Gerard Barry opened the meeting welcoming everyone and touched on the recent news events on GB News highlighting our villages fight against the Widewater Place development.

The link to the story can be found here on GB News: https://www.gbnews.com/news/london-news-mosque-harefield-local-resistence & on The Express newspaper: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2156770/fury-london-last-town-harefield-shia-muslim-centre

Gerard also touched on our connection with HARA (Hillingdon Alliance Residents Association) which is essentially a group of residents associations in Hillingdon that come together to keep the LBH in check and have a greater voice.

The LBH Cabinet meeting took place on 23^rd December & the draft 2026/27 Budget was presented for approval.  As you can read at ruislipresidents.org.uk/wheres-the-budget it literally was presented at the meeting.  

The constitution (and statutory standard set by Parliament for local government transparency, the Local Government Act 1972) requires that agenda bundles be published and made available to the public “five clear days” ahead of a meeting, which for last night’s meeting, meant being published on 15th December.  The bundle was produced without the Budget last week, but the 188-page draft Budget was published only at 13:30 yesterday afternoon – hours before the meeting.

They bypassed the five-day rule by invoking the “urgency” clause citing the delay in the central government’s funding settlement.  It is a predictable “emergency” that the administration uses to dodge scrutiny.

Cllr Eddie Lavery presented the report as the new Cabinet Member for Finance. He asked the Cabinet to vote to approve a document they clearly hadn’t had time to read (actually acknowledging as much).  Naturally, it sailed through unanimously with votes from everyone present – which meant everyone except Leader Ian Edwards, because he had sent his apologies and was not at the meeting to vote on his own administration’s budget.

The consultation is open now, and there are six weeks to respond.  The budget contains details about the bailout that Hillingdon Council have asked for: totalling £150 million.  Don’t forget that they have publicly blamed much of the problem, especially over the summer, on “the unfunded cost of former asylum seekers and arrivals from Chagos”, which they claim cost £5m and £2m respectively.  The maths for that explanation simply doesn’t add up: a £7m pressure does not require a £150m bailout.

At £150m they say the cost to residents would be about £1.5m next year but £11.5m by 2028.  It is a 20 year loan.  This is an enormous weight around residents’ necks for two generations, and at least the next five administrations of the council.  

HARA, as individual RAs, we encourage actual residents to engage with this consultation, the Council are not going to be crowing about it from the rooftops.

The budget document can be viewed on the LBH website at https://modgov.hillingdon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=5058&x=1& on the ‘Agenda B’ download at the top of the page.

 

Detailed below are the planning applications submitted since our last meeting:

17709/APP/2025/3061
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
THE HAREFIELD ACADEMY, LORD ADONIS HOUSE NORTHWOOD WAY
HAREFIELD
Section 96a application for Non-Material Amendment to planning permission
reference 17709/APP/2023/2673, dated 08-02-2024 (Demolition of former
residential school and erection of academic building (Use Class F1) and ancillary
structures including heat pump and substation enclosures, construction of a multi-
use games area, revised vehicular access, landscaping, car and cycle parking and
associated works.) to make design amendments.

 

 

79673/APP/2025/2998
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
COLNE VALLEY VIADUCT MOORHALL ROAD HAREFIELD
Request for agreement of a Site Restoration Scheme on land to the northeast of
Moorhall Road (including Wildlife Trust land and Tarmac land), in accordance with
Paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 16 to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands)
Act 2017.

 

79673/APP/2025/2992
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
COLNE VALLEY VIADUCT MOORHALL ROAD HAREFIELD
Request for approval of Plans and Specifications for reconfiguration of previously
approved works within the Colne Valley Viaduct Groundworks South Area 1, in
accordance with Paragraph 3 of Schedule 17 to the High Speed Rail (London –
West Midlands) Act 2017.

 

1131/APP/2025/3069
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
CHANDIGRAH SUMMERHOUSE LANE HAREFIELD
Erection of 2 dwellings on land adjacent to Chandigrah.

 

75435/APP/2025/3161
ICK/HAM & S HF/D 22
LAND AT DEWS LANE DEWS LANE HAREFIELD
Request for approval of ‘Bringing into Use’ under condition imposed by Schedule 17
paragraph 9 (1) to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 to bring
into use the realignment of Dews Lane.

 

75435/APP/2025/3160
ICK/HAM & S HF/D 22
LAND AT DEWS LANE DEWS LANE HAREFIELD
Request for approval of ‘Bringing into Use’ under condition imposed by Schedule 17
paragraph 9 (4) (b) to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 to
bring into use the realignment of Dews Lane.

 

47425/APP/2025/3137
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
44 ASH GROVE HAREFIELD
Confirmation of use of the property as a C4 HMO (Application for a Certificate of
Lawful Development for an Existing Development)

 

75438/APP/2025/3100 SILVER BIRCHES TILE KILN LANE HAREFIELD
ICK/HAM & S HF/D 22 Variation of Condition 10 (Approved Drawing) of planning permission ref.
75438/APP/2021/3910, dated 01/06/2022 (Variation of Condition 2 (Approved
Plans) of planning permission ref. 75438/APP/2021/1439 dated 6th August 2021
(Erection of a detached 5 bed dwelling with associated parking and amenity space
including demolition of existing dwelling). Amendments sought to positioning of and
reduction in width of the dwelling, dimensions of the garage and rebuilding of
garden walls)

 

53203/TRE/2025/334
HARE/D VILLAGES 2022
PARAS VILLAS 5 LEWIS CLOSE HAREFIELD
TPO 436A T14 to pollard 1x Sycamore.

 

Linda King of Belle Vue Terrace advised that her road now has proposals to build 2 more houses in a very tight road, damage is already being done to the pathway after just 1 week of the works starting, she also mentioned that the properties are Art Deco style houses which are not in keeping with the Village look

 

A resident of Harefield on the village green asking about a planned HMO being put up at Ashleigh Cottage, The Green Harefield sub dividing it into a 9 dwelling HMO.

 

The owner of the house has advised it will be a house for a family & not a HMO, no orchard has been taken down but they have been trimmed to tidy up and has invited anyone to come along and see the property and the plans for themselves.

GB advised he will attend the property to take a look around at an agreeable time to the owner.

Action- GB

GB advised that this has now confirmed that he has spoken with the neighbours, met with the Landlord and been shown around the property. Planning Enforcement have already inspected and requested that the Landlord submit his planning as soon as possible.

 

From the initial inspection it does not appear to be a HMO but rather a conversion into two apartments so that an unwell relative can be looked after.

 

Another resident advised that a house in Leys Close is a HMO, people moved in on 10/01/26 and converted the garage to living accommodation under Permitted Development & it appears to be legitimate but this is being challenged as there is a covenant on the deeds excluding this.

 

As the plans were put in at least 12 months ago the new article 4 directive cannot apply but the covenant will or should take precedent.

 

A lady has questioned how legal it is for a man to live in a van on Newdigate Road, She was advised that if the vehicle is taxed, insured & MOT’d then nothing can be done as this is completely legal.