London shopping centre to be demolished for major development
A huge redevelopment proposal for Lewisham shopping centre was given the green light last night, paving the way for hundreds of new homes to be built.
Lewisham Council officials voted to approve plans to redevelop the 1970s complex, in a move that will see it turned into 1,700 new homes, 660 student beds and 445 co-living residences.
FTSE 100 developer Landsec said it will also build a 500-capacity culture, music and arts venue that will “reignite” the area’s night-time economy, alongside a new public green space, including three new squares and more than 300 trees.
Mike Hood, COO of Landsec, said: “This is an exciting moment for the future of Lewisham’s town centre.
“These plans provide much-needed homes, community spaces and facilities that will enhance urban life for generations, while delivering sustainable returns that support our ambition for long-term growth.”
‘Comprehensive redevelopment’
The plans will see the demolition of the current shopping mall and accompanying multistory car park, though developers say there will be a “reimagined” shopping centre with the same amount of floor space.
The project will be completed across six phases and will take as long as a decade to be completed.
The planning application for the development received 784 responses from the public, of which 105 were objections and 637 were expressions of support.
But some locals were opposed, with nearly 1,000 signatures to a petition which described the proposals as “a blueprint for gentrification.”
A Landsec spokesperson said: “We’ve spent years working with the community to design our plans, many elements of which such as the meadow on top of the shopping centre, community-owned music venue, model market re-opening and both covered and uncovered shopping areas were ideas thought-up by local people.
“The comprehensive redevelopment also includes over 1,700 homes – 20 per cent of which will be a mix of different affordable housing options to rent, including social housing and London Living Rent homes for key workers.”