Developer London Square has hit out at Richmond planning officials after they recommended that the council’s planning committee rejects its plans for a mixed-use scheme in Twickenham.
London Square was first refused planning for the 2.7-acre site, comprising a Greggs bakery and industrial space on Gould Road, in 2020, when it wanted to build 116 homes and 1,900 sq ft of commercial space, with a 40% affordable homes provision.
Those proposals were rejected on the grounds of loss of employment space and level of affordable housing.
The developer filed two revised schemes for the same site in August this year, one of which was the same as its 2020 scheme with an increased 50% provision of affordable housing, and the other providing 97 new homes and 9,500 sq ft of industrial warehouse space.
Under that scheme, 30% of the homes will be affordable.
Both schemes have been recommended for refusal ahead of a London Borough of Richmond upon Thames planning meeting tonight.
Data by the mayor of London and Greater London Authority earlier this year showed only 38 affordable homes were built in the borough in 2022/23, an increase from 10 in 2021/22.
In the three months from April to June this year, only one affordable home was completed in Richmond and there were no new starts on site.
London Square told EG that the decision to recommend the scheme for refusal came despite extensive work by the developer’s project team to respond to feedback from local people during the planning process, and considerable support from the community for the plans.
The applications have been recommended for refusal on the grounds of protecting industrial land in the borough, despite the site being vacant since 2017 and being located in a residential area.
London Square says its pre-application consultation in 2022 found that 63% of residents who took part would support the residential-led plans, while only 17% would support the industrial-led plans, and 17% would prefer neither.
London Square group development director Mark Smith said: “We are very disappointed that the council’s planning department has recommended outright refusal of both our applications for the former Greggs bakery site when affordable homes provision is needed urgently.
“Since the first application was refused in 2020, we have sought to work with the council and community to bring forward plans that will invest in this derelict site and deliver real benefits to the area.
“We chose to submit two applications which each address the historic reasons for refusal, as we simply cannot deliver a high level of affordable homes and retain a significant level of industrial floorspace – it would not be a viable development.”
He added: “We understand the Local Plan policies which apply to this site and protect industrial land in the borough but urge councillors to reflect on whether that policy is still appropriate for this site and neighbourhood.
“If councillors support the plans, it will mean that more affordable homes will be delivered in the next two years, on one site, than in the last two years across the borough.”
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