Dear Council Planners
My concern is that this has a relatively short consultation period for such a major piece of work
and that most of it is in the main holiday season, perhaps limiting opportunities for feedback.
Page 5 indicates that achievement of increased densities is dependent on improvements to local
infrastructure which I assume means transport and travel but, there is no room for any
improvements! The roads are already congested, even at the weekend which is always rather
telling. There is no room to add any more trains at Clapham Junction; at peak times even with
10 coach trains it is often necessary to wait for 3 or 4 trains before there is room to squeeze on
and Queenstown Road and Wandsworth Town [which is described in the 12-14 Lombard Road
documents as near enough to travel from!] it is virtually impossible.
There is little room to add extra buses and Lombard Road is restricted by the railway bridge to
single decker buses.
I have strong concerns over the increased 'concrete jungle' and with the growth in motorised
transport that has already taken place leading to the accompanying deterioration in air quality
I would wish to see more emphasis on green spaces being included so green corridors can be
opened up. So far developments pay lip service to this; the Battersea Reach site has the
minimum size green area outside, exceeded by the huge amount of hard surfaces, the Oyster
Wharf had token pots [not the green block shown on pictures] but no one watered them so they
died. Falcon Wharf has a tired bit of coarse grass that is never watered.
All the areas are in flood zones but recent planning decisions make no mention of having
permeable surfaces to reduce run off and allow water to percolate into the sub-strata.
The proposed sites currently consist of well-used local businesses; eliminating Travis Perkins,
Castle Timber, Homebase, Halfords and all the storage facilities will have a negative effect on
local residents and workmen and mean even more traffic travelling further afield to obtain
supplies.
Yours faithfully
Judith Hunter
local resident and
Chairman, Battersea Village Residents' Association
Subject: Lombard Road/York Road Riverside Focal Point SPD
Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2015 21:26:52 +0100
Dear Councillors
Today is the final date for submitting comments for the Lombard Road/York Road Riverside
Focal Point SPD and I am concerned that this has been issued at the start of the holiday season
and the consultation period is relatively short for a major piece of work.
There is much made of the suitability of various areas for tall buildings without any mention of
how the resulting increase in population is to be managed in respect of transport and travel but
my concern is there is no room for any improvements! The roads are already congested, even at
the weekend which is always rather telling. There is no room to add any more trains at Clapham
Junction; at peak times even with 10 coach trains it is often necessary to wait for 3 or 4 trains
before there is room to squeeze on and Queenstown Road and Wandsworth Town [which is
described in the 12-14 Lombard Road documents as near enough to travel from!] it is virtually
impossible.
There current traffic congestion means additional bus routes cannot be reliably introduced
and Lombard Road is restricted by the railway bridge to single decker buses. This route is often
already standing room only at 7.00 a.m.
Additionally, planning permission has already been given for a number of tall buildings in the
area, all above the height mentioned in the document that implies a limit of 9 storeys but work
has already started on the site at 12-14 Lombard Road to build an elliptical building of 28 stories
so I wonder what this Supplementary Planning Document is supposed to achieve. Surely it
should have been issued before planning permission was given for anything over 9 stories and
certainly before Falcon Wharf was built. The document does not address the concerns local
residents have of such major developments and the comments following the granting of
planning permission of the Lombard Road site [Planning Application No 2014/6909] did not
address the concerns of the numerous objectors. I understand from attendance at a recent
planning forum that Wandsworth rarely declines an application for tall buildings but no
explanation was given; there is not even a substantial amount of 'affordable housing' being
included in any of these sites which would explain the reason for the high density of building.
I have strong concerns over the increased 'concrete jungle' and with the growth in motorised
transport that has already taken place leading to the accompanying deterioration in air quality
I would wish to see more emphasis on green spaces being included so green corridors can be
opened up. So far developments pay lip service to this; the Battersea Reach site has the
minimum size green area outside, exceeded by the huge amount of hard surfaces, the Oyster
Wharf had token pots [not the green block shown on pictures] but no one watered them so they
died. Falcon Wharf has a tired bit of coarse grass that is never watered.
The proposed sites currently consist of well-used local businesses; eliminating Travis Perkins,
Castle Timber, Homebase, Halfords and all the hugely useful storage facilities will have a
negative effect on local workmen and mean even more traffic travelling further afield to obtain
supplies.
As tall buildings have already been approved in Gwynne Road and 12-14 Lombard Road and
knowing that applications for these are rarely declined, despite much local objection I wonder
how much notice Wandsworth Council will take of any comments made.
Yours sincerely
Judith Hunter
31 Archer House
Vicarage Crescent
SW11 3LF
Chairman of Battersea Village Residents' Association