Overdevelopment Groundhog Day

There's a scene in the book and film "The Rainmaker" by John Grisham where the defendant in a civil trial has to admit that they wrote to the victim denying their claim for a health insurance payout in these terms:

"On seven prior occasions we have denied your claim in writing. We now deny it for the eighth time. You must be stupid, stupid, stupid."

I have to say that this is how I felt when I came across the headline above buried away in today's Evening Standard. Three tower blocks up to 150 metres tall (25, 35 and 46 storeys) on the New Covent Garden market site in our borough.

Stupid, stupid, stupid is how I would categorise those developers who don't seem capable of processing the message that our borough is not the place for skyscrapers. Have they not been paying attention as people-power has consigned plan after plan to the dustbin?

Ultimately, I'm being a little unfair on the developers: you can't really blame a developer for trying to develop. The only reason they keep bringing these damaging and destructive plans forward is because the Conservative Council has sent every signal possible to developers is that Wandsworth is open for their business.

Remember: the skyscraper threat began with Ram Brewery - plans the Conservative Council not only approved but actively encouraged because of the prospect of a massive amount of cash promised by the developer for the councillors to play fantasy traffic management in and around Wandsworth town centre. That plan's only stalled because the Labour Government ordered a public inquiry that begins this week.

Since then?

Clapham Junction.
Putney Place.
Tileman House.
Riverside Quarter.
Battersea Power Station (repeatedly).
Now New Covent Garden.

All the while, Putney's Conservative MP stands on the sidelines doing nothing that even vaguely resembles the leadership needed to protect Putney from the towerblocks.

This Conservative lack of leadership has to be ended. We have to decide exactly what sort of borough we want to live in - and then elect the leaders who will ensure we get it. If you vote Conservative you're voting for this never-ending conveyor-belt of tower-block plans. Aren't you tired of waking up every few weeks to hear about the latest of these sky-scraper threats to our community?

And before you say: this is Battersea - it doesn't affect me" - just remember that the reason developers will argue that these towers are acceptable is because they're not that far from other skyscrapers in central London. In other words, precedent matters: and in due course, that will be the argument, citing these New Covent Garden towers, for plans ever closer to Putney - and eventually in and through Putney.

These plans do affect Putney. And so does this lack of Conservative leadership.