Lambeth announces changes to site allocations in West Norwood

3 February 2023

Written by: Lambeth Council

News and announcements

In an open letter to the West Norwood community Lambeth’s sustainable growth and new homes lead has announced changes to the draft site allocations in West Norwood following consultation with the community as part of the Council’s Site Allocation Development Plan Document (SADPD).

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Cllr Danny Adilypour, Lambeth Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Growth and New Homes, who has been responsible for the review of site 18 and 19’s allocation in the draft SADPD, has made the following changes after listening to the views of residents and local businesses:

  • To review the site boundary at Site 18 and
  • To remove Site 19 entirely from the draft SADPD.

The full detail of the revised SADPD will be made available for comment when it is published for pre-submission (Regulation 19) publication, expected to be towards the end of summer 2023, ahead of submission to the Planning Inspectorate.

Once adopted, the SADPD will become part of the statutory development plan for Lambeth that will sit alongside the Lambeth Local Plan 2021 and the London Plan 2021. The SADPD will help deliver new homes and workspaces, secure benefits for communities, and improve the quality of places and the environment across thirteen sites in Lambeth.

In the letter Cllr Adilypour said: “I have heard the concerns about the potential redevelopment of homes and businesses within the current Site 18 boundary on Norwood Road. I have therefore asked for the current boundary to be redrawn and I am making it clear that we will exclude the housing areas at the northern and southern ends of the site.”

He wrote: “On Site 19 at Knollys Yard, some residents raised concerns about the height and scale of the proposals during the consultation. As I’ve made clear in my meetings with local residents, whilst a planning application may still be brought forward by a party at any time and go through due process in line with the council’s planning policies, I recognise the community’s concerns and I have therefore asked the planning team to remove Site 19 from the SADPD.”

Following his appointment to his role in May 2022 Cllr Adilypour committed to reviewing site 18 and 19’s allocation in the draft SADPD following concerns raised in the local community about the two sites. Consultation on the Draft Site Allocations Development Plan Document previously took place between 10 January 2022 and 22 February 2022 as part of the Regulation 18 statutory consultation.

Cllr Adilypour added: “Lambeth, like the rest of London, faces an unprecedented housing crisis. The rising cost of living also means delivering new employment opportunities and building genuinely affordable new homes for local people must remain our top priority.

“Since my appointment in May, I’ve been working to ensure that Lambeth is an attractive place to invest and that the council’s planning policy and strategic projects deliver sustainable growth for the benefit of our communities.”

Cllr Adilypour held a series of workshops with the local community in the autumn of last year, site visits with West Norwood ward councillors and meetings with residents, community groups and the Station-to-Station BID. Following these discussions and with the advice of the Council’s planning department, these announced changes to the two sites will be made in the draft planning document.

Commenting on the open letter sent to the West Norwood community, Cllr Adilypour said: “We’re listening to our residents and businesses about the kinds of development they want to see in their communities.

“The changes we’re making to these site allocations show we are listening to residents and working with them to ensure Lambeth remains an attractive place to invest and that we can continue to deliver the employment opportunities and much needed genuinely affordable new homes for the benefit of our residents.”

The full letter including an explanation of the proposed changes can be found here:

Letter