March update: We have now heard (from a very reliable source!) that we expect new information to be added to the planning application in the next week or so, and for it to then go to another 21-day public consultation, potentially then heading to the main Planning Committee meeting in May. The updates to the planning application should build in quite a lot of the changes and detail that has been worked in by the Council following the meetings and concerns expressed by residents and neighbouring businesses, including some details on planned staffing and operation, and how the layout will be tweaked to try to minimise problems. If it is approved, works on the building could then take three months or so for an opening in late August or early September. This may be the single most commented on planning proposal of the year, with 542 comments received – however we and our sister site Clapham Junction Insider will aim to report on any notable changes, and you will have the opportunity to submit further comments for consideration in the Planning Committee.

You may be wondering where things have got to with the controversial plans for a Rough Sleeper Hub on Lavender Hill. When we last posted on this in early December, reporting on a well-attended and at times intense public meeting, we expected to be following up with more detailed information on changes to the plans to address the many concerns that were raised. The Council’s aim had been to take it to Planning Application Committee on the 18th January. However nothing else has been revealed since then – nothing at all has been added to the case file since mid-September! – and Clapham Junction Insider’s investigation has now found that the plan is currently on hold, at least for the time being.

As a reminder of the story so far: At the very end of September, an application for the Rough Sleeper Hub on Lavender Hill appeared on the Wandsworth Planning Portal (this wasn’t put out for consultation even with next door neighbours – indeed no-one noticed it at all until we reported on it, article here). The Council’s proposal outlines internal redevelopment and a change of use for a hub designed to accommodate up to 13 residents, featuring a reception area, staff offices, meeting room, tea/coffee counter, and kitchen.

However, the housing department in charge of the application submitted so few details that not only Wandsworth planning department responded that further information was needed, but the case spiralled into growing concerns within the community, resulting in over 500 objections in just a few weeks. We and Clapham Junction Insider reported on the growing controversy – with a lengthy article that explored the thoughtful and detailed concerns of many neighbours (plus, in a few cases, supportive comments). 

We suggested a twelve point plan that could maybe make this project work for the local community – which, importantly, would need significantly more details sharing in the application and being committed to by the Council. Residents and neighbouring businesses expressed worries about managing the challenges of accommodating residents with complex needs in a less-than-ideal location that is already populated with children and facing its own unique set of challenges.

In an attempt to calm the local outcry, Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet member for housing and consequently accountable for the proposal, organised a public meeting on the 5th of December. Approximately 100 people attended, providing an opportunity for the Council to exchange and explain their intentions to the public.

Many concerns remain unanswered

A wide range of understandable concerns have been raised by neighbours, especially regarding locating the rough sleeper hub near a nursery and in close proximity to other facilities catering to small children. The meeting provided significant details about the housing arrangements and the Housing team handed a leaflet with Q&A to those who attended the meeting. Our third article, posted after the meeting, includes the full Q&A.

However, while some of the explanations given at the meeting look to go some way to addressing the worries, various issues remain outstanding. Even in instances where clarifications have been offered to neighbours, it is apparent that significantly more detailed information needs to be submitted in writing to realistically get through the planning process.

This includes some underlying questions about the Council’s communication regarding the plan, the lack of specifics regarding expected management -especially considering the past experiences of neighbours near the Cedars Road hostel – and apprehensions about effectively addressing the challenges of accommodating residents with complex needs in a less-than-ideal location that is already populated with children.

Furthermore, questions remain unanswered regarding why the provision for the entirety of Richmond and Wandsworth is being concentrated in this location on Lavender Hill, while Westminster and Lambeth have also placed their facilities close to this part of the Borough, resulting in an unusually high concentration of services in a small area. The police confirmed awareness of the hub plan after being contacted by Wandsworth Council, but declined to provide further comment.

The proposal is currently on hold

The planning officer in charge stated to Clapham Junction Insider that the plan is currently on hold, leading to the removal of any date for future submission to the Planning Application Committee. As of now, no additional documents have been submitted by the applicants, and the 515 objections, and 15 support comments, are awaiting attention.

The officer recognised that the document submitted by the Housing department was really thin and not enough to constitute a valid planning application. She heard that the housing department was currently working on consolidating additional information they have collected on the case but was unable to confirm whether it would lead to further submission.

Due to the separation of Wandsworth Council departments, the planning officer explained that receiving limited information is not unusual, especially considering the need to avoid conflicts of interest, particularly with the planning department. If no progress is made by the end of February, the planning officer noted that they would expect to contact the housing department, suggesting the withdrawal of the application, with the possibility of resubmission at a later, more prepared time. This may, of course, just be the calm before the storm – as it’s not unusual for new information to be submitted late in the day (though this can lead to the need for the consultation timescales to also be extended – and we’re far too close to the 18th January now); so further news might appear at some point on the Wandsworth Planning Portal page for application 2023/3434. There was a decent degree of clarification and reassurance at the December meeting, so hopefully any more formal updates to the proposals will see better-thought-out plans and something that can work for the neighbourhood as a whole.

This is an article developed by Clapham Junction Insider, who we are working with on this complicated planning case. Stay tuned here and at cjag.org for any further developments (and thanks for the many messages we have had from our readers). If you’re coming to this new, the story so far’s here: initial article describing the plans, follow-up article summarising the concerns raised & proposals for how the plan could be improved, and third article reporting on what was shared at the public meeting. If planning is your thing, you ma also find our recent post about the interesting situation of whether the Dirty Blonde nightclub further along the road has got planning permission to actually be a nightclub, as well as our other articles on planning in the Lavender Hill area.