Staff at the Pimlico Road builders’ merchants Travis Perkins welcomed local Member of Parliament, Mark Field, to their timber yard on Friday 24th March.
The visit was an opportunity for staff to share their experiences of working at the only surviving historic timber yard in the country, which is threatened by redevelopment, and to talk about the value it brings to local businesses and the community.
On October 18th 2016, a Westminster City Council planning committee granted permission to the Grosvenor Estate to redevelop the timber yard into two 10,000 sq. ft. retail spaces and expensive residential apartments. Travis Perkins have since requested a judicial review, on the advice from leading counsel, to challenge the legality of Westminster City Council’s decision on the grounds that the council ‘erred in law’*. A decision on the grounds of the submission for judicial review is expected imminently.
Over 2,000 local residents signed petitions urging the Grosvenor Estate to withdraw their planning application and to keep the timber yard, citing the value the yard brought economically, in terms of jobs and the supply of essential materials, and for cultural heritage reasons.
“Meeting the staff at the timber yard on Pimlico Road was a real pleasure. It was great to hear more about how the branch supplies many prominent local building projects and the globally known Chelsea Flower Show.
“It is vitally important that businesses providing essential services like the timber yard are protected.”
Attending from Travis Perkins, was their Group Property Director Martin Meech, who said:
“It was fantastic to show Mark around the timber yard and introduce him to the team. Many of our long serving colleagues at Pimlico Road have worked at the yard for over twenty years and are a binding part of the community.
“We are and will do everything we can to keep the timber yard, to both protect the jobs it provides to local people and the tradespeople, businesses and general customers it offers such a vital service to.
