Policy information sourced from Wandsworth Core Strategy

PL 12 Central Wandsworth and the Wandle Delta

Southside Shopping Centre will be the main focus for shopping floorspace in the town centre, especially for the location of large floorplate “multiples”. The further improvement of shopping facilities in the Centre, particularly at the dated northern end of the centre, including Arndale Walk, in order to attract retailers and strengthen its function will be supported.

Development on the Ram Brewery site should deliver a high quality public realm, good quality housing accommodation and retailing that complements the retail offer within the Southside Centre and provides an opportunity to create a new public space of civic significance at the High Street to connect with an enhanced entrance to the north mall of the Southside Centre. This new public space will be the focal point of pedestrian activity in the town centre. The development of the Brewery will also enable the enhancement of heritage buildings and increased public access and high quality pedestrian connections through the site within a close-grained public realm, including public access, initially to the east bank of the River Wandle and facilitating the opportunity to open up the west bank of the Wandle with bridge links. A connection from the Brewery to the junction of Wandsworth Plain and Armoury Way will be the link to a new enhanced pedestrian and cycling connection north to the Thames riverside. Pedestrian routes between the town centre and Wandsworth Town Station will also be improved.

Links between the town centre and the Thames Riverside will be focused on the River Wandle. The banks of the Wandle will be improved to enhance their potential as a resource for wildlife and passive recreation including enhancing the existing open space at Causeway Island. This will continue the concept of the Wandle as an open space resource consistent with the aspirations for the Regional Park in partnership with the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust, Environment Agency and the Wandle Forum. The link will be secured as a series of ‘stepping stones’ by encouraging appropriate enabling development on adjoining sites. Funding for river related improvements will be sought where appropriate from S.106 legal agreements linked to developments within the Delta area.

Mixed use development on land previously set aside for employment use between the town centre and the riverside will help both open up the Thames riverside and improve links with the town centre while not prejudicing the continued operations of the two safeguarded wharves in the area. Redevelopment schemes would need to provide sufficient employment floorspace to comply with the criteria set out in Policies EI2 and EI3 and the relevant site allocations in the Employment and Industry Document.

Mixed use development on the former employment sites containing the Wandsworth Business Village and former Young and Co’s offices and warehouse at Buckhold Road, will provide pedestrian and cycle links to the south via a new park side promenade at Neville Gill Close. This will connect with a new route through the Hardwicks Square quarter and facilitate access to King George’s Park and the town centre. The link will be designed on ‘Home Zone’ principles where pedestrians have priority and will be accompanied by landscape improvements that will considerably improve the attractiveness of the eastern boundary of the Park.

Development in central Wandsworth and the Wandle Delta and adjacent sites should aim to meet targets of at least 1,363 new homes by 2029/30 and 61,500 sq ms of new employment floorspace in the longer term.

The impact of traffic on the town centre should be reduced in partnership with TfL, by reconfiguring the road network if practicable, by maintaining and improving accessibility to bus services and access to bus stops and by improvements, including access, to Wandsworth Town railway station. The Council will seek the implementation of a package of transport improvement measures funded largely by the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and funds from TfL and other transport infrastructure providers. Developer contributions will be sought where works on-site or in the vicinity are necessary to mitigate the impact of development, or to enable the delivery of the site, as detailed in the Council’s Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document.

The heritage core of the town centre will be safeguarded, protecting the Conservation Area from any possible harmful development, by ensuring that new development at the Ram Brewery, Southside Centre and within the Hardwicks Square quarter will be set away from listed and other sensitive High Street buildings. Higher buildings reflecting the status of the town centre while respecting existing landmark buildings may be appropriate on some sites, subject to qualifications set out in Policy IS3 and the criteria based DMPD Policy DMS4 Tall buildings.

For more information please see the Wandsworth Core Strategy