Planning Minister will not call Earls Court public inquiry

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Planning, Nick Boles, has decided not to call in the controversial £8bn Earls Court masterplan.
 
Boles told the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that the Secretary of State will not call in applications lodged by developer EC Properties, a subsidiary of Capital and Counties.
 
In a letter to Labour’s planning spokeswoman on the London Assembly, Nicky Gavron, Boles said that planning decisions “should be made at the local level wherever possible” and that the power to call in a case is only used “very selectively”.
 
According to Gavron, Boles said there was no need for a public inquiry because the proposals do not have a significant long term impact on economic growth, raise significant architectural and urban design issues or involve the interests of national security or of foreign Governments.
 
“This decision is a failure by the Government to listen to the serious concerns of local people,” said Gavron. “It is extraordinary that the Government waved this project through despite the many unanswered questions. This controversial redevelopment will see the loss of the iconic Earls Court exhibition space and a well-established local community.”
 
The plans for the 32-hectare site are for more than 6,700 homes and a raft of infrastructure and public realm improvements over a 20-year construction period. Earls Court exhibition centre will be demolished as part of the scheme.
 
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