HONDO TOWER: MORE DELAYS
In the latest twist in the “Hondo tower” saga, London mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to postpone his hearing on plans for a 20-storey tower on Pope’s Road in Brixton. It had been scheduled for 10 June.
The mayor “called in” the planning application after Lambeth council approved it in November 2020.
A terse statement appeared on the mayor’s website on 31 May this year, saying that, following a request from the applicant, “without prejudice to the mayor’s position and any subsequent decision he may make, the mayor has agreed to postpone the hearing”.
The postponement is on the basis that “significant concerns have been raised by Historic England and others which would require commensurate changes if these are to be overcome” and that “re-engagement should involve the local community as well as statutory bodies”.
The statement said notice of a new date for the hearing will be given “in due course”.
It appears to have been added in a hurry shortly before the long jubilee bank holiday as the web page it appears on still says there will be a hearing on 10 June.
Historic England’s concerns about the plan have been well known and publicised since they were made two years ago.
This is not the first delay to the planning process for the tower. A meeting of Lambeth council’s planning committee deferred consideration of the application by the Amsterdam based company AG Hondo Popes Road BV, and the mayor of London also extended his consultation period on the application.
A report by on the application by the mayor’s officers had been promised “at least seven clear days in advance of the hearing” planned for 10 June, including a recommendation to the mayor. But it had not been published on 4 June, only six days before the now postponed hearing was due.
Historic England’s letter to Lambeth council setting out its initial objections to the tower disappeared from the council’s website soon after the mayor’s announcement was made.
Lambeth council first received an application for the tower on 16 April 2020. It has been revised on more than one occasion since.
