In May 2019, the Mayor of London confirmed the locations of the station car parks that had been identified for redevelopment as a part of a program to deliver new, affordable housing and aid the current housing crisis in London. With final decisions now delayed to 2021, local residents in Stanmore saw this as their chance to present a petition to the council, objecting to the project and hoping to get the application rejected.

Following my previous article on the consequences of the redevelopment, I interviewed Philip Kerstein, a local resident, who, alongside a few neighbours, created the petition which has now received over 2500 signatures. Given the discontent in the local area over the possibility of the project, the campaigners had expected a substantial amount of support, but were still surprisingly taken aback by the level of response. “We had quite a short timeframe – only one week – to get 2000 signatures,” explained Mr Kerstein, “but we got them in 6 days.” He emphasised the role social media played in spreading the word, with the petition primarily circulated on Facebook and via WhatsApp groups, not only to those in Stanmore, but to people across London. This widespread support, the campaigner said, is what ‘reassured us that we were going in the right direction.’

Upon gaining the required number of signatures, the petition was debated by the council at a virtual meeting. The main intention of getting the motion debated was to raise awareness to councillors across London, not just Harrow, as, if the project were to go ahead, it would have knock-on effects across the city, given the popularity of Stanmore station to commuters travelling to Central London, or to Wembley Stadium.

At the meeting, as explained by Mr Kerstein, it was not as discussion-based as they would have hoped. Those opposing the development argued that there was a lack of local infrastructure to support such a project and the loss of parking spaces would be catastrophic for commuters, amongst several other reasons. Those in favour, whilst not necessarily addressing these concerns, said the matter would be discussed when the planning application was reviewed.

Mr Kerstein stated how ideally, they would like for the application to be withdrawn. He emphasised how it is not the project they are against, but the sheer scale of it; that developers are ‘trying to squeeze it all into something too small.’ However, although the plan could be amended to meet the demands of parking and residents, the changes needed would be massive, which is why the campaigners are pushing for its withdrawal. The final decision, even if the plan is rejected, lies with the Mayor, who can give consent for its continuation. In case the petition is denied, there is a potential option of judicial review, but this is a very expensive, difficult process, which the campaigners hope to avoid.

Like many local residents, Mr Kerstein got involved because he ‘just didn’t think it was right,’ and with objections continuously being raised, there is great pressure on the Mayor and TfL to address these issues. Many feel that the concerns brought into light have been neglected and barely taken on board.

Nevertheless, despite the long way to go to achieving the aim of the petition, its success provides hope for Stanmore’s residents, who intend to continue their opposition of the development until their concerns are properly considered.

By Aashi Shah