Lewisham Council is set to reconsider plans for flats at 23 Mercia Grove after a consultation error invalidated the original decision-making process. Despite increased objections from local residents, planning officers are maintaining their recommendation to grant prior approval, stating that the objections do not introduce any new material matters that haven't been previously considered.

The application, which seeks prior approval for the construction of two additional storeys to create 15 self-contained flats, was initially approved by Planning Committee B on 11 March 2025. However, the decision was brought back to the committee due to an error in the public site notice, which incorrectly stated the deadline for comments.

To rectify the error, a re-consultation was carried out, including letters to local residents, a new site notice, and a press notice. This resulted in additional representations from local residents, increasing the total number of objections from 11 to 17.

Concerns raised by residents include the impact on the Mercia Grove Conservation Area, loss of privacy and natural light, the quality of the residential units, inadequate refuse storage and servicing, and the impact on parking and the transport network. One resident noted an incident in March where an ambulance was blocked by parked cars, preventing access.

The Conservation Officer raised concerns about the scale, massing, design, and materials of the proposed roof extension, noting that previous applications were refused due to concerns with additional bulk and scale1.

Despite these objections, planning officers are maintaining their recommendation to grant prior approval, subject to conditions and a legal agreement. The legal agreement would secure a car-free scheme, preventing residents of the new development from obtaining parking permits. Planning officers are satisfied that the development would not contribute to these existing parking issues as the residents of the new development would be prevented from obtaining parking permits by a legal agreement.

Conditions are also proposed to address construction management, materials, cycle parking, and waste management. The planning officers maintain that the development would be acceptable with any potentially adverse impacts overcome by the recommended conditions and the planning obligation secured by legal agreement.

The proposed development would raise the height of the building between one and two storeys and would therefore have an impact on outlook for a number of the neighbouring properties. However, planning officers state that a change in outlook does not necessarily imply that the impact would be unacceptable or oppressive.

The key changes from previous applications are:

  • The design and materiality of the additional storeys have changed from brick with a flat roof to brickwork with a zinc crown roof, incorporating an appropriate set back.
  • The current application has provided section drawings to demonstrate that the floor to ceiling height of the additional storey, measured internally (2.3m), would not exceed the floor to ceiling height of any storey of the principal part of the existing building.
  • A parking stress survey has been provided and the current application includes additional cycle parking.

The Transport Statement (Cubic Building Surveying Limited, October 2024) states that the existing parking bays would be repainted, to provide five bays retained for the use of the ground floor commercial units. The Transport Statement carried out a parking survey which confirms that the surrounding area could accommodate the parking demand created by the addition of the proposed 15 units. Additionally, the applicant has highlighted they are willing to enter into a legal agreement to prohibit new residents from obtaining parking permits for on-street parking in the local area (with the exception of blue badge holders).

Previous applications for roof extensions at 23 Mercia Grove have been refused or withdrawn due to concerns about design, impact on the conservation area, and lack of contributions towards affordable housing and carbon offsetting. Those applications include: DC/18/107728, DC/21/120872, DC/22/126193, DC/23/131613.

The report recommends that if a satisfactory legal agreement has not been entered into by 15 January 2026, authority be delegated to the Director of Planning to refuse the application if the legal agreement is not completed or sufficiently progressed within six months of the Planning Committee meeting, and to authorize extensions to the 'Completion Target Date' where considered reasonable and proper.

The Planning Committee B meeting took place on Tuesday 15 July 2025, at Lewisham Town Hall.

  1. The report notes: The Conservation Officers' concerns with additional bulk and scale of the extension are clear and has informed the refusal of the previous applications. ↩