Hundreds sign petition opposing plans for new homes on green space

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A campaign group on an estate says plans to build homes on green space at its heart would ‘devastate’ residents’ health. 

More than 640 people have now signed the group’s petition opposing Wandsworth council’s proposals to build 21 council homes in blocks up to three storeys tall at Toland Square, also known as Eastwood South, in Roehampton.

The estate has been put forward for development under the council’s Homes for Wandsworth scheme, which aims to deliver 1,000 new council homes on land it owns in the borough. 

The scheme was started under the former Conservative administration with a mix of tenures, but Labour switched all 1,000 planned homes to council rent after taking over in May 2022.

The plans involve building a three-storey block of 14 flats at the centre of the estate, currently occupied by a community centre, play area and green space. 

The community centre would be rebuilt on green space at the south edge of the estate, between two existing blocks, while two new play areas and cycle storage would be added. Seven homes would also be built in a block up to three storeys tall at the northeast corner of the estate.

A Change.org petition against the plans from campaign group Save Toland Square, made up of people living on the estate, has been signed by 645 people. Zara Tomkinson, spokeswoman for the group, raised concerns about reducing the estate’s green space which she described as free and highly accessible for residents. She said she felt the council had not listened to the group’s concerns.

The 47-year-old said most residents do not have gardens and the nearest public parks, Richmond Park and Putney Heath, are around a 20-minute walk away. She said: “Everybody wants to keep the green space for a multitude of reasons and, if you want to put them in a nutshell, it’s for physical and mental wellbeing.”

She added: “I would say that the green spaces [are] our communal gardens, so it’s like taking those communal gardens away. That’s going to have a devastating impact on mental and physical well-being.”

A Wandsworth council spokesman said: “We are building 1,000 council homes across the borough under our ‘Homes for Wandsworth’ development programme, using land we own to build new council rent homes for local families.

“There is a compelling need for new council housing in Wandsworth, from existing tenants who are overcrowded, the 3,600 homeless families in expensive temporary accommodation or the 11,000 on our waiting lists.
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We want the local community to benefit first, which is why any new homes built will be offered to those wishing to move from over or undercrowded homes on the same estate. All homes vacated will then be re-let to those on our waiting list.

“We recognise that building additional homes on our estates is not always popular with existing residents but where we are proposing this we will actively engage with those communities to see how schemes can be improved, and in the case of Toland Square a significant number of changes have been made to what was originally proposed to ensure this project better meets local needs and wishes.”

Image one: Campaign group Save Toland Square at Toland Square, Roehampton (Picture: Andrea Gilbert)