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11 Jul - SUPPORT FROM LOCAL VICAR - Please see this letter received recently from Stephen Keeble. This is a very positive sign and indicates the goodwill between the Scout Group and the Church. The Group is following up on this and will investigate the feasibility of this proposal.

06 Jun - PLANNING UPDATE - The planning application has now gone to appeal at The Planning Inspectorate

Click here to see the online paperwork and to submit comments.

The timetable currently is;

3 Jun - Start date of appeal process

17 Jun - Questionaire and attachments

15 Jul - Statements and representations

5 Aug - Final Comments

TBA - Event

TBA - Decision

10 Dec - PLANNING APPLICATION REFUSED

The application submitted on 6 August 2007 was refused on 21 november 2007 on the following grounds;

1 - unnacceptable development of greenfield site with no justification

2 - inadequate support for loss of sports and recreational facility

3 - poor design layout and cramped design

4 - insufficient proportion of affordable housing

these are the same reasons as caused the application to be previously refused and at this time the scout group does not understand why the application was refused given that significant pre-application consultation took place with the council. it is also to be noted that this application failed to reach council for decision resulting from it being held up in pre-planning by delat after delay.

at this time the scout group does not know what the decision means in practice nor does it know what the intentions of the parish council are next - we will endeavour to find out.

28 Nov - PLANNING UPDATE - The next planning council meeting is on 5th December. The Agenda was published today - Click Here for Council meeting agendas - The application for planning permission in respect of the Field remains NOT on the agenda - The next meeting is scheduled for 16th January. Click here for Council Planning Papers

01 Nov - PLANNING UPDATE - The next planning council meeting is on 7th November. The Agenda was published today - Click Here for Council meeting agendas - The application for planning permission in respect of the Field is NOT on the agenda - The next meeting is scheduled for 5th December. See below a letter from the environment agency suggesting that a flood plan has still not been submitted after all this time. This probably explains why the consideration of this application has been deferred to a later date. Click here for Council Planning Papers

11 Oct - St George's has 'no bills outstanding' - Click here to view recent letter written to the editor of the Harrow Observer (Click here)

06 Oct - WHY IS THE CHURCH HEAVILY IN DEBT? - Click here to view recent letter written to the editor of the Harrow Observer (Click here)

03 Oct - AND THE SCORE IS - In Support (14) - Objecting (111) - and Commenting (3)

There is also a petition on the Harrow Council website with about 650 signatories objecting to any development of the field

03 Oct - SCOUT GROUP COMMENTS ON FIELD - The Scout Group has now also written to the planning committee at Harrow Council. The text of this letter is attached here

1st Headstone Scout Group
Founded 1927: Celebrating 80 Years of Scouting
(Sponsored by St.George’s Church)
Charity Number 1031513
Headquarters: Churchfield Close North Harrow Middx. HA2 6BD Tel: 020 8861 5574

Mr Simpson
Planning Services
London Borough of Harrow
Civic Centre
Station Road
Harrow
HA1 2UY

24 September 2007

Your reference: P/2569/07/COU

Dear Mr Simpson,

As a significantly affected party, we are writing with regards to our concerns regarding the planning application for St. George’s Church Sports Ground (previously referred to as St.George’s Field), Pinner View, Harrow, HA1 4RJ.

We fully support the church’s need to raise funds to maintain its community buildings and we believe that some development of the field would be beneficial to all involved. We are concerned however, that the contribution of the Scouts to the community and the location of the present building does not appear to have been taken into account in the revised planning application.

The Scout Group (through the National Scout Association) own the current premises situated in the north west corner of the field and have a lease with St. George’s Parochial Church Council expiring in March 2008. We would anticipate being able to sign a new lease in 2008 as we are on very good terms with the church. The Scout Group is entirely self funded and although sponsored by St.George’s Church, receives no financial support from them.

The Scouts have used this site since 1927 and serve the needs of the community by providing guidance and life skills to children from the age of 6 to 18. There are currently about 60 children, 15 leaders and administrators and 120 parents from the surrounding community who would be affected. In addition there are about 75 young people preparing for various stages of their Duke of Edinburgh Award who also use the premises and would likewise be affected. This is an active group in the community which also holds a well attended annual summer fair on the field for the benefit of the Scout group and the local community.

We are distressed and upset that neither the official council ‘Neighbour notification list’ nor St.George’s Church (our sponsors) communicated these revised plans to us or made any attempt to discuss them with us. We are perhaps the most significantly affected group of people and yet were unaware of the revised plans until advised by friendly neighbours. Please also note that the group has significant local support for its activities.

Any plans will affect the Scout Group significantly and we now wish to comment as follows;

1                    Location of Scout Building and Activity Area
The present Scout building is substantial and soundly constructed of brick and concrete. It is in need of some minor updating and remedial work but is not beyond repair, nor in need of replacement. This work has not been carried out over the last three years in view of the planning proposals. We did, however, repair the roof and install central heating about three years ago. We have also been, since the demise of the Cricket Club, cutting the field grass ourselves until 2007. Other local Scout groups are also full, demonstrating a clear need in this location for Scouting.

The Scout lease includes an area of the field to the south of the building which is regularly used for outdoor activities and Scout skills training by all sections.

The current premises were, in the first application, to be removed on the grounds of making room for housing around the entire perimeter of the field and in the revised application this is no longer planned. Having studied the application, we fail to see a need to relocate a perfectly good Scout Building to a position it does not wish, or need, to be, and replace it with what appears to be grass in the north west corner of the field. This does not appear to make any sense to us, perhaps somebody could explain.

2                    Sharing of the Scout Building
The original application was to provide a shared building for use by the Scouts and other groups. Scouts use the existing building every evening for section meetings as follows:

Monday: Scouts (Age 10.5 – 14)
Tuesday: Duke of Edinburgh Explorer Scouts (Age 14-20)
Wednesday: Cubs (Age 8-10.5)
Thursday: Beavers (Age 6-8)
Friday: Explorers (Age 14-18)

There are also weekend activities such as sleepovers at the Scout building and there are occasional Scout and private functions at the weekend. This means it is mostly vacant during the day and as such can be used by other church associated groups if there is a need for more daytime space. Our point therefore is that the use of the current premises (including the Scout building) is examined before new ones are provided at great cost.

3                    Impact on 1st Headstone Scout Group
It has been assumed that since the lease with St.George’s expires in March 2008, that the Scout Group can simply be removed or relocated. There are many tangible and intangible benefits of the Scouts occupying their own premises. This does not appear to have been considered either by the Church Council or by Harrow Council.

Any relocation would create considerable disruption to the group and run the risk of losing the contribution the group makes to the community. The catchment area for the group would also be disturbed if relocation were to take place.

If it is demonstrated that the relocation of the premises is necessary, then the Group will endeavour to work hard with the church to ensure the continuation of the group. However, the move of the Scout premises no longer appears to us to be necessary.

The aims of both St.George’s and Harrow Council planning could simply be achieved by leaving the Scout Group where it currently is.

We believe that one of the key concerns of the planning committee was the security of the site and this could be maintained in the north west corner, as it is now, since the Scout premises already form a secure barrier between the site and Churchfield Close.

We also believe that an open vista should be maintained at the end of Churchfield Close, of the field. This is open now and could be improved even further by removing a few trees and shrubs.

We believe therefore, that the church could develop much of the area envisaged in the revised plan and leave the Scout premises as they are, and still meet its objectives.

4                    Consultation with 1st Headstone Scout Group
There has been little formal consultation with the 1st Headstone Scout Group, and none in respect of the second application. The group is the party most significantly affected by the proposal and there have been no enquiries from the council planning office as to how the group might be impacted. Whilst we understand that this is not necessary under current planning legislation, there is a significant social impact of what the Scout Group provides and this is worthy of some consideration.

5                    Proposed new Community Building
The current plans include a proposed new Community building. Whilst we have discussed the concept of this new building with the Church and architects, no firm proposals have been provided and the following issues remain unanswered:
·         Will the building meet our needs? (layout, equipment storage space, etc)
·         Who will fund building it?
·         What will the timescales be for construction?
·         Who will own it when it is built?
·         How much access will be available to the Scout Group during the week?
·         Who will manage the building and how will it be funded?
This building is not referred to as a replacement Scout building and nor has its design been put before the Scout Group. This additional community building appears to be unnecessary and there is no indication that the current church premises are not adequate for all their desired activities. There have also been no proposed plans to use the current Scout premises during weekdays.

With no firm commitment to build the new Community building and many unanswered questions, the key issue for the Scout Group is how can we continue to provide Scouting to the community in the future with so much uncertainty over the building?

6                    Some of the previous reasons for rejection have not been addressed;

A – It was considered that the proposal would be an unacceptable development of a Greenfield site without proper justification. This remains the case and reasons of it being ‘private open space’ and necessary to raise funds for church repairs have been given, without it appears, exploring other alternative courses of fund raising. Poor quality of land and not having any other sporting use has been given. The field appears to have been renamed a sports field since the last application. There are several uses the field could be put to as open space other than sports and these ought, in our view, to be examined. The Scouts use the field throughout the year for outdoor adventure activities and games, an essential part of Scout training.

B – Insufficient and inadequate information was provided to show that there would be a loss of sports and recreational facilities. This has been addressed by maintaining a good proportion of the site as an open field. It is assumed that this field will be open and therefore not ‘private’ like the current field although there appears to be no provision for access from Churchfield Close cutting off a large section of the local community.

C – Over development of the site would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the area. This has been addressed by reducing the numbers and style of the buildings proposed. We note however that the buildings along the western edge of the field have been spaced more widely to encroach on the current Scout Building. We believe that there is room for new buildings together with the current Scout Building.

In conclusion, we believe that the needs of the Scout Group, the local community and the Church (to raise funds) can all be met through a sensitive development of the field. However, as we have detailed above, the future needs of the 1st Headstone Scouts are best met by leaving the Scout building and activity area in its current position. There is no reason to demolish our current building.

We sincerely hope that our views will be taken into account by yourself, the Chief Planning Officer, the Development Control Committee and by the local Councillors.

We would welcome an opportunity to meet with yourself, the planning officer, the development committee or any of the Councillors. You are welcome to attend a section meeting to see Scouting in action.

Yours sincerely

1st Headstone Scout Group

25 Sep - AND THE SCORE IS - In Support (10) - Objecting (77) - and Commenting (3)

At the conclusion of the first planning application, the score was In Support (12) - Objecting (88) - and Commenting (1)

20 Sep - VICAR MAKES COMMENT - Stephen Keeble - Vicar of St George's Church makes comments in support of the revised application. (Click here)

18 Sep - There has been a flurry of activity of comments relating to the field on the council website (Click Here) and then select England and London Borough of Harrow and then search for Pinner View - the majority are opposed but there are a couple of supporters - The Scout Group is currently considering its position and will comment shortly

5 Sep - NEW FIELD PLANS - There is a new planning application just published on the Harrow Council website (Click Here) and then select England and London Borough of Harrow and then search for Pinner View or 2569 in the Application number section. This is application P/2569/07/COU. The original application was for 50 homes and the new one is scaled down to 27. It continues to show a new community/scout hall but access from Churchfield Close has now been removed. The name has also been changed from St George's Field to St Georges Church Sports Ground. The next Council meeting is on 10 September and this application is not on the agenda - the following meeting is on 10 October and the agenda is not yet published but it is more than likely that this application will be considered on 10 October.

Note that all the local residents (other than the 1st Headstone Scout Group) were notified of this application by letter on Saturday 1 September.

Please take a look at the new plans, consider them carefully, and whether you support them or not, either comment on line or write to Dave Thompson, Service Manager Development Control, London Borough of Harrow, 3rd Floor, Civic Centre, Station Road, Harrow, HA1 2UY

Please also use the guestbook on this website to communicate any issues - Click on Sign and Comment above

30 July - FIELD UPDATE - There was a council planning meeting on 27 July and no revised application was raised by St Georges - The next planning meeting is on 10 September.

30 July - SCOUT CAMP - A terrific Scout Camp was once again organised and run for the District by the 1st Headstone Scout Group. 22 Scouts had a great week, not entirely wet despite widespread flooding, near Bromsgrove - the 1st, 2nd and 4th Headstone together with 1st Hatch End were represented. Well done to everyone involved, including all the Scouts (and Cubs)

30 July - NEW LINK for Council Meetings - Click Here

20 June - Next Council meeting 27 June - Agenda published - nothing relating to the Scout Field

18 June - Scout Fair - Some pictures now available on the Summer Fair Page

12 June - Next Council meeting 27 June - No Agenda yet published

9 June - The 1st and 4th Headstone Scout Groups held their annual Summer Fair. The weather held fine again this year and a report and some photos will follow here shortly.

31 May - The Harrow Observer published an article about 100 years of Scouting, about the 1st Headstone Group's 80th year, about the Summer Fair and about the Field. Andrew James also had his picture published along with a photo of the Scout Hut opening by Lord Baden-Powell (If anyone missed this, I have a copy and will happily post anyone a photocopy - send an email to chairman@1stheadstone.co.uk)

1 June - Another article found - this time from the Harrow Observer dated 11 January 2007 -

click here - next Harrow Council meeting 27 June - no agenda yet published

26 May - Scouts and Cubs celebrate the centenary in usual fashion at Chalfont....in the rain - everyone had a great time though and smiling, but tired, faces were seen departing on Tuesday - thanks to all involved including those parents who stayed for all or part of the weekend - particular thanks to Tim and Karen James for making it all possible - if you are interested in the next camp, either as a Scout or parent (21 - 28 July) then contact Tim James at SL@1stheadstone.co.uk as soon as you can

12 May - Agenda for next council meeting on 16 May published - St George's Field is NOT on the agenda

20 April - Harrow Times report following the council decision - click here

28 April - The Scout Group has written to Patricia Harwood (Legal team) at the Scout Association, asking for assistance regarding the Scout Group lease position ...

28 April - Next Council meeting 16 May - No Agenda yet published

27 April - Minutes from the council meeting held on 18 April are now available at Minutes (select page 4 and then Strategic Planning Committee) and these are some extracts repeated here in full due to the importance of reasons given

*** Detailed agenda notes for the Harrow Council meeting on 18th April are available by clicking here and to view this meeting in modern.gov use the following link click here

*** St George's Church Newsletter click here

*** Harrow Times Article - click here