‘Overcrowding’ fears ignored as Wandsworth presses ahead with new council homes

An estate will get 32 new council homes, despite residents’ fears their way of life will be ‘ripped apart’.

Wandsworth council are set to build the properties across three sites on the Whitnell Way Estate, in Putney, which are mainly used as car parking.

The estate will lose 35 parking spaces to make way for the new homes, which will be built in three blocks up to five storeys tall. A total of 10 garages, 35 storage units and bin stores will also be demolished as a result of the development, while eight trees will be cut down.

The Labour-led authority is developing the estate as part of its Homes for Wandsworth scheme, which it previously said is on track to deliver 1,000 new council homes by 2029. There were 13,513 households on the council’s waiting list in March last year.

The authority’s planning committee approved the plans for Whitnell Way on Wednesday, with six councillors voting in favour and four against. Opposition councillors argued the plans would make life worse for the estate’s existing residents.

Conservative councillor Nick Austin said the new homes would put too much pressure on the estate, as he described the loss of parking spaces as a ‘disaster waiting to happen’.

He added: “This application threatens to irreversibly damage the character of Whitnell Way. It sacrifices vital green spaces and it negatively impacts the day-to-day lives of residents. They should not be forced into an impossible choice between new housing and the wellbeing of the community.”

A total of 153 objections were sent to the council ahead of the meeting, as residents claimed the development would be a ‘disaster’ and overcrowd the estate. They said their mental health would worsen as they would lose sunlight, privacy and vital spaces on the estate, including desperately-needed parking bays.

One objector wrote: “As a small estate, adding more will take away so much for the current residents of Whitnell Way, it will leave us with nothing. With the total area being smaller and feeling we’re on top of each other.”

Another resident said: “Taking away our garages and store sheds will make everything more crowded, messier, and unsafe. Instead of having proper places to keep things, people will be forced to leave bikes, prams, and other things in hallways, stairwells, or outside, making it easier for them to be stolen.”

A report submitted with the application argued the development would improve parts of the estate and provide much-needed affordable homes. It said the estate’s existing open space would be upgraded, with the playground set for new equipment and plants, while 85 new trees would be planted.

A report by council officers added: “Given that the sites are currently largely undeveloped, it is recognised that the proposal would result in some impact upon the existing amenity currently enjoyed by existing residents in relation to daylight, outlook and privacy.

“However, given the distances between the existing and new buildings this has been found to be broadly acceptable and has been weighed up within the overall planning balance with the delivery of affordable homes as well as the wider public benefits.”

Pictured top: CGI of the plans for Whitnell Way Estate (Picture: Pollard Thomas Edwards)