Putney Place Tower Blocks REFUSED by Wandsworth Council

Tonight Wandsworth Council’s Planning Committee were unanimous in voting "NO" to the planning application for the Putney Place Tower Blocks. This means that the planning application will be REFUSED by the Council, unless the Mayor of London directs otherwise. Wandsworth Council will now forward a draft decision on the application (indicating REFUSAL) to the Mayor of London who has fourteen days to consider the application. Given that the Mayor of London has already indicated that he thinks that the proposal does not comply with the London Plan, we think he is likely to say that the Council's refusal can proceed.

A large audience of concerned residents assembled to listen to the Planning Committee’s deliberation over the application. Several Councillors spoke against the application, confirming that they also had serious concerns about a number of aspects of the proposal, including:
- the excessive height, bulk and scale of the towers;
- the adverse impacts that they would have upon existing residences;
- the added pressure upon public transport;
- the significant loss of office floorspace in a Town Centre location.

Memorable comments made by some of the Councillors included: “the proposal represents gross overdevelopment”, “the towers would stick out like a sore thumb”, “the towers represent the architect’s self gratification” and, perhaps most pertinently, “the developers need to go back to the drawing board”.

The Planning Committee has endorsed the view of the Borough’s Planner who had recommended that they refuse the planning application. The Borough Planner wrote a very full and comprehensive report on the application which makes interesting reading. Here is a link to it:

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000304/M00002780/AI00010855/$PaperNo08955.doc.pdf

While we may be edging closer to our first victory, the fight against these tower blocks and other similar development proposals along the Upper Richmond Road is far from over.

If the Mayor endorses Wandsworth Council's refusal of the application, the developers have a right to appeal - we will have to wait and see if they exercise it. They may also come back with either a revised or a new scheme. There are also the proposals for the redevelopment of both the Capsticks building and Tileman House (both on the Upper Richmond Road) that we’ll also need to keep an eye on.

So, for those of you who have them, don’t dispose of your “SAVE PUTNEY FROM THE TOWER BLOCKS” posters just yet…..as the fight against the tower blocks must go on!!!!

DECISION DAY - Thursday 6th November

The Putney Place Planning Application will go before Wandsworth Council’s Planning Committee for a decision at its meeting on Thursday 6th November 2008 at 7.30pm. The meeting will be held at Wandsworth Town Hall,Wandsworth High Street.

The meeting is open to the public. It is important that all concerned residents make an effort to attend to show our Councillors that the people of Putney are united in their vehement opposition to this proposal.

We came out in force in October, now we need to do it again in November! So please, SHOW YOUR FACE TO STOP PUTNEY PLACE!!!

Does a picture tell a thousand words?

A number of Putney residents have requested that this blog draw attention to the inadequacy of the shadow diagrams submitted by the developers as part of the “Putney Place” planning application documentation.

They feel that the developers are attempting to downplay the amount of daylight / sunlight access that many residential properties would lose if the Putney Place development goes ahead. To demonstrate this point, they note that the developers have buried the shadow diagrams for the proposal deep in “Appendix 10.4” of their Environmental Statement. Because the developers would prefer that you didn’t find this easily, here is a nice quick link that you can click on to bring you straight to the diagrams as uploaded onto Wandsworth Council’s website:

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/apply/doc/Report-1859522.pdf?extension=.pdf&wmTransparency=0&id=1859522&wmLocation=0&location=VOLUME6&contentType=application%2Fpdf&wmName=+&pageCount=53

Although these shadow diagrams are alarming, they are far from the “worst case” scenario. The developers have only provided the Council with shadow diagrams for March and June, rather than shadow diagrams showing impact over the entire year. So while we know that shadows are at their most extreme in the winter solstice in December……these diagrams give us no indication whatsoever as to what the shadows will be like at the "worst case" time of year (December).

Their shadow diagrams also fail to show the full extent of the shadows – they are far too limited in their coverage, excluding many properties which will be impacted upon.....while some of the shadows continue beyond the edge of the drawings!

It is not too late to write your objection letter to Wandsworth Council and raise concerns regarding the overshadowing impacts of this proposal. If you have already objected, but did not raise concerns about overshadowing, you can of course write again to the Council, citing this as a further objection! Please try to submit your objections to the Council by Friday, 17 October (this coming Friday).

Residents come out in force to say “NO” to the tower blocks

Over 300 people packed into St Mary’s Church, Putney Bridge last Thursday night to discuss the “Putney Place” tower blocks proposal. The vast majority were concerned residents – and they certainly weren’t afraid to let the developers and their team who were also present know their thoughts.

It was obvious from the outset that the developers hadn’t gauged the strength of opposition to their scheme. If they had, they certainly wouldn’t have tried what came across as a pretty weak sales pitch.

They began their presentation with an introduction to Will Alsop’s architecture, given that he has designed the “Putney Place” tower blocks. They showed us pictures of several modern glass clad buildings that he has designed – all of which looked no where near as tall as the 26 and 21 storeys that he is now proposing for Putney. The relevance of showing us images of a building in Ontario, Canada, escaped us.

Just as the developers were ignorant to the depth of opposition, they also seemed quite unaware of the urban context within which the tower blocks would sit. They showed us drawings of how high the proposed tower blocks would be in comparison to other tall buildings and structures in London - including buildings in Canary Wharf and the Crystal Palace Television Transmitter. This did little to please the crowd – after all, we didn’t come along to learn about building heights elsewhere – we came to see how the developers could justify buildings of such excessive, uncharacteristic height in Putney.

They tried to justify the height of the tower blocks by saying that they saw their site as being suitable for “landmark” buildings for Putney’s Town Centre. While they recognised that the Upper Richmond Road was in need of some modernising and regeneration, they thought that they could quell residents’ concerns regarding the precedent that the tower blocks would set by arguing that they thought that the building heights along the Upper Richmond Road could taper downwards the further away one moved from East Putney tube station. We’d be interested to hear what the owners of these properties might have to say – we very much doubt that they’d be so gracious as to accept a reduction in their sites’ development potential simply so that “Putney Place” can be contain the “landmark” buildings along the Upper Richmond Road.

The developers also seemed to shy away from the fact that there are several two and three storey dwellings which lie to the north of the site, some of which are a mere 60 or so metres away. They tried to downplay the impacts that their proposal would have on these properties, neglecting any real explanation of the extent to which their tower blocks would overshadow and overlook these dwellings. Residents in the audience asked why the shadow diagrams which were submitted with the planning application were so limited in their geographical coverage and why they chose only to submit diagrams for March and June when we all know that the shadows are at their worst in December (winter solstice). The developers failed to come up with any explanation.

The developers concluded their presentation with a short movie of what they envisage “Putney Place” might look like if built. Animated images of people idling through hotel-like corridors to one of the 300 flats proposed did little to win over the audience.

After the presentation by the developers, three Putney residents were given the opportunity to address the crowd and express their concerns. They brought a sense of reality to the proceedings, saying that while many residents are not opposed to the principle of redevelopment, the current scheme is more about lining developers’ pockets and massaging architectural egos than creating sophisticated buildings designed in full appreciation of their surrounds and context.

The concerns raised by the residents included:

• the height of the tower blocks;
• how incongruous and uncharacteristic they would be in the Putney context;
• the adverse visual impact;
• the design of the buildings;
• the precedent that would be set for the redevelopment of the Upper Richmond Road;
• overshadowing / loss of daylighting;
• overlooking / loss of privacy;
• the safety and usability of the public space;
• the safety implications for Woodlands Way;
• the impact on social infrastructure (eg. schools, doctors, dentists);
• the added pressure on public transport / the road network;
• the car parking impacts upon neighbouring roads.

It was clear that the residents in the audience also shared these concerns.

In closing the meeting, the Chairman of the Putney Society expressed dismay at the poor quality of the developers’ presentation and suggested that, in the light of the strong opposition, they rethink their approach to the development of the site. He asked the audience for a verbal vote as to whether we wanted these tower blocks in Putney…….and the answer which resonated through the church hall was a clear and loud “NO”.

A big thank you to the Putney Society for organising the meeting. Thanks must also go to those Ward Councillors who took the time to come along and listen to the concerns of the people of Putney.

Grounds for objection

Your objection letter will have the most impact if you focus your points on valid planning considerations. We have started to prepare a list of what we think are reasonable and fair planning grounds upon which to base your objections. However, it is likely that we haven’t thought of everything……..you may have other concerns which aren't listed below which are also very valid and should be brought to the attention of Wandsworth Council. Please share these with us……..post them as a comment!

Excessive height
At 26 and 21 storeys, these towers would be significantly taller than all other buildings in the area. The buildings are far too dominant and imposing. They are completely out of keeping with the overall character of Putney.

Intensity of the development
This proposal is a gross overdevelopment of the site. With over 300 flats, almost 3,500 square metres of office space, almost 450 square metres of flexible retail/restaurant/office floor space and 114 square metres of retail floor space, the intensity of the development is too great on a confined site.

Design and visual impact
Design can be subjective, so we’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you like the look of the towers or not (personally, we don’t). Putting appearances aside, there is the issue of visual impact. The adverse visual impact of being confronted by two buildings which tower above everything else in the area is a reasonable concern (and particularly if you’ll get a view of them from your house or garden).

Overshadowing / loss of daylight and sunlight
The towers will result in significant adverse overshadowing impacts upon residences located in Disraeli Road, Fawe Park Road and Woodlands Way. Some properties located in other streets beyond these are also likely to be overshadowed. It is not acceptable that these buildings will overshadow many existing properties and rob us of access to daylight and sunlight!

Overlooking / loss of privacy
The towers will allow considerable opportunity for overlooking into many residential properties in the area, which therefore means that for many properties there will be a serious reduction in privacy. The towers will result in significant adverse privacy impacts upon residences in Disraeli and Fawe Park Roads, some of which will be directly overlooked. This is not acceptable.

Increased pressure on local infrastructure
Putney’s infrastructure is already under considerable strain – and this development will exacerbate the pressure on it. We all know how difficult peak hour journeys (via various modes of transport) are to and from Putney. In particularly, the District Line is chronically overcrowded during peak hours. It is fair to argue that Putney’s infrastructure is already struggling to cope and that a development of this intensity will worsen the existing situation.

Traffic / Congestion / Parking
A development of this intensity is likely to generate a considerable amount of traffic as residents, workers and visitors move to and from the site on a daily basis. The towers will need to cater for deliveries, whether these be the provision of supplies to the commercial premises, or goods to the residential properties. The Upper Richmond Road is often congested, and it is considered that movements (including deliveries) to and from these towers will add to traffic and congestion. You may also have concerns that only 32 parking spaces are proposed.

Impact upon Oxford Road Conservation Area
The Oxford Road Conservation area lies to the immediate west / north-west of the site. The towers will have a detrimental impact upon the historic nature and special character of this Conservation Area. They will harm views within and out from the Conservation Area. They are completely out of scale when considered alongside the low rise Victorian buildings which characterise the Conservation Area.

Precedent
It is very likely that this development will set a precedent (particularly in terms of height) for the redevelopment of many of the other buildings along this stretch of the Upper Richmond Road. Indeed, we already know that the Capsticks site at has been acquired by developers and that they have plans to build a 20 storey tower there (although there is no formal planning application with Wandsworth Council for this yet). It is fair to have concerns about how this proposed development, and the ones that are likely to follow it, will change the appearance and character of Putney, and what the cumulative impacts might be.

Objection letters - deadline 17 October

Writing objection letters to Wandsworth Council's planners and all relevant Ward Councillors is of utmost importance. We are currently in the stage of the planning application process where residents' view and concerns are requested and accepted by the Council. Don't miss this opportunity - it may be the only one you get. Objections to the planning application must be sent to Wandsworth Council by Friday 17 October 2008.

Here are the details of whom and where to send your objection letters:

WANDSWORTH COUNCIL PLANNERS

Email:
planningapplications@wandsworth.gov.uk

Written letters to the planners should be sent to the following address:
The Borough Planner
Wandworth Borough Council
Planning Service - Technical Services Department
The Town Hall
Wandsworth High Street
London SW18 2PU

WANDSWORTH COUNCIL - RELEVANT WARD COUNCILLORS

Councillor Edward Lister (Leader of the Council)
Email:
elister@wandsworth.gov.uk

Councillor James Maddan
Email:
jmaddan@wandsworth.gov.uk

Councillor Rosemary Torrington
Email:
rtorrington@wandsworth.gov.uk

Councillor Jeremy Larsson
Email:
jeremylarsson@wandsworth.gov.uk

Councillor Leslie McDonnell
Email:
lmcdonnell@wandsworth.gov.uk

Councillor Professor Brian Prichard
Email:
bprichard@wandsworth.gov.uk

Written letters to the councillors should be sent to the following address:
INSERT COUNCILLOR'S NAME
Wandsworth Borough Council
The Town Hall
Wandsworth High Street
London SW18 2PU

Public meeting - 2nd October - Please attend

A public meeting has been organised for Thursday 2 October at 7.30pm in the Brewer Building, St. Mary's Church, Putney Bridge. This meeting has been organised by the Putney Society. All interested Putney residents are welcome (and indeed encouraged) to attend. The developers have been invited to tell us more about their development proposals. There will be the opportunity for everyone to ask questions.

Here is a link to the Putney Society webpage: http://www.putneysociety.org.uk/

This meeting is very important. We really hope to see you all there.