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Make Architects鈥� controversial plans for a huge office complex on the site of ITV鈥檚 former London headquarters have been given the green light.

Lambeth council鈥檚 planning committee voted six to one in favour of the proposals at a tense meeting yesterday evening after more than three hours of debate.

The scheme, believed to have a price tag of between 拢300m and 拢400m, is set to see the 24-storey tower on the South Bank that was previously occupied by ITV鈥檚 London Studios flattened and replaced by a new, larger complex.

Known as 72 Upper Ground, the development will consist of a 26-storey tower and a 13-storey block connected by a six-storey podium with more than double the floorspace of the existing building.

Lendlease, Sir Robert McAlpine and Laing O鈥橰ourke are all looking at the construction job, known as Project Vista. The project team also includes landscape architect Grant Associates, engineer Arup and QS Alinea.

The divisive proposals have been the subject of hundreds of objections from locals due to the scheme鈥檚 scale and concerns about the overshadowing of nearby properties.

It has also stirred controversy due to its setting next to listed brutalist landmarks including Denys Lasdun鈥檚 grade II*-listed National Theatre and the grade II-listed IBM 黑洞社区.

While the scheme had been recommended for approval, the planning officer鈥檚 report conceded that it had been 鈥渃ontroversial and extremely unpopular鈥� with locals.

But, despite the report finding that there would be a major adverse effect on sunlight for 25 windows of an adjacent residential block at 95-97 Upper Ground, it concluded that the overshadowing impact was 鈥渁cceptable鈥�.

With moderate and minor overshadowing of a further 12 windows, there would be a potential total of 86 occupants of the building whose daylight levels would be affected.

However one resident told last night鈥檚 meeting that the light in the living room where she spends most of her time would be reduced by 63.5%. 

鈥淲hat is acceptable about condemning these lives to be lived having only a fraction of our currently available light?鈥� she said, adding: 鈥淎ll the advantages that you鈥檝e argued for in this application can still be applied to different designs that are not at the expense of so many people鈥檚 health, wellbeing and quality of life.鈥�

Tom Keller, who said he had lived in social housing in the Waterloo area for 40 years, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e not NIMBYs, we welcome development of the site.鈥�

But he added the scheme would cause 鈥減ermanent serious harms鈥� to social housing tenants and 鈥渄ominate鈥� the nearby Queen鈥檚 Walk and Bernie Spain Gardens, both of which would also be partly overshadowed.

Stephen Black, director of the site鈥檚 developer CO-RE, said the 鈥渧ibrant and dynamic鈥� complex would help to drive Lambeth鈥檚 post-pandemic economic recovery and 鈥渃omplete鈥� the South Bank. But objectors shouted at him, telling him to stop talking when he overran his allocated two-minute slot at the meeting.

Last night CO-RE said it was delighted that the scheme had been approved. 

The same heckles were directed towards Make partner Frank Filskow when he also overran his speaking slot, prompting the committee chair Joanne Simpson to intervene and clarify that it was her job to decide whether people giving representations should stop talking.

Filskow said the scheme would give workers 鈥渧iews, fresh air, opening windows, balconies and garden terraces on every floor鈥�.

He added that the design, which is characterised by an assemblage of large cuboid shapes, was a 鈥渄irect response to the unique character of the South Bank with its iconic modernist cultural buildings鈥�.

But councillor Jennie Mosley said the plans did not fit architecturally with the surrounding buildings and would represent a 鈥渕ajor eyesore鈥�, while councillor Kevin Craig said the scheme was an 鈥渙verbearing, bulky building, excessive and overtly dominant in its context鈥� and that its scale was 鈥渟imply too much鈥�.

Defending the recommendation to approve, the planning officer said that the proposals would make a 鈥渕ajor contribution鈥� to reversing the loss of 150,000ft² of commercial space in Lambeth since 2010, and that its massing and height 鈥渞esponds well to the site鈥檚 context鈥�.

Simpson said in her closing remarks that, while she understood the concerns about the design, it reflected the brutalist style of the South Bank鈥檚 existing buildings 鈥渨ithout being pastiche鈥�.

She added that because of many neighbouring properties being dual-aspect, and the city centre location of the scheme, she did not think on balance that its impact on daylight of the surrounding buildings was 鈥渦nacceptable to a degree that would warrant refusal of the scheme overall鈥�.

Vauxhall MP Florence Eshalomi, in whose constituency the site is located, and called for the application to be reconsidered.

Other objectors included Coin Street Community Builders and the Waterloo Community Development Group, which previously led the successful campaign against the Garden Bridge across the Thames. It described the proposals as 鈥済rotesquery on steroids, a swollen deformity for the South Bank鈥�.

The plot was bought by developers Mitsubishi Estate and CO-RE for close to 拢150m in November 2019 following ITV鈥檚 closure of its studios the year before.