Tories at war over £800m tower scheme at Waterloo

A Tory MP has taken a stand against Conservative colleagues in a row over the redevelopment of the area surrounding Waterloo station.

Although the scheme was approved by Lambeth — a Labour borough — it won the backing of Mayor Boris Johnson and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. But Westminster, a Tory council, objected — and local MP Mark Field has now backed their stance.

Last year Lambeth approved controversial £800 million plans to turn the site known as Elizabeth House, used as offices since the Sixties, into a 29-storey tower with offices on 12 floors and 142 apartments above that.

The plan by architect Sir David Chipperfield for developers London & Regional Properties and Chelsfield Partners includes another 10-storey building with shops and cafés on the ground floor and offices above.

Besides Westminster council, English Heritage, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and Unesco expressed concerns that, given its impact of the historic environment, the project should not go ahead without a planning inquiry — which Mr Johnson and Mr Pickles rejected.

Westminster and English Heritage are taking the issue to judicial review.

Mr Field said: “We must be mindful to avoid the sorts of planning mistakes from decades past that have blighted particular areas and detracted from the city as a whole.

“Nobody is suggesting that Westminster City Council should have the final word on the Elizabeth House application, but it is expressing legitimate concerns.

“Sight line protections have been honoured more in their breach and we must be careful that in future we get a better balance between the legitimate need for new development and the protection of London’s historic fabric.”

This week Lambeth cabinet member for regeneration Pete Robbins wrote to Westminster’s deputy leader Robert Davies accusing him of “wasting taxpayers’ money” pursuing the matter in the High Court.

The letter said: “It is difficult to understand why Westminster City council is going out on a limb and wasting money of council tax payers in both Lambeth and Westminster with a potential legal bill of tens of thousands of pounds.