Crusaders oppose proposals for flats on the border of the Brent Reservoir

Brent & Kilburn Times: How the landscape of the Welsh Harp could look if the plans are given the green light.How the landscape of the Welsh Harp could look if the plans are given the green light. (Image: Archant)

A campaign has been launched to stall a huge housing development which could cause irreversible damage to a popular reservoir and nature reserve.

Campaigners are opposed to an application to build four tower blocks and around 2,000 new flats on the border of the Brent Reservoir and have vowed to fight against it.

Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Lab), a Welsh Hap ward councillor, said she would be highlighting the issue with residents and organising a petition opposed to the plans.

She said: “We are keen to work cross party on this to get as much support as we can and we will be knocking doors and speaking to residents to make we get as many submissions as we can against the plans.”

Concerns raised include the impact on local wildlife, whether the infrastructure is designed to cope with an influx in traffic and residents and that the site, more commonly known as the Welsh Harp, would also have its rural landscape changed for good.

Earmarked as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) the area is home to both birds and other wildlife and is a popular destination for residents both in Brent and beyond.

The proposal, by Barrett Homes, is the second housing development to threaten the area after another application was successfully seen off in 2009.

Cllr Mashari added: “Developers consistently underestimate the community value of the Welsh Harp, it is a really unique place not just in Brent but across London.

“We must not let this happen: help us fight these plans.”

The application is due to be considered by Barnet councils planning committee due to it being on their land but consent may also have to given by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson given the scale of the development.

Navin Shah, the London Assembly (LA) member for Brent and Harrow said he would be working with his colleagues in Barnet to stall developers.

He told the Times: “I am passionate about areas of heritage and natural beauty such as this and will use my influence in the London Assembly to lobby the Mayor of London on this matter.”

He added: “If these plans go through, they will not only have a terrible impact on Welsh Harp but give developers the green light to carve up the last un-spoilt areas of London.”