Fresh plans have been submitted to kickstart the major regeneration of a prominent South London estate, more than 13 years after the project was first agreed. Wandsworth Council has lodged a planning application for the initial phase of the £100million overhaul of the Alton Estate in Roehampton, releasing new visualisations of the proposed changes.
First Phase Details: Homes and a New Community Hub
The initial application focuses on redeveloping buildings at the main entrance to the 1950s estate. The council is fast-tracking this segment to allow work to begin without waiting for the entire masterplan's approval, acknowledging residents' long wait for progress.
The proposals include building 55 new council homes and a landmark community hub. This hub is designed to consolidate essential services, featuring a library, IT and study spaces, meeting rooms, council offices, a youth club, and a community hall. Crucially, it will also house a new GP surgery to replace the existing Alton Practice. To make way for the new development, an empty block of flats on the site will be demolished.
A Long and Revised Planning Journey
The road to regeneration has been lengthy and politically charged. The council's former Conservative administration formally agreed to regenerate the estate back in 2012. A previous plan, submitted in 2019 and approved in January 2022, proposed demolishing 288 homes to build 1,108 new ones, with only 24% classified as affordable.
This scheme was scrapped in May 2022 when Labour took control of the council for the first time in 44 years, citing the lack of affordable housing. The authority then returned to the drawing board to create a new masterplan with a stronger focus on affordable homes.
Current Masterplan and Community Backing
The revised, council-led masterplan now involves demolishing 177 existing homes to build up to 650 new ones. The key improvement is a significant increase in affordable housing, now set at 57% of the total. The plan also promises enhanced community facilities.
This new approach received substantial local support, with 82% of the more than 1,400 residents who voted in a ballot last September and October backing the proposals. The council is now finalising this masterplan ahead of a formal planning application for the overall regeneration, which is expected to be carried out in phases over approximately a decade.
In the interim, a decision will be made on the current application for the estate's entrance. If approved, construction on this first phase can begin, marking the tangible start of a transformation residents have awaited for over thirteen years.
