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Join the fight to Stop the Tower: Take action to protect Battersea’s skyline!
Rockwell is back with yet another revised plan to build a 29-storey tower at 1 Battersea Bridge Road. This monstrosity will, disfigure the riverside, threaten Battersea Bridge, block out light, put pressure on our GPs and schools, and bring years of construction misery to this already busy area. This oversized project will damage our community forever and must be stopped.
If you’ve objected before, it’s time to do it again. And if not, now’s your chance to join the fight. Every objection counts in stopping this project dead in its tracks.
What are the Tower plans?
Rockwell, an American-funded developer of luxury apartments, plans to build a huge tower at 1 Battersea Bridge Road, on a restricted site right be the heritage-listed bridge – in flagrant disregard of planning rules. They are now on their third attempt to over-develop the site after plans for 38 and 34 storey towers were knocked back by community opposition.
Rockwell have a clever new plan: revise their monster tower proposals with a tokenistic reduction in height to 29 storeys, exploit the housing crisis – and pass the cost to taxpayers.
If these plans go ahead, the construction will cause years of misery, and once completed, the tower will permanently disfigure the Riverside’s character. It blatantly contradicts planning rules and opens the floodgates to more of the same. All this just to sell overpriced flats to wealthy overseas buyers who may never live in them and are unlikely to be UK taxpayers!
There is a long list of eye-wateringly technical problems with the new plans – which we’ve put to the Council, but the main points for us are:
- Too tall.The tower is far taller than its neighbours and wholly inappropriate for the area. It will ruin views from Battersea Park and for miles along the Embankment, benefiting Rockwell’s luxury penthouses while leaving vulnerable neighbours in darkness.
- A threat to heritage. Historic views and sites like Battersea Bridge are at serious risk.
- Hurt the environment. The project will worsen air quality and raise carbon emissions. It adds nothing to the environment!
- Disrupt our community. 3+ years of construction misery will bring noise, dust and thousands of HGVs – threatening road safety in on already congested roads. Buses will be brought to a standstill; emergency vehicles will be delayed potentially threatening lives and traffic will grind to a halt.
- Public services will be overwhelmed. There is already a shortage of GPs, dentists, school places, and public transport in our area. 600+ new residents will break the system.
- Lacks credibility. Rockwell Property’s plans are missing vital assessments and lacking basic details – it’s far from serious. No solid plans to tackle climate change, safeguard Battersea Bridge, or prevent parking pressure – yet they expect public funds to foot the bill. This half-baked proposal can’t be trusted.
What’s Rockwell’s devious plan?
Here’s how they expect to get approval for their monstrous 29-storey tower: claim half the new flats will be at council rents, hoping this forces approval of “affordable” housing. But the reality? The plan only works with grants from the Mayor of London.
Rockwell could get £170,000 from the Mayor for each social home built – after they have funded just the first 20%. With a higher level of social housing they get given a fast track through planning.
London’s taxpayers are effectively funding the developers’ plans to by-pass planning rules, enabling them to claim a higher proportion of social housing whilst maintaining their private profits through the sale of luxury flats.
Worse still, Rockwell’s foreign investors are pocketing 15% interest through offshore accounts, sending public money out of the UK.
The Glassmill application is a test for Wandsworth Council. Our representatives must challenge developers who disregard planning rules. Otherwise the Glassmill will set a precedent for more towers on Battersea Riverside and send a clear message that planning and environmental rules are not worth the paper they are written on.
Sign the letter of objection!
Wandsworth Council will soon take a decision on whether plans can go ahead soon. We need to tell them these plans are wrong. We know they are listening – and your voice will make a difference. Simply complete the letter on home page and submit it to Wandsworth Council.
If you’d like to stay informed with the latest updates and news, please use the subscription form below in the footer.
Or alternatively you can follow the steps below to create your own letter of objection:
using the button below.
Or alternatively you can follow the steps below to create your own letter of objection:
using the button below.
Or email your objection to wandsworthplanningapplications@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk Make sure you include “Objection to The Glassmill plans – reference number 2024/1322” somewhere in your letter – and address it to the case officer.
STEP 2: Make It Personal.
You don’t have to be a planning expert to object – just tell Wandsworth Council how the project affects you, focus on important issues, and keep it short.
Thank you for your support!
