Plans to add an extra floor to a five-storey block of flats overlooking Greenwich have been approved despite objections from people already living there.
Greenwich Council’s local planning committee backed the proposal to add eight new homes to Woodland Heights, a former nurses’ home in Blackheath, last week.
Previous plans were rejected by the council in 2022 and again by a planning inspector the following year, who ruled that the extension would be over-dominant, having a detrimental impact on the building and neighbouring streets, including nearby Lasseter Place.
This time around councillors decided that the revised plan addressed those concerns, but strengthened the construction management plan to assuage the concerns of residents during the 15-month construction period.
Lasseter Place residents objected to the scheme as they felt an extra level would encroach on their privacy. Clive Corlett, speaking on behalf of the residents, said the new flats would have large windows “looking directly into our bedrooms, kitchen, sitting rooms and gardens”.
Corlett said: “It cannot be right to permit the development intended for the luxury penthouse market and totally divorced from the real requirements for affordable housing in the borough all at the cost of making life a potential nightmare for local people, especially those living in Lasseter Place.”
James White, a top floor resident of Woodlands Heights, spoke on behalf of over 100 residents in the 42-flat block objecting to the scheme. He said that Woodlands residents felt the scheme was not materially different to the previously refused scheme.
He said the design of the new floor was not in keeping with the surrounding area and that new balconies above his home would enable late-night noise. He also said the construction phase would mean residents faced “15 months of scaffolding and hoarding, alongside noise, dust, loss of light, privacy issues and prolonged impact on physical and mental wellbeing”.
Other Woodlands Heights residents raised concerns that the new floor would affect their privacy. One objected to portable toilets being situated outside his flat during the 15 months of construction because of “persistent smells”. Councillors added a condition to keep portable toilets away from people’s homes.
Blackheath Westcombe Labour councillor Mariam Lolavar spoke at the meeting to object to the plans, saying they did not contain any “affordable” housing nor any family homes.
Lolavar said: “People are not able to see what the positives here are. People are really struggling, and all I think they can see is a developer looking to profit from putting another storey on top and I think it’s a site that will struggle to manage that in lots of different ways.”
Gary Dillon, the committee chair, said the council was under pressure to back any new homes because of the housing crisis. With just eight flats, the developer did not have to offer any “affordable” homes.
James Cohen, who spoke on behalf of the applicant Avon Group, said the extension on the southern side of the building was set back by four metres to avoid being overbearing for residents in Lasseter Place. He said the storey had been redesigned and this would “improve overall proportions, reduce perceived bulk and enhance the building’s appearance both in near and longer views”.
Committee member Dave Sullivan, a Kidbrooke Park Labour councillor, said that if the proposal was refused, it would be overturned at appeal. Pat Greenwell, an Eltham Town Conservative councillor, voted against the proposal along with Abbey Wood independent councillor Ann-Marie Cousins, saying that she felt the plans did not differ enough from the previously-refused scheme.
Cameron Blackshaw is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich and Bexley. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media. Story edited by Darryl Chamberlain.
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.
You must be logged in to post a comment.