Riverside Quarter - towers too high to be pleasant?

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local Resident Association draws neighbours attentions to the plans

Are you aware of the proposed tower blocks that are
planned at Riverside Quarter, Point Pleasant SW18 and the significant public outrage they are causing?

The tower blocks are huge, one will be 95m high or 29 stories (so much bigger than Putney Wharf) and the others are 17 stories and 15 stories. This dwarfs what is already there.

Due to the size of the tower, the current view from Putney Bridge towards the wonderful views of Hurlingham and Wandsworth Park will be destroyed by the ugly buildings they are planning to build.

This will be one of the tallest buildings for miles around:
* BA London Eye 135m
* Battersea Power Stn 113m
* LondonTate Modern 99m
* New tower at Riverside Quarter 95m
* Wandsworth Southside Tower 72m
* New Tower at Riverside Quarter 62m
* Falcon Wharf (new Battersea river dev) 55m
*Putney Wharf 54m
*  New Tower at Riverside Quarter 47m


The flier distributed around the neighbourhood, has had a strong response, and garnered even more objections to Wandsworth Council but we need more to make the Council take notice of how people really feel. We would encourage more people to voice their objection.

People really don't like this proposal.It threatens to bring tall buildings into a different and more rural stretch of the river which encompasses historical buildings such as the Hurlingham, Bishops Palace, the oasis of the grade II listed Wandsworth Park, two churches, and what everyone
associates with the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Anyone standing on Putney Bridge can admire a view both ways at present, despite the 17 storey PUtney wharf development which I hasten to add is only 54m compared to the 95m of the tallest tower at RIverside Quarter.

This revised plan for the site comes after the current developers a plan for 17 storey block rejected after much local outrage about 5 years ago. It seems that not much has changed with the council's own planning mandate (and UDP) and planning legislation to justify this scheme which encompasses an even bigger tower to be given a chance !

The developers in a meeting with residents said the Thames view here was I quote 'boring'. What is more for those already living there we heard that they had been planning this for at least 2 years, with architects drawing up plans whilst purchasers were parting with money on the current low level scheme. This type of behaviour from developers seems to becoming the
norm with scant regard for local sensibilities and for people within communities to be given a fair chance to express their views and be heard. If the council is willing to let these types of devleopments go ahead, they have to at the same time be held accountable and answer questions on how they propose to deal with local infrastructure. For example, in the area
around Riverside Quarter with perhaps up to 1000 residents coming on stream, it is impossible to imagine how these people will get on a train at WandsworthTown or Putney in the already overcrowded rush hour trains. In addition, we understand that local GP practices are already at full capacity and not accepting new patients. Likewise local schools .

In addition, the local roads are already under pressure. Wandsworth one way and Putney High Street, Putney Bridge Road and adjoining roads will be further gridlocked. These issues highlight those created not just by this development but by the whole raft of tall building developments being built in Wandsworth.

The council seem to think that taken in isolation that residents will fail to appreciate what this means for their standard of living eg busy roads, getting to work, getting to school, going to the doctor. As a resident of Wandsworth I am disappointed that without proper challenge we could see this borough ruined by greedy speculators, who have not the slightest interest in the well being of local residents. I hope because I think that Wandsworth Council have a reputation for putting their residents first that this will receive the proper attention that it deserves.
                                         

November 29, 2005