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Former Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey has described Lambeth council鈥檚 approval of Make鈥檚 controversial redevelopment of ITV鈥檚 London studios as an 鈥渁buse of its planning powers鈥�.

Speaking on the third day of a public inquiry into the 拢400m South Bank scheme, which was called in by former communities secretary Greg Clark in September, Hoey sharply criticised the absence of any housing in the office-led development and suggested the council had allowed it to proceed for financial reasons.

She said: 鈥淗ow on earth in this day and age when there is so much shortage of housing could this scale of building be built without housing in it?

鈥淭his is a major brownfield site with the capacity to deliver a significant number of homes, and it disappoints me that once again Lambeth has not insisted in such provision which they know is so desperately needed.鈥�

Describing the plans as 鈥渧ery grossly overdeveloped on a very important site,鈥� she said: 鈥淚t is hard to avoid the conclusion that they have been driven by an overriding motive which some people might say is quite acceptable, a motive to get as much money as possible from the development both in the community infrastructure levy and in rates, and I do think that is a slight abuse of its planning powers.鈥�

Lambeth council has been contacted for comment.

>> Also read: Campaigners lay into Make鈥檚 South Bank 鈥榟ulk鈥� as public inquiry into 拢400m scheme kicks off

The scheme, which is being developed by CO-RE and Mitsubishi Estate, would see all existing buildings on the riverside site demolished and replaced by a 26-storey tower linked to a 13-storey block.

It was approved by the local authority in March despite the planning application receiving hundreds of objections from locals, including current Vauxhall MP Florence Eshalomi, and protests from campaign groups.

Hoey, who was the Labour MP for Vauxhall for 30 years before stepping down in 2019, said the proposals were a 鈥渃lassic example of the local community not being involved early enough鈥�.

She said: 鈥淏y the time the local community were involved, the key decisions had been taken about the size, what was going into it and about the public space, and that is a mistake, because if we can get something that works for local people, it very often works for everyone.鈥�

The Brexit-supporting former MP said the planning inspector鈥檚 recommendation, expected in the new year, would have an 鈥渁bsolutely huge impact on the future of planning in this country鈥�.

She argued the scheme was also flawed because of its design, adding: 鈥淚 genuinely cannot see how anyone can say that this will be a beautiful building, and for too long in my view beauty has played very little in our planning decisions.鈥�

Calling for the proposals to be refused, she said planners needed to 鈥渞eally look at what could be built here to add not just some desperately needed housing and genuinely open public space but also something that will add beauty to this truly historic area鈥�.

Rupert Warren KC, speaking on behalf of the developers, said on Monday in his opening statement that the proposals had been 鈥渋nformed by the strong horizontality鈥� of the National Theatre and retain a 鈥渇amily resemblance, whilst being clearly different in use and appearance鈥�.

He said that while there may be a 鈥渕inor detriment鈥� to views of the theatre from Blackfriars Bridge, the addition of the proposals鈥� 鈥渄esign quality would more than outweigh it鈥�.

Lambeth council鈥檚 representative Matthew Reed agreed, saying that the building鈥檚 facade treatment was 鈥渇unctional but elegant and understated鈥� and that the overall plans achieved 鈥渄esign excellence鈥�.

He added that the public benefits of the proposals 鈥渙utweigh the harm to heritage assets鈥� and were in accordance with the development plan 鈥渨hen considered as a whole鈥�.

The proposals are being opposed at the inquiry by the Waterloo Community Development Group (WCDG) and Coin Street Community Builders.

In his opening statement, WCDG director Michael Ball said the plans were 鈥渋nappropriate, out of context and harmful鈥�, adding: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the height that is damaging, it is the fatness, the girth that causes the damage [鈥�] this is a hulk.鈥�

The inquiry is expected to run until the first week of January next year with a reserve day pencilled in later that month if required.