John Lewis and Waitrose to build 350 flats in south London

First, we had the Asda village. Now Waitrose and John Lewis have announced plans to build tower blocks in south London. Could a supermarket be your next landlord?

John Lewis has been given the go-ahead by the council to build 350 flats and a new Waitrose in Bromley, south London. Of the 350 new apartments, just under 10% of them will be affordable. John Lewis has pledged that 30 of the tenancies will be affordable homes. The homes will only be available for rent, and John Lewis said local residents will be given priority when it comes to letting the apartments.

Three residential towers of 10, 19 and 24 floors will be built within the development, totaling 353 homes. Alongside the homes will be a stylish state-of-the-art Waitrose store to cater for all the new residents.

The plans also include new public green spaces, a cafe and leisure spaces for local community groups and schools to use, as well as cycle and pedestrian links through the site linking to the high street and the surrounding area.

Bromley Council received 147 letters of support from local residents, as well as 109 formal objections. A group of residents raised objections that the cluster of towers would be “overlooking” and “harmful to the local environment and the amenity of nearby residents”. But councilors approved the scheme after hearing it would “make a very significant contribution to the housing supply in the borough through efficient use of land”.

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