Two "eyesore" tower blocks will have to be pulled down in south London depriving residents of their homes due to a planning permission row with the council.
The buildings are said to be "substantially different" to the plans that were approved, said Greenwich council. It announced it had taken an enforcement action against Comer Homes for the blocks of flats, up to 23 storeys tall, built in Woolwich. The council said in a statement on September 26 that the new buildings in Mast Quay, which contain 204 flats, had at least 26 main deviations to the original planning permission granted for the project. Design changes included making the building look more "bulky", different cladding and smaller balconies.
It stated: "The council's extensive investigation over the last year has concluded that the completed Mast Quay Phase II built-to rent-development has been built without planning permission and is therefore unlawful because it is so substantially different to the scheme that was originally permitted by the planning permission given in 2012."
The approved plans for the buildings in Mast Quay (Copyright Unknown)
The buildings have been called "eyesores" (Copyright Unknown)A Comer Homes Group spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the developer was surprised and extremely disappointed by the decision of the council. They added that the group will be appealing against the enforcement notice and plan to correct the inaccuracies as well as address the authority's concerns.
The notice issued by the council could force the developer to demolish the project entirely and restore the land to its former condition. Greenwich council said the Comer Homes Group would need to discuss with the authority whether changes could be made to the building in order to get retrospective planning permission.
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A nearby resident, who preferred to stay anonymous, previously told the LDRS: "It looks a lot cheaper than the other older buildings and sticks out on the riverside. When compared to the other new high-rises further down at Royal Arsenal, it's an eyesore." Other changes to the building include a lack of promised roof gardens and children's play areas, as well as "accessible" apartments that include steps to balconies and an inaccessible gym in place of space for shops planned on the ground floor, reported MyLondon.
Labour Cllr Aidan Smith, Cabinet member for Regeneration at Greenwich Council, said in a statement that the building was a "mutant development" and a "blight" on the landscape. While Labour Cllr Ann-Marie Cousins, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, added: "Why should children have no place to play because it was cheaper not to include it? Why should disabled tenants be prisoners in their own homes because step free access to the balconies wasn't included? Why should the outside areas be dominated by tarmac and cars instead of trees and grass and plants?"
Plans for the building were originally sent in 2010, which included two tower blocks that were 14 and 22 storeys tall. The buildings were to include 218 flats and were approved by Greenwich council in 2012. The Comer Group sent changes to plans for the shorter of the two towers, including extra metal features and grey and orange cladding, in December 2022 once the build was nearly completed. Greenwich council said it had never issued a planning enforcement notice of this scale to a developer before.
A Comer Group spokesperson told the LDRS that the group was surprised to see the public statements from Greenwich council's cabinet members, which they felt were inaccurate and misrepresented the actions of the group. They said that they have sought to engage constructively with the council for many months and will remain willing to do so.
They added: "We encourage the council to meet with us and agree a way forward which will avoid wasting significant sums of taxpayers' money on litigation when sensible solutions to their concerns are available. We are also prioritising the interests of residents at Mast Quay Phase II and we are and will continue to do all that we can to assist them to remain secure in their homes while we respond to the council's actions."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to webhomepage@mirror.co.uk
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