THE STAG BREWERY PLANS: OUR LAST CHANCE TO SPEAK OUT…

May 22, 2022

MBCG banner May 2022

We have one last chance to get the Mortlake Stag brewery development right.  Use your voice and email your views to Richmond Council who are consulting NOW.

10 Questions for the Stag brewery development in Mortlake

  1. Do we want a sustainable development that could bring lasting benefits to Mortlake?  Yes.
  2. Do we want more affordable housing for our community?  Yes
  3. Do we want a green link and access to the river? Yes
  4. Do we want a new community centre? Yes
  5. Do we want to relocate the poorly sited Thomson House Primary School? Yes
  6. Do we want nearly 1100 units, 80% of which will be sold on the open market? No
  7. Do we want a new large secondary school when our local good schools have capacity to expand? No
  8. Do we want the brewery sports field to disappear for ever? No
  9. Do we want more traffic and congestion?  No
  10. Do we want poorer air quality as a result of more cars on the road? No

 

Time marches on

For over 10 years, MBCG has tried to work with the Council and the developers to identify how best to develop the site for the benefit of Mortlake and neighbouring East Sheen and Barnes and we produced our own Community Plan. Our views were largely ignored by the Council and in January 2020 the first set of plans were approved by Richmond’s planning committee. The Mayor of London objected to the low number of affordable flats and decided to review the plans. The GLA planning officers worked with the developers to increase affordable housing but in doing so recommended an even more dense scheme. Thanks to our campaigning, the Mayor of London rejected his own officer’s recommendations last year.

The developers have now produced a “hybrid” scheme consisting of two applications which the Council are consulting on. The height of some of the buildings is of major concern and the lack of affordable housing is very disappointing. The Council is still insisting on the secondary school school, but failed to put forward a convincing argument for it based on evidence. This school, which few in the community support, creates more density and additional traffic gridlock at levels not compatible with the site given it is constrained by the river and the railway. A better plan would be to use this old Watney’s ‘Red Barrel’ Brewery site as a new location for Thomson House Primary School (across Mortlake Green) and active travel should be prioritised. A primary school also has a smaller footprint, which means the historic playing fields can be retained instead of built upon and lost forever.

Read also our latest poster below.

What can you do?

Please send your comments/objections to the Council by May 29th  on those two applications to stagbreweryredevelopment@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.

Copy in your newly elected Councillors in Mortlake and Barnes Common:

You can also check the full planning applications and make comments here:

  • 22/0900/OUT– the over-arching application for the whole site including a Detailed Application for the land east of Ship Lane and an Outline Application for the land west of Ship Lane, with Design Codes to control future detailed design.
  • A second parallel Full Planning application, 22/0902/FUL, covers the Secondary School located on the playing fields.

MBCG banner May 2022 - The Stag Brewery Plan. Back.PLEASE SEND YOUR VIEWS TO RICHMOND COUNCIL PLANNING DEPARTMENT—EVERY COMMENT OR OBJECTION THEY RECEIVE COUNTS! NEW PLANNING APPLICATIONS & CONSULTATION The deadline has been extended to Sunday 29 May. The numbers of letters and objections will count when considered by the planning officers and at the Planning Committee, likely to be in July. There is one overall application for the whole site (part in Detail and part in Outline), and a second separate application for the proposed new secondary school. It is best to make your views felt on each of these two applications. They are linked by infrastructure, access and traffic issues, and by the loss of the sports field to accommodate the large new school. The designs re-provide the existing 2-hectare sports fields elsewhere over the scheme, but in tiny pocket- sized areas; many of which are overshadowed by tall buildings. MAKE YOURSELF HEARD: YOUR METHODS OF REPRESENTATION — Use the standard form to make comments and objections on the Richmond Council website (link available on MBCG.ORG.UK) — Write an email or letter using the detailed ‘informative’ on the MBCG website, or the HEADLINE COMMENTS set out opposite. These have been collated from comments and objections raised by residents at our public meetings — Letters should be addressed to: Development Management London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Civic Centre, York Street Twickenham TW1 3BZ — Email the council and your newly elected local councillors using the addresses provided on MBCG.ORG.UK — Visit MBCG.ORG.UK for templates, links and more information, or follow us: Facebook: Mortlake Brewery Community Group Twitter: @brewerymortlake HEADLINE COMMENTS: OVERVIEW ON THE NEW PROPOSALS DENSITY AND SCALE The general opinion is that this scheme is still too large and dense in relation to its context and will overwhelm the character and population of Mortlake. HEIGHT AND RIVERSIDE Although the scheme has lowered height in some places to respect existing heritage buildings and the conservation area, several blocks still exceed the 7-storey upper limit for buildings on this site and are particularly over-dominant on the towpath and riverside. TRAFFIC With Hammersmith Bridge still closed to traffic and no foreseeable likelihood of re- opening for many years, the traffic around Mortlake, Barnes and Sheen will become even more unbearable. The traffic mitigation is limited to just a new left-hand lane at the Lower Richmond Road/Chalker’s Corner junction, and funds to support improved bus services, as yet to be identified by TfL. Traffic gridlock is inevitable. As are risks to personal safety and further decline in air quality. SCHOOL The proposed large secondary school is simply not required, and future school place needs could be satisfied at existing local secondary schools in line with our ‘Community Plan’. The Council leadership continues to ignore our alternative Plan, despite it representing a more sustainable solution. The siting of the school requires the loss of the existing protected sports fields. This precious green space is simply not re- provided over the rest of the site as demanded by planning policy. The school site is also woefully undersized for 1150 pupils with simply too little outdoor space, significantly below Department for Education Guidelines for new sites. AFFORDABLE HOUSING Finally, despite increasing the number of residential units by some 21%—from the 893 which Richmond resolved to approve at planning committee back in early 2020—the new design creates 1085 units, yet there is negligible increase in the provision of badly needed affordable homes. This is simply unacceptable.

PLEASE SEND YOUR VIEWS TO RICHMOND COUNCIL PLANNING DEPARTMENT—EVERY COMMENT OR OBJECTION THEY RECEIVE COUNTS!

NEW PLANNING APPLICATIONS & CONSULTATION

The deadline has been extended to Sunday 29 May. The numbers of letters and objections will count when considered by the planning officers and at the Planning Committee, likely to be in July.

There is one overall application for the whole site (part in Detail and part in Outline), and a second separate application for the proposed new secondary school. It is best to make your views felt on each of these two applications. They are linked by infrastructure, access and traffic issues, and by the loss of the sports field to accommodate the large new school. The designs re-provide the existing 2-hectare sports fields elsewhere over the scheme, but in tiny pocket- sized areas; many of which are overshadowed by tall buildings.

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD: YOUR METHODS OF REPRESENTATION

— Use the standard form to make comments and objections on the Richmond Council website (link available on MBCG.ORG.UK)

— Write an email or letter using the detailed ‘informative’ on the MBCG website, or the HEADLINE COMMENTS set out opposite. These have been collated from comments and objections raised by residents at our public meetings

— Letters should be addressed to:

Development Management London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Civic Centre, York Street Twickenham TW1 3BZ

— Email the council and your newly elected local councillors using the addresses provided on MBCG.ORG.UK

— Visit MBCG.ORG.UK for templates, links and more information, or follow us:

Facebook: Mortlake Brewery Community Group

Twitter: @brewerymortlake

HEADLINE COMMENTS: OVERVIEW ON THE NEW PROPOSALS DENSITY AND SCALE

The general opinion is that this scheme is still too large and dense in relation to its context and will overwhelm the character and population of Mortlake.

HEIGHT AND RIVERSIDE

Although the scheme has lowered height in some places to respect existing heritage buildings and the conservation area, several blocks still exceed the 7-storey upper limit for buildings on this site and are particularly over-dominant on the towpath and riverside.

TRAFFIC

With Hammersmith Bridge still closed to traffic and no foreseeable likelihood of re- opening for many years, the traffic around Mortlake, Barnes and Sheen will become even more unbearable. The traffic mitigation is limited to just a new left-hand lane at the Lower Richmond Road/Chalker’s Corner junction, and funds to support improved bus services, as yet to be identified by TfL. Traffic gridlock is inevitable. As are risks to personal safety and further decline in air quality.

SCHOOL

The proposed large secondary school is simply not required, and future school place needs could be satisfied at existing local secondary schools in line with our ‘Community Plan’. The Council leadership continues to ignore our alternative Plan, despite it representing a more sustainable solution.

The siting of the school requires the loss of the existing protected sports fields. This precious
green space is simply not re- provided over the rest of the site as demanded by planning policy. The school site is also woefully undersized for 1150 pupils with simply too little outdoor space, significantly below Department for Education Guidelines for new sites.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Finally, despite increasing the number of residential units by some 21%—from the 893 which Richmond resolved to approve at planning committee back in early 2020—the new design creates 1085 units, yet there is negligible increase in the provision of badly needed affordable homes. This is simply unacceptable.

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