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Adjaye Associates has been told to rethink its designs for a 20-storey office tower in Brixton less than two weeks before mayor of London Sadiq Khan was due to make a decision on the scheme.

Developer Hondo Enterprises instructed the practice to go back to the drawing board following the publication of a damning appraisal of the plans by Historic England and local campaigners.

The 98m-tall block, earmarked for a site on Pope鈥檚 Road overlooking Brixton鈥檚 historic Electric Avenue market, had been approved by Lambeth council by four votes to three in 2020.

But it has stirred controversy due to its scale and prominent setting in the centre of Brixton, a predominantly low-rise area.

Khan had said he would let the plans proceed but backtracked on this position last year when he announced he would be stepping in to take a second look at the scheme following an appeal by campaigners.

The mayor had been due to decide on the application this Friday but the Greater London Authority (GLA) announced that this hearing has been postponed following a request from the applicant at the end of last month.

A statement on the GLA鈥檚 website said that 鈥渟ignificant concerns鈥� had been raised by Historic England and others which would 鈥渞equire commensurate changes鈥� to be overcome. It added that 鈥渞e-engagement should involve the local community as well as statutory bodies鈥�.

Nearly 2,000 objections by members of the public have been posted on the scheme鈥檚 planning application against 264 comments in support.

In addition, around 7,000 local residents signed a petition against the scheme with opponents also including the Victorian Society, the Brixton society and local Labour MP Helen Hayes.

In an excoriating statement published last week, Historic England inspector of historic buildings and areas Alex Bowring said the proposals had demonstrated a 鈥渃lear disregard鈥� for London planning policy which states that tall buildings are required to avoid harm to local heritage assets.

Bowring said the block, by being far larger than any others in Brixton, would become a focal point in many views and cause 鈥渇ar reaching鈥� harm to Brixton鈥檚 鈥渄istinctive local character鈥�.

He added that its scale and 鈥渁ssertive鈥� design means it would 鈥渓oom aggressively鈥� over Electric Avenue and block views out of the market street, while 鈥渟ubjugating鈥� the Church of St Matthew and Budd Mausoleum, both of which are grade II*-listed.

Bowring also highlighted a modelling exercise carried out by Lambeth council officers which found the scheme would be at least 38m taller than what the site could 鈥渞easonably accommodate鈥�.

Describing the design as 鈥渁lien鈥� to the surrounding townscape, he concluded it had failed to 鈥渞espond positively to context鈥� and had instead been 鈥渄etermined principally by a desire to provide a specific quantum of commercial floorspace鈥�.

Meanwhile, Danai Nardi of local campaign group Fight The Tower said Hondo鈥檚 tower was the 鈥渂iggest attempt yet鈥� at gentrifying Brixton and would drive out small scale organisations and traders.

Nardi added: 鈥淲e are sick of schemes being supposedly designed to enhance our communities but doing the exact opposite.

鈥淭he Windrush Generation and the people who have made Brixton what it is today have been marginalised and priced out of Brixton.鈥�

And another campaigner, civil engineering student Tsiresy Domingos, said the office tower would draw in predominantly middle-class people who then inflate the rents and property prices.

鈥淚nstead, what we need is affordable housing, rent controls and investments in local businesses that can preserve and uplift our local communities,鈥� Domingos said.

The GLA said a new date for the hearing on the scheme would be given in due course.

Adjaye Associates and Hondo Enterprises have been contacted for comment.

Last month, another controversial scheme approved by Lambeth was halted after Michael Gove issued an order stopping demolition work at the site.

The proposals to turn the former ITV headquarters on London鈥檚 South Bank into new offices have attracted substantial opposition with campaigners complaining that the Make scheme is too big for its location.

The scheme would see the studios tower flattened and replaced with two 26- and 13-storey office towers connected by a six-storey podium. It is set to be built by Lendlease under a 拢400m deal.