12 November 2021
Tony Firkins, the Hounslow Green Party planning spokesman, has been fighting for the Climate Emergency to have a higher profile in the Hounslow Council West of Borough and Great West Corridor Local Plans during its ongoing review. Tony argued that the Local Plans must be strengthened following the Climate Emergency declared by Hounslow Council in 2019 and the failure of COP26 to come up with a plan to limit temperature rises to 1.5C. He pointed out that the Local Plan is also not consistent with The National Planning Policy Framework which clearly states that the planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate.
In Thursday’s session on housing, Tony, together with Jim Storrar of Brentford Voice and Marie Rabouhans of West Chiswick & Gunnersbury Society made strong objections to the number of new homes, the air pollution, the impacts on the Green belt and the lack of transport provision in the proposed plans.
Stephen Clark, the Green Party candidate for Brentford West in next year’s local elections, said “Many thanks to Tony Firkins for bravely arguing along with other environmental and local resident’s groups against the plans. The Hounslow Local Plan is the key document that guides local investment in new buildings and important infrastructure so surely it must be made much stronger following Hounslow’s 2019 declaration of a climate emergency. In particular we would like to see rules added to make construction of any new buildings very low carbon”.
“I am also worried that upcoming sessions next week on the “Heathrow Opportunity Area” and the Green Belt will erode the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land and allow Heathrow airport to expand further. We will be watching these sessions closely and battling with others to get the green voice held”.
