Sadiq Khan has blocked a decision to reject a controversial tower in Abbey Wood despite public objections to the scheme.

Developer Abbey Wood Property Ltd had proposed the demolition of a car wash and a pet hospital in place of four new housing blocks in Eynsham Drive.

The Mayor of London has ‘called in’ the housing project which would see a 17-storey tower and a total of 272 homes.

What was proposed?

The towers – close to Lidl – would be three, eight, 14, and 17 storeys tall.

MORE: 'Built for profit not people': 17-storey Abbey Wood tower plan rejected

Room for a new pet home had also been included in the plans, as well as space for shops, restaurants and 59 car parking spaces.

Overall, 35 per cent of the housing would be affordable – which is Greenwich’s policy –  and the majority of homes included in the proposals were two-bed.

The developer said it was bringing much-needed homes, jobs and commercial spaces to an area earmarked for major regeneration as it prepares for the arrival of Crossrail.

The council would have made £1.26m in a Community Infrastructure Levy – cash charged by council’s for developments that is spent on infrastructure, facilities and services.

This Is Local London:

Why was it rejected? 

Greenwich councillors threw out the scheme last month over fears young families would not be able to afford to live in the development.

It was claimed the planned development was was too high, too expensive and did not conform to the planning policies.

Speaking to the planning board, ward councillor and former council leader Denise Hyland objected on the grounds of bulk, scale and mass – and claimed the scheme was not designed for families.

Cllr Linda Perks agreed and said at the meeting: “Our young families won’t benefit from this, and it’s young families who need homes. Young people who can afford it come into our borough, and we aren’t seeing the type of houses we need for our young people.”

Resident Frank Learner voiced his objections, saying that schools and GPs were already stretched, and an extra 272 homes would be inappropriate.

He said at the meeting in July: “We need accommodation for all our citizens, not just those who can muster up a deposit. These towers are a commodity, they are built not for people but for profit.”

The Mayor

Sadiq Khan has written to Greenwich Council to block its rejection of two schemes, both of which were thrown out at a meeting last month.

As well as calling back a plan for more than 700 homes in Charlton, the Mayor wants to reconsider this plan at City Hall because he thinks it could deliver much needed homes.

In his letter to the council, the London Mayor said: “In my view the proposed development has potential to make an important contribution to housing

and affordable housing supply in response to London Plan policies.

“Having regard to the above, and noting the potential contribution of the proposed development, I wish to fully consider this case as the local planning authority.”

The planning process now starts again and City Hall chiefs will make the final decision, taking control away control from local Greenwich councillors.

This Is Local London: Design and access. statements show what the building would look like

Reaction 

Greenwich Council has urged Mr Khan to listen to residents and not “simply wave the applications through”.

Cllr Sizwe James, the cabinet member for growth and strategic development, said in response to the Mayor’s call-ins: “At the planning board, local residents spoke passionately about the issues they had with the proposed developments.

“The committee members listened to the residents and shared their concerns about the height of the buildings, the lack of homes for families, and the affordability of those homes.

“After the planning applications were rejected, we hoped that the developers would come back to us with a new application that provided much needed affordable housing for families, in developments of an appropriate size and scale for Abbey Wood and Charlton.

“Whilst I respect the rights of the Mayor of London to call in these planning applications, and understand the pressure he is under to get more homes built, we very much hope he will address the concerns of residents in the process.

“We also need to learn from the mistakes made in the 60s and 70s and create proper neighbourhoods, with walkable streets, places to work and spaces for children to play and socialise.”