Wandsworth: three new tower blocks for Nine Elms bringing hundreds of new homes to Battersea Park Road

Wandsworth Council will consider the proposals for Nine Elms on Tuesday (January 14), before they are formally decided by a Planning Inspector.

The proposals from developer Watkin Jones Group would see the former Booker Cash & Carry on Battersea Park Road bulldozed for three tower blocks.

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The scheme includes a 12-storey block with 55 affordable homes, including 27 homes to be offered at social rent, plus two buildings up to 17 and 22 storeys tall respectively containing student accommodation. There would be commercial units and community spaces on the ground floors of the buildings.

The development would have four accessible car parking spaces and one car club space. It would also have 678 long-stay cycle parking spaces and 50 short-stay cycle spaces. A total of 73 new trees would be planted on the site.

Similar plans for the site were submitted in 2022 but the developer put forward the latest scheme to make some changes and address concerns raised during the consultation process. These include reducing the number of homes from 81 to 55, and the number of student bedrooms from 779 to 762.

Application documents said: “With Battersea evolving at a high and fast rate, it has become an attractive destination for people to not only live in but also visit and work in, and the scheme presents the perfect opportunity to bring together people from all over.”

The developer lodged an appeal in December as the council had not yet decided on the application, which means the Planning Inspectorate will make the final decision. The council’s Planning Committee will vote on whether it would have approved the plans on Tuesday, ahead of the Planning Inspector’s decision.

Council officers recommended approval of the scheme, after ruling the proposed affordable housing and economic opportunities it would provide weighed heavily in its favour.