Sutton Council has approved the “first step” of it’s plans to redevelop the Elm Grove housing estate, citing the need for social housing as the main reason.

The redevelopment would see 282 new and replacement homes built in towers ranging from 5 to 16 storeys.

At a planning committee last night (September 4), Sutton Councillors voted to support the plans, citing the pressing need for more social housing as its main reason for doing so.

The 70s-built estate tucked away behind Sutton High Street currently hosts 73 council homes and is owned by Sutton.

The council’s ownership of the estate means it has to apply for a “rare” outline planning application, meaning that all matters relating to appearance, access, landscaping and layout will be decided at a later stage in the process.

Councillors approved the first part of this process, which was the demolition of the two bungalows at 58 and 59 Elm Grove.

The council believe this decision will pave the way for the rest of the redevelopment to take place.

Despite this, the decision was met with impassioned objections from a number of councillors and local residents.

One of the key objections related to the redevelopment’s potential impact on the Sound Lounge music venue and record shop, which operates out of Market House on Sutton High Street.

The demolition will open up space for an extension to Market House, as part of the plans.

According to members and regulars of the Sound Lounge, these plans would interfere with their ability to serve the community.

One staff member, Doug Shaw, even told the committee it would make the space “unusable.”

Shaw added: “If there is a building immediately behind that section of the building, then one thing the Sound Lounge has to do is clear the benches from the high street, which is a condition of its license. Those benches go where those houses are going to go.

“I have no idea how bands and performers are safely going to load and unload equipment, which currently happens in that space. I hear talk, but I don’t see any guarantees or any surety that that place is going to have the space it needs to exist.

“We all know this borough suffers from a paucity of safe creative spaces already, so to seek to try and make that space unusable is not acceptable.”

This concern was shared by councillors like Jillian Green, who said: “I’m never coming into Sutton unless I’m coming here, but the people I speak to really admire it and use it a lot.

“I would like to know how the Council are going to make sure it stays open.”

Sutton’s Head of Regeneration Enabling and Development and self-confessed vinyl fan, Adam Tucker attempted to address the concerns surrounding the venue’s future.

He told the committee:  I can also confirm that we have had four meetings with the Sound Lounge and at each stage, we have varied our designs to accommodate their requests.”

“There is plenty of scope within that building to continue the Sound Lounge, including storage solutions for the outside space and all of that we are very, very happy to continue to work with the Sound Lounge.”

The newly appointed Lib Dem MP for Sutton and Cheam, Luke Taylor was also in attendance during the meeting.

He also expressed his support for the venue, whilst showing his support for the plans as an MP, councillor and Sutton resident.

Taylor said: “It has to be noted that Councillors are incredibly proud of the Sound Lounge on the high street, and the prospect of putting that at risk is terrifying. I think that that in itself is reassurance that the developer has that in their mind.”

The developer set to work with Sutton on the redevelopment is the London-based Lovell. Under the plans, the 73 existing homes would be replaced with an option for current residents to move in. 

They would then add a further 73 social rent and 10 shared ownership homes homes built.

This represents a 50 per cent minimum allocation of affordable housing on the site, with the remainder of the homes being privately owned.

The new homes will be designed to be eco-friendly, which means they will be more comfortable to live in, use less energy, and lower heating costs.

The outline plan also proposes improved green space, public access and changes to the location of the bus stop on Throwley Way.

16 car parking spaces, along with cycle parking and refuse provision will also be made available on the site.

However, Councillor Catherine Gray pointed out that this was a reduction from 46 spaces, leaving car-dependent residents with what she called a “hugely problematic offering.”

Other objections to the plans cited the height of the redevelopment as a major concern.

Helen Johns, a resident of the former office block turned residential building at Marshalls Court, suggested the redevelopment would severely limit her access to sunlight.

She said: “All of my windows face onto Elm Grove estate, the sheer volume of building and height will massively reduce my natural light. This will no doubt affect my privacy and property value.”

“Currently, we are the tallest building there, we will be dwarfed by all the other buildings.”

Objectors have shared their concerns regarding high-rise buildings throughout the planning process, often commenting that they “don’t want Sutton to become another Croydon.”

However, Tucker hit back at this line, reminding the committee that 11 buildings in Croydon are taller than Sutton’s tallest.

He added that social housing redevelopment was necessary considering Sutton had consistently failed to meet its social housing build targets year after year.

The only view given by someone living on Elm Grove was that of Robert Bishop, an elderly resident who had lived on the estate for the past 30 years.

Despite admitting some initial doubts about the plans when they were first introduced back in 2017, he now supports the redevelopment and has been offered a place in a soon-to-be-rebuilt flat. 

When speaking about the current conditions at Elm Grove, Bishop said: “The pavements are in a terrible state. The bin areas are a disgrace, the lighting is poor at night.

“It’s a great relief to us now that progress is being made and hopefully, it will now go ahead according to redevelopment plans. They will mean better insulation and soundproofing, and give me the perfect opportunity to install new fibre optic cable for TV and broadband.”

The planning committee voted six in favour, three against and one in abstention for the demolition of the bungalows.

The next stage of the planning process will be announced soon, with work expected to start early next year.

Councillor Jake Short, Chair of Sutton’s Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said: “This is a really exciting step forward in the Council’s plans to build new quality and affordable homes for our residents in the heart of Sutton town centre and tackle the Housing Crisis.

“Our new council homes across the borough have already been recognised for their high design and environmental standards.

"The selection of an experienced development partner means our goal to deliver incredible homes and open spaces for Elm Grove residents can now move to the next stage.

“We have been driven by what Elm Grove residents want their future homes to look like and now this vision is set to become a reality with construction works currently scheduled to start early Summer 2025.”

Mick Laws, Regional Managing Director of Lovell London, said:  “We are delighted to have been selected by London Borough of Sutton to work with them on this significant town centre project.

"Regeneration and partnerships are the cornerstone of our business, and we are excited to deliver these new, much needed high-quality homes for the people of Sutton.”