Five Months Delay in Stag Brewery Planning Appeal
Inspector unavailable 'due to circumstances beyond his control'
CGI of the revised scheme for the former Stag Brewery viewed from across the river in Chiswick. Picture: Reselton Properties Limited/Squire and Partners
June 14, 2024
The hearing into the appeal over the massive Stag Brewery development will now not be held until October at the earliest.
It was scheduled to begin at the end of May but cancelled after an announcement that the government’s Planning Inspector, Glen Rollings, was unavailable ‘due to circumstances beyond his control’.
A new inspector needs to be appointed to the case and the inspectorate has to consult with the parties involved including Richmond Council and the Mayor, to find a date at which a new hearing can begin.
The Planning Inspectorate has also urged Richmond Council to find a venue closer to Mortlake to make it more accessible to residents who wish to attend the sessions. The original plan was to hold the appeal hearings in Twickenham.
Developer Reselton launched the appeal against the Mayor’s refusal to approve the £1billion development which includes over a thousand housing units and a school. The Mayor was unhappy about the low level of affordable housing. The Mortlake Brewery Community Group (MBCG) agreed saying in its submission that the number of affordable properties proposed was “woefully low”. The developer is also appealing on the grounds of Richmond Council failing to make a timely determination on the two applications relating to the site.
Over 1,000 objections were lodged by residents in relation to the scheme with additional concerns raised about its density, height and impact on traffic levels and the surroundings.
MBCG raised over £40,000 via a crowdfunder to pay for a barrister to represent it at the inquiry.
Reselton says its 158,000m2 scheme would deliver “significant, compelling public benefits” including a secondary school, shops, a cinema and space for a hotel or pub.
When a new date is set, the inquiry is expected to last two weeks.
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