Council sets target of 7,500 new homes in next 10 years

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New borough plan aims for 50% to be affordable homes

The additional homes will increase the borough's housing stock by around six per cent. Most will be built by private developers and housing associations and will include new council housing created though the council's hidden homes programme.

The ambitious target is included in the core strategy document prepared as part of the new local development framework (LDF). This will set the borough's main planning policies for the next decade and includes provision for local business and community services.

The plan will promote a mix of residential and commercial development in the borough's five town centres. Each will retain its distinctive character and add to the growing vitality of the borough.

Wandsworth town centre will be the focus of intensive regeneration activity. This will include redevelopment of the Young's site to create a new residential quarter with new open spaces and access to the River Wandle.

The new town centre library which is set to open in 2009 will be at the heart of the town centre's cultural activities and will be complemented by the restoration of heritage buildings on the brewery site. Plans for the next phase of the revitalised Southside centre are also expected later this year.

The strategy sets out a clear vision for protecting the character of the borough's residential districts and its many green open spaces. It recognises that the combination of good quality housing and a pleasant local environment are what draw people to the area.

Planning polices will aim to defend residents' quality of life by encouraging measures to improve the environment, reducing dependence on the car and resisting unwelcome developments such as the loss of local shops and increased noise nuisance.

Council leader Edward Lister said:

"The plan is important to local people because it spells out a vision of the kind of place we want Wandsworth to be. It explains how we will protect the unique characteristics of the different neighbourhoods and town centres that make up our borough.

"It also faces up to the challenges presented by the Mayor's London Plan which encourages growth throughout the city. This brings pressure for more homes which the council will want to ensure offer good quality sustainable design and fit well with other properties in the area. Wandsworth's popularity makes it a magnet for new investment - in key areas like Clapham Junction and central Wandsworth this has the potential to create lasting benefits for the whole community."

Consultation on the broad principles of the strategy will take place during September and October. The proposals will be considered by a planning inspector during 2008 before being finally adopted in 2009.

The approved core strategy will then form the basis for detailed work on development control policies and individual site proposals.

July 11, 2007