The Citizen Campaign – Save Battersea Riverside
The fight continues to stop a voracious property developer from building an enormous apartment block on the south side of Battersea Bridge. If granted permission, One Battersea Bridge would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to more towers and, ultimately, the devastation of this relatively untouched stretch of the riverside. Further to the west would also be in danger.
The original planning application by Rockwell Property was vehemently opposed by thousands of residents and a plethora of respected groups, including Historic England, Environment Agency, the Emergency Services, RSPB and multiple London societies. It was also roundly opposed by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Wandsworth councils.
Following a lengthy meeting of Wandsworth Council’s planning committee last April, the proposals were unanimously rejected. Despite all the highly considered opposition to its plans, Rockwell Property appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. This has prompted a costly public inquiry that begins on 17th March at Wandsworth Town Hall and will last eight days.
This page provides all the background to the proposals and to the campaign which started in June 2024. to stop it. The Chelsea Citizen will be covering every day of the public inquiry. Its reports will be posted here.
How the press reported the tower campaign victory
Such was the high profile nature of the S.O.B.B campaign, and the wider significance of the planning battle, that the victory two years later brought extensive media coverage. Every main national newspaper covered it in depth and hundreds of news websites followed...
An Inspector made the right call. Full reaction as Rockwell’s dream crumbles to dust
For more than two years, the proposed Battersea Bridge tower has dominated conversation s on both sides of the river, sparking fierce debate over heritage, skyline and the future character of an historical stretch of London's riverside. The Planning Inspector...
THE TOWER IS TOPPLED – Planning Inspector dismisses Rockwell’s appeal
Campaigners are celebrating in Chelsea and Battersea today after a Government planning inspector dramatically threw out Rockwell’s hugely controversial plans for a 29-storey riverside tower beside Battersea Bridge. In a crushing blow to the developer, Planning...
AI film shows how Rockwell Property’s tower for Battersea Bridge might unfold
The Chelsea Citizen partnered with the Friends of Battersea Riverside - our campaigning compatriots across the water - to create a short film to depict how Rockwell Property's tower development might pan out. The video was constructed using AI and it portrays the...