Sharpe Pritchard advises London borough on regeneration project that will deliver nearly 3,000 homes

Law firm Sharpe Pritchard has advised the London Borough of Merton on a regeneration project that will see nearly 3,000 new homes constructed in the borough.

The firm advised the council on a Section 106 planning agreement for the redevelopment of High Path in Wimbledon and Eastfields and Ravensbury in Mitcham by Clarion Housing Group.

The agreement means that 2,800 homes will be built across the three sites, including replacements for resident homeowners. It also secures affordable housing, new open spaces, community and play facilities, environmental improvements and transport and highways improvements.

Planning partner Denise Stephenson led for Sharpe Pritchard, supported by Associates, Andrew Swaffer, Emily Knowles and Lillee Reid-Hunt.

Stephenson said: “This was a complex and challenging project, which demanded strong working relationships between the parties in order to achieve an agreement that provided the best possible deal for the borough’s residents.

“The fact that there were three separate but linked planning permissions at play meant that the process was not straightforward, especially as the viability of each project depended on the success of the others.”

Tara Butler, Deputy Future Merton Manager and Awot Tesfai, Senior Planner at London Borough of Merton, said: “This wasn’t a run of the mill section 106 negotiation. Everybody worked together as a team sometimes with day long sessions to resolve complex elements of the draft agreement. These three estates were highly complex to deal with; there probably aren’t any other S106 agreements in London with such a complex connection between three significantly large estate regeneration sites.

“Sharpe Pritchard were very professional at meetings with impeccable knowledge of planning law, they acted as excellent representatives between all parties and negotiated very well with good outcomes for the council."