Photo Rockwell Property
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.
Public Inquiry Day 1: After one battle after another, the last battle over the Battersea Bridge tower begins
The long-awaited public inquiry into Rockwell’s hugely controversial 29-storey tower finally got underway at Wandsworth Town Hall today. Lawyers, planners, campaigners and residents lined up for the opening salvos in what promises to be an eight-day planning war over...
Wandsworth Council Chief: ‘Rockwell has behaved arrogantly and has no care for what residents or the council thinks of its tower. It they lose the appeal, they should pay our costs’
Wandsworth Council’s leading planning chief has blasted developers of the controversial tower by Battersea Bridge as ‘arrogant’ and acting with ‘no care’ for the views of residents, or the council. Councillor Tony Belton, chairman of the Planning Applications...
Press Gazette interview – Save Battersea Riverside campaign highlighted to the powers of UK media
Rob McGibbon was interviewed for Press Gazette by writer Alice Brooker to mark the first anniversary of The Chelsea Citizen. The article covered a range of issues about the successes and challenges during the first year of the hyper-local journalism venture. The piece...
Riverside Radio – Rob McGibbon discusses the campaign to Save Battersea Riverside
In this interview for Jason & Ali’s Breakfast Show on the Battersea radio station, Rob McGibbon talked to reporter Patrick Hess about the forthcoming Public Inquiry into the Battersea Bridge tower. They discussed the determined efforts by thousands of residents,...