Councillor Marilyn Ashton received a presentation marking her 25 years on the council at the council meeting on 28 November 2024.First elected to the council in 1998, Stanmore councillor Marilyn Ashton, deputy leader of the council and planning and regeneration executive at the Harrow cabinet, has served on various council committees and panels as well as represented the council on numerous outside bodies, but her particular focus has been on planning with measurable achievements.
As the chair of the Harrow planning committee and lead Member for the town development work, both in the pre-2010 Conservative administration and now, Cllr Ashton has provided skilful and challenging leadership. Few examples are:
Pre-2010: Dandara 19-storey town centre development plans to build blocks of flats at the old post office site in College Road Harrow were rejected because of scale, mass and bulk of the development, blocking picturesque views of St Mary’s Church.
Despite toxic public objections and design complexity, the planning application for the Salaam Centre in North Harrow, which has cutting edge design to create unique architectural landscape in Harrow, progressed well at the planning committee chaired by Cllr Ashton, and was eventually granted permission.
[Recently, the Salaam Centre has won the Best Future Design at British Beacon Mosque Awards 2024]
Now: wisdom in understanding the difficulties in the completion of the Safari cinema site development after the previous builder ‘went broke’ before completion which could have left the project “derelict”, and therefore agreeing the changes to the original plan under Cllr Ashton leadership has enabled the project to complete.
[The original art-deco exterior of the former Safari Cinema has been restored and its original name, Dominion, will be used when it reopens – the Dominion Cinema first opened on Station Road in 1936]
The current planning and development challenges for Cllr Ashton include to accomplish the regeneration of key council-owned sites in Harrow as well as the housing and industrial development plans which Cllr Ashton describes as “an important step in ensuring Harrow’s future growth is balanced, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of our residents”.
Harrow Monitoring Group 
Is this the “Planning Supemo” who allows Building Works without any Harrow Council Planning Permission to go ahead to the detriment of the Residents of the London Borough of Harrow , promises action at public meetings & then does nothing & not follow through her promises, let alone act & is also adept at avoiding meetings which she is unable to cope or deal with? Disturbing. Harrow deserves better.
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