Stag Brewery developers win appeal to build 1,075 homes in Mortlake after ten-year battle

Image: Visualisation of the scheme for the site of the Stag Brewery in Mortlake

Planning Inspector finds in favour of developer Reselton Properties and Richmond Council

The developers of the Stag Brewery site on the riverside at Mortlake have been granted permission to build a new neighbourhood with 1,075 homes, a school, shops and offices after a ten-year fight.

The development on the south bank of the River Thames was subject to a Planning Inquiry in November last year. Developers Reselton Properties appealed against LB Richmond Upon Thames’ non-determination of their application.

The Council approved the applications in July 2023, but then new fire regulations post Grenfell were introduced requiring second staircases in buildings above 18 metres and the developers revised their plans.

The Mayor of London raised a number of strategic issues – that the overall level of affordable housing was too low and should be increased, he said, and the tenure mix revised and weighted in favour of social rent.

At the Inquiry Richmond Council supported Reselton Properties’ application, while the Greater London Authority (GLA), Mortlake Brewery Community Group (MBCG) and West London River Group (WLRG) opposed it. There were more than 1,000 objections to the £1.3 billion scheme.

Image: Stag Brewery development CGI; Reselton Properties

Only 65 ‘affordable’ homes

Planning inspector Glen Rollings has approved both applications – one for the new homes, the other for the school, a 1,200 place secondary school with a sixth form.

The buildings rise in height to nine storeys. Only 65 of the planned homes will be ‘affordable’. There are plans for restaurants, shops, offices, a cinema, and space for a hotel.

The developers argue this is regeneration of a brownfield site, bringing full time jobs as well as temporary construction jobs, and much needed homes as well as meeting Richmond Council’s identified education needs. They say it will open up a section of the riverbank to public access which has been closed to the public for decades.

There has been a brewery on the site in Mortlake since 1487. James Watney & Co. bought the Mortlake Brewery in 1889 and built the Maltings building in 1903. It suffered several direct hits during the Blitz.

Anheuser Busch InBev began operating on the site in 1995 and they began brewing Budweiser there. The company announced their intention to leave in 2009 and ceased brewing in 2015, when Reselton Properties bought the site.

The Mortlake Brewery Community Group, set up in 2017 to enable the local community to respond to the planned redevelopment of the old Mortlake Stag Brewery site, thought the developer’s plans gave little compensatory gain to the local community.

It pointed out the scheme did not comply with the borough’s stated policies of securing 50% affordable housing or the GLA ‘s target of 35% and said the school was neither required nor fit for purpose and was opposed by the three local secondary schools.

Image: Stag Brewery; Google Maps

Opponents say the development will be detrimental to the river and to the towpath

The West London River Group’s key concern was the impact of the scheme on the River Thames and the towpath, listing among their concerns:

‘overshadowing by tall buildings, increased traffic, poor air quality, drainage issues, and insufficient ecological considerations.’

They say there has always been flooding along this stretch of the River.

‘High tides, Spring tides and in recent years exceptional rainfall combined with an increasing volume of water coming off the land and flowing downstream. In addition, there has been an increase in the frequency of Thames Water releasing water into the Thames.’

This should ring alarm bells for anyone considering constructing new homes beside the river.

Also: ‘the extra foot and cycle usage that will be generated by the number of residents and people working within the proposed development is not sustainable given the varying width of the Towpath along this stretch of the River.’

Image: Stag Brewery development CGI; Reselton Properties

Inspector rules new homes are needed and will not have a significantly harmful effect on transport

Planning inspector Glen Rollings said in his report that the design of the development would benefit the area overall and have a positive effect on the local housing supply, providing the maximum amount possible for the site.

He added the scheme ‘would not have a significantly harmful effect on transport’ and accepted Richmond Council’s argument that the new school was needed.

In conclusion he wrote:

“The provision of an extended community that adds to the existing character of Mortlake and provides a focus for the area with new streets, spaces and improved access to the riverside, designed and built to a generally high standard, is a substantial benefit.”

Image: View east from Chiswick Bridge towards the Stag Brewery site

“The perfect manifestation of all that is wrong with our planning system”

Clare Delmar, one of the Mortlake Brewery Community Group, told The Chiswick Calendar:

‘Ten years after purchasing the site, City Developments Limited, a listed property company based in Singapore, finally has the planning permission it needs to undertake the regeneration of the Stag Brewery in Mortlake.

‘It has been a long and arduous process, overseen by three council leaders, two MPs, two London mayors and six Prime Ministers, not to mention unelected officials in London Borough of Richmond, the GLA, the Department of Housing and communities, the Department of Education, and the Planning Inspectorate.

‘The one consistent stakeholder along the way has been the Mortlake Brewery Community Group, representing the interests of local residents and businesses in Mortlake, Barnes and Sheen.

‘In addition to being the largest redevelopment project in Richmond, and one of the top ten largest in London, the Stag Brewery regeneration stands out as the perfect manifestation of all that is wrong with our planning system here in the UK.London desperately needs homes.

‘This large, dormant site desperately needs redevelopment. While the plan approved last week is not ideal, I sincerely hope that the process in getting here has opened eyes and forged opportunities for community engagement going forward. Watch this space.’

Clare writes a blog on community and planning matters here: Clare Delmar blog

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