ITV Studios tower South Bank development to go ahead despite hundreds of objections

A controversial development at the heart of South Bank will go ahead, despite hopes that the Mayor of London would step in and halt it.

The former London Television Centre site at 72 Upper Ground, Southbank, is set to be knocked down and replaced with a building which would see an increase in overall height from 85 metres to 109 metres.

No homes are included in the plans, and residents and businesses are concerned about the impact on daylight in the nearby area.

They have also said it will “blight views of the Thames from every angle”.

Dearbhla Molloy, who lives in Stamford Street, said: “The living room where I spend most of my time has one window. I would welcome a visit from Sadiq Khan as he needs to understand that I would be left with only 7.5 per cent daylight.

“The Mayor has the power to help and stand alongside people like me in the local community.”

Residents had hoped Mr Khan, would step in and halt the development but his office confirmed he would not intervene.

A spokeswoman for him said: “The deputy mayor for planning and regeneration has made the decision, under delegated authority, that there are no planning reasons to intervene and he is happy for Lambeth council to determine the case itself.”

The building was purchased by the Mitsubishi Estate and CO-RE for £145.6million in November 2019.

It was approved by the planning application committee in March 2022 with six votes in favour to one in opposition, with 264 objections from the public.

So far 3,037 people have signed a petition against the development.

SOS Save Our South Bank Action Group chairwoman, Jenny O’Neil, said: “The Mayor’s mistakes only illustrate further the need for a public inquiry.

“This is a very prominent strategic site, and this scheme will blight the South Bank, with social housing residents enduring health issues with the huge daylight losses. Sadiq has failed to act strategically or protect the rights of residents.”

Historic England stated in its advice to Lambeth council that there would be “harm” to the nearby Grade II listed IBM building and Grade II listed National Theatre because of the close proximity of the proposed buildings and their impact on the importance of these designated heritage assets in river views.

The National Theatre also raised its concerns with the council, claiming that its “desirability as a location with uninterrupted views up and down the river will be severely impacted”.

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “The proposals for this important South Bank site have been approved by Lambeth council’s planning applications committee on the basis that it is a sustainable development that would bring significant opportunities for people living in the borough.

“The proposals support our wider aims around tackling poverty and inequality in Lambeth by creating new jobs, skills, and training opportunities as well as affordable workspace so everyone in our borough has a chance to prosper.”

Pictured top: A computer-generated image of the view of the new development from Waterloo Bridge (Picture: Make Architects)