A plan to replace a long-standing community building in Wandsworth Town with a boutique hotel was approved by councillors on Thursday night — without a single mention of several policy breaches or the fact it had been met with unanimous opposition from residents.
Despite clear rules in Wandsworth’s Local Plan designed to protect community spaces from being built over and lost forever, councillors failed to acknowledge that the developer marketed the site for just six weeks — a mere twelfth of the 18-month minimum their own policy requires before such redevelopment can be considered.
Nor did they mention the total loss of dedicated community space — from 266 sqm in the former Salvation Army hall to a shared 100 sqm of café seating in a space designed for hotel guests. There was also no mention of the fact that residents had been almost entirely excluded from the consultation process.
Instead, discussion focused on hotel waste management and speculative employment opportunities. The only substantive planning objection raised related to the height of the proposed six-storey building, which breaches the area’s 18-metre limit by nearly four metres. Even that concern was brushed off by officers, who said the oversize hotel “sits comfortably” in the local skyline.
The meeting confirmed what many residents already feared: when it comes to big-ticket developments, their voices are neither heard nor respected.
A pattern of silence
Officers introduced the item — a proposal for a 50-room boutique hotel at the former Salvation Army site on Ram Street — by confirming their recommendation for approval. But they did not mention the core planning test under Policy LP17 about a full 18-month marketing process being required before a finding of no demand is reached.
None of the councillors on the committee raised this point. Nor did they address the lack of a replacement facility, despite LP17 requiring that community uses either be retained or re-provided.
The committee also ignored 22 formal objections from residents, many of whom had criticised the consultation as “tokenistic” or “wholly inadequate.” Adding to the sense that neither party was interested in the community’s views, local ward councillors — including Conservative group leader Cllr Will Sweet and former Labour mayor Cllr Sana Jafri — had failed to meet residents or attend any meetings about the proposal despite being invited.
What did they talk about?
Instead of scrutinising those core issues, committee members asked questions about the Ram Street development:
- How refuse bins would be accessed by hotel staff
- Whether local residents might be prioritised for hotel jobs
- Why a comment had come from North East London NHS
The most serious concern — that the Ram Street building would tower over nearby two-storey homes — was raised briefly. Officers responded with vague reassurances that the design had been “assessed” and was “acceptable”. The breach of height policy was never interrogated.
A fait accompli?
The mood of the meeting suggested a decision had already been made. Committee chair Cllr Tony Belton even opened with an apology for basic errors in a different planning report — North and South had been reversed throughout — but said deferring the item would have “caused the applicant quite a lot of money and inconvenience”. He waved the issue away, despite acknowledging the report was riddled with mistakes.
The vote to approve was taken without debate. Not one councillor voted against or abstained.
Ignored, again
What’s left is a deep sense of frustration among Ram Street residents — not only that a community space will be lost, but that the process supposed to protect it simply didn’t function. The Local Plan rules were not followed. Community concerns were not heard. The councillors entrusted with oversight did not ask the questions.
And with just under £100,000 in Section 106 contributions included in the deal — none of it earmarked for community replacement — many residents are left asking: was the decision already bought and paid for?
