Developer Comer Homes has three years to remove orange cladding and must pay nearly 拢7m to council

Mast Quay II montage

Source: Royal Borough of Greenwich

The built-out version of the 23-storey Mast Quay Phase II in Woolwich, compared with the consented version (right)

A 204-home tower scheme in Woolwich which was given a demolition order after it was found to have breached its planning permission can stay but must make some design changes, the Planning Inspectorate has ruled.

Comer Homes has been given three years to fix issues on the鈥� Mast Quay Phase II development, which was handed an enforcement notice by Greenwich council in September 2023 following the discovery of 26 鈥渕ain deviations鈥� from consented plans.

The developer will also have to pay 拢4.4m towards affordable housing elsewhere as it was found to not have included enough in the completed scheme, and 拢2.3m in community infrastructure levy payments.

The scheme, designed by Southwark-based Upchurch Associates, consists of three blocks including a 26-storey tower and is already occupied by residents, who have called for the buildings to be saved.

Comer Homes, which completed the scheme in 2022 after its original developer went into administration, appealed the demolition order in October 2023 with the Planning Inspectorate launching an inquiry last summer.

The inspector, John Braithwaite, has now told the firm to replace 鈥渧isually intrusive鈥� orange cladding on the scheme with a colour approved by Greenwich and install grey panelling beneath windows.

Accessibility features which were supposed to have been incorporated into supposed 鈥渁ccessible鈥� apartments will also need to be built, along with some fire safety work and improvements to public realm at the base of the buildings.

The council鈥檚 list of 26 planning deviations was reduced to 11 by the ruling, although Braithwaite did not overturn the demolition order, saying it should still apply if Comer did not make the changes within the three-year timeframe.

The inspector said there were 鈥渃ompelling substantial benefits鈥� to keeping the scheme despite its planning breaches, including the provision of 204 homes in a borough where there is a 鈥渨oeful undersupply of housing鈥� and the payment of an affordable housing contribution.

A spokesperson from Comer Homes said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e happy with the decision made by the independent inquiry and pleased that a satisfactory outcome has been reached for the good of the residents of Mast Quay Phase II. 

鈥淲e look forward to now working closely with Greenwich Council to move forward and bring this situation to a positive end.鈥�

The developer, which does not dispute the scheme breached its planning consent, has previously blamed post-Grenfell fire safety regulations as its motivation to change elements of the scheme during construction.

Lawyers for the firm said in their opening statement at the inquiry that it had informed the council of plans to change the scheme鈥檚 cladding in 2021, arguing Comer Homes was 鈥渃onvinced it needed to build differently to the pre-Grenfell permission鈥�.

However, Greenwich argued the changes to the facade were just one element of the scheme which breached its planning permission.