Lewisham Planners have approved the application by London Square to remove the wording in the existing planning consent which refers to a tower block of 15 storeys.
This is despite objections by the Lee Manor Society, the Blackheath Society, and the Lee Forum.
London Square has made clear that the application (under Section 96a of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990) was its first move towards getting permission to increase the height of the tower. At its exhibition for residents in May it announced it now wanted to make the tower 18 storeys high.
London Square argued that this initial change was “non-material” but the Lee Manor Society and other objectors said it was material because it was clearly a precursor to a bid to increase the height of the tower under a Section 73 application.
However, Lewisham planners said the effects of the amendments would not alter the substance of the development from that already granted permission. “As such, Officers consider that the non-material amendment procedure is the correct route for the alterations. Considering the above, Officers are satisfied the description change is non-material.”
The planning report also says: “Neighbour consultation is not required for s96a applications, however it is noted that 88 objections have been received from neighbours and local groups, including Lee Forum, Lee Manor Society and Blackheath Society. The objections mostly relate to the plans that were presented at a public exhibition which showed Building A1 had been increased by 3-storeys from the consented 15, in addition to height increases elsewhere. At the time of this report, Leegate proposals remained at pre-app stage, and the exhibition proposals had since been revised.”
Meanwhile London Square has lodged a new application to change another condition of the original planning consent. This time they want permission to start demolition without an approved scheme of floodplain storage mitigation.
Floodplain storage mitigation in urban development involves using floodplains to store excess water during storms, reducing flood risk in downstream areas. This can be achieved through various methods, including creating or restoring natural floodplains, constructing reservoirs, and implementing sustainable drainage systems.
Lee Manor Society is lodging a formal objection to London Square’s planning application which would pave the way for a Leegate tower even higher than the 15 storeys already approved.
Crucially, the Society argues the application to remove the 15-storey description of the tower, is not ‘non-material’. This is a technical, but vitally important aspect of the planning application.
The Society says that by removing the description it would lead to changes to the height of the proposed tower block, which would indeed be material because “it has the potential to adversely affect the amenity of neighbouring properties, including increased traffic due to an increase in residential units and of overshadowing.”
The objection points out that in their application, London Square’s agents say they have been ‘encouraged’ to test the height of the tower, known as Ai in the planning application.
Their Public Consultation document states: ‘“Following meetings with Lewisham Council and the Design Review Panel, the team have been encouraged to test additional height at building A1. The current proposals would increase the height of A1 from 15 to 18 storeys‘”
That suggests Lewisham Council is at least partly complicit in the approach, despite the fact that its own ‘Local Plan’ (although not yet formally adopted) sets a normal upper limit for tall buildings of 12 storeys.
The Society also notes that London Square says it needs to raise the height of the tower above 15 storeys ‘to ensure the scheme remains deliverable.’
“So, the only objective reason provided by London Square appears to be that the current approved scheme is not viable,” says the objection.
It continues “It would be an incredibly incompetent developer who would spend serious amounts of money on purchasing a site with an extant Planning Approval that they knew full well to be unviable in meeting their own requirements.
“From this we can only surmise that London Square are simply ‘testing’ the limits of the current approved Application ref DC/22/126997 to garner more profit because they would not have purchased the rights to a development that was incapable of being achieved.”
The Society reminds Lewisham Council that when Galliard first proposed a 15- storey tower block there were numerous local objections. It argues that Lewisham Council should not denigrate the concern of a material change of height to being a non-material change by the removal of the words up to ‘15-storeys (including basement level) …’ from the Decision Notice because without those words there is no detailed description of the development proposals.
“What is clear to any reasonable person is that the height of the main tower Block A of the proposed Leegate development was a very material concern raised by numerous objections… the height of the Block A tower building was a matter of great concern to local residents throughout the previous (Galliard) planning application and is of no lesser concern now.
“To consider removing the text that relates in general to its overall height would simply be wrong and a dereliction of LBL’s responsibilities to its borough’s residents as this is clearly a material consideration of the proposed development.”
London Square says there should be no concerns about the wind effects of the proposed tower block, which may be as high as 18 storeys.
The developers were responding to a comment posted on this website by a Lee resident Tony Branton. Mr Branton, a retired architect, asked:
“Given the heights and close proximity of buildings in this high-density development, have modelling studies, including wind tunnel and fluid dynamics testing, been undertaken to determine the micro climate that will be created in high wind conditions? External high winds passing through the completed development and in between the buildings will be accelerated. This can create difficult conditions at street level due to the ‘downdraught effect’ and ‘channelling effect’ the new buildings are likely to create in windy conditions.
The higher the buildings are the worse this wind acceleration will be. The new residential tower will increase these effects particularly given its exposed location at the north west corner of the site development. Lee residents who have experienced accelerated high winds at street level at that corner, with the 8 storey existing office tower currently located there, should be aware that these are likely to increase. The more so with the latest proposal to increase the height of the residential tower to 18 storeys.
Predicted climate change is expected to lead to increased wind speeds in London, particularly during winter. The UK Climate Projections report (UKCP18) suggests that winter wind speeds will increase in the second half of the 21st century, and the frequency of winter storms will also increase. This is well within the expected lifespan of the proposed development.”
London Square has subsequently confirmed that the original planning submission was supported by a Wind Microclimate Assessment, which was included as part of the original Environmental Statement. The report, which you can read in full here, says:
“Following the introduction of the proposed development, wind conditions are predicted to meet the criteria for pedestrian safety and to be suitable, in terms of comfort, for existing and proposed uses.”
London Square says it will provide an updated report when it applies to Lewisham Council to increase the height of the tower to 18 storeys.
Look away and the Leegate development has added another storey or two to its overall height and a small town to its dwelling numbers. When the Lee Manor Society began scrutinising plans for the demolition and rebuilding of the tired 1960s shopping centre more than a decade ago we felt more housing would make sense. The original centre had only 36 apartments on its upper levels.
What we have seen as the project has moved through a series of developers – St Modwen, Galliard homes and now London Square – is an inexorable increase in the number of dwellings – to 640 – and a decline – responding to retail market trends – in the size and number of shops. This now threatens to destroy the largely low-level character of Lee Green crossroads and put an intolerable strain on local services.
It also threatens to impinge on the skyline of the Lee Manor conservation area and of Blackheath. These distant impacts were considered in the original plans and thought acceptable but at 18-storeys are unlikely to comply.
The Society has argued against the increasing height and bulk of development with a particular focus on the size of the corner block, now 15 storeys but threatening to rise to 18 storeys. This would tower over the surrounding three and four-storey Victorian and older buildings that make up the crossroads. The original Leegate rose to between eight and 10 storeys but these were to a degree set back from the pavement.
Developers have argued that nearby Leybridge Estate is a high rise development but it is set back in extensive landscaping so less noticeable from the road. One effect of the Leegate development will be to increase wind gusting around the base of the buildings making nearby pavements even less attractive to pedestrians.
London Square, the latest developer, is retaining the central partially grassed square which emerged in earlier plans, but this will also be increasingly overshadowed by the tall buildings that surround it. If the tiny Confluence Park in the recent Lewisham town centre development is anything to go by the square will be an enclosed and unwelcoming space.
Lewisham seems intent on spreading the high-rise model adopted for the Lewisham Gateway development recently completed next to the station. This scheme was shortlisted in 2018 for Design Magazine’s Carbuncle Cup, an award intended to highlight the bad architecture blighting Britain’s towns and cities. “It seems to me … they haven’t really regenerated anything at all,” commented Thomas Lane, the magazine’s editor.
Lewisham planners have shown little understanding of these issues and have ignored local opinion from the outset. The original St Modwen plan for a large supermarket – directly opposite Sainsbury’s large supermarket – with a 300-space parking area on the roof was waved through. This despite the inevitable impact on local traffic levels on Lee’s already crowded main roads. Changing retail trends made a large supermarket no longer viable and it was later dropped. Lewisham’s planners played no part in this.
So what can the Society and local residents do? The council’s local plan sets a recommended limit of 12 storeys on building at Leegate and at other local district centres but this had not gained full council sign-off before Galliard won planning consent in 2023. If London Square is required to make a new planning application this limit would presumably apply. Any substantial change to the approved application would require a new application though London Square is attempting to argue its changes are acceptable and should not trigger the need for a new application.
Can we expect the council to take a robust view and listen to the people who live locally? It has previously subordinated all other considerations to a single target: more housing – itself a result of central government failings in housing policy over the decades – and will be tempted to continue along this path.
To be clear, the Lee Manor Society acknowledges the need for more housing – especially affordable housing – in the Borough, so long as there is infrastructure to support it. Our objection is to such a high tower block.
The scheme is on its third developer and Lewisham will be reluctant to lose this one. Resident’s patience has been stretched by the long delays and the run-down state of the site with some arguing anything would be better than what we have now.
But giving in to planning fatigue would be wrong. We hope for little from the council’s planners but will continue to fight and hope the regulations in place will constrain them. One recent resident revolt over a low traffic neighbourhood in Southwark won the backing of the courts and the scheme was overturned. It seems citizens have to go to the law to assert their rights against rogue councils. But this would be an expensive option with an uncertain outcome. We urge residents who oppose attempts to enlarge the scheme to continue to object.
Objections can be made on to the planners on planning@lewisham.gov.uk with the application number DC/25/140113 and providing your name and address. You can also write to to Planning Department, Lewisham Council, Laurence House, Catford Road, London SE6 4RU. Or you can contact your local councillor or the Mayor – you can find their contact details here: https://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=ALPHA&VW=LIST&PIC=0
