call in the application for his own decision should be known shortly after, according to Julia Asghar, the Westminster case officer.

Meanwhile, protected tenants of Dolphin Square (Option B) have been concerned by comments in their July newsletter about a meeting the day after Westminster's refusal between a senior director and the company secretary of Dolphin Square 2005 Limited, the company which was set up to protect their interests, and a Conservative councillor.

The July newsletter stated: "The day after the hearing Jan Prebble and Richard Tovey had a chance meeting with one of the councillors who turned down the application, Councillor Murad Gassanly, who is deputy cabinet member for housing in the council. He confirmed that the lack of affordable housing was a significant issue where the authorities were concerned. However, he was of the opinion that if Westbrook agreed that Option B flats became affordable housing when they became empty it could alter the whole situation. He was, he said, going to look into this idea."

Angry Option B tenants take the view that this idea could only have come from Westbrook and are considering the position of Jan Prebble as a director of the company.

When asked to confirm the situation, Councillor Gassanly commented: "This is complete and total nonsense." He went on to say:"I did indeed bump into the persons mentioned in the cafe of Dolphin Square the day after the hearing. I confirmed that inadequate housing provision was NOT a material cause for refusal. I mentioned that the Council's own independent viability assessment confirmed that the proposed number of new flats was the maximum possible in the scheme.

"It was Mr Tovey who raised the issue of Option B flats becoming affordable or reclassified as such. He suggested that that might reduce the scale of the development and make it more acceptable in other planning terms.

"I did say that perhaps the need to provide those new affordable flats made the proposed development too high (additional floors) and required townhouses on the carriageway. But I couldn't confirm as I am not an architect and not an expert on such matters.

"I did suggest that the applicant speaks to our Housing officers to explore the affordable housing element of the application, which was below 35%, and offered to arrange that contact."

Councillor Gassanly went on to say:" Reclassifying existing Option B flats as 'affordable housing' would not be appropriate and would not fit in with any existing framework/definition of affordable housing under the Council's existing policy and I suspect under GLA regulations."

It would appear from Concillor Gassanly's comments that Jan Prebble and Richard Tovey were pursuing him to find a way of furthering Westbrook's redevelopment plans and it is to be expected that new proposals from Westbrook will be put to the Mayor at the meeting on 15th July.

The real issues are not any affordable housing offer but the protection of the Conservation areas, the destruction of the listed Grade II gardens, the existing high density,  the effects on the local village community of Pimlico, and the short-term lettings and hotel use.

We urge you to write to the Mayor now making your views clear that he should not call in this application on the existing grounds and planning guidance and that he should allow the city council's decision to stand.

His address is:-

mayor@london.gov.uk

The reference is GLA 4447  LPA 18/01099/FULL

Also copy in the director of planning, the deputy mayor for planning and the case officer.

Their addresses are as follows:

jules.pipe@london.gov.uk

juliemma.mcloughlin@london.gov.uk

connaire.osullivan@london.gov.uk

ALSO PLEASE CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE OUR PETITION TO YOUR FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND WHATSAPP.

THANK YOU!