Wandsworth Council's Planning Applications Committee has reviewed observations on a significant mixed-use development proposed for Vauxhall Square in the neighbouring borough of Lambeth. The committee, meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2026, considered potential objections to the development, which includes residential units, student accommodation, commercial spaces, and a hotel.
Wandsworth Council's primary concerns centre on the potential negative impacts on daylight and sunlight for residents in Wandsworth, specifically those in the Thames City and One Nine Elms developments. The report details significant reductions in daylight and sunlight levels for numerous windows and rooms in these neighbouring buildings, a worsening compared to the extant consent for the site.
Specifically, the Vertical Sky Component (VSC) analysis shows a worsening in VSC levels compared with the extant scheme for windows to both buildings within the One Nine Elms development and for windows to Buildings N1, N4-N5, N8, N9 and N10 within the Thames City development. There is also a significant increase in the number of windows that would experience a loss in daylight levels of greater than or equal to 40% with the proposed scheme. The No Sky Line (NSL) analysis demonstrates a worsening in NSL levels compared with the extant scheme for rooms within One Nine Elms City Tower and for rooms within Buildings N1, N4-N5, N9, N10 and N12 of the Thames City development. Furthermore, the Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (ASPH) analysis indicates a worsening in ASPH levels compared with the extant scheme for rooms within both buildings of the One Nine Elms development and for rooms within Buildings N8 and N9 of the Thames City development. These impacts are summarised as moderate to major adverse reductions in daylight and significant reductions in sunlight for several buildings, with the council considering these impacts unacceptable when compared to the extant consent.
Further objections were raised regarding a missed opportunity to connect the Vauxhall Square development with Nine Elms Park. Officers consider that the positioning of the buildings in the proposed scheme results in less intuitive routes for pedestrians and cyclists through the Vauxhall Square site towards Nine Elms Park when compared with the extant scheme. It is considered that the redevelopment of the site should provide the opportunity to create a clear and more direct desire line through the application site to Nine Elms Park, and therefore it is disappointing that this opportunity has been missed. It is also considered that if the public realm within the application site were designed to have the same identity as Nine Elms Park, including with respect to quality of landscaping and material palette, the proposed scheme would have been able to comprise an extension of Nine Elms Park, rather than reading as a separate development.
Concerns were also voiced about insufficient information regarding air quality impacts. Wandsworth's Air Quality team has requested further details on the Air Quality Assessment, Construction Dust Management Plan, and operational phase impacts, including traffic and transport impacts. They have also raised concerns regarding the potential impacts of transboundary construction traffic, transboundary taxis and delivery vehicles, and the proposed NRMM standards. In the absence of this information, an objection is raised on air quality grounds as it is considered there is insufficient information to determine if the air quality impacts of the proposed scheme would be acceptable.
On transport, while no outright objection was raised, comments were recommended regarding discrepancies in the Transport Assessment. Discrepancies have been noted between the floorspace listed in the Transport Assessment and those stated in the development description, which is considered to potentially affect measuring the impact of the proposed development. Regarding bus trips, the proposed development will lead to an increase in bus passengers on services also used by people living and/or working in Wandsworth. The development will create a gross total of 147 two-way bus trips in the AM weekday peak hour, and 130 in the PM weekday peak hour. Some of these trips will occur on bus routes 77, 87, 156, 344, and 436, which also serve Wandsworth. Although these services are regular, it is for TfL Officers to assess the impact of the additional bus trips relative to current and future forecast bus loadings and to assess whether the applicant needs to make a Section 106 contribution to increase bus capacity.
The management of access and egress points also raised concerns. For servicing trips, most vehicles would enter the site from Bondway, turn right into the vehicle lift, and service all plots except Plot 6. The site would be exited onto Miles Street and then onto Wandsworth Road. Given the time some service vehicles might take, they might attempt to enter from Parry Street and egress onto Wandsworth Road via the dedicated egress for taxis and emergency service vehicles. This access, egress, and dedicated drop-off bay south of Plot 2 will need careful management to ensure vehicles do not block it and do not lead to queuing on the access road or Parry Street. This could lead to vehicular delays and queuing at the Nine Elms Lane/Wandsworth Road/Parry Street signalised junction, adversely impacting vehicular traffic within Wandsworth.
The council also requested pre-commencement conditions for demolition and construction management plans. Further details on the applications and related documents can be found in the Public reports pack [https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/documents/g10061/Public%20reports%20pack%2012th-Mar-2026%2019.30%20Planning%20Applications%20Committee.pdf?T=10].
