Accordingly, Tim Sturgess led a planning strategy to undergo a significant period of consultation to de-risk the process and avoid potential risk the timely delivery of a planning permission.
The ballot was held in May 2019 and followed an intensive period of engagement over a proposed masterplan. One of the key considerations with the ballot stage masterplan was to provide enough details to enable resident buy in, but also to retain as much flexibility as possible to avoid potential revisions to the proposed approach at planning stage. All 271 households were balloted, with 305 people eligible to vote. There was a 90% turnout, 75% of which were in favour of the full demolition and redevelopment of the site. This demonstrated that the robust consultation strategy, which was put in place from the outset of the project, was critical to gaining resident support.
Following the pre-application process, a full detailed planning application was submitted in December 2020 for the redevelopment of the site to provide 753 new high-quality homes provided in a range of typologies including flatted blocks, maisonettes and houses. This included reprovision of the existing 271 affordable units with 272 new affordable units on a like-for-like basis in terms of tenure and floorspace.
Post submission there were a range of challenges which needed to be overcome to ensure the timely delivery of a permission in line with the project programme. This included the proposed approach to affordable housing and tenure split. The approach sought re-provision of the 26 existing Affordable Rented units and the potential to change Social Rented units to London Affordable Rented Units once returning residents left the estate. Social Rent units were provided on a like-for-like basis for those residents that chose to take up a right to return. Where the right to return was not taken up or where residents that had taken up the right to return subsequently left the estate, these would be provided as London Affordable Rented as there was no policy requirement that Social Rented units should be provided in perpetuity, with the policy instead providing flexibility for them to be re-provided as London Affordable Rented where a right to return is not being utilised. This negotiated approach was agreed with the GLA and fundamental to securing the viability of the proposals and timely delivery of a planning permission. Members subsequently resolving to grant permission on 9th September 2021.
Tim Sturgess continued to advise during deliver on the planning strategy to amend the extant permission through a Section 73 application which includes an uplift from 9 to 12 storeys and an additional 43 units for. Utilising a S73 enabled us to confirm no strategic issues with the GLA and ensure the timely delivery of an amended permission during the course of construction. This increased scale of the proposals was made possible due to the flexibility built into the masterplan, agreed through the ballot, enabling on-going delivery of this true estate regeneration scheme providing 50% affordable housing in August 2026
