Most of you will have by now received from the GLA its consultation document on the revised plans for the redevelopment of the Stag Brewery. If you haven’t go to
to review and comment on the revised plans. But before you do, consider that it’s not only the plans that have changed, but their entire context has too.
When residents were invited by LBRuT to comment on proposed plans for the brewery last year, the world was very different. Even then, residents had many concerns about air quality, transport, and traffic that the Planning Committee took into consideration. The Committee made its decision in January, and then Covid19 hit.
The virus and lockdown have revealed many new challenges to our communal and individual lifestyles, and I’ve explored how some of these are likely to influence the impact of the brewery development in previous blog posts. The context has changed profoundly for all of us. And since the GLA took the planning decision away from LBRut in June, more contextual changes have been revealed. Three of these are critical to our community’s sustainability, and must be embedded in the consultation process.
Hammersmith bridge closure
On August 13, and with no advance notice, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham closed Hammersmith Bridge to cyclists and pedestrians. While Mortlake and, specifically, the Lower Richmond Road has endured the fallout from the bridge’s closure to motorised traffic since April 2019, the recent closure is likely to generate even more traffic for our community as desperate commuters who previously embraced walking or cycling over the bridge now take to the car. We will learn more next week when schools reopen.
But one thing is clear. This closure and the political wrangling over its repair and/or replacement is a warning sign for us all who value vital transport routes as a key feature of our lives and livelihoods. Increasing the density of our community puts us in a precarious position within an uncertain transport system run by institutions, organisations and systems outside our control
Additional local development approvals
While we’re all focused on the impact that the brewery redevelopment will have on our community, it’s important to view this in the context of neighbouring developments.
Also under consultation at the GLA is the development at Manor Road/HomeBase – 453 new residential units in buildings up to eleven stories are being proposed. You have until September 3rd to comment
https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/manor-road-homebase-amended-consultation-documents
Last year LBRut approved the redevelopment of Barnes Hospital on South Worpal Way, which will add 83 residential units to our local area:
https://assets.savills.com/properties/GB411CPA24044/41205ee6-2d68-43a5-9055-71be49893917.pdf
We are facing a situation where the local population is increased by over 40%, with no accommodating increase in infrastructure provision – and, as Hammersmith Bridge demonstrates, we are actually losing supporting infrastructure.
Changes in Planning law
The government announced earlier this month a “radical overhaul” to the planning system in England.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53669432
As part of these changes, the government will introduce a national charge for developers – replacing the existing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy – to fund projects such as schools, roads and GP surgeries, and a fixed proportion of affordable homes in a development. We must take this into account as we review and comment on the revised plans for the brewery.
We in Mortlake are privileged to live in a beautiful corner of SW London and we must be mindful of how this is supported within an ecosystem of infrastructure and services that impact us and which we cannot control. What we can do is actively promote and support a sustainable community that is able to exist and thrive in this ecosystem, and while the redevelopment of the brewery is something we all want as part of this, there is a limit to its size and scale beyond which the impact will be negative for us all.
I urge residents to bear these factors in mind when commenting on the GLA’s revised plans for the brewery.
Clare Delmar
30th August 2020