Residents' Fury over Homes Plan for Putney Communal Garden
Scheme to build detached house in Putney Hill submitted to planners
Visualisation from the developer of the house planned in the Sylva Court garden
July 14, 2023
Plans to build a three-bedroom house in the communal garden of a block of flats in Putney Hill have been met with objections from local residents, who claim it will cause the loss of a “beautiful green space…that serves as a vital hub for community engagement and well being”.
Wandsworth council is seeking comments on the application by planning consultants DLBP Ltd, who have applied for permission to build the detached home, with a green wall, in the rear communal garden of Sylva Court.
The scheme, which the developers say would take a year to build, follows another controversial application to build six flats in two new storeys on top of Sylva Court. That plan was approved by the council last month despite 29 objections from neighbours.
Now residents of Sylva Court are among those making objections to the latest application. The council is seeking comments until July 20, and you can make your views known by searching for application number 2023/2088 on the council’s planning explorer.
An architect’s report prepared to back the application states the new home would be a “living building” in line with national and local planning policies. It would have “a green wall on the north elevation…this wall will provide visual public amenity, to contribute towards the biodiversity on the site.”
The green wall is designed for climbing plants, there would also be two secure cycle spaces and a bamboo planted area is proposed along the existing garage wall to add “natural visual amenity”.
Four lime trees now subject to a Tree Preservation Order would be felled to enable the new home to be built, but six new trees would be built elsewhere around Sylva Court.
The report by Northlight Architects concludes: “The proposal seeks to create a discrete but elegant building, having regard for the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
“We have shown how the constraints of the site have been used to inform the design and to create an elegant scheme for a family house filled with light and encircled by vegetation.”
Another visualisation from the developer of the planned building
But Sylva Court resident Paula Shah said: "The construction of this new dwelling house will result in the loss of our cherished communal garden.
"The communal garden is not only a beautiful green space that enhances the aesthetic appeal of our apartment complex, but it also serves as a vital hub for community engagement and well-being. It provides a tranquil area where residents can socialise, relax, and enjoy nature.
“The proposed development will exacerbate the already critical parking situation in our neighbourhood. As residents of Sylva Court, we face daily challenges in finding adequate parking spaces for our vehicles. The addition of a new dwelling house without sufficient provisions for parking will only worsen this problem.”
Fellow Sylva Court resident William Dingli pointed out that the building works will cause months of disruption and agreed that losing the communal space would “profoundly affect people’s lives”. He was also worried about the effects on the local flora and fauna, as well as the strain on the sewerage system.
Objectors Marica Vassiliou and Alan O’Carroll, who also live in Sylva Court, agreed with the other points and made raised an additional issue about the potential felling of mature trees.
And Dr Mehrdad Khonsari, from Ross Court in Putney Hill, said depriving Sylva Court residents of their garden space was “distasteful and anti-environmental”.
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