The club has confirmed it hopes to submit a new application “in due course”.
Bannatyne Health Club in Grove Park, on the border of Lewisham and Bromley, submitted an application to build the sizable residential development on land to the north and east of the club, as well as improvements to and the provision of sports pitches around the 11.6 acre site, last December.
The application was validated by both Bromley and Lewisham Councils earlier this year.
The 80 homes would have been “a mixture of types and tenures” with 28 of them being affordable units in a split of 60 per cent social and affordable rented houses and 40 per cent intermediate provision.
Bannatyne outlined what it saw as the benefits of the proposal in planning documents, stating it would provide “much needed” market and affordable housing as well as “new and improved sporting facilities” and “formal public open space”.
The health club operator—founded by Scottish entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den alum Duncan Bannatyne in the 1990s—also believed that developing the “long unused site” would be a positive due to the Quaggy River to the east being a “defensible boundary” to the wider Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and green chain in which the development site lies.
However, nearby residents to the health club took the opposite view, with one objector stating that the proposed loss of MOL “must be of grave concern to all Londoners”.
They continued: “If the application is approved it sends a strong message that all protected land is under threat.”
MOL is a form of land designation that provides the same level of protection as the green belt and it is intended to protect areas of landscape, recreation, nature conservation or scientific interest.
Many residents bemoaned the potential loss of MOL green space that the homes would cause, especially the loss of around 250 mature trees and the effect that would have on local ecosystems.
One objector commented: “The destruction of all the natural habitat and trees is unacceptable.”
Another said: “We are in the midst of a climate emergency and the destruction of green spaces, especially given their cooling effect on the urban surroundings, is difficult to contemplate.”
CPRE London, a charity dedicated to protecting, preserving and promoting the capital’s green spaces, said: “This is inappropriate development on MOL. Exceptional circumstances cannot be said to exist and the proposed benefits of the scheme do not outweigh the enormous damage that would be caused to this beautiful and unique area of countryside.
“The impact of the development on the openness of the MOL would be so great that its designation would cease to have any meaning.”
Other concerns included the potential for flooding caused by the development’s close proximity to the River Quaggy. The development site was on a flood plain and some neighbours feared their houses would be at risk of flooding if the proposal was approved.
Another issue raised by objectors was the potential pressure on local infrastructure that could be caused by an influx of new residents.
Traffic and transport were also concerns as the 80 homes would only have one vehicular access point via Marvels Lane.
One resident said: “Since the introduction of LTNs and the road works on the A205, the amount of increased traffic along Winn Road, Exford Road and Marvels Lane has been horrendous in that I feel imprisoned during rush hours.
“To try and get to Grove Park, Lewisham or Mottingham by car or foot can take an inordinate amount of time just to exit or cross Winn Road, Jevington Way, Exford Road or Marvels Lane.
“Travelling though Grove Park during rush hour is not to be considered unless absolutely necessary. With this development, exit onto a corner of Marvels Lane would be impossible.
“I suspect a through way will be proposed by way of Jevington Way and create a ‘rat run’ to Grove Park through roads that are not designed to cope as it is single traffic only with parked cars.”
In response to the planning application withdrawal, a Bannatyne spokesperson said: “Following discussions with relevant planning authorities we have withdrawn the initial application. After further dialogue we hope to submit a new application in due course.”
