Sadiq Khan will not overturn Lewisham council refusal of plans at Deptford Bridge
The GLA planning department noted Lewisham council's reasons for refusal and were critical of the very low (5%) affordable housing provision across the scheme.
London mayor Sadiq Khan will not step in to overturn Lewisham council’s rejection of plans that would build 802 homes around Deptford Creek.
Lewisham Council refused their part of the cross-borough planning application in late September, while Greenwich Council approved their side of the scheme on 13 October, although plans for Greenwich cannot go ahead if the Lewisham side does not.
As Lewisham's residential development would exceed the 150-home threshold, the London mayor has the ability to step in and quash the refusal. However, City Hall has confirmed it will not use these powers.
The Secretary of State for Housing Angela Rayner also has the opportunity to overturn the refusal, but if she does not then the planning application will remain blocked unless Lewisham’s decision is appealed by the developer RER London.
Lewisham’s Strategic Planning Committee voted to refuse the proposal to build eight new tower blocks because its planners felt the concentration of several towers would not integrate successfully into the relatively low-rise nature of the surrounding area of Deptford.
Within its report, the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) planning department reasoned there were “no sound planning reasons for the mayor to intervene in this particular case” given Lewisham’s reasons for refusal, as well as the lack of a Section 106 agreement which could be used to secure public benefits.
The GLA acknowledged the proposal’s benefits in contributing to both Greenwich and Lewisham’s housing supply on a brownfield site, as well as the potential additions to employment provided by commercial floorspace.
However, GLA planners were critical of the proposal only offering 24 affordable housing units, equal to 5% of the development’s total residential provision.
The report said this fell “significantly below” the strategic affordable housing target of 50% outlined in the London Plan.
Lewisham councillors also refused the application on the grounds of loss of light to houseboats moored on the creek.
GLA officers found the impact of the towers to the residential amenity of the houseboats to be acceptable, as council officers had predicted.
Lewisham councillors were also told by Kelvin Shewry, chief executive of Creekside Discovery Centre, that Deptford Creek was adding "distinctive character, identity and economic value" to the development but getting nothing back.
They were asked to make "an ambitious programme for ecological enhancement" of Deptford Creek a condition of approval, but they did not engage with this request.
Reporting by Local Democracy Reporter Cameron Blackshaw with additional reporting by Dorothy Stein.
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