Model of the Nine Elms development, from Battersea Power Station up to Vauxhall
An amazing 9,000 homes have now been approved in the Nine Elms riverside area of north Battersea. I thought this would be a good time to ask Wandsworth council how the area was taking shape.
The exclusive figures that were released are pretty shocking – and prove the council has put the interests of property developers before those of local people.
Developers are required to make some of the flats in any new development affordable, otherwise the existing residents of Wandsworth would have no chance of living in Nine Elms.
Usually Wandsworth asks that 33 per cent of a new development is affordable. Neighbouring Lambeth council has chosen to ask developers to make 40pc of flats afforable in its section of Nine Elms.
I asked Wandsworth council for a breakdown of approved Nine Elms housing schemes by size and affordability. Incredibly, in Wandsworth’s part of Nine Elms, only 7pc of homes will be for ‘social rent’, 8pc will be ‘intermediate’ and the rest will be sold at full market rate.
‘Full market rate’ in this recently approved Nine Elms development is £1,500,000 for a two-bed flat!
Properties with planning permission in Nine Elms (March 2012)
| Tenure |
Studio |
1 bed |
2 bed |
3 bed |
4 bed |
5 bed |
Total |
| Market |
628 |
1,765 |
3,774 |
1,207 |
228 |
118 |
7,719 |
| Intermediate |
8 |
283 |
345 |
85 |
16 |
0 |
737 |
| Social Rented |
8 |
123 |
267 |
201 |
75 |
11 |
685 |
| Total |
644 |
2,171 |
4,386 |
1,493 |
319 |
129 |
9,141 |
The victims of this silent scandal will be thousands of local people – hoping to stay in Wandsworth to work, to live near their parents or start a family.
As I explained in a speech to Wandsworth council last December, Wandsworth has deliberately thrown away the chance to create 4,000 affordable homes for local people to rent or to buy.
The Conservative council has, not for the first time, put the interests of property developers first.
Simon Hogg blogs 
This is a disgrace. Battersea must not be split, as with the proposals for the schools, Elliott becoming an academy and millions of pounds spent on the Bolingbroke site. I have written many letters but seem to be ignored. Keep up the good work.
Unfortunately no surprise here. Wandsworth Council has been flaunting social rented housing provision rules for years, preferring to provide shared ownership at minimum quantity and cash in lieu of homes for “ordinary families” to spend on other projects.
I have put this on Facebook with a comment, “Dirty self interested lying BASTARDS” I think that sums up our Tory Council correctly.