House builder submits revised estate regeneration plans after criticism from Sadiq Khan
A house builder has submitted a revised planning application for an estate regeneration in south-west London after City Hall said its social and affordable housing provisions were “unacceptable”.
Redrow is seeking to knock down 288 homes on the 1950s Alton Estate in Wandsworth and replace them with 1,103 new builds.
Its initial planning application submitted in June promised to make only 53 of the additional new homes affordable, with 30 for social rent and 23 for shared ownership, not including another 45 classed as shared equity.
A Greater London Authority (GLA) report published in August said it was “unacceptable” that the affordable housing proposed was “segregated in single tenure blocks on the periphery of the site”, meaning the application did not comply with the London Plan.
It also concluded that although the 158 existing social rent homes set to be razed would be re-provided, they would not be “like-for-like” replacements in terms of floorspace.
Wandsworth Council said the revised planning application “addresses the issues raised and accelerates the delivery of affordable housing”.
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It added that the number of proposed affordable units for phase one of the scheme has been increased from 111 to 167, with the first set to be delivered in 2022.
Another 65 re-provisioned social rent units will be built in phase two, down from 100 in the initial application.
The changes will see tweaks to the tenure breakdowns of some of the proposed blocks, with one switching from all private homes to a mix of social rent and shared equity.
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “This hugely ambitious regeneration scheme will deliver more than just new homes. It will re-energise Roehampton and provide state-of-the-art community facilities that will benefit everyone who lives in this part of the borough.
“It will offer our residents vastly improved living conditions while the overall scheme demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that family housing is closely aligned with play space and other really important neighbourhood amenities.”
The council has scheduled drop-in sessions this month with officers where residents can discuss the revised plans.
No ballot will be taken on the scheme, which is not being funded with the help of GLA grant.
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration requires resident ballots on estate regenerations involving demolition in order to qualify for grant.
Mark Parker, regional chief executive for Greater London at Redrow, said: “We continue to be committed to working closely with the council in this important next step in Alton Estate’s history.
“Our shared vision is to create a sustainable new community that combines new homes with important community infrastructure and opportunities for small businesses.
“We’re proud to be delivering vital high-quality homes to Londoners and look forward to continuing our work with the council and residents to finalise plans.”
The Alton Estate’s five famous slab blocks were listed in the 1990s and are not up for demolition.
