FOLLOWING an epic four-hour meeting, Ealing Council has shot a deeply unpopular housing proposal down in flames.
Southall residents were jubilant on Wednesday night after the council's planning committee voted against the application.
National Grid properties had applied to build 3,750 homes, complete with amenities including a school and medical centre, on the site of the former gasworks in The Straight.
The proposal attracted a storm of criticism from residents and councillors, who had grave concerns over the impact of traffic, added congestion and building on polluted land.
Eve Turner, chairman of protest group Save Our Southall (SOS), said: "It is blazingly obvious that this project would be a disaster for Southall. It has massive health hazards and would bring traffic to a complete halt.
"We would like to thank the Southall councillors and all the local residents who turned up to show their opposition to the plans.
"The developers will no doubt appeal to bring this project back. They hope to make hundreds of millions and have tried to hide the horrible reality behind glossy documents with artist's impressions of a traffic-free, beautiful new town.
"The reality would be 15 years of building on polluted ground, leading to tower blocks, concrete and traffic jams thereafter."
Southall councillor Gurcharan Singh, who spoke against the application, said: "This was a sensible decision by the planning committee, who took into account the views of residents and ward councillors."
Phil Edwards of National Grid commented: "We are disappointed by the decision made by the planning committee. We believe that the proposals would bring significant benefits to Southall, regenerating a derelict site and making a large investment into the local area.
"We will be reviewing the determination and will make a decision on our next steps in due course."
