HARROW Town Centre is being spoilt by large and ill-assorted buildings (for example Aspect Gate,St George's,Roxborough Heights, Bradstowe House).
These block the view of the Hill and St Mary's Church and spoil the view from the Hill.
On Wednesday, May 14, the strategic planning committee gave permission for 383 flats in blocks of up to 10 storeys to be built on the Gayton Library/Sonia Court/Gayton Road car park site and for the new Harrow College, up to 10 storeys high, to be built on Lowlands Recreation Ground.
Also, three major planning applications are pending: for more than 400 flats on the site of the current Harrow College in Lowlands Road (P/0708/08/COU); for a mixed commercial and residential development 19 storeys high (407 flats) on the site of the old post office in College Road (P/1620/08/CFU); and for a new Sainsbury's and high rise blocks of about 147 flats on the site of Travis Perkins, where Pinner Road meets Roxborough Bridge Roundabout (P/0596/08/CFU).
The plans can be seen on UKPlanning www.ukplanning.com/harrow or at the Civic Centre. UKPlanning also lists objections received to the applications.
Further objections can be made online or sent to Harrow Council, Planning, Civic Centre, PO Box 37, Station Road, Harrow HA1 2UY.
While there is some need for housing and commercial development in Harrow,such inappropriate and excessive development with high rise buildings (and even a threatened skyscraper of 19 storeys) would not provide the desired benefits, but would result in congestion and social and environmental problems as well as destroying our heritage.
JANE GALBRAITH
Secretary of Roxborough Road Residents' Association
