Wandsworth’s heritage advisers have called for clearer explanations from the council after several of their objections to planning applications were overruled.
Members of the Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee (CHAC) questioned the rationale behind some planning decisions, particularly where these appeared to contradict the committee’s own recommendations. They were reviewing a report on recent decisions made by the Planning Applications Committee (PAC) and council officers, and said the cases where their objections had been overruled had caused confusion. They asked for future reports to explain why decisions differed from their recommendations.
One of the sharpest disagreements was over an application for a flower stall at Clapham Junction, which the PAC approved despite the committee’s strong objection. The case raised concerns about the clarity of the decision-making process. A councillor expressed confidence that the PAC had carefully considered the application, but another attendee described the reasons for its approval as “bizarre” and not in line with planning policy.
The committee chair was also bewildered by the council’s reason for refusing an application at 99 Derington Road, which cited the loss of garden land. The chair said national policy permits development on up to 50% of garden land. Both this application and one for Garages West of 61 to 67, The Lines, are under appeal, though the meeting information gave no details of the process or timeline for these appeals.
Other applications discussed included a proposal for advertisement displays at Wandsworth Roundabout, where the committee had objected due to the scale and design being visually intrusive, and a redevelopment proposal at 2 Armoury Way, which the committee unanimously objected to due to its size, height, and bulk impacting heritage assets. An application at 215 Franciscan Road and another at Flat C, 25 Prince of Wales Drive, also saw committee objections, though decisions on these varied. 215 Franciscan Road was subsequently approved and the plans for Flat C, 25 Prince of Wales Drive were subsequently refused.
The committee resolved to note the decisions presented in the report.
