Woodgate Towers, the new high rise development in Streatham Vale, is set to surge onto Streatham’s skyline.
Though Labour has lost control of Lambeth Council, work on building Woodgate Towers on the old Home Base site has begun as testified by the noise and disruption being experienced by many local residents.
The big change to what’s been approved is that the site with planning permission has been sold by its original owners Hadley Property Group to Barratts Home – and the site is now being marketed as Streatham Common Junction. If you buy an apartment there according to the marketing blurb you will, “enjoy an effortless lifestyle offering a vibrant mix of green space and culture as well as fantastic transport links into central London”. And being located in Streatham Vale, “you’ll find a great choice of local shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants just moments from your front door.”
Selling on the land once planning permission has been obtained is known in the planning business as “flipping” and it is quite common for developers to do this. But the second resulting change is Barratts have applied for what is called a non-material planning amendment to build 11 extra flats through reducing the height of ceilings and internal layouts to provide an additional storey on Block C. So, expect more residents on the site!
Despite the local opposition to tall towers in this part of Streatham when it gets built there will be surprise that it will be seen from many miles away and not just from Streatham Common. What’s unclear is how the new development will affect the immediate area in terms of parking, how many extra commuters will use Streatham Common station and all the other bits of infrastructure. And it’s still uncertain whether there will be a GP surgery on site.
The perennial problem for residents with massive developments like this is keeping track on what’s happening. Once the local protest groups subside there can be a paucity of information about next steps despite Barratts best efforts in communicating locally.
Looking ahead many are also concerned whether having allowed tall buildings on this site this will set the precedent for further high rise development in this part of Streatham.
