Westminster City Council are proposing to redevelop the current Westmead Care Home on Tavistock Road, W11 into a five-storey residential building comprising of 65 flats.

You can take a look at their current plans here; https://www.westminster.gov.uk/westmead

• We object to the construction of a six-storey building.  There are no other buildings in the immediate vicinity of that height.  Westmead Care Home is currently 2 storeys above ground.  It will completely obstruct any natural light reaching all surrounding residential buildings on Tavistock Crescent, Tavistock Road, St Luke's Road and Leamington Road Villas and is not being designed with consideration of the adjacent buildings and residents in mind.
• The council require 9 mature trees to be cut down in order to facilitate the new building.  With increasing air pollution in London it is obscene to be removing so many sources of oxygen for local residents already surrounded by a bus depot, train station and the A40 motorway.  The removal of a long-existing tree canopy will completely destroy the current view and air quality of hundreds of local residents.
• The introduction of 65 additional apartments will inevitably encroach upon existing parking spaces.  The council's suggested solution is that "they would encourage the new residents to be car free and use bikes/transport" which is not a viable resolution.
• The suggested Affordable Home ratio is only 35%.  This is not sufficient to help solve the much-needed housing problem in Westminster.
• The current residents of Westmead Care Home are being moved to a new facility in Maida Vale called Beachcroft, along with the current residents of Carlton Dene care home.  As much as there is a need for improved conditions and facilities for the elderly, the council are not actually increasing the number of care-home beds despite the growing demand within our local community, especially within the BME community.  There are currently not enough specialised care home bed spaces available locally and residents are being moved away from their local area, friends and family.  The council could use an opportunity such as the Westmead development to provide extra care housing for our elderly residents instead of moving them away.

We propose that the council redesigns it current plans with the local area and it's residents given greater consideration.  The new building should be reduced in size and scope.