Tim Catchpole, Chair of the Mortlake with East Sheen Society, gave the results of their survey to the Stag Brewery Inquiry Inspector on Friday 8th November 2024. The survey was based on a comparison of what Richmond Council state are substantial benefits of the development. In brief the matters considered were:
Delivery of 1,075 homes
94.8% of members who voted considered that this was not a substantial benefit, 3% agreed with the Council and 2.2% were neutral.
Provision of 65 affordable units
97% considered that the percentage of affordable housing was not a substantial benefit but minimal. 2.2% agreed with the Council and 0.8% were neutral.
Rare opportunity for a much-needed secondary school
92.4% considered that the secondary school is not needed because numbers in primary schools have been falling significantly since the end of the baby boom of 2008-12 and the same will happen in the secondary schools once the proposed school is built.
0.8% agreed with the Council and 6.9% were neutral.
The Council had made no mention of whether the benefits or the harms about the site location of the school, so this point was raised in the survey. Is the Brewery the right site, given that it will put a strain on public transport and the local road system, in particular on the Sheen Lane level crossing?
92.4% agreed with MESS that it was not the right site; 3% agreed with the Council and 4.6% were neutral.
High quality design
The development is not of high quality because it is cramped and has generated the harms indicated such as the limited outlook, loss of privacy, etc.? 94.7% agreed with MESS, 3% agreed with the Council and 2.3% were neutral.
Extensive areas of enhanced publicly accessible open space
The ‘extensive areas of publicly accessible open spaces’ are not a significant benefit because, with the exception of the green corridor from Mortlake Green to the river, the rest of the publicly accessible open spaces are relatively small areas hemmed in and overshadowed by their surrounding 6-storey and higher buildings.
90.9% agreed with MESS, 2.3% agreed with the Council and 6.8% were neutral.
Benefits along the riverside
There is no benefit along the riverside because the arcadian wooded towpath from Putney to Kew will be breached by this massive development which will rise much higher than the trees, will overshadow the towpath and will introduce a significant amount of light pollution at night time.
91.7% agreed with MESS, 1.5% agreed with the Council and 6.8% were neutral.
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Great work and presentation by Tim Catchpole and MESS👏👏👏
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Agree fully with the opinion of MESS. The Local Authority seem to be deaf to the very real concerns expressed and whilst it is is clear the Country need to build more housing units the plans for the Stag Brewery site are not suitable- there is no proven need for a school on this site and the traffic polution ssues have not been addressed.
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agree with Tim Catchpole’s comprehensive survey. Especially the well documented case for no case for a secondary school, nor the impact on traffic density.
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I agree wholeheartedly with this survey.
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I agree with the direction of the survey results. It’s not that local residents are against development of the Stag Brewery site, but it has to be a development which is appropriate to the local area, historical setting and riverside location. And crucially addresses the several transport issues raised by having over 1,000 extra dwellings in the area.
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I welcome the publication of the results of the Mortlake and East Sheen Society (MESS) recent resident Survey. They are a very fair reflection of local opinions which if listened to a lot earlier in the process would have saved a significant amount of time and money.
It is hoped that through the Appeal we can address these missed opportunities and reframe the development to address the gaps between the current proposal and the needs of Mortlake and the wider community.
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