- On the 2nd November I attended the second “Developers’ Lunch”. Simon Hogg, the Leader of Wandsworth Council, and Aydin Dikerdem, Housing Chair, initiated these soon after Labour’s victory in the 2022 Borough Election. They were inspired by Labour’s ambition to build more social, and therefore affordable, homes in the Borough; and they needed to set an agenda immediately.
The Tory Council had submitted their Borough Plan to Government literally days before the election, and although Labour has set about the process of amending their plan, the process takes too long for our liking. Hence, we are informing the development industry directly of the nature of our intention to look favourably at planning applications, which include a 50% allocation of affordable housing units.
My role as Chair of the Planning Applications Committee was essentially to show solidarity between application control and political direction, without in any way compromising my commitment to assess individual applications on their own merit. Whether, the development industry is going to work towards Labour’s aspirations, or stick to the kind of more market-oriented plan devised by our Tory predecessor Council is yet to be seen, although there are some encouraging signs.
- Later that same evening I had the Transport Committee. It was not a particularly dramatic occasion, but it did mark another small step into investing in a more pedestrian and cycle-friendly environment. Improved pedestrian facilities were introduced near Chestnut Grove School and a scheme was introduced to improve Burntwood Road, as the current layout annoys motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.
- On 7th November, the Wandsworth
Mayor, my fellow ward Councillor Juliana Annan, hosted the Civic Awards. It consciously modernised and diversified the occasion – with I think some success, as can be seen very clearly in this picture. And it also included brief, professionally produced videos of the work done in the community by the seven winning individuals or groups.
- On 10th November, I attended the Armistice Day service in
Battersea Park. This year it was unusually cold, appropriately for the current state of war in both Ukraine and Gaza. Mayor Juliana Annan read the lesson.
- On 15th November, my friend Jeanne Rathbone, gave a talk on the Branson family, who lived in various parts of Battersea. I must confess that my major interest was in Clive, who did several naïve paintings of Battersea, which are now in the possession of the Tate
Gallery (memo to self: must go to the Tate soon!) and I make no apology for repeating his picture of his wife selling the Daily Worker (memo to younger readers: the Worker was an overtly Communist Party paper published 1923-52), outside a factory in Stewart’s Road. Clive died in Burma during WW2, but, what I did not know were the longer radical histories of his wife and daughter – nice one Jeanne.
- On the 17th November, I went to Wimbledon Park
Golf Course, along with fellow members of the Planning Applications Committee, a couple of planning officers, and some other interested parties. The picture is of the first and the eighteenth fairways, running alongside the lake that can just be seen in the distance.
- The visit was obviously related to the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) planning application which was considered by the 21st November Planning Applications Committee (PAC), which I chair. As you will probably have seen from the widespread media coverage, we rejected the application, not as reported unanimously but nem con (nemine contradicente – a traditional, useful Latin phrase meaning “no names recorded against”. There were abstentions.)
The application was for 39 extra lawn tennis courts, one of 
which was a full-sized show court, on the scale of Centre Court or Court One; for the removal of nearly 300 trees (not this great oak but the spindly sapling in front of it) and their replacement by 1500 others; for several maintenance huts to store mowers, temporary seating, nets, etc., etc.; hundreds of yards of concrete paths for access and spectator facilities; for the effective transfer of 5 hectares of the Capability Brown landscape park into Merton’s municipal Wimbledon Park. (by the way, no one noticed that last month I associated the park with Grinling Gibbons and not with Capability Brown, including Penny who is meant to know about these things!).
The picture shows the development with the new show court
centre left surrounded by the many grass courts, with paved surrounds; and what is left of the “Capability Brown” park at the bottom right of the lake.
The main grounds for refusal were, to my mind, that there were insufficient grounds submitted to allow so much development on Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). Planning policies agreed by all parties to government state that there must be “substantial justification” to allow development on MOL. PAC members did not think that there was substantial justification. Given that Merton Council has already approved the application, I suspect that the decision will now go to the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, or one of his deputies to approve or reject, before, perhaps, going on to the Secretary of State for the final decision.
- Two days later, on 23rd November, I attended the TCPA (Town & Country Planning Association) Conference on the Contribution that Planning can make on Regeneration and the Climate Crisis, at Regent University in Regent’s Park.
A major feature was the almost unanimous contempt that the planning community have for the current government. Whilst this is partly because planners nearly always have a different belief system from members of the Tory party, it was mainly because of the continual, and indeed continuous U-turning, which this government has pursued on planning issues from HS2 to licences for new coal mines and oil drilling in a climate crisis. On my way home, I thought this view of the handsome Marylebone parish church, near Regent University, was worth recording.
- On Saturday, 24th November, Penny and I went to the Battersea Police Ball in Battersea Park. I have often said that this is the biggest, most OTT social event in the Battersea calendar – that I know of. In some ways, it seemed slightly more restrained than in earlier years – there were no handsome, semi-clad youths swinging on trapezes above the audience; but the event continues to be loud, raucous and enjoyable, with very jolly but crowded dancing and brilliant strobe lighting.
- The Finance Committee, on 30th October, was both interesting, and for me, over-structured. There were interesting issues to consider, such as the report of The Cost of Living Commission and the Council’s response to the cost of living crisis, but with the modern fashion for pre-organised questions and answers, a fixed and timed guillotine and a limited number of committee meetings per year, there is no room for real political debate, which I believe is really much needed.
- Some of you have brought to my attention the scurrilous leaflet produced and distributed by the Tory Party, which might be described by some as a pack of lies. The central argument is that a Labour councillor, who was promoted to a senior position, was given a massive and unjustifiable pay-rise. If the Labour Party were to publish an equivalent leaflet, we could say that in electing one of their number as Leader of the Opposition on Wandsworth Council in May last year, the Tories had voted for him to have had a 250%+ pay rise, ignoring of course, the fact that he had replaced someone else who had taken an equivalent cut. That misleading presentation is typical of the rest of the leaflet and I am glad that we do not publish their equal.
My programme for December
- I have a meeting of the Crematorium Board on the 5th December.
- The Ethelburga Estate Residents Association AGM and Xmas meeting also on 5th December.
- A Design Review Panel of Roehampton’s Alton Estate on 6th December.
- A Labour councillors Group meeting on 7th December.
- Wandsworth Mayor’s Xmas party on 8th December.
- A Battersea Labour Party Junction Jazz evening on 10th December.
- On 12th December, I have the Planning Applications Committee.
- The December Council Meeting is on 13th December.
- And then family Xmas.
Did you Know?
Last month, I asked,
“British and American, born in
Connecticut, died in London and buried in Battersea, a hero and villain in both countries, a traitor and a loyalist in both countries, a spy and a military commander in both, a father of eight – who was this man and where can you find him? And many of you knew the answer – Benedict Arnold. Arnold joined the insurgents against Westminster rule (wouldn’t lots of us like to do that), became a general in Washington’s army; turned against the insurgents; joined the British army; moved to England after American Independence had been achieved and was buried at St. Mary’s Church, Battersea. But whilst many of you also knew about the stained-glass window referencing Arnold, I wonder how many of you have ever noticed this stone in the crypt?
And this month?
Whilst looking for a particular shop somewhere in Clapham Junction I came across this plaque, which I had never seen before. Can you tell me where it is? And who was John Buckmaster? And perhaps most significantly why did he deserve to be commemorated? (Members of the Battersea Society need not reply!)
Tony Belton
Tony Belton 