Mayor says planning framwork for 16,000 homes along south bank of the Thames is the 'final piece in the jigsaw' for central London

The mayor of London has published a planning framework for Nine Elms in London which could provide up to 16,000 homes, 25,000 jobs and transport links over the next two decades.

In a press release, Boris Johnson said the scruffy 200ha zone that stretches between Vauxhall and Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the Thames was “the final piece in the jigsaw that completes the central area of London.”

The planning proposal conceded that relocation of the US embassy to the area and the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and New Covent Garden Market were key to successful regeneration of Nine Elms.

  • The plans are published in a planning framework for Nine Elms which also proposes:
  • permitting tall buildings on the site where they are appropriate and do not compromise the setting of the Palace of Westminster
  • a park for residents accommodating a range of uses including allotments linking to the food economy at New Covent Garden
  • pedestrian and cycle networks
  • better designed homes and communities bringing relief to an area suffering from multiple levels of deprivation
  • a decentralised energy network connecting to other existing and planned district heating networks at Pimlico, Whitehall and Westminster.

To support regeneration, the mayor said that section 106 contributions for the area would go towards an extension of the Northern Line to the area rather than Crossrail.

Last month, the US Foreign Service received planning permission from Wandsworth council to build an embassy in the area. The current US embassy is set to move to the site from Grosvenor Square.

Work has also begun on an outline application for redeveloping New Covent Garden Market.

The Greater London Authority will consult on the proposal before offering a final version next year.

In a separate development, the GLA said that it would offer a 20% discount on the Crossrail levy for the rest of commercial development in London’s central activity zone for projects starting before 31 March next year in order to encourage activity.

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