News from Darren Johnson: Ground control to Mayor Johnson: your worst planning decision award for 2010

Abstract: Expansion of flights at City Airport was 2009’s most damaging planning decision in London, according to Darren Johnson.

Doubling the number of flights through City Airport has won Boris Johnson the coveted 2010 “worst planning decision” award. London Assembly member Darren Johnson makes the award each year for the planning decision he considers to be the most damaging, in parallel to the Mayor’s London Planning Awards. The trophy is an inscribed breeze-block.

Darren Johnson commented:

“Despite his bluster about sweetening the air the Mayor has waved through a massive expansion in noisy polluting flights that will blight much of the capital. Local residents are fighting a legal challenge, neighbouring boroughs never got a say and environmental groups have made an overwhelming case against it.

“If the Mayor pushed businesses to follow his own staff in managing travel demand he could have stopped this expansion in its tracks.”

This year’s runners up for prize were:

Brent Cross-Cricklewood, Barnet:

By waving through a development that will create a surge in traffic and air pollution, the Mayor has undermined city-wide efforts to improve air quality, and has done nothing to help severely affected centres in neighbouring boroughs.

Columbus Tower, Tower Hamlets:

The Mayor intervened to help this 63 storey tower go ahead on the edge of Canary Wharf against the local council’s wishes, apparently because Crossrail money was at stake.

Ferrier Estate, Greenwich:

The Mayor gave no objections to this regeneration project, which will slash the number of social rented homes from 1,730 to 730 in a London borough which had 13,486 households on its waiting list when the Mayor made his decision.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Darren Johnson is available for comment.

Each planning case passed the Mayor’s desk, and decisions were made by the Mayor or subsequently by the local planning authority in 2009. Details of each of the short listed schemes can be found at the following links.

London City Airport

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2008/20080909/london_city_airport_report.pdf

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2008/20080909/london_city_airport_decision_letter.pdf

Brent Cross Cricklewood

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2009/20090211/brent_cross_cricklewood_initial_representation.pdf

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2009/20090211/brent_cross_cricklewood_report.pdf

Columbus Tower

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/docs/public-hearing/columbus-tower-draft-decision.pdf

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/docs/public-hearing/columbus-tower-stageIII-addendum-report.pdf

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/docs/public-hearing/columbus-tower-stageIII-report.pdf

Ferrier Estate

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2009/20090603/land_at_the_ferrier_estate_final_decision.pdf