Lambeth Council's Planning Applications Committee has approved plans for the redevelopment of Citadel Place, a project set to deliver 529 new homes, including 156 affordable units, despite concerns raised about daylight and sunlight impacts on neighbouring properties.
The decision, made by a vote of five in favour and two against, followed a lengthy debate where councillors weighed the significant public benefits of the development against identified amenity concerns.
Objectors highlighted potential light loss to nearby tall buildings such as The Dumont, Merano Residences, and The Corniche, arguing that the applicant's assessments were flawed. However, council officers presented an assessment that deemed the identified daylight and sunlight losses acceptable within the dense urban context of Vauxhall. They pointed to the benefits of the development, including the substantial provision of affordable housing, all designated for social rent.
Officers deemed the daylight and sunlight losses acceptable due to several factors. They highlighted that the existing buildings' design, including winter gardens, already limited light. The proposed development's benefits, such as significant affordable housing provision and brownfield site redevelopment, outweighed the identified impacts. Officers also noted that for most flats, retained BRESC levels would be in the mid-teens, and that the site is within an opportunity area and the central activity zone, justifying the scale of development due to its significant public benefits. The assessment also considered that the BRE guidance is advisory and that flexibility is encouraged, particularly in dense urban environments where lower daylight and sunlight levels may be unavoidable. The use of an alternative VSC target level of 'mid-teens' was deemed acceptable by officers and consultants given the urban context, and the fact that many affected windows serve bedrooms, which are less sensitive to light loss than living rooms or kitchens.
Ward councillor Jacqueline Bond expressed support for the affordable housing provision, while councillors David Ford, Viktor Westerdahl, and John Simpson also recommended approval, acknowledging the loss of daylight but weighing it against the critical contribution of social rent units and other public benefits.
Beyond the provision of affordable housing, the significant public benefits and critical contributions of the Citadel Place development that were weighed by the committee include: the redevelopment of a highly accessible brownfield site; improved public realm; enhanced pedestrian and cycle permeability through the site; high-quality architectural design; the provision of new public open space; and façade activation.
Councillor Elizabeth Fraser and Councillor David Costa leaned towards approval due to the affordable housing provision, while acknowledging concerns about heritage impacts raised by the GLA and Historic England. Historic England considered there to be harm to the outstanding universal value of the Westminster World Heritage Site, while the GLA considered there to be harm to the setting of several designated heritage assets. Officers, however, did not consider there to be harm to heritage assets. The Heritage, Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment (HTVIA) concluded that the proposed development would be visible within the setting of the WWHS from several places, but would appear as a distant and subordinate element within the background of the wider townscape. The GLA also identified a low level of less than substantial harm to the setting of the Albert Embankment Conservation Area and Vauxhall Gardens Conservation Area, and to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and Southbank House listed buildings. However, officers disagreed with these conclusions, stating that the proposed development would preserve the setting and significance of these assets. The HTVIA concluded that the proposed development would preserve the ability to recognise and appreciate the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, resulting in no harm to its setting or significance. The GLA also acknowledged that the public benefits of the development may outweigh this harm.
The approved plans are subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement. The development will also include flexible commercial uses on the ground floor, improved public realm, and enhanced pedestrian and cycle permeability.
More information on the planning application can be found in the Public reports pack for the meeting on Tuesday 22 September 2026.