‘Overbearing’ 605-bedroom tower in Paddington blocked over concerns residents won’t get any daylight

Councillors on Westminster City Council’s planning committee voted three to one to reject the scheme during a meeting on Tuesday (January 21).

They said the proposed buildings would cause “devastating” impacts on local amenities in Baltic Wharf and seriously jeopardise access to daylight for a number of neighbouring properties. Conservative councillor Jim Glen said the project, brought forward by Travis Perkins and Unite Group Plc, was “overwhelming and overbearing”.

He said plans to build two towers – one at 20 storeys and another at 12 storeys – was “at odds” with the local area. Cllr Glen said the application was also very similar to one previously submitted and refused by the council in 2022.

Voting against, he said: “Even with the introduction of a gap between blocks, the scale, height and mass will be such that the development will lead to devastating impacts to the amenities of residents within blocks 7-11 and 21-27 Sheldon Square in terms of outlook, oppressive sense of enclosure and the loss of daylight and sunlight.”

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Cllr Rachael Robathan said there was cross-party consensus to refuse the application. She also said the height of the buildings in the revised application were less than a meter shorter than those proposed in the 2022 version.

Echoing fellow councillors, she said the borough did not need more student accommodation. Voting against, she said: “Our own housing needs analysis does not set out an overriding need for student accommodation in Westminster. That is very clearly laid out in the papers.”

Labour’s Jason Williams, chair of Tuesday’s planning meeting, also voted to refuse the application. Cllr Nafsika Butler-Thalassis voted in favour. During Tuesday’s meeting, councillors heard from a resident living in Sheldon Square who said the lack of natural daylight would severely impact her epileptic and autistic son’s mental health.

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, who was not part of the committee but attended to object to the application, said it was “clear” the concerns of residents had been ignored. He said: “This is a constraint site, which is not suited to a tall building, as it is clear from the severe impacts on living conditions, highway safety and heritage assets.”

Charles Gallagher from King’s College London described the development as a “unique opportunity”. He told the committee: “This redevelopment presents a unique opportunity to meet pressing housing needs for both students and local residents and to retain Travis Perkins while preserving and enhancing local heritage.”

Travis Perkins’ Nick Pinney said the proposal was an “exemplary” development for Paddington. According to the application, which was recommended for approval by council planning officers, the development would have include a three-storey podium building covering the entire site, a 9-storey tower sitting atop the western side of the plinth and a 17 storey on the eastern side.

The canal footpath under Bishops Bridge Road would have also been opened up, providing a continuous link from Brunel Building to Stone Wharf Park.