Sadiq Khan rejects £1bn Stag Brewery scheme
The mayor of London has rejected plans for 1,250 homes at the Stag Brewery site in Mortlake, Richmond upon Thames.
The blow comes despite revisions to the plans from Singapore-listed City Developments boosting the affordable housing provision from 17% to 30%, with a reduction in car parking spaces to alleviate anticipated congestion and impacts on the environment.
Richmond approved the original application for 813 homes, including 150 assisted-living homes, in January 2020. But it was called in by the Greater London Authority owing to the low level of affordable housing.
The mayor of London has rejected plans for 1,250 homes at the Stag Brewery site in Mortlake, Richmond upon Thames.
The blow comes despite revisions to the plans from Singapore-listed City Developments boosting the affordable housing provision from 17% to 30%, with a reduction in car parking spaces to alleviate anticipated congestion and impacts on the environment.
Richmond approved the original application for 813 homes, including 150 assisted-living homes, in January 2020. But it was called in by the Greater London Authority owing to the low level of affordable housing.
CDL’s subsidiary Reselton subsequently raised the number of homes to 1,250 in order to provide 356 affordable homes, with 148 shared ownership homes, 127 London affordable rent and 81 intermediate rented homes. Detailed plans for the first phase include a maximum height of 10 storeys. The revised plans have a valuation of £940m.
Sadiq Khan has now refused both the housing scheme and plans for a secondary school, despite GLA officer recommendations to approve development.
Explaining his decision at the public hearing on July 27, Khan blasted the council and the revised plans, saying the affordable provision was still insufficient.
Khan said: “The council needs to do better. GLA officers have worked hard to improve this offer, taking it from as low as 12%, which was acceptable to the council, to 30%. Whilst this has been assessed as the maximum viable level for this scheme at current day values, it does not meet my expectation for addressing affordable housing need – either in terms of quantum or tenure split.”
Khan also criticised the expected visual impact from the larger scheme proposals. He said: “I am concerned that increasing the height and massing overwhelms the historic Maltings building and important riverside views. It would also adversely affect the Arcadian and urban character of the area generally.”
Khan said challenges in balancing the requirements, such as the secondary school, the original planning brief and the affordable housing. He added that this “may require a review of the approach to the site that ensures delivery of the key provisions of the London Plan, not least affordable housing”.
CDL bought the 22-acre site from AB InBev for £158m in 2015.
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