A controversial plan to build 32 new council homes on a Putney estate has been approved, despite residents’ warnings that it will “rip apart” their way of life.
Wandsworth Council’s Labour-led Planning Committee voted 6-4 in favor of the Whitnell Way Estate redevelopment on Wednesday (February 26), paving the way for three new blocks of flats—up to five storeys tall—to be built on land currently used for parking.
The decision means the estate will lose 35 parking spaces, 10 garages, 35 storage units, and bin stores, while eight trees will be cut down to make way for the new homes.
The council insists the project (Case: 2024/0307) is part of its Homes for Wandsworth scheme, which aims to deliver 1,000 new council homes by 2029. With 13,513 households on the borough’s waiting list, officials say the development will provide much-needed affordable housing.
However, opposition councillors and residents argue the cost to the community is too high.
Conservative councillor Nick Austin warned the scheme is a “disaster waiting to happen,” saying:
This application threatens to irreversibly damage the character of Whitnell Way. It sacrifices vital green spaces and negatively impacts the day-to-day lives of residents who have built their homes and families here.
Ahead of the decision, the council received 153 objections from concerned residents. Many fear overcrowding, loss of privacy, and worsening mental health due to the changes.
One resident wrote:
This proposal will destroy everything that makes this estate livable, replacing natural daylight and open areas with cramped, oppressive conditions that breed frustration, tension, and constant noise.
Another objector claimed:
Taking away our garages and store sheds will make everything more crowded, messier, and unsafe. People will be forced to leave bikes, prams, and other things in hallways or outside, making it easier for them to be stolen.
Others criticised the development as “being forced onto us,” adding that it will “bring all the disadvantages of a high density build, and the degradation of our environment, which will also have an impact on the ecology of this green estate [including] the loss of our
mature trees.”
Council Defends Decision
A report submitted with the planning application insists that green spaces will be improved, with the estate’s playground upgraded and 85 new trees planted. Officials also argue that nearby streets have enough parking capacity to absorb the loss of estate spaces.
Council officers acknowledged the project would impact daylight, privacy, and outlook for existing residents but insisted these concerns were “broadly acceptable” when weighed against the need for affordable housing.
As with other controversial plans pushed through by the council in West Putney, now approval is granted, work on Whitnell Way’s transformation is set to begin soon—whether residents like it or not.
