A councillor says the local community has “no faith” in a developer seeking to build three new tower blocks in Colliers Wood, after a window pane fell from its existing high-rise and left the council facing a £3 million bill to make the building safe.
Criterion Capital, which owns the 19-storey Britannia Point tower, wants to construct three new blocks of up to 16 storeys on land behind the building. Local Labour councillors oppose the plans, in part because of an incident on 27 June 2022, when a glass pane fell from the 12th floor of Britannia Point and smashed on the pavement below. Footage of the incident attracted national media coverage and prompted widespread condemnation of the building’s owners.
“This easily could have killed someone if they were walking past at that moment in time,” Colliers Wood Councillor Stuart Neaverson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). He said the incident exposed serious concerns about the safety and management of the building.
Britannia Point, once dubbed London’s ugliest building, was re-clad in glass 2014. It sits beside the busy Colliers Wood Underground station, and is one of the few areas of Merton where high-rise development of that scale is permitted.
The falling pane led to temporary closures in the vicinity while the council secured the area. Subsequent inspections by Criterion found that 69 windows across the tower needed replacing, an issue that took around 18 months to fully identify.
During that period, Cllr Neaverson said Criterion refused to take further action to secure the building after the incident. As a result, Merton Council issued an emergency order allowing it to erect scaffolding around the tower to protect the public.
The scaffolding remained in place for around 18 months while safety checks were carried out, at significant cost to the council. Cllr Neaverson said Criterion was “stonewalling us that whole time” as the council worked to address the risk.
These emergency works cost around £3 million, which Merton Council believes Criterion still owes and is continuing to pursue. Criterion is now proposing revised plans for a new development behind Britannia Point, which it is calling Colliers Gardens.
The land, between Wandle Park and Colliers Wood Recreation Ground, is currently being used as a temporary coach park and vehicle storage facility. The revised plans include a 16-storey aparthotel, a 14-storey co-living building and a seven-storey private rented residential block arranged around a central green space.
The new proposal, which Criterion says it consulted local residents on in July, replaces a previous application rejected by Merton Council in 2024. That scheme would have seen 26 and 16-storey towers built behind Britannia Point, but councillors said it amounted to over-development and would place additional strain on local infrastructure.
On their proposal website, Criterion states that its updated proposals have “improved the design, scale and led to an increase to the height of the proposed residential building in order to increase the amount of affordable housing”. They also propose an enhancement to the public realm and the inclusion of green routes between Colliers Wood Station and nearby Wandle Park.
Cllr Neaverson questioned these new proposals, which are expected to go before the planning committee in 2026, citing what he saw as a loss of trust between the developer and local community.
Speaking on behalf of Merton Labour, he added: “It’s incredibly frustrating that Criterion are trying to build three new towers in Colliers Wood when they can’t even take care of the one they have. How can the community have any faith in what they are saying?
“Instead, they should pay back Merton Council the £3 million they owe after the council was forced to step in and make the current tower safe when a window pane fell out and smashed on the pavement below. We stand with local residents in opposition to these towers and will continue to make their voices heard.”
Cllr Neaverson also highlighted other problems at Britannia Point, which is entirely private rented accommodation. In 2023, he said residents were left without water for a month.
Credit: Stuart Neaverson
He said residents had also experienced repeated lift failures and issues with antisocial behaviour when the front doors were not properly secured. On one occasion he recalled helping a heavily pregnant woman living on the 14th floor who felt “trapped” in her flat when both lifts were out of service and was missing hospital appointments.
Criterion Capital was approached for comment but failed to respond in time for publication.
