The huge site near Sutton station was approved for redevelopment in December 2023 with the B&Q store ultimately closing down in 2024.
This development will see eight buildings ranging from six to 21 storeys at their tallest point, added to the ever-growing Sutton skyline with 970 homes already approved. However the new application asks for permission to increase this to 1,014.
The site will also feature 8,786 sqm of new open space, including retail areas, a new public park named Chalk Green, and a cycle-friendly pathway.
St George, the developers, say the new open space will revitalise the former B&Q site, linking Manor Park to the north and Warren Recreation Ground to the east.
The revised plan is recommended to be approved by Sutton’s Planning Committee on Wednesday (March 5).
The changes would also see the number of affordable homes growing from 337 to 353. An increase in height to six of the 12 blocks previously approved will create the space for the extra homes.
Simultaneously some parts of some of the blocks will reduce in height as they are made up of more than one interconnected buildings.
Expanded play space for all ages, one additional blue badge parking space, and increased cycle parking for residents are proposed under the revisions.
Despite council officers recommending it for approval, they say the council will have to discuss what level of impact these changes will have on the street scene.
Since these plans were first proposed in 2020, residents have raised concerns over what they see as the over development of Sutton, with one resident calling the plans an ‘urban dystopia’.
Some people fear the influx of new residents would place further pressure on what they see as the borough’s ‘strained’ public services.
Last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to medical professionals at Sutton’s Robin Hood Lane Health Centre about the impact of a growing population on their services.
Resident GP Naomi Bennett told the LDRS: “Between the two censuses in 2010 and 2021, there are 20,000 more residents in Sutton and more so since 2021 to 23. We also used to have 23 surgeries in Sutton, and now we’re onto 22, it’s a numbers game.”
Parking has also been a bone of contention throughout the planning process. The development currently proposes 64 car parking spaces for 1,014 homes.
This limited number is based on directions from the London Plan and Sutton local policy requirements, which aim to restrict parking within new developments.
During the 2023 meeting, residents raised concerns over the limited parking, fearing an overflow onto nearby roads with no parking control.
One resident argued that the lack of parking would force new residents to use unreliable public transport.
Despite this, Sutton Council has assured residents that its public services and transport would be able to cope with the growing demand. The new application will be heard next week.
