After lots of Hylands Residents objected to a proposed name change in the latest Boundary Commision’s consultation, they have decided to amalgamate old & new.

Jody and I would like to thank all of you who took the time to write in with their comments.

This is an excerpt from the final recommendations report.

Hylands & Harrow Lodge

We received a significant number of submissions in relation to our new draft recommendations for this ward, primarily regarding the proposed ward name change. We received 83 submissions stating a preference for the ward to retain the name Hylands, whilst we received 67 submissions stating that Harrow Lodge was a more representative name. A few submissions also stated a preference for the ward boundaries to remain the same but did not elaborate on why or provide any evidence for this in relation to our statutory criteria. 

Of the submissions received, those in favour of retaining the ward name Hylands stated that Hylands is still very much representative of the area, with the name referenced within a local park and adjoining roads. While Hylands Primary School sits outside of the ward, the Friends of Hylands Park argued that the name is still relevant as many of those attending the school reside within the ward. Some submissions also argued that Harrow Lodge was not an appropriate name as the park it refers to is split between multiple wards. Some submissions also expressed their disapproval of our slight revision to the north-west boundary of the ward but did not elaborate or provide evidence for an alternative. We therefore do not propose to deviate from our previous boundary proposals.

The submissions proposing that the ward should be renamed Harrow Lodge contended that this was a more fitting name for the ward. The submissions, including those from Councillors Frost and C. White, argued that numerous areas within the ward are referred to as Harrow Lodge, including the park, leisure centre, road and local businesses. Some submissions stated that the name was more representative than Hylands which, they argued, was a relatively small area within the ward.

In addition to this, the submissions of Andrew Rosindell MP and Councillor D. White proposed that the boundary to the south of our proposed Harrow Lodge ward should be adjusted to take in most of Harrow Lodge Park. We considered this but concluded that the split of the park between wards was well established and follows clear and identifiable boundaries within the park. Furthermore, the proposal itself would place a small area to the south-west of the park in Elm Park ward, which we did not consider would reflect communities or result in better governance.

We considered the evidence received and were of the view that both proposed ward names are representative of the area. The evidence indicated that the use of Hylands was particularly prevalent in the north of the ward, whilst Harrow Lodge was more so in the south. Whilst we accept that Harrow Lodge is not wholly contained within the ward (and as discussed, we do not propose to adjust the boundary to place it within the ward), we nonetheless still consider the name to be representative of the south of the ward. We therefore propose that the ward is renamed Hylands & Harrow Lodge, which ensures that both communities are included in the ward name.

We have therefore decided to confirm our new draft recommendations as final for this ward but have renamed it Hylands & Harrow Lodge.