Councillors have approved plans to build an eleven-storey office block on Long Lane, just down from Borough Underground Station.
Planning committee members were concerned the 47-metre building would block out sunlight for residents on the Empire Square South estate but eventually gave it the thumbs up on Tuesday, February 21.
In their report, a council officer concluded the building would provide an “additional, high quality office” and that the “308 additional jobs and good quality employment floor space are positive aspects of the proposal”.
There is also anger that this will mean demolishing the 19th century ‘The Selected Rug Company’ building, considered by some to be an important piece of industrial architectural heritage.
A similar application submitted in 2019 was not approved after a council officer concluded the height, scale and mass of the building were “inappropriate”.
Destruction of much-loved Long Lane landmark and important piece of the Borough's 19th and 20th century industrial heritage. The building's "structurally sound", so why no attempt to #retrofit? How can you approve this @lb_southwark?https://t.co/Z82NgMeuVn pic.twitter.com/SLI2pP3Io6
— Trees For Bermondsey (@BermondseyTrees) February 20, 2023
An inspector had said the scale of the development as viewed from Pilgrimage Street was “overly dominant”.
The applicant, listed only as ’74 – 84 Long Lane Ltd’, was forced back to the drawing board.
Councillors considering the revised application were satisfied by changes to the Pilgrimage Street side which recessed the building back further from the street.
However, there were significant concerns about light loss to neighbouring buildings, particularly the Empire Square South estate. One report found 62 of its 119 windows would suffer ‘major’ light loss.
But the applicant produced a second ‘mirror image’ light report which found that just six windows would experience ‘major’ light loss.
‘Mirror image’ readings are acceptable when an existing building has windows that are unusually close to the site boundary, but councillors still questioned its suitability.
Rotherhithe Councillor Bethan Roberts said she was unsure “as to why the mirror image assessment was used as opposed to the way we have done it on every other plan that has come forward”.
Objector Terry Weston from the Empire Square Residents’ Association said: “My point was just that it’s such an overdevelopment of the site. Would there be any chance of stepping back the structure particularly on the Pilgrimage road side? Because the buildings are right in the face of the residential flats in Pilgrimage Street.”
But five of the six councillors approved the plans with Cllr Reginald Popoola abstaining.
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