The latest applications for housing and secondary school went before the Council’s Planning Committee on 19 July 2023. MESS raised concern about inter alia the density and height, the impact on heritage, the low percentage of affordable housing and the inadequacy of public transport (click here) but both applications were approved subject to direction from the Mayor of London. Since then the applicant has had to revise the plans to include additional staircases for buildings over 18m high to meet new fire regulations post-Grenfell and these new plans were the subject of further consultation and resubmission for Committee approval on 31 January 2024 before going to the Mayor of London. MESS took issue with a number of points raised in the Council officer’s report but the Planning Committee once again noted that there were indeed harms but that the social benefits outweighed the harms. The applications for both the housing and the secondary school now go to the Mayor who said on the previous applications in 2021 that the social benefits did not outweigh the harms.
We have now heard that the Mayor has not made a decision within the timescale, hence the applicant has appealed to the Secretary of State against non-determination, the appeal has been accepted, a public inquiry has now been arranged starting on 29 May and ending on 11 June, and an Inspector has been appointed to chair the inquiry,