A 26-storey South London student tower has been approved despite a councillor’s fears that bedrooms like “rabbit hutches” are damaging young people’s mental health.

The building in Deptford was waved through by a Lewisham Council planning committee on October 12 after a three and a half hour meeting.

The site on Surrey Canal Road is currently home to scrap metal dealer Southwark Metals Ltd, which is relocating to Thamesmead.

Under the plans the existing buildings on the site will be demolished and replaced with a 484-room student block, 42 flats, shops and studio space. 

News Shopper: CGI of building viewed from Surrey Canal Road (Credit: Lewisham Council planning documents)CGI of building viewed from Surrey Canal Road (Credit: Lewisham Council planning documents)

During the meeting, Councillor James-J Walsh, a member of the planning committee, said he had concerns about the amount of space for students to hang out in the building. 

Cllr Walsh, Labour member for Rushey Green, told the council’s planning team: “There’s a massive mental health crisis amongst young people. Them being kept in rabbit hutches as their bedroom and study space is exacerbating that problem. 

“There needs to be a good level of communal space for them to interact with each other, develop relationships and connect with one another. And I haven’t been assured that’s the case in this scheme yet.”

David Robinson, the council’s major and strategic project manager, said there would be communal space on the 25th floor of the building, as well as a roof terrace for students.

He added that there was also a place in the basement for students to do their laundry.

Cllr Walsh also raised concerns about the lack of measures to deal with traffic from students arriving at the start of the university term and the end of the academic year in the design. 

He added: “I’m worried about getting 500 families driving their son or daughter down from a shire, which you can’t cycle from, you can’t walk, with all their worldly belongings in the back of a car.

"That’s not coming on a train and it’s not coming on the back of a bike. What I’m really worried about is we’re going to have queuing for miles down our very small roads in this area for the weekend and it’s going to be chaos at the site.”

A representative for the applicant, Fosfel Apollo Limited, said he believed not all students would be arriving by car, with some expected to take the bus. He added that students would be moved into the building over several weekends, rather than just a single one. 

Of the 484 planned student rooms, 81 (17 per cent) will be available at affordable rents. All of the 42 residential flats are classified as affordable, with 70 per cent of them at the cheapest social rents.

A planning committee made up of five Labour councillors approved the plans with amendments unanimously.

A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: “The proposed student accommodation includes indoor and outdoor communal space for students, with study areas, shared lounge, TV and cinema screens, a fitness area and kitchen and dining areas.

“As a condition of planning permission, a Student Management Plan will need to be produced to ensure student use of the building is properly managed and issues such as access to communal areas and move-in and move-out arrangements are properly addressed. This plan will be reviewed by a specialist third-party expert to ensure it meets the high standards we would expect for this sort of development.”