DETERMINED Olympia residents came together this week and vowed to stop major regeneration plans which they say will make life in the area ‘intolerable’.
Capco - already involved in one of the borough’s most contentious schemes at Earls Court - has now set its sites on transforming land next to Olympia, currently used as a car park for the conference centre.
It wants to build 88 homes comprising apartments and a mixture of terraced and mews-style housing, as well as a combination of both on-street and underground car parking.
But neighbours, led by the Sinclair Road Residents’ Association, are aghast at the proposals and have vowed to fight tooth and nail to stop what they say is a scheme that is ‘wholly inappropriate to the area’.
Joint chairman Philippe Auclair said: "We have barely been consulted on this and it almost seems as if they think we are just going to accept it. But we won’t because an ill-thought out development like this will make life in the area intolerable."
They say Brook Green is already one of the most densely populated areas of London and, with other development schemes being planned both in Holland Park and at the other side of the conference centre, including a new hotel, they claim it simply cannot cope with another population increase.
Neighbour Alan Jenkins said: "Transport-wise this would be a disaster, as Olympia station is already very over-crowded and the area is overrun with traffic. As far as we can see there are no proposals for new schools or doctors. There is just not enough room for further development."
Another resident, architect Derek Pajaczkowski, said the design of the plans, which would eat into a large chunk of woodland at the far end of the site, is also a concern, as well as the impact on sewage systems, which are being studied by Thames Water.
"The plot is designed in a way that would have a road running to the rear of properties, leaving no private areas," he said. "It is very narrow and we also have worries about access for emergency vehicles."
The residents successfully fought plans a decade ago to build more than 150 homes on the site
Capco said: "We consulted with local residents on possible proposals last month but no decision has yet been made on making any planning applications."
