Plans for Lennox Estate 14-Storey Tower Scrapped – Roehampton 2026

Key Points

• Controversial plans to build a 14-storey council tower block on the Lennox Estate in Roehampton have been scrapped.
• Wandsworth Conservatives, who now lead Wandsworth Council, confirmed the decision in a leaflet delivered to residents.
• The original scheme proposed 81 new council homes: 56 in a 14-storey block on green space and 25 in a separate six-storey block.
• The tower was to be built on the estate’s central green space, a site that had been subject to public feedback and consultation.
• The planning application for the scheme remained undecided heading into the May 2026 local elections.
• The Conservatives had previously stated they would cancel the scheme if they won the council.
• Wandsworth Council has declined to comment on the decision or clarify whether all 81 homes will be scrapped, or just the tower block.
• This development is part of Wandsworth’s broader “Homes for Wandsworth” programme to deliver council housing on existing estate land.
• The news follows a series of high-profile tower rejections in Wandsworth, including the 29-storey Battersea Bridge scheme.
• Residents have been informed directly via leaflet, with the wording quoted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that “a huge tower on the green won’t now happen”.

Wandsworth (South London News) July 7, 2026 – According to the leaflet sent by Wandsworth Conservatives, who now lead Wandsworth Council,

“plans to build a ‘huge tower on the green won’t now happen’”.

The LDRS, which obtained and published the leaflet content, notes that the planning application for the scheme remained undecided heading into the local elections in May 2026.

How many homes were originally proposed and where?

Original proposals published by Wandsworth Council under its “Homes for Wandsworth” scheme included 81 new council homes across two blocks on the Lennox Estate.

As detailed by Putney SW15, which reported on revised council proposals in December 2024, the tallest building was initially planned as an 18-storey tower, then reduced to 14 storeys, with 56 flats, while a second six-storey block would contain 25 flats. Both blocks were designed to face the green space at the centre of the estate.

Why was the tower block controversial?

The tower was to be constructed on the estate’s central green space, a location that had been subject to an online survey and consultation process before a formal planning application was submitted.

While the news report does not go into extensive detail on residents’ specific objections, the language used in the Conservatives’ leaflet – referring to a “huge tower on the green” – signals that size, prominence, and impact on open space were central concerns.

The decision also aligns with a broader pattern in Wandsworth of rejecting very tall residential schemes in sensitive locations, including the 29-storey tower at Battersea Bridge, which was described by critics as a “toxic monolith” and an “alien” structure.

What did the Conservatives say before and after the election?

Before the May 2026 local elections, the Conservatives had stated publicly that they would cancel the Lennox Estate tower scheme if they won the council.

After winning, the party delivered the cancellation news directly to residents via a leaflet, as confirmed by the LDRS, which highlighted the wording that

“a huge tower on the green won’t now happen”.

This follows their pre-election position and indicates the decision was implemented as part of their election pledge.

What has the council said about the decision?

Wandsworth Council has declined to comment on the decision, according to the LDRS report, and has not clarified whether this means all 81 planned council homes will be scrapped, or only the 14-storey tower block.

The council’s refusal to provide further detail leaves open the question of whether the six-storey block with 25 homes might still proceed, or whether the entire 81-home scheme has been withdrawn.

How does this fit with other tower decisions in Wandsworth?

This cancellation comes in the context of a series of high-profile tower rejections in the borough. In April 2025, Wandsworth Council’s Planning Applications Committee unanimously rejected a 29-storey tower at 1 Battersea Bridge Road, citing harm to the area’s character and breach of the 2023 Local Plan’s height limits.wandsworth.

The appeal by developer Rockwell was later rejected by Planning Inspector Joanna Gilbert, who said the tower would “appear alien and isolated” and contradict the development plan as a whole.

The Lennox Estate decision, while on a different site and scale, reflects a similar political and planning stance against very tall blocks in sensitive residential and riverside locations.

What happens to the planning application now?

The LDRS notes that the planning application for the Lennox Estate tower remained undecided as the borough headed into the May 2026 local elections.

With the Conservatives now in control and the scheme cancelled, the practical effect is that the authority is no longer proceeding with that application in its current form.
Whether the application will be formally withdrawn, amended, or left dormant has not been clarified by the council, which has declined to comment.

How were residents informed?

Residents were informed directly via a leaflet delivered by Wandsworth Conservatives, as reported by the LDRS.
The leaflet explicitly states that the controversial plans to build council homes on the Lennox Estate have been cancelled, with particular emphasis on the 14-storey tower on the green.

Background: How the Lennox Estate tower plan developed

The Lennox Estate redevelopment proposal emerged under Wandsworth Council’s “Homes for Wandsworth” programme, which aims to deliver council housing on existing estate land.

In December 2024, the council published revised proposals that reduced the height of the tallest building from 18 storeys to 14 storeys, while keeping a second six-storey block, for a total of 81 flats.

The council conducted an online survey to gather resident feedback before finalising proposals and submitting a formal planning application, which remained undecided by the time of the May 2026 local elections.

The Conservatives had campaigned on cancelling the scheme, and after winning control of the council, they confirmed the cancellation via a leaflet to residents, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The council has not publicly explained its reasoning or confirmed the status of the remaining 25-home six-storey block.

Prediction: How this development can affect Lennox Estate residents and the wider community

For Lennox Estate residents, the cancellation of the 14-storey tower means the central green space will not be occupied by a high-rise block, which could preserve open space, views, and potentially reduce concerns about overcrowding and loss of community amenity.

If the six-storey block with 25 homes is also scrapped, the estate will not see the full 81 new council homes originally planned, which could affect future housing availability on the site and the pace of redevelopment under the “Homes for Wandsworth” programme.

Residents may face uncertainty about whether alternative housing schemes will be proposed later.

For the wider Wandsworth area, this decision reinforces a pattern of rejecting very tall residential towers in sensitive locations, following the Battersea Bridge 29-storey refusal and appeal dismissal.

This could encourage other estates and communities to challenge similar proposals, while also signalling to developers that tall schemes in residential estates and riverside zones face heightened political and planning scrutiny.

The lack of clarity from the council on whether all 81 homes are withdrawn or only the tower leaves room for future proposals, which could lead to renewed consultation and debate over the estate’s long-term development plan.