Developers behind a controversial plan to build hundreds of homes at the site of the Footzie Social Club in Lower Sydenham will seek to capitalise on a planning appeal victory against Bromley Council by adding another 100 homes to their scheme.

West and Partners have lodged new plans to build 254 units in an apartment tower ranging from four to eleven stories tall.

The developers previously had five applications to build on the site rejected by Bromley Council on the basis it would occur on a site designated as Metropolitan Open Land – meaning it was protected from development in a bid to break up space between buildings.

However, an appeal over one of their schemes for the site – proposing 151 units in an apartment block ranging from four to eight stories high – saw the planning inspector overturn council’s decision in June 2019.

In ruling in favour of the scheme, the appeal’s planning inspector found “very special circumstances” warranted the building on protected land, with a “carefully considered and exemplary design addressing the identified desperate need for extensive new housing”.

The inspector found the application would enable the council to meet the current minimum housing targets set by the London Plan, let alone the required increase set by the draft replacement London Plan.

The win has seen the developers apply for the new scheme, which will see the maximum height of the building increased to eleven stories and a total of 254 units, consisting of 130 one bedroom; 107 two bedroom and 17 three bedroom apartments.

The new scheme would cover a slightly smaller footprint than the one proposed in the plans approved by the planning inspector.

The brownfield site is currently not in public use after falling into poor condition and is currently being utilised for storage and parking.

Earlier reports on the project were referred to London mayors Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan, but both leaders rejected the opportunity to take over the application themselves, saying they were instead “content to allow Bromley Council to determine the case itself”.

The newly-submitted plans, given their contentious history, will likely require approval from Bromley’s development control committee in the future.

Residents wanting to view the plans in detail and lodge their comments by searching for the planning code of 20/00781/FULL1 on Bromley Council’s planning portal.