Housing row led by Jude Law and Dominic Cooper gets early win

A Labour-run council has deferred its decision to convert a car park into 45 new homes after drawing criticism from an army of A-list celebrities.

Backed by Jude Law, Dominic Cooper and Sarah Hadland, a campaign group is fighting plans to build 20 terraced houses and 25 flats as part of two towering blocks in the Blackheath Station car park, where the thriving farmers’ market is held every Sunday. 

The proposals would reduce the 162-space car park to just 17 – something locals fear will create ‘fighting for spaces’.

Concerns have also been raised that the new homes would have negative effects on the Blackheath Conservation Area, which was one of the first in the capital.

So far, Lewisham Council has received more than 1,200 objections to the plans, including from a local school and dozens of local businesses, with just 30 comments in support and 12 neutral comments.  

Mr Law previously stated that the flats would be a ‘stain’ on the ‘wonderful’ South London village, as Mr Cooper urged the council to dismiss the plans, claiming it ‘prioritises developer profit, whilst ignoring overwhelming public opposition’.

While, Ms Hadland accused the council of hypocrisy, enforcing strict planning laws on residents while pushing through developers’ projects.

However, despite the plans being recommended for approval, Lewisham councillors decided to defer a decision on the development at a council meeting on Tuesday evening until further information is gathered on its impact on the village and its farmers’ market. 

Mr Cooper, who also starred in Mamma Mia and The History Boys, insisted people who object are not ‘anti-development’ but are ‘demanding development that is fair, responsible, and puts local people at the heart of decision-making’.

‘To plough ahead with a proposal of this size, that provides so little social and affordable housing, that prioritises developer profit, whilst ignoring overwhelming public opposition would amount to a devastating betrayal of the electorate,’ he said.

An open letter was also signed by a host of high-profile public figures, including Hollywood heartthrob Mr Law, fashion legend Jeff Banks and renowned author and humanitarian Sir Terry Waite.   

Mr Law wrote: ‘I grew up in Blackheath. My junior school was across from the site where this proposed development will take place.

‘This plan does not answer housing needs. Instead this plan will enforce a strain on a wonderful old village that deserves our protection.’

Last year, 80 local businesses signed a separate open letter urging the council to reject the plans, saying it is ‘the single biggest threat to the survival of Blackheath’s independent retailers’ and the ‘unique character of the village’. 

TV Actress Sarah Hadland, 54, who has lived in the south-east London village for more than 20 years, has also called out the plans.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, The Miranda star said: ‘This is a good landmark to say “no this has to stop, you cannot destroy areas to make money for private developers”. 

‘They are the ones that are going to come out this the best. How does that work? They don’t have to live here.’

Ms Hadland, who was a Strictly Come Dancing finalist last year, added: ‘It’s very wrong and has to be stopped. If it doesn’t, this will become routine everywhere across this country. People will just be going, ‘We’ll build where we like because we want to make money”.’

‘I appreciate all different types of architecture but if you put something as sympathetic as that, it just looks extraordinary.’ 

Also fighting is musician Chris Difford from the band Squeeze, which was formed locally. He said: ‘This is heartbreaking – Blackheath has a skyline that is already suffocated by the horizon of Canary Wharf and the buildings in neighbouring Lewisham.

‘We must respect the beauty and freedom that the sky provides around Blackheath Village and say no to this new development.’ 

Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, 76, added: ‘Blackheath has always been a treasured area and one of London’s last intact villages.

‘Let’s please leave it alone.’

The proposed plans also include a farmers’ market – which already runs every Sunday – a public square, cycle parking and the relocation of a sewer.

However, residents’ group Reject Blackheath Station say the towering buildings do not fit the style of the area and block light from existing terrace houses.

Parents and staff at the John Ball Primary School have also recently added their voices to objections, saying the flats would tower over them, blocking natural light and disrupting pupils’ privacy.   

In a statement on Lewisham Council’s deferral, a spokesman for the Reject Blackheath Station group said: ‘We feel that this is a really positive decision at this point.

‘It shows that, unlike the developer who has consistently ignored the feedback the community has given them – which is why we’re in this mess – the councillors are actually listening to what residents and businesses are telling them.

‘They’re asking for actual evidence rather than just accepting whatever the developer and planning officers have come up with. This is a really good sign.

‘We’re also really pleased that the three Blackheath ward councillors have got behind us in the way they have. It’s a good result.’

Olly Payne, a dad-of-two and local resident who has lived in Blackheath all his life, branded the proposals for the car park ‘ridiculous’.

‘It’s a conservation area,’ the 52-year-old said.

‘There’s a point to conservation areas: to preserve the heritage of London, which seems to be getting lost.

‘Blackheath is a very old and well-respected conservation area, but the proposed buildings are completely out of character and scale with what’s around them.

‘Nobody is against housing or development in general. What we are against is bad development – and this is bad development.’

IT worker Mr Payne added that the huge reduction in parking spaces could badly affect local businesses, especially given the farmers’ market – which attracts thousands of people to Blackheath each Sunday – will have to move whilst construction is ongoing.

He says Network Rail had tried to get a similar development through back in 2006, but points out that both Lewisham and Greenwich councils stopped the plans due to concerns over a loss of parking in the area.

Though London Farmers Market Limited, which manages the Blackheath market, do not oppose the plans – which incorporate the market – Mr Payne says it will cause ‘significant disruption’ at the very least and that the effect this will have is completely unknown.

Mr Payne also pointed to a planning report that claimed builders would provide ‘additional trade’ during construction.

A spokesperson from Acorn Property Group, however, previously claimed their proposals would support both local residents and the natural environment of Blackheath.

‘The Proposed Development seeks to bring forward an opportunity to unlock the development potential of the existing site: under-utilised brownfield land, primarily functioning as a car park for Blackheath Station,’ they said.

‘Through sensitive heritage-led design and a highly sustainable redevelopment approach, the proposals are wholly in line with national, London and local planning policies that promote increased housing supply in response to the urgent need for new homes.

‘The pre-application process was accompanied and informed by engagement (via in-person events, as well as online) with local residents, businesses and stakeholders including the Blackheath Society – and the team continue to welcome comments and enquiries from interested residents and businesses throughout the planning process.

‘The proposed development will deliver 45 high-quality sustainable homes, including much-needed, entirely social-rented, family-sized affordable housing, re-provision and enhancement of the farmers market and a substantial number of public benefits prioritising a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable development that supports both residents and the natural environment.

‘The proposals are formally supported by the London Farmers Market (LFM) operators of the Blackheath Farmers Market for the past 20 years.’

A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said: ‘The planning committee deferred the Blackheath Station car park application because members were not satisfied they had the information needed to make a fully informed decision.

‘In particular, councillors were clear they needed stronger and more detailed evidence about the potential impact of the proposals on Blackheath’s economy.

‘Deferring the application ensures residents’ concerns can be properly considered and any decision is taken with a full understanding of the likely effects on local businesses and the wider area.

‘Our priority is securing the best possible outcome for Blackheath.’

A final decision will rest with the Strategic Planning Committee and is expected in the autumn.