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Out-Law News 1 min. read

Mayor calls in £1bn Convoys Wharf regeneration plans


Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called in an application by developer Hutchison Whampoa Properties for a 3,500-home regeneration scheme in south east London's Deptford to be determined by him.

The developer submitted the masterplan for the 16-hectare site, which also includes 15,500 square meters of employment space, shops, restaurants and a hotel, to Lewisham Council in May. However, following the expiry of the statutory 16 week determination period without a decision by the Council, the developer wrote to the Greater London Authority (GLA) requesting the Mayor to take over the application, according to a GLA report (12-page / 495KB PDF).

The report said that the Council had indicated it would take a report on the proposed scheme to committee in February 2014. It said that it would be unlikely that the Mayor would be able to determine the application "significantly in advance" of February 2014 because of the number of issues still to be resolved, including transport-related issues.

The report noted that the relationship between the developer and the Council was "a difficult one" which had worsened during the progress of the application. "The point has been reached where the relationship between applicant and local planning authority seems to have broken down," it said.

"The strategic importance of the application site and the contribution it has to make to regeneration, to jobs, to homes and to other strategic and local policy objectives is very substantial," the report said.

The Council said it was "hugely disappointed" at the Mayor's decision, according to local reports. "The GLA recognises Lewisham Council's good performance in delivering new housing over recent years," a spokesman said.

"We note also that the report recommends a continued close working relationship with Lewisham Council to ensure that local issues are fully considered and acknowledges that we need to secure from the developers significant local benefits should the application be approved," the spokesman added.

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