Key Points

• Greenwich Council’s Planning Board unanimously refused plans to demolish STC Sports Club in New Eltham and build 205 homes on the 9.4-acre site at Ivor Grove.
• The application, submitted by Sigma Strategic Land, faced hundreds of objections, including from local residents, Eltham & Chislehurst MP Clive Efford, and City Hall, which called the scheme “inappropriate”.
• Council planning officers recommended refusal, citing harm to Metropolitan Open Land (MOL), loss of valued sports and community facilities, and inadequate sunlight for proposed homes.
• The meeting on July 21, 2026, was packed with New Eltham residents who applauded the decision.
• Because the scheme involves more than 50 homes, it will be referred to the mayor’s office and the housing secretary, who can overturn the council’s refusal.
• The site is designated as MOL and forms part of the South East London Green Chain, making residential development “inappropriate” unless exceptional circumstances are shown.

New Eltham (South London News) July 23, 2026 – Greenwich Council has refused plans by developer Sigma Strategic Land to demolish STC Sports Club and build 205 homes on its 9.4-acre site at Ivor Grove, a decision reached at a Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The meeting, described by local reports as “packed” with New Eltham residents, ended with unanimous councillors voting to reject the application, prompting applause from the public gallery.

Why did Greenwich Council refuse the STC Sports Club housing scheme?

Greenwich Council planners recommended refusal on multiple grounds, concluding that the proposal would cause significant harm to Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and remove valued sports and community facilities. In their report ahead of the meeting, officers stated that the residential redevelopment would amount to “inappropriate development on MOL” and lead to the “permanent urbanisation of land which is currently open and used for sport and recreation”.

Officers also raised concerns that the applicant had not demonstrated that the proposed homes would receive adequate sunlight, a further reason for refusal.

As reported by MyLondon, the Planning Board voted unanimously to refuse the planning application, a rare outcome given that it is unusual for developments to go to a board with a recommendation for refusal, and even rarer for councillors to go against their planners’ advice.

Councillor Fraser, however, warned New Eltham residents that the decision may not be final because of the size of the scheme.

What did local residents and officials say about the STC Sports Club plans?

The application, submitted last summer, drew hundreds of objections from neighbours opposed to losing the sports ground. The Greenwich Wire reported that nearly 500 objections were received by the council, including one from Eltham & Chislehurst MP Clive Efford, while City Hall also labelled the scheme “inappropriate”.

Local coverage highlighted that Conservative ward councillors in Eltham had previously promised to fight the development.

At the July 21 meeting, residents filled the room and erupted in applause when the refusal was announced, reflecting the strength of local opposition to the demolition of the club and pitches described in reports as “used and much loved”.

What happens next after Greenwich Council’s refusal of the 205-home plan?

Despite the council’s refusal, the proposal is not necessarily concluded. Because the STC scheme involves more than 50 residential units, it will be referred to the mayor’s office and the housing secretary, both of whom have the power to overturn Greenwich Council’s decision.

This means the development could still be approved at a higher level, even though local planners and elected members have rejected it.

The Planning Board’s agenda item, reference 25/1718, formally records the decision to refuse full planning permission for the demolition of all existing sports club buildings and redevelopment of the associated sports fields to facilitate 205 new homes.

Which facilities and land uses are at stake in the STC Sports Club site?

The STC Sports Ground on Ivor Grove includes three football pitches, changing rooms, a boxing club and a social club, all of which would have been demolished under Sigma Strategic Land’s plans.

The 9.4-acre site is designated as Metropolitan Open Land, a protection similar to Green Belt, and also forms part of the South East London Green Chain of open spaces.

Greenwich’s planning officers concluded that the applicant had not made a compelling enough case to justify building on the playing fields, given the site’s protected status and current use for sport and recreation.

The loss of these facilities was a central factor in the recommendation and subsequent refusal.

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Background of the STC Sports Club development

The STC Sports Club housing proposal emerged as part of ongoing pressure on London’s open land to accommodate new homes. Sigma Strategic Land submitted the application to Greenwich Council last summer, seeking to replace the sports club and pitches with 205 new residential units.

The scheme quickly attracted attention because of the site’s MOL designation and its role in the South East London Green Chain, which aims to protect interconnected open spaces across the region.

Local opposition grew as details of the plan became clear. Nearly 500 formal objections were lodged with the council, alongside political pushback from local MPs and ward councillors. City Hall also weighed in, describing the scheme as “inappropriate” in the context of London-wide planning policy.

Council officers’ reports emphasised that the proposal would permanently urbanise land currently used for sport, and that the developer had not demonstrated exceptional circumstances to override MOL protections.

The case reached the Planning Board on July 21, 2026, where it was considered alongside these officer recommendations and the volume of public objection.

The board’s unanimous refusal aligns with the officers’ view that the development constituted inappropriate use of MOL and would harm both open space and community sports provision.

Prediction: How could this decision affect New Eltham residents and South London’s open land?

If the mayor’s office and housing secretary uphold Greenwich Council’s refusal, New Eltham residents are likely to retain access to the STC Sports Club and its pitches, preserving a local hub for football, boxing and social activity.

For regular users of the ground, this would mean continuity of facilities that have been described as valued and well-used, and avoidance of the disruption and loss associated with demolition and redevelopment.

If the higher authorities overturn the council’s decision and allow the 205-home scheme to proceed, the immediate effect would be the loss of the sports club buildings and playing fields, replaced by a dense residential development. Local sports groups and community users would need to relocate or cease activities, while new residents would move into an area previously designated as MOL.

For the wider South London audience, the outcome will also signal how strongly MOL and Green Chain protections are enforced when balanced against housing targets, potentially influencing future applications on similar sites across the borough and beyond.