Appeal dismissed. The Tower will not be built.
Planning Inspector Refuses Rockwell’s Tower Appeal – Our Riverside is Safe.
May 2026 | Planning & Campaign Update
A Planning Inspector has dismissed the developer’s last-ditch appeal to force a 29-storey block onto the Glassmill site beside Battersea Bridge. The tower will not be built. Our riverside is safe.
Inspector Joanna Gilbert found the scheme would cause “very substantial” harm to the area’s character and appearance, damaging Battersea Bridge, nearby conservation areas on both banks of the Thames, and the historic riverside setting.
This was Rockwell’s £10m folly: too tall, too crude, and in the wrong place from day one. The community said no. Wandsworth councillors said no. Planning policy said no. Still Rockwell pushed on, forcing taxpayers to defend the obvious and putting residents through two years of needless stress.
Now the Inspector has said no too.
This is a famous win for Friends of Battersea Riverside and every resident who fought back. Rockwell lost. Battersea stood firm.
What the Inspector Found
Inspector Gilbert’s conclusions were unambiguous. The proposal clearly fails to comply with several elements of both London Plan Policy D9 and Wandsworth Local Plan Policy LP4 – the core policies governing tall buildings and design quality in the borough. While she acknowledged the scheme’s housing benefits, she found these were decisively outweighed by the harm it would cause.
FROM THE INSPECTOR’S DECISION
“I have afforded very substantial weight to the adverse effects on the character and appearance of the area. There are moderate, low and negligible levels of less than substantial harm to designated heritage assets which carries considerable weight and moderate indirect adverse effects on non-designated heritage assets which carry moderate weight.”
“Accordingly, the proposal would be contrary to the development plan taken as a whole, and there are no material considerations that indicate that planning permission should otherwise be granted.”
— Inspector Joanna Gilbert, Planning Inspectorate, 2026
The Cost of Rockwell’s Arrogance
Over £10 million. That is what Rockwell spent pursuing a consent that planning policy plainly told them they could not have. The site lies in a mid-rise zone. The Local Plan allows six storeys. Rockwell proposed 39 — then 34, then 29 — as if sheer persistence might eventually wear down both common sense and the law. It did not.
£10m+Spent by Rockwell pursuing a scheme that was always contrary to policy
£100,000sCost to Wandsworth Council taxpayers of defending the appeal — money diverted from public services
2+ yearsOf needless stress, uncertainty and wasted community energy
Rather than accept the community’s verdict, Rockwell filed their appeal at the very last moment before the deadline expired – forcing Wandsworth to mount a costly legal defence at an eight-day public inquiry. That cost fell on Wandsworth taxpayers: hundreds of thousands of pounds that should have gone to schools, parks, social care and roads. Rockwell also attempted to manufacture public support through coordinated batches of templated letters. The Inspector was not fooled. Neither was anyone else.
We believe they owe this community an apology. We do not expect to receive one.
What Happens Next
The Inspector’s findings set a powerful precedent for any future application on this site. The Glassmill will, in time, be redeveloped – but within the six-storey limit the Local Plan prescribes. Friends of Battersea Riverside will be watching closely, and we will engage the moment any new proposals emerge.
Our thanks go to Wandsworth Council’s officers and committee members, to the Battersea Society, the Chelsea Society, the Chelsea Citizen and to every resident who submitted an objection, signed a petition, attended the inquiry or simply refused to give up. You made this happen. Rockwell lost. Battersea stood firm.
