Summer 2016From Our ChairmanWelcome to the summer 2016 newsletter. We still await a decision on 9-42 The Broadway, the largestredevelopment facing the centre of Ealing for many years. Frustratingly, there is no sign ofany work starting on the formerEmpire cinema site apart fromchanging the signage on thehoarding around the retainedfacade. Even information on thenew cinema to be operated byPicturehouse Ltd is hard to comeby. However, the Crossrail effecthas led to further developmentpressures in the Ealing and WestEaling areas. These pressuresemphasise the continuing need foramenity societies like ourselveswhich makes Charles Mynors’ talkin late May on the future of civicsocieties particularly relevant.Civic Day this year, on 18 June,should also be fascinating withtours of the new University of WestLondon campus in St Mary’s Road.We have also arranged a talk withan update on Crossrail in late July.I hope to see many of you at one of these events.

9-42 The BroadwayBoris Johnson, the former Mayor of London - notsurprisingly – decided not to intervene in the decision-making on the planning application approved by theCouncil in February. So our only hope now is that it will becalled in by the Secretary of State for Communities and

Local Government for determination. National and localheritage groups have strongly condemned the scheme forresulting in the loss of much of the Edwardian andVictorian frontages that face Ealing Broadway Centre,albeit some of variable quality. However, the greatest loss

would be the CarphoneWarehouse corner opposite theformer Town House pub inorder to cater for a widerpavement and a northboundcycle lane. No decision had beenissued by the Secretary of Stateat the time of writing.

Former Empire CinemasiteA little information has beenreleased by the Council aboutthe sizes of the proposedauditoria for the 8 screen cinemato be situated behind theredeveloped YMCA site onBond Street and to be operatedby Picturehouse cinemas. Thetotal capacity will be over 1000seats with a variety of screenand auditorium sizes ranging

from 90-170 seats. This compares with the former Empirecinema demolished in 2008/9 which had a similar numberof seats but divided between only 3 screens. Work couldstart later this year on 160 residential flats elsewhere in thedevelopment but the cinema itself is unlikely to openbefore 2018.

Coming Events Tuesday 24th May 7.30 John Delafons lecture, Ealing Town Hall.

Speaker: Charles Mynors: What is the point of a civic society?Saturday 18th June Civic Day 11.00am and 2.30pm University of West London tourTuesday 26th July lecture, Town Hall, Speaker: John Goldsmith: Crossrail the latestSaturday/Sunday 17th/18th September Open House WeekendTuesday 8th November 7.30 Annual Award Ceremony, Queens Hall, Ealing Town Hall, Speaker: Steve Pound MP.

What is the point of a civic society?

EALING CIVIC SOCIETY2016

The John Delafons Public Lecture

Charles MynorsECS President, planning barrister and local resident

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Bilton House, 52-58 Uxbridge RoadThe 1950s office block to the west of the fire station at theend of St Leonard’s Road has been put forward forredevelopment by its owners. Surprisingly, they envisageredevelopment as an office block rather than residential.Residential has increasingly spread along the road despitedesignation by the Council’s Local Plan as an officecorridor.

However, there would be an increase in height and bulkcompared with the existing building (see picture) with avery dominant corner elevation. We have asked thedevelopers to reconfigure this elevation in particularwhich we see as out of keeping with the locality, inparticular the locally-listed fire station, and to reconsiderits relationship with the street at ground level.Committee MembersRobin Roads, who has been our treasurer since 2010, hasdecided to move away from Ealing. We are very gratefulfor the work he has done for us, having done it mostassiduously for this time, and we wish him well in his“retirement” in Battersea. Deirdre McLellan has served as membership secretary for10 years and has decided to stand down. We are also verygrateful to her for doing the job for so long and welcomeJenny Gadsby as her successor.Robert Gurd

Ealing Civic Society 2 Summer 2016

2016/17 Executive CommitteeRobert Gurd (Chairman) 60 Beaufort Rd W5 3EA (8998 4417)Ann Chapman (Vice Chair) 15 Lammas Park Gardens W5 5JD (85677955)Corinne Templer (Hon. Vice President) 28 The Grove W5 5LH (85675353)Josette BishopTreasurer (8998 4695)Michael Tiley 30 Devonshire Road, W5 4TP (8840 7447)Paul Fitzmaurice 18 Elers Road, W13 9QD (8567 3024)Margaret Gold 24 Lyncroft Gardens W13 9PU (8567 6158)Tony Miller 6 Winscombe Crescent W5 1AZ (8930 5130)Philippa Dolphin (Web Manager)Jonathan Norris (8993 0230)William Hardman 247 Pope’s Lane W5 4AH (07730 592956)Jenny Gadsby (Membership) Flat 2, 8 Florence Road, W5 (8567 3074)Jo Winters (Secretary) 28 Ranelagh Road, W5 5RJ (8579 1885)Josephine Barry-Hicks (Minutes Secretary) 62 Haven Green Ct W5 2UY(8810 6452)

Civic Society Awards call for entriesEach year Ealing Civic Society makes awards torecognise and encourage building and environmentalprojects that make a noteworthy contribution to thecommunity in the London Borough of Ealing. Thewinners receive a certificate and may display aSociety plaque commemorating the award. Thejudges can also award certificates for ‘highlycommended’ and ‘commended’ entries. Theapplication form for the Award will be available fromthe website shortly.The project must be located within the LondonBorough of Ealing. Awards are made for schemes thatenhance the environment by good design,landscaping, or service to the community of otherkinds. They may include new buildings or thosewhich have been substantially restored orrefurbished, landscaping or townscape projects. Seethe ECS website for details of the scheme. The award ceremony is on Tuesday 8th November. The speaker at the ceremony will be Steve Pound MP.

Local History Events May-July 2016Charges: (apart from the first on this list) £3 tolibrary members; £5 to non-members. All areheld at the Green Room, Ealing CentralLibrary at 6.15pm.Making Suburban Faith Tuesday 17th MayDr Claire Dwyer looks at various faith communitiesin Ealing; their establishment and their current work.Accompanies an exhibition (9 May-10 June) at thelibrary. FreeTeaching Ealing Tuesday 24th MayProfessor Alan Gillett OBE looks at some of theschools in Ealing from the late sixteenth century topresent as told by a former Ealing schoolboy and longtime local school governor.Ealing’s Murder Houses Tuesday 21st JuneDr Jonathan Oates looks at houses in the boroughwhich are still standing and where murders werecommitted from 1880-1957.Ealing and the Battle of the Somme Tuesday 12th JulyDr Jonathan Oates looks at how the British offensiveon the Western Front was seen in Ealing, includingreferences to local men involved in the fighting on thecentenary of its onset.

Ealing Civic Society is on Facebook and Twitter

Ealing Civic Society 3 Summer 2016

Ealing Civic Society AGMThis was held in the Nelson Room of the Town Hall onApril 19th and was attended by around sixty souls,drawn by civic duty and by the guest speaker, RoryCellan-Jones.

The Nelson Room is doubly fortuitous for our AGM inthat it overlooks Uxbridge Road and treats us to its richpanoply of sound; it also means that when Robert Gurdspeaks of the incompletion of the cinema project we canbob up from our seats and have a look to make sure.Similarly when he warns that drivers exitingLongbridge Road may no longer turn left into UxbridgeRoad doubters can peek through the windows to see thenew forbidding signs.

Rory Cellan-Jones (that is a Welsh double ll) was born in

London, moved house several times but finally homedin on West Ealing. He moved jobs as well - he was theBBC Economics and Business correspondent at one timebut now has settled in as the BBC’s TechnologyCorrespondent. In a lightly humorous vein he took usthrough developments in technology from the 1980sthrough to the Noughties and particularly the rise ofFacebook, Twitter and the iPhone. He illustrated futurepossibilities from his own domestic arrangements: hecan set the house temperature remotely from his smartphone. His show of hands requested of the audienceindicated that not everyone was as wired in as he was,and unlikely perhaps to try out the driverless car hedescribed which in the not too distant future could besummoned from New York remotely by its owner inSan Francisco and would make its way slowly acrossthe continent, stopping only to tank up. Members of theaudience did not quite imagine that they would needto do this soon.

Turning to Ealing, with its BBC and transportconnections, especially Crossrail, he believes it is well-placed to benefit from future technology, although, ashe recalled, when he bought his house in the 1990s the

estate agent assured him that the value would soarbecause of the coming of Crossrail: only for the marketto crash and slash house prices. Crossrail was biding itstime. For comparison he reminded us of the early daysof the Central Line. First mooted in 1894, funding wasorganised by 1896 when work began. It took a leisurelyfour years until the line opened in 1900: thirteenstations, all underground, from Shepherds Bush to Bankin four years.

In his Chairman’s report Robert Gurd gave us anupdate on projects in Ealing which ECS is monitoring,among others the long awaited Empire Cinemareplacement, now envisaged for completion in 2018, afull ten years after the old cinema was demolished. Healso kept us informed about progress on Crossrail; andthe old Arcadia centre construction plans (the outgoingMayor Boris decided not to intervene)..Our Treasurer Robin Roads presented his report, his lastsince he is standing down. We had a small surplus lastyear but it is likely to be less this year because of anincrease in some costs.

Robert Gurd thankedRobin for his six yearswork as Treasurer andnoted that he is standingdown because he ismoving away. He addedwryly that a patternseemed to be emerging ofofficers moving away, andcould this be in order tofacilitate resigning? Volunteers were called for and ifthey wished could even approach Robert Gurdprivately at the end of the meeting. We are very glad toreport that one such person did indeed step forward:Josette Bishop.

John Sears is also resigning from the ExecutiveCommittee but is continuing on the EnvironmentCommittee.Tony Williams

Bank Station 1903

Rory Cellan-Jones

Tony Williams (Newsletter Editor), 2 Nicholas Gardens, W5 5HY (8567 6941)Contributors: Philippa Dolphin, Robert Gurd, Jo Winters, Jen Henley, Robin Roads and Tony Williams.Photos: Rory Cellan-Jones: TW; Robin Roads: TW; Bank Station: public domain; Bilton House: CEG Ltd; Flyer designs: JenHenley Printed by Pollyprint www.pollyprint.co.uk

Note from Robin RoadsI am retiring as Hon Treasurer because I will be leaving the district at the end of this month. I should like to thank all membersfor their courtesy - and promptness in paying subscriptions, also to wish Ealing and all of you the very best for the future.Josette Bishop has kindly agreed to step into the role and I should like to welcome her on your behalf and personally wishher the very best of success. Please give her the quiet time you have given me!If you pay your subscription by cash or cheque it helps if you pay as early in the year as possible. This avoids the Treasurerhaving to send reminders. The amount due for the calendar year 2016 is £12.00. Your cheque payable to Ealing Civic Societyshould be sent to:Josette BishopHon Treasurer, Ealing Civic Society8 Castlebar Hill, London, W5 1TDMembers who pay by standing order pay £2.00 less and are not worried by reminders. If you would like to change yourmethod of payment please download the Application form from our website, complete your bank details and send the signedform to Josette. Alternatively e-mail josettebishop@btinternet.com (Tel: 020 8998 4695).

Planning MattersInternational Presbyterian Church, Drayton GreenDemolition of existing church buildings and the provision ofa new church with ancillary floor space and one replacementsingle-storey residential unit with associated car parking andlandscaping. ECS objected to this application. The unusualentrance structure that is proposed is out of scale with the restof the buildings and would detract from the setting of theGrade II listed chapel. St Marks Primary School Lower Boston Road HanwellTwo-storey classroom extension to rear (following demolitionof a two-storey structure). ECS objected to this application, inparticular to the loss of the locally listed former headmaster’shouse and the design of the new building which wouldcompletely block off the large arched westwindows of the original classroom and nolonger allow in light. This school is locatedin the St Mark’s Church and CanalConservation Area and designs andmaterials for future development of thesite should enhance the character of theConservation Area, which this applicationwould not.Holbrook House, Victoria Road,ActonDemolition of existing buildings andredevelopment to construct a 16/18/24storey building with basement for use asstudent accommodation, comprising 424bed spaces and a commercial unit forflexible use. ECS has concerns about yetanother high-rise, high-density building inthis location with little or no infrastructureprovision. We have no objection to the demolition of theexisting building which has minimal townscape value.However, the height should be reduced by at least 6 storeys sothat it is in keeping with the height of other buildings in theimmediate vicinity.Smiths Farm, Kensington Road, NortholtConversion and extension of existing farmhouse to provideeight flats, together with demolition of all other buildings to

allow erection of 4 detached buildings (2, 3, 4 and 5 storeys)comprising 66 flats, with associated parking, landscaping andchildren's play area; and provision of a 7000m2 landscapedextension to the Northolt and Greenford Country Park,incorporating a fifth conical mound, new foot/cycle bridgeand surface crossing over Kensington Road. ECS objected tothis application and noted that this plan does not retain any ofthe existing locally listed buildings other than the farmhouseand we disputed the assertion in the application that theheritage value of the existing buildings is limited. We remain very concerned about plans to build flats on thissite. Even the planned provision in this application of 100%affordable housing does not provide the ‘very exceptionalcircumstances’ needed to justify building on MetropolitanOpen Land. However, in our view the previous consented

scheme of 50% affordable housingprovided for a better social mix ofoccupancy than this latest proposal whichis contrary to current policy and views onsustainable housing.

Grosvenor House Social Club, 52 StMary’s Rd, EalingThree-storey building containing a socialclub at ground floor (St Mary's Roadfrontage) and five self-contained flatsabove and a row of three two-storeyterraced houses (Beaconsfield Roadfrontage). ECS objected to this applicationbecause it is out of character withneighbouring buildings.  This site islocated in the Ealing Green ConservationArea next door to the charming shop

frontage of the old clock gallery and attractive New InnPub.  Any development here should reflect thesebuildings. The proposed style and size of the fenestration isinappropriate and the planned height too great compared withthe existing buildings next door to the south. The proposalsare over-development of the site. Fitting three terraced houses,with off-street parking, into a restricted area at a very narrowpoint on Beaconsfield Road is also of concern. Jo Winters