Last year over 300 Churchill Gardens residents have signed our petition to transform the derelict Balmoral Castle pub into sheltered housing. The petition was presented by Cllr Murad Gassanly at a full Council meeting in March last year. Westminster City Council has now responded to the petition and has committed to engage with the local community to develop proposals for the site.
The first drop-in sessions for residents to explore early ideas for the scheme take place in July as part of the Council’s listening phase. It is essential that the whole community is engaged in developing these plans and residents of the nearby Darwin House in particular are closely involved from the outset. It is important to get this right and Churchill Ward Conservatives will be lobbying the Council to ensure that any scheme meets the demands of the 2018 petition and responds positively to any future consultation with residents. Delivering on Balmoral Castle was one of our key pledges in the 2018 council elections. Churchill ward Conservative councillor Murad Gassanly said:
“I’m very happy that the Council has accepted our 2018 petition to redevelop Balmoral Castle site. Having campaigned on the issue for years I am pleased that the listening stage is now under way.
I will be working with residents and the Council to secure the best project possible. This is why it important to take a step-by-step approach, phasing the scheme, with the derelict Balmoral Castle as the key priority. There are other aims that we need to meet and much work is yet to be done, but this is a great start.”
Many Churchill Ward Conservatives live in Churchill Gardens, including Cllr Gassanly. He and all of us will be lobbying the Council to meet the following objectives:
- A local lettings plan to ensure local people on the estate are first to benefit from new flats;
- 100% council housing scheme with all sheltered housing on social council rent;
- An early and clear commitment on height, scale and sympathetic design, in keeping with high architectural and heritage value of Churchill Gardens;
- Improving and enlarging green spaces and providing communal areas.
For official information and updates visit the Council’s website page here.
Photo: Cllr Gassanly and Churchill Conservatives with the Council Leader Nickie Aiken and Cllr Rachael Robathan presenting Balmoral Castle petition in March 2018.
