John Lewis Partnership’s rental housing scheme is at risk after local councillors promised to oppose the project as they accused the retailer of a “total lack of respect”.
The development project in Bromley was labelled as “just not acceptable” by the borough’s Liberal Democrat Councillor who claimed the retailer failed to promise enough affordable homes, The Telegraph reported.
John Lewis submitted planning applications for its projects in Bromley and West Ealing late last month, with the aim of building 353 flats above a Waitrose store in the South London borough.
As part of the plans, 35% of the properties will be affordable housing with a focus on provision for key workers – the minimum target set by the town’s council.
However, John Lewis revealed last month it needed grant funding to hit the threshold and was in talks with the Greater London Authority and the council.
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Councillor Julie Ireland said the retailer “should be able to fund this within their own resources”.
“We were quite excited when we heard John Lewis was going to invest in Bromley, but they’re not looking out for the community… It’s showing a total lack of respect.
“People would not be happy thinking that their council tax money is being used to subsidise this new project from John Lewis.”
She added that Liberal Democrat councillors, representing the ward within Bromley where the project is due to take place, will be opposing the plans in their current form.
The partnership has also faced trouble at its project in Ealing after lead councillor Peter Mason said the area “desperately needs rented homes, but those that our residents can afford, rather than overpriced flats to help John Lewis cash in on City workers”.
“As far as I can see, [John Lewis] hasn’t committed to at least 35% affordable homes on paper. Previous discussions suggested they’d even go lower. This simply won’t stand.”
A spokesman for John Lewis said: “As the housing crisis continues to make headlines, especially in London where there’s a significant lack of genuinely affordable properties, we’re committed to building new affordable homes for rent.
“We’ll be setting aside properties for key workers, including nurses and teachers. This is an ongoing process where we’ve been working closely with a range of local stakeholders across the proposed sites to meet the needs of the local community.”
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