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Plans for a controversial high-rise development on Battersea<\/a>\u2019s riverfront have been rejected by Wandsworth<\/a> council, which will come as a relief to residents who have campaigned against the development and argued that it will \u201ctower over\u201d their homes.<\/p>\n The Glassmill development, backed by developer Rockwell, includes 110 homes, of which half will be for social rent. The scheme includes a taller element housing private flats and a \u201cshoulder tower\u201d of ten storeys, which would contain 54 social homes, affordable workspace and a free-to-access community space.<\/p>\n It was recommended for refusal by planning officers due to its \u201cexcessive height and scale\u201d. The 127-page report argued that it would \u201crepresent an unacceptable and incongruous transformative change within the location that would significant harm the spatial character\u201d. <\/p>\n After hearing the planning officers\u2019 report and recommendation, councillors at Thursday\u2019s planning committee meeting voted unanimously to turn down the plans. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just too big, it\u2019s not just too tall. It\u2019s so enormous that it\u2019s almost a joke. I can hardly believe it\u2019s a serious application,\u201d said Fiona Ayers, Labour councillor for East Putney. <\/p>\n Simon Hogg, leader of the council, commented: \u201cThe committee is responsible for the scrutiny of applications and considers the merits of an application on paper as well as the voices of residents. The committee were unanimous about the harms of a 29-storey tower in this location, in breach of Wandsworth\u2019s Local Plan which sets out acceptable heights for the area.\u201d<\/p>\n For residents, this decision comes as welcome news. \u201cThe committee meeting was full of damning statements from councillors about Rockwell’s plan and they laid bare all the problems that it would have caused. I hope that the company now scraps the scheme altogether and that they do not appeal. This was the wrong scheme, in the wrong area, and they took on the wrong community,\u201d said resident and editor of The Chelsea Citizen<\/a> Rob McGibbon, who has campaigned against the development.<\/p>\n McGibbon launched a petition under the banner STOP One Battersea Bridge<\/a> (S.O.B.B), which has amassed nearly 5,000 signatures, including from stars such as Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones frontman who has a long association with Chelsea.<\/p>\n According to McGibbon, other famous names have also lent their weight to the campaign, including iconic guitarist Eric Clapton and the actress Felicity Kendal.<\/p>\n