Wandsworth Council has rejected Rockwell’s proposals to build a residential tower on a brownfield site in Battersea.
The local authority’s planning committee concluded that the One Battersea Bridge scheme was of excessive size and would disrupt the character of the waterfront.
Rockwell initially submitted plans to redevelop the Glassmill – one of the oldest buildings in the Ransomes Dock area – into 142 new homes, of which 35% would be affordable, in May last year.
Late last year, the developer revised the application, reducing the height of the scheme from 34 storeys to 28 storeys to provide 110 homes, 54 units of which would be for market rent and 56 for social rent.
Council officers recommended the application for refusal due to its height and scale in comparison with the local area, arguing that the scheme went against the guidelines set out in the borough’s local plan and the London Plan.
Simon Hogg, leader of the council, said: “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, [which would be] in breach of Wandsworth’s local plan which sets out acceptable heights for the area.”
Nicholas Mee, managing director at Rockwell, added: “Wandsworth Council has made the wrong call, one that shuts the door on urgently needed homes. 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.
“This scheme still has the potential to change things for the better. 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.”
