| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Duke of Northumberland evicting people from allotments | |
| Posted by: | Tim Henderson | |
| Date/Time: | 03/04/19 23:47:00 |
| You asked : "I wonder how much money the Duke needs?" According to the Planning Inspector's report : "the repair and refurbishment works to the exterior and interior of Syon House and to the Lion Gate. ... require the expenditure of approximately £13 million ." " The appellant claims that the Council has not identified any other source of funding and that the proposals are the only way in which the necessary repair works to the House can be realistically funded. 25. However, I have only been presented with limited financial information relating to this project and the Syon Estate’s accounts and have no understanding of the appellant’s or the Duke’s wider financial interests. The appellant is a major landowner (not just in this area) and it is not for the Council to demonstrate that funds could be generated from alternative areas of its business interests sufficient to finance the necessary repairs, even if it had the wherewithal to do so. On the contrary, the onus is on appellant to demonstrate that there is no way to fund the necessary repairs other than by implementing the proposals because of the harm to the Registered Park and the Lion Gate’s setting, and I am not satisfied that it has done so. So whilst I agree that this harm must be balanced against the public benefits of the repair and restoration of the two Grade I LBs in the round, I am not convinced that alternative sources of funding do not or could not exist. 26. In other words, I am unconvinced that it is necessary to harm the Park and the setting of the Lion Gate in order to achieve the benefit of repairing and restoring Syon House. " |