Comer Homes has been told to demolish two Mast Quay tower blocks in Woolwich due to multiple breaches of planning permission
The local planning authority, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, has decided to take enforcement action against Comer Homes Mast Quay Phase II development of Woolwich Church Street in London SE18. The Mast Quay tower blocks are a build-to-rent development, and the largest building is 23 storeys high.
The council has conducted a series of investigations over the last year, finding that the development was unlawful “because it is so substantially different to the scheme that was originally permitted by the planning permission given in 2012”.
What are alleged the planning breaches?
The council has presented 26 main deviations from the original planning permission. These included:
- Design changes to the external appearance of the towers
- Changes to the materials and windows, including different cladding
- Increasing the approved size of the footprint of both towers
- Not providing roof gardens for residents and the public, children’s play areas, green roofs, or landscaped gardens
- Non-accessible ‘accessible’ apartments
- A reduction of the number of commercial floors for offices, shops, and cafes at the ground level
- Failure to provide enough underground car parking so that car parking dominates at ground level, replacing what should have been a landscaped garden area with trees and plants and less car parking overall could place pressure on street parking
- A lack of disabled parking bays
- Shared residential/commercial basement access that could lead to conflicts
- A poorer quality footbridge to Woolwich Church Street
The Mast Quay development was granted planning permission in 2012 before Mast Quay Developments Ltd went into administration after the completion. Comer Homes purchased Mast Quay, and therefore, the planning permission was passed to them.
“The council believes that the only reasonable and proportionate way to rectify the harm created by the finished Mast Quay Phase II development to the local area and the tenants living there because of the changes made during its construction is the complete demolition and the restoration of the land to its former condition,” said Greenwich Council in a statement.
“Therefore, the council issued an enforcement notice on September 25, which is subject to appeal rights for a period of at least 28 days following the date of issue,” the statement continued.
Comer Homes has appealed to save the Mast Quay tower blocks
Comer Homes has expressed the intent to lodge an appeal against the council. They described the buildings as a “luxury development of two- and three-bedroom riverside apartments. A magnificently crafted living space with panoramic views of the river Thames and vistas of the capital.”
Comer Homes has 28 days to appeal the enforcement notice to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
