Improvements to the school grounds to create level areas to be used for outdoor sports, growing fruit and vegetables, informal recreation and general outdoor education and play | St Vincents Catholic Primary School The Ridgeway London NW7 1EJ. Application 17/1204/FUL

The Society are concerned about this application. Whilst it has some good elements our main concern is the amount of landfill in the Green Belt and Conservation Area to produce the new sports pitch. There will be a loss of wildlife habitat and an increase in the potential flooding risk to Woodcote Avenue. Other issues of concern are that the sports pitch could present a noise issue to adjoining houses and we find it hard to accept it will not have a high fence round it and eventually end up with some floodlights.The amount of landfill will generate considerable lorry journeys on The Ridgeway, which is an  already busy road. We have objected to the proposals and our submission can be read on this website under Events & Planning – MHPS Planning Reports. 
The scheme was refused planning on Tuesday 2nd May 2017. The Applicant went for Appeal – that was Dismissed.

However, another application was made in March 2018 which was very much the same as the previous one. This was refused in June 2018.
The Society, along with many local residents, objected to the loss of the wildlife reserve under landfill. The applciation was refused with the following explanation:

“The changes to the levels of the land and associated development would be out of character with the natural setting of the site and would erode the landscape character of the area within the green belt to an unacceptable degree contrary to Policies CS NPPF, CS1 and CS5 of the Barnet Adopted Core Strategy (2012), Policies DM01 and DM15 of the Adopted Development Management Policies DPD (2012) and the Adopted Residential Design Guidance SPD (2013).”