Famous people, including the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger have succeeded in thwarting plans to build a 29-story tower on the banks of the River Thames in London.
Jagger, along with rock star Eric Clapton, actress Felicity Kendal and comedian Harry Hill, fought for two years against the company Rockwell Property, which planned to build a 100-meter tower near Battersea Bridge in southwest London.
Jagger, 82, who has had a home on the north coast since the early 1960s, as has bandmate Keith Richards, said the tower made "no sense" and was "completely wrong on every level".
Jagger told the Chelsea Citizen newspaper in March that he had "lived in this area for a long time and I care what happens to it. If this continues, it could lead to more high-rise buildings being built... changing this wonderful part of the Thames Riverbank forever."
Clapton, 81, warned that if the plans were approved, it would be a “free pass for all the other developers to build towers along the river”. He added: “These developers don’t care what anyone thinks. They’re just doing this for the money.”
The Guardian writes that Rockwell Property initially proposed building a 34-story tower with 142 apartments, which was later reduced to 110 apartments, including 54 affordable homes, along with underground parking and a mix of commercial space.
The developer argued that the project addressed “an urgent need for new high-quality housing” in London.
Wandsworth Council rejected the plans, citing the “excessive height and scale” of the project, adding that it “would represent an unacceptable and inappropriate transformational change within the site that would significantly harm the spatial character of the same site.” It also said the tower would disrupt the skyline and “destroy” the lives of neighbours. The Greater London Authority supported the council’s decision.
Rockwell appealed, but was again unsuccessful. After an eight-day public hearing, planning inspector Joanna Gilbert said: “The proposal would cause harm to the character of the townscape in several identified views from various directions and distances.”
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