Falling into line

Justine Greening has, apparently objected to the revised Tileman House application.

I very much welcome Miss Greening's decision to stand with residents rather than her Conservative Councillors - this is the first time she has taken a different view to her council colleagues on any issue, ever - so it clearly must have been a difficult decision for her to break with her party for the first time in her political career.

I am also delighted that Miss Greening has also decided to support the arguments I have been advancing for over 12 months now, that we need a comprehensive plan for Putney. It's something that is so important to protecting Putney that I'm pleased, albeit belatedly, that she has now joined those of us who've been campaigning on this issue for years - in my case since Autumn 2005.

But for her opposition to Tileman House to mean something, then she must back up her words with some hard lobbying of Putney's councillors, every single one of whom - 18 out of 18 - is Conservative.

The planning applications committee meets to consider this application towards the end of August. How Conservative councillors vote at that meeting will be one measure of how deeply felt her objection to Tileman House is.