Fireworks are expected in the town hall on bonfire night as councillors decide whether to grant planning permission for the controversial Dickens Yard development.

A planning report this week revealed developers St George have promised Ealing Council £7million to compensate for the burden the development would have on schools, health-care, public transport and other infrastructure.

More than 1,800 people have written letters to the council, most of which claim the proposals for 25 new shops and

700 homes behind the town hall are excessive and out of character with the area.

A video link will be set up so members of the public can watch Wednesday's meeting, but only six objectors will be invited to speak.

Members of campaign group Save Ealing's Centre have been bidding for a three-minute slot at the meeting and have been poring over the report by officers which recommends councillors grant permission.

The report says: "Many objections and concerns have been expressed about the likely impact of the development on local services and facilities, in particular healthcare and education, arising from the large

number of additional residents in the town centre.

"Objections and concerns have also been raised about the 'lack' of additional community and leisure facilities, especially for young people, to serve both the new residents and existing residents in Ealing.

"These are legitimate concerns, which the proposed development seeks to adequately address, primarily through appropriate section 106 contributions."

The £7m promised by St George includes more than £1m for parks, open space and allotments; £1m for social, community, sport and leisure facilities; £1.2m for improvements to the transport network;

£1.5m for 'public realm' improvements such as signs, benches and pavements; £781,000 for schools, and £600,000 for healthcare. The rest will be split between employment and training programmes, traffic calming, junction improvements and other projects.

Save Ealing's Centre member Anthony Lewis said: "Section 106 money is just a sweetener.

"It doesn't go anywhere near addressing the root problems caused by the development itself; it simply says 'here is some cash you might find useful for a community project somewhere'.

"There will be enormous

extra loading on the community's infrastructure."

The plan has the backing of Ealing's business leaders and many traders, who see Dickens Yard as the key to future prosperity.

In an open letter this week, Steve Breen, executive director of Ealing Broadway Business Improvement District, said Dickens Yard is "integral to the re-energising of Ealing and the renewal of its position as a major shopping destination in west London."

It is thought the construction itself would provide about 400 jobs, and the shops, once up and running, would employ about 500 people.