Dear residents and stakeholders,

I’m writing to update you on West Norwood’s sites 18 and 19 draft allocations. You may recall making a response on these sites as part of Lambeth Council’s consultation on the draft Site Allocations Development Plan Document (SADPD) in Jan/Feb 2022.

When I became the responsible Cabinet Member last summer, I committed to reviewing these allocations.

Having considered local stakeholder views carefully and listened to advice from the Council's planning department, I’ve asked the planning team to redraw the site boundary at Site 18 and to remove Site 19 entirely from the draft SADPD.

Site 18 on Norwood Road

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.

Site 19 at Knollys Yard

On Site 19 at Knollys Yard, some residents raised concerns about height and scale 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.

Build new homes and attracting investment

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 remains 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 local communities. That goes hand-in-hand with continuing to listen to you as our residents and local businesses.

Next Steps

The planning team are now working on an updated policy that will revise the Site 18 boundary as outlined above. The detail of this will be made available for residents to comment on the soundness, legal compliance and the duty to cooperate of the SADPD when it is published for pre-submission (Regulation 19) consultation. This is expected to be towards the end of summer 2023, ahead of submission to the Planning Inspectorate.

All those who responded to the Regulation 18 consultation in Jan/Feb 2022 and all those on the planning policy database will be notified of the Regulation 19 publication as well as being published on the Council’s website and made available at the Town Hall and in all Lambeth libraries.

Following the closing date of the Regulation 19 consultation, the Council will provide for the Planning Inspectorate a schedule which will include main issues of all representations made together with the Council’s response to those, alongside the Draft SADPD Proposed Submission Version and supporting evidence for independent examination. Residents can also express their interest in speaking at an examination hearing,  expected to take place in late 2023 or early 2024. (Please note the Inspector will determine the most appropriate procedure to adopt to hear those who have indicated that they wish to participate at the oral part of the examination.) If you or anyone else you know would like more information on the process, or to receive future notifications on the SADPD, please email sadpd@lambeth.gov.uk. 

I hope that this is a helpful update and I look forward to continuing to work constructively with the community and our stakeholders, local businesses and ward councillors in the years ahead.

Best wishes,

Cllr Danny Adilypour