Campaigning residents are celebrating victory after proposals for a cement plant were thrown out by planners.
The industrial site in Waterside Way, Wimbledon, is close to a primary school, a children's playground and the Wandle Valley Regional Park. The application was submitted by Express Concrete Ltd to build a concrete batching plant with parking and other facilities on the eastern end of Waterside Way.
However, the plans have sparked protest from the start with residents and association groups who claimed the plant would cause noise, air pollution and traffic problems.
A crowd funding was also set up with money donated to pay for legal advice.
Nicola Thompson, of the Haydons Road North community website, who led the battle against the scheme said: “It is a great relief to residents that these plans have been refused by council planners.
“The Wandle Trail is a quiet-way is well-used and much valued by our community. Siting a concrete batching plant beside the river, public allotments and so close to a children’s playground and primary school was never a good idea. Claims that the scheme would lead to fewer HGVs on local roads were patently ridiculous.
“We would now like to see limits on activities at all industrial units backing onto the Wandle Trail, to ensure that the environmental integrity of this area is safeguarded.”
In the planning document planners said proposals for the plant, just across the water from Garfield Primary School in Garfield Road, were recommended for refusal due to its height and size. It added that the proposed concrete batching plant appearance will result in material harm to the character of the area.
Express Concrete Ltd had no comment to make about the refusal.
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