Dandara development appeal begins at Harrow Council (From Harrow Times)

Dandara development appeal begins at Harrow Council

2:22pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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DEVELOPERS behind a proposed 19 storey tower block have begun their battle to force the plans on Harrow Council.

Dandara wants to build the skyscraper at the former post office site, in College Road, but the scheme, including 410 flats in three blocks of different sizes, was rejected by the council in June.

The company appealed the ruling and planning inspector John Gray this morning heard opening speeches from the main parties.

Christopher Katkowski QC, barrister for the developer, said it was “blindingly obvious” the town centre was the right part of the borough for tall buildings, asking “if you cannot build dense and high here in Harrow then where?”

The scheme attracted widespread criticism from residents and politicians at the time, with pressure group Campaign for a Better Harrow Environment collecting a 3,525 signature petition.

But local opposition is not enough to reject a planning application and Mr Katkowski will aim to prove the council did not have strong enough grounds for its decision under planning policy.

He told the inquiry how Dandara had worked with the planning department when drawing up the proposals.

He said councillors on the planning committee refused the scheme on the basis it would block views of landmarks like St Mary's Church, in Harrow-on-the-Hill, and the Grove Open Space.

He said: “The independent advice given to the members by the council's external consultants was right, that the visual impact on such views would be minimal.”

The council hit back claiming the building would become the symbol of Harrow, with Rodri Price Lewis QC, representing the authority, saying “it's not worthy of that status”.

He said: “The scheme would compete with the church as the dominant skyline symbol in this part of the borough and for prominence in people's mental image of this part of the borough.”

He criticised the design saying that such a tall building “calls for something special that would change the face of Harrow”.

He said the development would need to be of “outstanding architectural quality” but said “that quality has not yet been reached”.