We have now finished the consultation process and will take all comments into account when the Trustees, with the help of staff consider the final document. We will also be taking legal advice to ensure that the detailed guidelines contained in the document are sustainable within the terms of the Scheme of Management.
There has been some debate over the breadth of the Trust’s consultation. The exercise was outside the scope of the Trust’s standing consultation process which relates to individual applications. The Trustees thought it right, nevertheless, to seek comments from residents but did not believe it was helpful or necessary to invite every resident to comment which is why the publicity was aimed at Trust members who provide a cross section of residents as a whole, and of course membership of the Trust is free. We also wrote to all freeholders on the Suburb and invited comments from other organisations. Coverage in the Ham & High, Evening Standard and LBC radio will have reached a wider audience. The contents of the Supplemental Guidance, like the Design Guidance itself, cannot be a simple reflection of the views of residents (even if there were consensus – which there is not). The exercise is aimed at a balance between preserving the character and amenities of the Suburb and the recognition that it would be
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