LIBERAL Democrat's newest MP Sarah Green's recent victory in the Chesham and Amersham parliamentary by-election was won by an unprecedented 25% swing from what was considered an ultra-safe Tory seat.

This was largely due to anger about more Tory planning legislation, which allows and encourages developers to build on Green Belt land without objections or consultations with the community.

Undeniably, there is an urgent need to build more affordable housing.

However, 'delivering affordable housing' has been Labour Ealing's excuse in allowing these many tall towers sprawling across the borough, at a pace that permanently changes the landscape without involvement from the existing stakeholders.

But are they truly affordable? Well, that is questionable.

The recent marquee development of Ealing Filmworks is going for £750,000… and it is a small ONE BEDROOM flat!

Another recently developed building - allegedly the tallest residential building outside Canary Wharf in Acton called One West Point that uses 'elite London living' and 'soaring, skyward elevations' as selling points has a hefty half a million pound (£572,500 to be exact) price tag for its one bedroom flat.

All apparently for an 'AWOL - or a way of life lifestyle without the five star price tag' (what does that even mean?!) according to the marketing leaflet.

Ealing Labour must be living in an alternate universe if this was what they mean by developing affordable housing.

No one can claim they are even remotely affordable, or suitable for family living, no matter how much Ealing Labour are trying to dress it up.

And don't get me started on the 'shared ownership' schemes: to many, they are a total scam to get developers justifying a high price for a meagre percentage of the property.

Not that there was demand for these tall towers, either. According to the records at the Land Registry, just 11 flats were sold in the W5 postcode.

The evidence is clearly showing that the wrong type of housing is being built in Ealing Borough.

Nobody in the borough, it seems, wants these unsuitably tall towers.

What the borough needs is suitable, affordable and family housing - or council housing, not more tall towers that dramatically change the landscape for the worse.

Given that little time has been spent on the design of many of these newer skyscrapers they make the area look worse, not more attractive.

This is why, as local Liberal Democrat Southfield councillors, submitted petition after petition on those proposed monstrous 20-storey or more developments.

Yet at one meeting the Labour administration gagged us from speaking out the truth.

Despite my ward's residents being the most adversely affected from Bollo Lane towers (in South Acton ward, one street away), we were banned from speaking at the Planning Committee meeting where the decision to build these took place.

I promised to my ward residents that Liberal Democrats will not stop speaking out about the unsustainability of over-development in the area without facilities such as schools, transport, and GP surgeries; and we will continue to do so until Labour listens.

It is not hard however to understand the reasons why Ealing Labour are brown-nosing to the developers when its leader, Peter Mason, was found sunning it up in France courtesy of private housing developers for 'conference'.

Liberal Democrats pushed to get Ealing Council to unanimously declare a climate emergency.

To fulfil the declaration, developers must either build carbon neutral developments, or pay a penalty fee to offset the impact caused by buildings that are not carbon neutral.

According to the admission from Ealing Council's own officers, it costs £300 per tonne to offset the impacts of development, yet Ealing Council only charges £90 per tonne, meaning the Council is allowing developers to build homes that are not carbon neutral.

It is not NIMBY to demand a housing strategy that considers the long term needs of existing stakeholders and allowing the neighbourhood to have a proper say.

The lesson to take from the arrogant, incumbent Labour administration should be this: if they continue to ignore the voices of residents, we might well see its demise in the local elections next year as the anger spills over.

*This article is part of the bi-weekly column provided to Nub News by the leader of the Ealing Liberal Democrats, Councillor Gary Malcolm.

• The leaders of the other two main Ealing parties (Labour and Conservatives) have also been offered that opportunity, but so far have chosen not to take it.