AS A resident of Creswick Road Acton since 1992, I am absolutely devastated that the council's planning committee has agreed to allow the destruction of Trevenna Cottage and its beautiful garden and trees, which form the backdrop to our small local park at its western boundary.

I fail to understand what makes a backland scheme of four tiers with eight large three-storey houses and a vehicular roadway flanking neighbours and the park any better than the previously failed application.

Councillor Shital Manro (North Greenford) said at the meeting last week 'it's better than the last one', but the last one in 2009, which was refused, did not involve backland buildings at all, or the loss of all the protected yew trees.

Why did the planning committee choose to disregard the new government's directive PPS3, made law on June 9, 2010, to stop building in back gardens and particularly here of all places, next to Horn Lane, the most polluted road in London at a danger level 61 per cent higher than European Union limits?

I am very disappointed that Councillor Ray Wall used his casting vote to support the Leicestershirebased developers against the wishes of more than 330 objectors, including local schools and residents' associations.

None of the councillors voting on the committee was from the nine Acton wards. Was this because the council's planning impresario, Mr Wall, knew that they would not support this very unpopular scheme? Yet his wife, a councillor from a Northolt ward, was brought in to take

part in the decision. Councillor Lauren Wall said she was concerned about the developers' human rights and also made a very ill-advised remark, saying the council should not risk council tax money fighting appeals, before she voted in favour of the developers.

Her extraordinary remark is an open invitation for developers to put in for all sorts of unsuitable overdevelopments, in the safe knowledge that Ealing Council will not want to risk spending money resisting them.

But, of most concern, why was Acton ward Councillor Abdullah Gulaid kept off the committee, leaving us at the mercy of Southall councillors and Councillor Manro, who obviously supports 'garden grabbing'.

These councillors have no connection to the Springfield Gardens area here in Acton, where we live.

This is an 'open' letter, and I would welcome an open reply, which perhaps may stop me thinking the unthinkable as to how and why this environmental vandalism was inflicted upon us by the council.

HELEN CLARKE

Creswick Road Acton