We were very saddened to hear of the death of Sir Peter Hall at the age of 82 on 30 July. We were very fortunate to have one of the most eminent planners of his generation living in Ealing. He had been our President for over 10 years but was no mere figurehead. He was a kind and generous man who was always happy to give his time to what he considered to be worthy causes.
He was tremendously influential in two of our most important campaigns in recent years – the Arcadia inquiry and improvements to Ealing Broadway Crossrail station. He gave a very powerful closing speech at the Arcadia inquiry in 2009 where he compared the influence of economists in the 26-storey building proposed by Glenkerrin Ltd on Haven Green with the proposed placing in the 1960s of a third London airport in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Chilterns. This was clearly very influential with the inspector who recommended to the Secretary of State that the Glenkerrin scheme be turned down. Much more recently he helped to enlist eminent people such as Lord Richard Rogers in our cause for improvements to the design of Ealing Broadway Crossrail station. In both cases his involvement was critical to the success of our campaigns.