Local Feathers Ruffled

Irish Times reports unhappiness with Ballymore development

The following article was printed in the Irish Times on November 8th:

Ballymore's high-rise plan ruffles a few local feathers

Residents of Brentford, in London, are at war with Seán Mulryan’s Ballymore Properties over its plans for more than 900 apartments in six- to 11-storey blocks on the local high street.

They maintain that the scheme “does not deliver” on the Brentford Area Action Plan’s vision of a sustainable community, drawn up in association with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment

Residents have described the plan as “aggressive, overbearing and underwhelming”.

“If this plan is allowed to go ahead, Hounslow Council and the developer will wipe out a once in a century opportunity to create a town centre with soul,” said Andrew Dakers, who chairs the Brentford High Street Steering Group.

“Ballymore’s bad debt has been transferred to Nama, an offshoot of the Irish Treasury.This agency is meant to be held accountable by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform committee. Whilst the people of Brentford recognise the huge pressure on Nama and the Irish State to recover the bad debt . . . it would be a tragedy if lessons were not learnt from unsuccessful regeneration schemes of old in both England and Ireland.”

We asked Ballymore Properties if it had any comment to make about this war of words, but there was no response.

November 12, 2012