Plans for a controversial high-rise development on Battersea’s riverfront have been rejected by Wandsworth council, which will come as a relief to residents who have campaigned against the development and argued that it will “tower over” their homes.
The Glassmill development, backed by developer Rockwell, includes 110 homes, of which half will be for social rent. The scheme includes a taller element housing private flats and a “shoulder tower” of ten storeys, which would contain 54 social homes, affordable workspace and a free-to-access community space.
It was recommended for refusal by planning officers due to its “excessive height and scale”. The 127-page report argued that it would “represent an unacceptable and incongruous transformative change within the location that would significant harm the spatial character”.
After hearing the planning officers’ report and recommendation, councillors at Thursday’s planning committee meeting voted unanimously to turn down the plans.
“It’s not just too big, it’s not just too tall. It’s so enormous that it’s almost a joke. I can hardly believe it’s a serious application,” said Fiona Ayers, Labour councillor for East Putney.
Simon Hogg, leader of the council, commented: “The committee is responsible for the scrutiny of applications and considers the merits of an application on paper as well as the voices of residents. The committee were unanimous about the harms of a 29-storey tower in this location, in breach of Wandsworth’s Local Plan which sets out acceptable heights for the area.”
For residents, this decision comes as welcome news. “The committee meeting was full of damning statements from councillors about Rockwell’s plan and they laid bare all the problems that it would have caused. I hope that the company now scraps the scheme altogether and that they do not appeal. This was the wrong scheme, in the wrong area, and they took on the wrong community,” said resident and editor of The Chelsea Citizen Rob McGibbon, who has campaigned against the development.
McGibbon launched a petition under the banner STOP One Battersea Bridge (S.O.B.B), which has amassed nearly 5,000 signatures, including from stars such as Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones frontman who has a long association with Chelsea.
According to McGibbon, other famous names have also lent their weight to the campaign, including iconic guitarist Eric Clapton and the actress Felicity Kendal.
More than 1900 objections have been submitted to the council, with opposition also raised by a roll call of groups including Historic England, the Chelsea Society, the Battersea Society and the neighbouring borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Wandsworth Council Leader Simon Hogg and local MP Marsha de Cordova have also spoken out against the scheme.
Over 1,500 comments have also been submitted in support of the scheme, and in response to concerns the tower’s architect has already slashed ten storeys off its height.
“This was the Donald Trump of planning applications – it made no sense on any level! It was woefully ill-informed, insensitive, and driven by brazen avarice,” said McGibbon.
“Just because an architect’s computer software says that a tower can be built on a piece of land, it does not make it sensible, viable or morally right. My sincere thanks goes to everyone who supported my campaign.”
‘The wrong call’, says Rockwell
Rockwell, on the other hand, takes a different view. The developers argue that the existing site is in need of regeneration, and emphasise the need for more homes to be built in order to meet the Labour party’s housing targets.
“Wandsworth Council has made the wrong call, one that shuts the door on urgently needed homes,” said Nicholas Mee, Rockwell’s managing director.
“It’s blocked 110 new properties, half at social rent, far exceeding the borough’s own affordable housing targets. Meanwhile, 11,000 people in Wandsworth are still waiting for a secure place to live. Across London, 80,000 children don’t have a permanent home.”
In Thursday’s meeting, councillors raised concerns around the viability of delivering 50 per cent affordable homes. Rockwell says there is “absolutely no reasonable basis to this claim”, and adds that as developers they are legally bound to the affordable housing requirements in their planning permission.
Addressing comments about the height of the building, Rockwell said that the site was an area designated for tall buildings until 2021 and claimed that currently, the council’s policies do not “outright prohibit” tall buildings in the area.
“This scheme still has the potential to change things for the better,” added Mee. “More than 1,800 residents and 100 local businesses backed it. They know what this means: fewer families in temporary accommodation. A stronger local economy. A fairer borough.
“The Spring Statement made it clear: housebuilding is a national priority and a route to growth. Wandsworth hasn’t just turned its back on the Labour Government – it’s turned its back on the people who need help the most.”