Kingston Council’s planning committee has granted permission for the demolition of existing buildings at 22 Gloucester Road to make way for a three-storey co-living development.
The approved plans will see the site redeveloped into a 34-unit co-living accommodation with a basement, as well as additional landscaping, cycle storage, rubbish facilities and a disabled parking bay.
There was some opposition to the new plan.
Vice-Chair Councillor Roger Hayes said: “The scale of the development is completely out of keeping with the surrounding area. It looms over existing homes and will change the street scene dramatically.”
Spokesperson Patricia Haywood also voiced concern at the proposals on behalf of local resident David Morgan.
Haywood said: “We are not against housing, we’re against inappropriate development. This proposal is too tall, too dense, and too damaging.”
Councillor Mark Durant also opposed the plan, while Councillor Farshid Sadr-Hashemi said: “The application doesn’t meet the standards we’ve set ourselves for sustainable development. I don’t believe we’re upholding the climate commitments this borough agreed on.”
Despite the objections, the application passed with nine votes in favour and one abstention.
Committee Chair Cllr Mark Beynon said: “This committee must judge each application on planning grounds, not sentiment. We understand the public concern, but our legal duty is to assess what is in line with national and local planning policies.”
A council planning officer said that the scheme met London Plan density guidelines and Kingston’s minimum space standards.
He said: “We’ve received 54 written objections. The majority relate to the scale, traffic generation, and overshadowing.”
