SHOULD more than 2,500 homes be built in Harrow and Wealdstone so that leafy suburbs, such as the Hill, can be protected from the growing pressures for housing land?
The question is at the core of what will be Harrow Council's strategy for coping with an estimated population increase of 4,000 in the next 25 years, and the authority is asking residents for their views.
The council must manage the development of 5,345 new homes by 2026 and the associated health centres, schools and sports facilities needed.
It has produced a draft 'core strategy preferred option' outlining how it intends to do this.
Proposals includes a dogbone-shaped stretch of land, encompassing Harrow town centre in the south, hugging Station Road closely and extending into
Wealdstone, and the Kodak site in particular, to be designated an 'intensification area' where the development of property will be encouraged.
It is hoped weighting the distribution of new homes towards already established high density locations with good transport links will protect the outlying neighbourhoods and curb 'garden grabbing', where spacious private lawns in residential areas are replaced with lucrative, but inappropriate, housing.
Jane Galbraith, co-ordinator of Campaign For A Better Harrow Environment, said: "This actually will affect people and it's not an easy question to answer.
"The 'intensification area' is our main concern. The people living there ought to think about the kind of development they want there.
"I feel very strongly that having large blocks of housing, whether they be tall or extensive, is not a good way for people to live. People should think about
quality as well as quantity.
"Our local policies also need to be flexible enough so that if the population isn't going up as much, we're not left with lots of uninhabited blocks of one-bedroom flats.
"There are developments going up despite opposition of local people and the council has very little power to reject them, so it's important the new core strategy strengthens the council's hand as much as possible."
Councillor Marilyn Ashton (Conservative), the council's portfolio holder for planning, development and enterprise, said: "This isn't a blueprint for skyscrapers, quite the contrary.
"In fact, by carefully managing growth, we will have greater ability to avoid inappropriate developments in parts of the borough that can't take it - for example conversion of family homes into flats and inappropriate use of back gardens for building.
"It's about setting out where the council will accept growth and where it would resist it and, critically, to be able to win at appeal because we would have the policy to back up our vision for Harrow. [25cf] See all the relevant documents and download the questionnaire at www.harrow.gov.uk/downloads/856/loc al_development_framework__policy.
