A new 100 per cent affordable development in south west London has been approved by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
The scheme for 168 homes at Osiers Road in Wandsworth was today approved by the Mayor following a public hearing at City Hall, at which local residents, councillors and other interested parties were able to speak for and against the application.
The scheme was rejected by Wandsworth Council’s planning committee in May, which believed the new buildings would be too big for the site. The Mayor called in the scheme in June in order to subject it to further scrutiny.
Following Sadiq’s intervention, the level of affordable housing was increased from 39 per cent to 100 per cent. Of these, 55 per cent (93 homes) will be available as shared ownership and 45 per cent (75 homes) will be available at social rent levels.
It will also provide new public space, including a children’s play area and 25 new trees to increase local biodiversity, as well as nearly 4,000 sq m of new commercial space.
The 168 homes in the Osiers Road development would represent 83 per cent of the total number of affordable homes completed in the borough in 2017/18 – and would meet 12 per cent of the affordable housing target in Wandsworth’s own Local Plan (294 homes per year between 2015 and 2020).
The developer will make a contribution of more than £80,000 to fund local apprenticeships during construction and beyond. The development will also include 384 cycle parking spaces, in excess of the requirements in the London Plan.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“This development will provide a significant number of much-needed new social rented and other genuinely affordable homes in an area where supply has consistently failed to meet targets.
“I’m clear that I will use all the levers at my disposal to increase the delivery of new genuinely affordable homes across the capital.
“Since I called this application in for further scrutiny, my team has been successful in ensuring every new home in this development will be genuinely affordable. The design is high quality and includes commercial space which will have a positive impact on the local economy.
“As such, having considered all the evidence available to me, I’ve decided to approve this development.”