Plans to demolish a South London sports club and replace it with 205 homes are set to be refused following overwhelming public opposition. Greenwich planning officers have recommended the proposal to knock down STC Sports Club on Ivor Grove in New Eltham be rejected at a Planning Board meeting on July 21.
Reasons for refusal
Officers cited the loss of "valued" sporting and community facilities, "inappropriate development" on Metropolitan Open Land, and insufficient sunlight for the proposed homes as key reasons for refusal. The application by Sigma Strategic Land, submitted last summer, has drawn 496 objections and a petition with 489 signatures.
Objectors shared concerns about strain on local infrastructure, loss of privacy and light for neighbours, and described the development as "ugly". Eltham and Chislehurst MP Clive Efford, local councillors Charlie Davis and Pat Greenwell, Sport England, the GLA, and TfL all objected.
Support for the proposal
However, 21 residents supported the scheme, citing a need for more housing and favoring its low-rise design. Many were members of Kings Bowls Club, which would have received a new clubhouse and retained its green under the plan.
The proposal would have transformed the 9.4-acre site, currently containing three football pitches, into 205 homes—half affordable—ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses. An off-site mitigation package at Bostall Heath, Charlton Park, and Southwood Park was proposed, but officers deemed these sites inadequate for displaced users.
Community and political opposition
Cllr Davis previously called the plans "wholly inappropriate," noting the facilities are well-used and the scheme would set a dangerous precedent for green space. He emphasized the need for brownfield sites and gentle density in town centres instead.
Council documents state that Bostall Heath and Charlton Park are materially distant from the site, while Southwood Park would not provide equivalent capacity and would formalize part of a public park used for informal recreation.
