Canada Water: Developer requests reduction in affordable housing from 35% to 10%

Just two tube stops from London Bridge, the Canada Water site is undergoing a huge transformation.

British Land’s £4 billion vision for the site includes 3,000 homes, workspace for up to 20,000 workers and new culture, retail and entertainment space and new green spaces.

The developer will make a contribution of over £33m towards transport improvements, including step-free access and a new entrance for Surrey Quays station.

British Land gained outline planning permission in May 2020 and began the construction of the first buildings in late 2021. The development is being delivered in phases, and planning permission will need to be secured at each stage.

The development spans a 10 to 15-year timeline, taking the completion date up to 2036. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was invited for a tour of the development site to see the progress so far.

What's being delivered in phase 1?

The Canada Water Leisure Centre has opened to the public, replacing the Seven Islands Leisure Centre which served the community for 60 years.

Last month, the LDRS took a look inside the new leisure centre and a tour of the development’s planned office space, and spoke to some of the those at the heart of the development, including Michael Delfs, Development Executive at British Land.

“One of the nicest things about the Masterplan is that it’s a really unique site, we have great transport connectivity, but it’s also surrounded by all these incredible assets,” says Delfs.

“You’ve got Russia Dock Woodlands which is a 35-acre woodlands so if you walk around in there you don’t feel like you’re in the city – you just feel like you’re surrounded by trees.

“To the south of our site is Greenland Dock, a 30-acre dock and massive body of water where you can go sailing and stand-up paddle boarding.”

The development includes Rafter Walk, a red curved boardwalk, created and designed by local architect, Asif Khan. The wooden walkway, in the shape of an S, opened to the public last year and is noticeably popular with passers by. Herons are appearing in the new wetland below it.

Delfs, who has been working on the Canada Water Masterplan for the last decade, added: “We had the opportunity when we were doing the Masterplan of being able to respond to a very specific context; sometimes these big Masterplans are plonked in the middle of some massive industrial area and you kind of have to make up everything.

“But we are very lucky to be here, there’s a really strong local context already and a very strong character to the area and a sense of quiet. Rotherhithe is a bit of an oasis in a very busy city so we wanted to be able to build out a dense, active urban centre but still retain elements of that quality of quiet and peace.”

British Land is delivering 35% affordable housing in phase one of the development, including a 79-home building with 60 social rent homes.

Phase one has also delivered The Founding, a 35-storey tower consisting of 186 "loft style apartments" with panoramic views of the city. All the homes are for private sale, with prices starting at £700,000 and some properties being sold above £2m.

Reduction in affordable housing to 10%

Despite the high prices, British Land insists that buyers include local people. However critics argue that very few local people are likely to be able to afford Canada Water's new homes, and the development will do little to reduce Southwark council’s housing waiting list of more than 18,000 people.

Concerns have also been raised over the project’s future, as British Land now wants to make changes to the original Masterplan, which includes reducing the total number of affordable homes from 35% to just 10% through a Section 73 application.

The application was validated by Southwark Council last month, but a decision is yet to be made by its Planning Committee.

The application has attracted more than 1,100 online objections, with many people unhappy over the increased heights for the remaining buildings and arguing the Section 73 is being used to make “sweeping revisions” of the original Masterplan.

British Land argues the alterations are needed due to changes in building regulations including the Building Safety Act and other factors which have increased their costs.

But Southwark housing campaigners 35% Campaign argue that the local community should not be footing the bill and missing out on affordable housing from the development.

A 35% Campaign spokesperson told the LDRS: “If the development isn’t going to deliver all the 35% affordable housing that was promised, then it will be a huge, missed opportunity.

"It beggars belief that we can have a development of this size with 3,000 new homes and we’re going to get homes that large numbers of Southwark households won’t be able to afford either to buy or rent – that can’t be right.

“It’s no good building housing that no one can afford to rent or buy on major sites like Canada Water, but it looks like that is what we might be getting, if the Section 73 is approved. We will never solve the housing crisis this way.”

In response to the concerns raised by the local community, Helen Denis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development at Southwark Council, said: “All planning applications in Southwark must meet the needs of our borough, including our policies and requirements for green space, local business, transport and genuinely affordable housing.

“We are especially focused on the need to deliver homes that Southwark residents can afford, and that has been conveyed to the applicant in the strongest terms.”

She added: “We are aware of the viability challenges which have underpinned this current planning application but delivering a scheme that meets the needs of the local community is paramount, and indeed, the very basis of the Canada Water Masterplan. The planning process is still in motion, but we hope to convey our final position in the coming months.”