Wandsworth: South London residents slam new student accommodation blocks for being 'too tall'

A total of 434 student bedrooms would be built on former industrial land in Wandsworth Town under the plans.

The scheme from Downing Living South, submitted to Wandsworth Council, proposes two ten-storey blocks of student accommodation on Armoury Way. The student bedrooms would be provided across a mix of cluster apartments and independent studios, which would also have terraced rooftop gardens. One of the blocks would have commercial units for businesses on its ground and first floors.

The site was used as part of the operation of the former gasworks on Swandon Way, which was decommissioned in 2019. The development would have two disabled car parking spaces, along with 342 long-stay and 14 short-stay cycle parking spaces. A total of 66 new trees would be planted on the site.

Residents raised concerns about the heights of the proposed blocks in objection letters to the council, along with the extra strain that could be put on Wandsworth Town station. One objector wrote: “It will dwarf and overshadow our home and reduce the amount of light that we get significantly. It would reduce our privacy as windows would be facing ours. It would reduce our view. It is beautiful to be able to see the sky and it is good for wellbeing.”

She added: “We have more than enough tall buildings in Wandsworth that dwarf the environment and impact on our skyline, our light and our views. Please listen to long-term residents views and keep at least some small areas free of such high buildings.”

Another commented: “The addition of more residents will exacerbate congestion and strain the existing transport infrastructure, leading to an unsustainable situation for both commuters and local residents.”

A third resident added: “I would like to express my objection to this planning application mainly due to the high number of storeys that these two buildings will have. I do not support the buildings having so many storeys – 10 storeys is just too high.”

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Application documents said the developer wants to construct ‘landmark buildings in this fast-changing part of Wandsworth, seeking to address the shortfall in available purpose-built student accommodation within the borough’. They said the former industrial area is being regenerated with several schemes involving medium and high-rise blocks, while the site has good public transport connections.

The documents added: “The location of the application site is well-suited to purpose-built student accommodation due to its proximity to a high number of higher education providers [HEPs] and it has been demonstrated that there is significant demand for this type of accommodation within the borough.”

The council will decide on the plans in due course.