Retirement Flats in Marsh Road

Response from The Pinner Association to the Proposal to build Retirement Apartments at the ESSO Petrol Station site in Marsh Road, Pinner

April 2015
The Executive Committee of The Pinner Association has considered the proposals outlined in the consultation document “Churchill Retirement Living Proposed Retirement Apartments in Pinner” and on the Churchill Retirement Living website:
http://www.churchillretirement.co.uk/planning/live-consultations/proposed-site-pinner/

and has the following comments, which are being submitted as a formal response to the current consultation:
The proposal by Churchill Retirement Living is for 30 one and two bedroomed apartments, with one guest accommodation unit, parking for 9 vehicles, two vehicular access points, one on either side of the site (one off a driveway shared with Evans House), and the main pedestrian access directly off Marsh Road. The new building is proposed to be four storeys in height with a traditional style pitched tiled roof.   The height of the new building would respect the heights of the adjoining buildings. A small area of landscaped amenity space and the car park are proposed to be located adjacent to the bank of the River Pinn which flows along the rear boundary of the site.

  1. Currently this site in Marsh Road Pinner is used as a petrol station which has a small convenience shop and car wash on the premises.   This is an important amenity for many Pinner, Rayners Lane and North Harrow residents, as it is the biggest and most conveniently located petrol station remaining on the north side of Harrow.   The petrol station has a large forecourt which allows vehicles to queue for space at the pumps without spilling on to and blocking the carriageway of Marsh Road. This petrol station is very popular and is usually busy, and is a valued asset for the local community.
  2. The next nearest petrol station is located north of Pinner at Pinner Green. That petrol station is located on the very busy Uxbridge Road, adjacent to a mini-roundabout allowing access to the entrance of a Tesco supermarket. The Pinner Green petrol station has a very small forecourt, and any more than a couple of cars waiting to use the pumps results in vehicles queuing on the carriageway of the A410 Uxbridge Road, which can severely affect the traffic flow of this main route at busy times.
  3. Closing the Marsh Road petrol station would greatly increase the local usage of the Pinner Green petrol station, which could cause more frequent congestion and traffic flow problems on the A410 Uxbridge Road.
  4. The nearest alternative petrol station to the south of Marsh Road is located in North Harrow, at 3, Station Road. This is a small filling station located on a very busy through route, and any traffic queues created by vehicles waiting to gain access to the pumps would inevitably would cause traffic congestion and delays. It would also not be convenient for many Pinner residents to travel out of their way and through busy traffic to use this petrol station. The next nearest petrol stations to those listed above are at Old Eastcote (which we understand has been sold and may be closed) and at Northwood Hills, and this latter site is again on a very busy and often congested through route and access to the forecourt is via a heavily parked and relatively narrow side turning, which could be easily blocked by a vehicle waiting to enter the forecourt.
  5. Currently in this part of Marsh Road, Pinner there is granted planning consent (subject to legal agreement with Harrow Council) for a block of 25 one and two bedroomed flats on the vacant plot next to the railway bridge, and two previous office buildings (Evans House and Kingsbridge House) are being converted to 28 and 12 flats respectively under Permitted Development. This will result in a great increase in the intensity of occupation of this part of Pinner, with concomitant extra stress being placed on the local infrastructure such as health services.
  6. In the last few years Pinner has lost one GP practice, and the subsequent large increase in the number of patients registered at the Pinn Medical Centre has resulted in a reported lower level of satisfaction of many patients using (or attempting to use) this facility. The extra residents of the many new flats in Pinner (not just those in Marsh Road, as there are 26 new flats currently being marketed at 71 Bridge Street and a block of 9 more flats has granted planning consent at 69, West End Lane, both close to Marsh Road) will further adversely increase the pressure on the local infrastructure.
  7. The Pinner Association is currently in discussion with Cllr David Perry, Leader, Harrow Council, on the topic of ‘overcrowding in Pinner due to exponential increases in dwellings’.
  8. Building even more new flats, albeit retirement flats, will merely increase the already overstretched local services and further increase the density of occupation of this part of Pinner. Additionally the closure of the petrol station will be a real loss of an asset important to the local and wider community.