A total of 54 new council homes will be built across three South London estates. Wandsworth Council will build the properties under its Homes for Wandsworth programme, which it said is on track to deliver 1,000 new council homes by 2029.
The authority is bringing forward many schemes across the borough to meet the target, with the aim of tackling the housing crisis. But some of the proposals have proved controversial among residents who live on the estates involved, including concerns about overcrowding, disruption caused by construction, congestion and parking availability.
The council’s Planning Committee approved 54 new homes to be built across three separate schemes on November 20. This includes demolishing 33 garages for seven new homes at Toland Square, also known as Eastwood South, in Roehampton.
Residents raised concerns about the scheme in letters to the council ahead of the meeting, including over the loss of storage space in the garages and potential parking issues. Objector Martin Hartigan said the development would have a huge impact on his family, as their front door will now face the back of two properties.
He wrote: “We have had use of a strip of grass down the back of the garages – that will be gone. We have been used to stepping out into the view of a low wall and trees. It would be very different if the development goes ahead as we would have houses directly in front of us.”
Julia Daly, another resident, said people who currently rely on the garages are ‘really upset and concerned that there will not be sufficient storage space for any vehicles and other things that are being stored’.
She added: “Toland Square is too small for these additional dwellings – with parking, additional people on the estate, higher risk of antisocial problems, our very small playground becoming overcrowded and so on.”
Labour councillor Graeme Henderson told the meeting, on behalf of the three Roehampton councillors, that they have worked with residents to respond to their concerns, resulting in the application being amended twice.
Councillor Henderson said the revised application is ‘a very considerable downscaling of what was originally intended’ and asked officers to work with residents to resolve any outstanding concerns, including by planting trees to give more privacy to those most affected. Cathy Molloy, senior planner, confirmed each garage would be replaced with a storage shed. She said the storage sheds would be built before the garages are knocked down.
The committee also granted plans to replace the Ackroydon Community Centre on the Ackroydon Estate, in Putney, and build 13 new council homes. Later in the meeting, the committee approved minor changes to plans to demolish existing garages and storage sheds on The Alders Estate, in Furzedown, for 34 new homes. The scheme was approved in 2022 and can now go ahead with the small amendments, including to the site and car parking layout.
The council said that with these latest approvals, more than 600 homes have now been built, are being built or have planning permission. The scheme is on track to deliver 1,000 completed homes by 2029, it added.
Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “A safe and secure home is the foundation for a good life. The Homes for Wandsworth programme is vital to our aim to deliver a fairer and more compassionate borough for everyone.
“By using council-owned land, we are able to deliver new council homes which will take families off of housing waiting lists, helping us to tackle the housing crisis at the sharpest end.”
There were 13,513 people on the council’s housing waiting list in March this year.
