Residents are urging Hounslow Council to cancel its plans to release a protected area of Green Belt land to developers for potential use as a warehouse site.
The West London council intends to release the land at Hatton Fields in Bedfont for development, arguing that most of it would be retained as open green space, and allowing some of it to be used commercially would fund improvements to the remaining green space.
However campaign group ‘Friends of Hatton Fields’ believe the council is acting irresponsibly, and say that if the plans go ahead it will lead the area becoming a ‘dumping ground for warehouses’, with huge harm to its biodiversity.
Despite being only 2.5 miles from Heathrow Airport residents say the area feels like a ‘semi-rural village’ away from the concrete heights of the city thanks to its green space.
The plans were originally drawn up in 2015, and since then the council has cut back on the scale of the project due to pressure from residents and campaign groups such as Friends of Hatton Fields. Originally the Hatton Fields green belt in its entirety was due to be given up.
Peter Lee, 63, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “For me personally as a dog walker, it’s a godsend. I’m able to bring my dog over and let him off the lead, which you can’t do in other places as it’s ‘lead only’.
He added: “During Covid, you really had to make the most of these spaces. I always take loads of photos every day of different plants and things… everything around here is becoming so overdeveloped it’s scary.”
The Hounslow Local Plan would see 44 hectares of Green Belt released, with 20 hectares coming from Hatton Fields. No planning applications have been submitted at this stage but if the land is released from the Green Belt it would open it up to such applications.
Chair of the local campaign group Clare Searle, 50, told the LDRS there is no evidence these plans will offer economic growth. She said: “The proposals will create few wealth opportunities. It will offer low paying jobs, and actually few jobs since the warehouse industry is rapidly developing towards being technology and AI based.”
She added: “The council haven’t followed the Local Plan. They are supposed to survey brownfield land first, and giving up the green belt should be a last resort. The council simply does not want to pay the extra cost of building on brownfield land.”
Friends of Hatton Fields claims it found 1 million square miles of available brownfield land within ten miles of Heathrow Airport. The group says these areas should be utilised before Hatton Fields.
The group also claims the council has fallen short in its local obligations to conduct effective research of the fields. Therefore, campaigners hired an external ecologist to survey the field. They say their findings demonstrate that if even half of the land is taken for development, there is huge risk to animal life and biodiversity.
The LDRS has seen evidence that there are five bat species present on Hatton Fields, all of which are protected under law meaning it is illegal to harm, damage or disturb their roosts. It is also likely there are other species present that have not yet been documented.
The noctule bat is one of the species recorded at the fields, and is considered a ‘priority species’ under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan due to declining numbers from habitat loss. Should any development go ahead, there are fears among residents and campaigners that these species and others will be harmed.
Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development at Hounslow Council, said: “Since our previous Local Plan was published in 2015, we have extensively consulted and engaged with residents on these emerging proposals. We understand residents’ concerns and, as part of our promise to be a ‘listening council’, have been constantly evolving these plans. We have now adapted them to ensure most of the green space at Hatton Fields is retained as open space in the Green Belt.
“Any future development proposals, which need to go through the usual planning processes, will only come forward on private land to which the public do not currently have access.
“The updated plans include the opportunity for a natural play area for children; biodiversity improvements; enhanced sports pitches; updated facilities at the horse paddocks and better public access to the site and surrounding areas.
“Such improvements will bring a wealth of benefits to the local community and would not be possible unless the other section of land is utilised as an employment development.
“Our Local Plan proposals, along with our new Business Case for Growth, bring these community benefits together, as well as providing wider economic growth through the creation of high-quality homes for residents and unlocking new employment opportunities.”
