Investment Opportunities
Opportunity Areas
Area of Intensification
Central activity Zone
International or metropolitan
Major
District
Borough Boundary
Green Belt
Metropolitan open land / Other open spaces
Rail station
Railway track
Foreshore
Water
Nine Elms reached a significant milestone in September 2021 with the opening of two new stations on the 3km Northern Line Extension, connecting the area to central London and beyond within 15 minutes and cementing its position as a successful new part of the Central Activities Zone. Apple will make the newly restored Grade II* listed Battersea Power Station its London home in 2022, joining Penguin Random House, the US Embassy and New Covent Garden Market as major employers in the area.
Wandsworth Council’s plans for a new Battersea Design and Technology Quarter at the western end of the Nine Elms opportunity area will build on this strong creative economy which is forecast to develop further with future investment in the Battersea and Nine Elms area.
PLANNING STATUS: Various sites in development, to be completed 2032/33.
Last year the Council adopted a Supplementary Planning Document for the Wandle Delta, part of a broader Vision and Delivery Framework for Central Wandsworth. In the future the Wandle Delta will be transformed into a place that puts people first - strengthened as a mixed urban neighbourhood, a focus for living and working, and a local destination for visitors.
Opportunities to combine cultural and leisure activities with new forms of workspace, set against the backdrop of distinctive waterside spaces and connections, and enhanced links to Old York Road, Ram Quarter and the town centre, announces the Wandle Delta as an important new destination for the Borough.
PLANNING STATUS: Supplementary Planning Document was adopted in September 2021 and a new Area Strategy as part of the Local Plan Reg 19 is undergoing consultation. The Local Plan is expected to be adopted in Spring 2023.
Located on the western edge of the borough, on the border of Richmond Park, the Alton Estate is one of the largest housing estates in Europe.
An ambitious masterplan has been developed with the community over a number of years, which will deliver 1,100 new homes (of which 261 are affordable) for existing and new residents, new community facilities including a state-of-the-art library, youth club, nursery school and children’s centre, new retail and affordable office space, as well as well-designed and accessible public realm and open community spaces.
Overall the regeneration will make the Alton Estate a place where people want to live, work and enjoy spending time.
PLANNING STATUS: In October 2020 the Council’s Planning Applications Committee recommended the approval of the Masterplan. In December 2021 the Local Planning Authority referred the application to the Greater London Authority for Stage 2 approval and a decision is awaited.
Well connected by tube, rail, bus and river, Wandsworth is attracting billions of pounds of new investment which is transforming former industrial areas such as Nine Elms and the Wandle Delta and reinventing the borough’s five major town centres. This investment reflects the popularity of the borough as a place to live, work and develop a business. The Council has clear ambitions to attract and shape investment to support its vision for the borough, including recovery from the pandemic and the goals of its Environment and Sustainability Strategy. The Local Plan is currently being revised and will frame these ambitions; the aim is for the new Local Plan to be adopted in Spring 2023. The council is one of the biggest social landlords in London, responsible for 33,000 homes, and is investing in both refurbishment and new build through its Housing for All programme, which promises to deliver 1,000 new council homes by 2027. This includes two longer term major estate regeneration programmes in Battersea and Roehampton — helping Wandsworth to be one of the biggest contributors of new housing of all kinds in London.
Population projections 2021 327,142
Population projections 2050 391,383
London plan new homes (ten-year target) 19,500
Building council homes for Londoners (four-year programme) 174
Steve Diamond, Head of Economic Development
Steve.diamond@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk
“Wandsworth is a brilliant place to live. The new council administration is going to keep it special and make sure everyone can benefit from the fantastic opportunities it provides. Working with partners across the borough, we will create a compassionate council that truly listens and creates genuinely affordable homes and safer, greener neighbourhoods. Our vision is based on fairness and common sense with solid ambitions to deliver a better place to live, study and work for everyone in our borough. We welcome investment into the borough that supports this ambition.”
