Policy information sourced from Wandsworth Employment and Industry Document

EI 3 Protected employment land and premises

Strategic reservoir of industrial land

A strategic reservoir of industrial land will be retained in the borough, made up of the Queenstown Road, Battersea Strategic Industrial Location (SIL) and the following Locally Significant Industrial Areas (LSIAs) in the Wandle Valley as identified on the Policies Map:

  • Old Sargeant
  • Kimber Road
  • Lydden Road
  • Thornsett Road
  • Summerstown

The SIL and LSIAs will be the main focus of land for industry, logistics, storage, warehousing, and waste management. In addition, the Queenstown Road SIL will provide land for transport functions including rail freight. Appropriate uses for the SIL and LSIAs are set out in policy EI6.

The northern and western edges of the Queenstown Road, Battersea SIL will be promoted for Industrial Business Park (IBP) uses, as set out in policy EI6.

Protecting office floorspace

Office (B1a) floorspace will be protected in the following locations:

  • Town centres
  • Local centres
  • The Central Activities Zone
  • Focal Points
  • Employment protection areas

Redevelopment proposals in the locations set out in point 3 above will only be permitted if:

  • they would result in no net loss of office floorspace, or
  • there is no demand to use the premises as offices. Policy EI7 sets out how demand should be established.

Employment protection areas

Premises that provide economic floorspace in the areas listed below will be protected.

  • Premises that are in industrial use should continue to provide B1c, B2, B8 or industrial sui generis uses unless it is demonstrated there is no demand for a. industrial use of the premises, in accordance with policy EI7. If it has been demonstrated that there is no demand for the industrial use, the preferred alternative will be to use or redevelop the premises as office floorspace.
  • Premises that are in office use will be protected unless it is demonstrated that there is no demand for the office use, in accordance with policy EI7.

Redevelopment proposals in employment protection areas for mixed use including residential will be permitted if the development would result in no net loss of the existing office and industrial floorspace, and if the mix of uses can be successfully achieved on site in accordance with policy EI5.

The following areas will be protected as identified on the Policies Map:

  • Smugglers Way, Jews Row and Battersea Reach
  • Battersea Business Centre, 99-109 Lavender Hill.
  • Jaggard Way
  • Wimbledon Sewing Centre, Balham Cars, Balham High Road
  • Irene House, 218 Balham Road, 25 Boundaries Road
  • College Mews, St Anns Hill and 190-194 St Anns Hill
  • Hillgate Place, Balham Hill
  • Princeton Court, Felsham Road
  • 116 & 118 Putney Bridge Road
  • Eagle House, Armoury Way
  • 57 Putney Bridge Road, 88-92 Putney Bridge Road and 2-3 Adelaide Road
  • 70 Upper Richmond Road and 5 Manfred Road
  • Smiths Yard, Earlsfield
  • 7A Putney Bridge Road, Triangle House, 2 Broomhill Road and Spencer Court, 140-142 Wandsworth High Street
  • Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, John Archer Way
  • The Old Imperial Laundry, 71-73 Warriner Gardens
  • 124 Latchmere Road and 187-207 Lavender Hill

Employment uses will be protected in Economic Use Intensification Areas, in accordance with policy EI2.

Focal points

Mixed use development including residential is appropriate within Focal Points of Activity. In these areas, redevelopment of sites currently or most recently in industrial use must replace all commercial floorspace on the site, in accordance with Core Strategy policy PL9 which encourages a wider mix of uses at focal points of activity located along the riverside. Replacement floorspace can include town centre uses (with A1 floorspace limited to 300 sq ms cumulatively across the focal point, in accordance with policy DMO8).

Railway arches

Railway arches and viaducts provide a range of uses and make a significant contribution to industrial and other economic floorspace within the borough. In appropriate locations, Railway arches also have the potential to contribute to the vitality and viability of town and local centres and the CAZ. In order to ensure that this contribution to the borough’s economy continues, railway arches will be protected in the following ways, according to their use and location:

  • The use of railway arches within town and local centres and the Central Activities Zone for all B class uses and town centre uses will be supported, subject to part 7 of this policy.
  • Within the SIL, only B1c, B2, B8 and appropriate sui generis use of railway arches will be supported.
  • Elsewhere, the use of railway arches for B class uses will be supported. Those that are in industrial use should continue to provide B1c, B2, B8 or industrial sui generis uses unless there is no demand for industrial use of the premises. Non B class uses of railway arches will only be supported if there is no demand for B class use of the premises, in accordance with policy EI7.
  • In some instances, the opening up of railway arches and surrounding land to facilitate new public access and improve permeability may be required. Railway arches that already provide public access must maintain this access.

New Covent Garden Market

The wholesale function of New Covent Garden Market will be protected, including the railway arches adjacent to the site. The consolidation and reconfiguration of New Covent Garden Market will be supported in principle, subject to demonstrating that the operational requirements of the market as a whole would continue to be met.

For more information please see the Employment and Industry Document