New Planning Battle Looms over Sandy Lane Site

10.56.17am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 30th Apr 2007

One of the borough's biggest new housing developments, on the Sandy Lane site in Hampton Wick, has been thrown into disarray after the developer, Linden Homes, have declared their intention of tearing up an agreement with local residents and the council and applying for permission to build more houses than agreed. 198 homes were agreed but the company wants to add 40 more.

After meeting representatives of the developers on Wednesday, with local residents, MP Vincent Cable said he was "appalled that a painfully agreed consensus is being torn up so that Linden Homes can try to make even more money from the site. The company has been taken over and it was put to us by the new owners that even more 'shareholder value' can be squeezed from the site - alongside higher environmental standards in the houses."

"Residents are, rightly, furious that their trust and goodwill have been thrown back in their face and that adding an extra 100 new people and cars will stretch even further the local infrastructure : congested roads and schools already full to overflowing. There is also a potentially very serious problem that the height of the new buildings will increase two storeys in one block and potentially ruin the view from Bushy Park."

"I have no doubt that there will be a blood planning battle over the new proposals and I shall fully support the local residents".