Police are set to launch an inquiry into claims that fraudulent emails supporting a developer’s plans to turn a library into private flats were sent to a London council.
Scotland Yard is reviewing a previous decision not to investigate the claims.
Members of the Friends of Kensal Rise Library campaign group — which unsuccessfully fought the closure of the library and five others by Brent council — discovered that seemingly false addresses, as well as some of their own, had been used to support the redevelopment during the planning process. Brent council investigated the claims and found evidence that many of the emails had been sent from false addresses.
The council passed details of their inquiry to police who initially refused to investigate saying it did not have the resources.
Brent council leader Muhammed Butt said: “We gathered the evidence and gave it to them and for the police to say they had not got the resources to investigate is bitterly disappointing. I have asked them to review it.
“Someone would have made a lot of money from this if the application had gone through.”
The internal Brent inquiry is understood to have identified IP addresses which are the source of a number of fake emails.
When emails were sent to those who had commented on the planning application, 70 of those from supporters were returned as being undelivered,
Stephanie Schonfield, of the Friends group, welcomed the police decision saying: “This has been a real abuse of all the residents as well as their elected representatives.” A Met spokesman said: “We are reviewing our decision. The matter is being examined by officers in Brent borough.”
The development comes days after All Souls College, Oxford, which partly owns the building, was accused of “cultural vandalism” after a pop-up library set up outside Kensal Rise Library was allegedly destroyed.
Developer Andrew Gillick, director of Platinum Revolver Ltd and Kensal Properties Ltd, was unavailable for comment.
