School on Mortlake Brewery Site 'Could Cause Mayhem'
Residents claim latest proposals much the same as rejected plans
CGI of the revised Stag Brewery scheme from the developer's web site
Residents fear plans for the redevelopment of Mortlake Brewery will cause mayhem if the plan for a new secondary school for around 1,200 pupils goes ahead.
The proposals are the latest to be submitted by developer Reselton Properties after a previous scheme was thrown out by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in July 2021. The development could see up to 1,085 homes built across a series of tower blocks ranging from three to nine storeys tall. The plans also include a new secondary school with sixth form, restaurants, offices, cinema, boat house, shops and a hotel on the site between Lower Richmond Road and the River Thames.
The future of the site, which dates back to 1487, has attracted controversy since locals first heard about the developer’s plans in 2017. Peter Eaton, chair of the Mortlake Brewery Community Group (MBCG), says the latest plans remain “much the same” and continue to raise concerns due to the proposed density of the new homes, resulting traffic and the amount of affordable housing.
He said, “There’s a serious question about the need for the school. The knock-on effects of the movement of pupils and cars and density with the school put massive pressure on this area. To add to all of that there’s a number of pedestrian crossings across the only road, so you’ve got all these kids coming from the station and from south of the school, because the river is the border of all of this, and they’ll all be crossing this road to come in in the mornings. It’s going to be absolute mayhem.”
He added, “We’re going to have a bit of a chaotic situation in the mornings. It’s already terrible. Hammersmith Bridge has also made that worse in the last few years, so it’s the sheer scale of the scheme with the school and all of the units and commercial uses that are going to put unbearable pressure on the road networks.”
CGI of the planned school in Mortlake from the developer's web site
Richmond Council has said a secondary school must be included in the scheme due to forecasted demand from families in the borough, but MBCG fears a new secondary school is not needed and may harm the existing schools in the area. MBCG is an umbrella group of residents who say they are not opposed to the development but want it to benefit all residents and visitors.
Reselton Properties submitted its first application to redevelop Mortlake Brewery in February 2018 and initially proposed more than 800 homes for the historic site, including a care home, assisted living homes and a secondary school.
Richmond Council approved the first two parts of the application in January 2020 but rejected the final part covering changes to the road layout at Chalkers Corner traffic junction. The plans were then called in by Mr Khan, who criticised the scheme for only providing 17 per cent affordable housing.
In response, Reselton Properties raised the level of affordable housing to 30 per cent by proposing more homes – up to 1,250 – and making some of the buildings taller. But Mr Khan refused the plans in July last year after raising concerns about the scale of the development and its impact on historic brewery buildings along the banks of the River Thames.
The latest plans, which have now been submitted to Richmond Council, would some of the buildings shortened and fewer homes built. The proposal for the secondary school remains unchanged except for an updated energy strategy.
A statement with the plans says the level of affordable housing that would be provided is “still subject to ongoing financial modelling and viability discussions”.
The Stag Brewery Team has been contacted for further comment.
Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter
April 14, 2022