FEARFUL of losing their homes, residents have handed over a 1,000-signature petition to the Government against the redevelopment of Earls Court.In a coordinated programme of protests, residents of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates first visited the Victoria headquarters of the Department for Communities and Local Government to hand in their petition to Secretary of State Eric Pickles.They then visited the Mayfair headquarters of developers Capco; the firm's PR consultants, Endelman; Transport for London; and planning consultants DP9, unfurling banners and singing songs of opposition. MP Andy Slaughter joined the tour and demanded a meeting with Capco officials, while staff from both TfL, who are set to sell their Lillie Road bus depot as part of the redevelopment, and Endleman were forced out of their offices to pacify the determined yet peaceful group.Community organiser Jonathan Rosenberg hailed the day as a success and said it sent a clear message to the Government and the developers that residents will not give up their fight to save the estates' 800 homes from bulldozers, earmarked to be replaced with thousands of luxury flats and amenities.He said: "This is showing the Government the majority of people do not want this. This is the Big Society, this is localism and people standing up and saying 'no' to the destruction of their community. We have got momentum and even had passers-by in Mayfair joining our protests."Mr Pickles is set to make a decision on whether to approve both Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea Council's decision to sell their land in the coming days.Keith Drew, chairman of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Housing Association, urged the minister to come and see the estates for himself before a ruling is made on their future. "They are not dilapidated," he said, "They are not in a state of disrepair. If they were, we'd say, 'Knock them down' but there is nothing wrong with them."A spokesman for Capco said: "We respect the right of this group of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates to protest. Over the past five years we have engaged widely with the local community and have seen both opposition and support for the development. We believe that Sir Terry Farrell’s consented masterplan will bring enormous benefits to London and the local area, creating 7,500 new homes and 12,000 new jobs. We have regularly invited members of the TRA to discuss their point of view in the past and we were pleased they accepted our offer today to meet with us during their protest. We look forward to continuing this dialogue in the future."Mayor Boris Johnson is set to look at the overall scheme in the coming weeks, while the protesters are battling to get the project taken to the High Court. Read
