The leader of Wandsworth Council has criticised the Mayor of London for taking over the planning decisions for a major development in Battersea.

In an open letter to residents, councillor Ravi Govinda said Mayor Sadiq Khan's decision to take over the decision making on the application to develop the Homebase site on Swandon Way 'threatens to undermine' councils' abilities to decide what is appropriate for their communities.

The plans include the demolition of Homebase to build seven-to-15-storey buildings with 343 homes, 89 parking spaces and cycle spaces.

The application submitted to the council was ‘overwhelmingly opposed’ by residents and rejected twice because the buildings ‘were too tall’.

Councillor Govinda wrote: “The Mayor’s planning team has subsequently negotiated with the developer without input from the council and taken over determination of the new application at a former Homebase site, the result of which is an application for even taller buildings with marginally more affordable housing.

“Few local authorities have done more than Wandsworth when it comes to delivering homes that are more affordable to residents. We have built nearly 2,000 homes available for shared ownership and discounted rent in the last two years – the second best record in London.

“We are also not opposed to tall buildings, as long as they are in the right location.”

He said decisions are taken by ‘weighing up the need for development with consideration for how appropriate the application is to the area’, which includes impact on infrastructure.

Cllr Govinda said that the decision was turn down by the council because it is ‘in the wrong location’, believing there is ‘insufficient infrastructure to cope’.

He added: “Councils like mine are best placed to make these decisions because we know our areas. The Mayor of London should be looking at planning applications that are of strategic importance to London as a whole.

“This is not one of them.

“In seeking to take this decision, the Mayor of London is setting a very dangerous precedent which could have major implications for communities across London."

You can comment on the application by sending it in writing no later than Friday, September 22.

To comment, email: swandonway@london.gov.uk