More than 100 affordable homes will be built on the former Shell oil depot site in Wandsworth, nearly 18 months after planning permission was first granted.

The council's housing department will allocate the 107 lower cost flats, which will be rented or purchased under the shared ownership scheme and will provide accommodation to people on the housing waiting list, as well as key workers such as police officers or teachers.

The flats will be housed in eight buildings from one to 11 storeys. There will be more than 400 flats in total on the site, as well as commercial space including offices, restaurants and light industry.

An ecology area and the provision of a public piazza for the Shell site has also been agreed between the council and developer London Town PLC, with public access to a stretch of the riverside closed off for nearly 100 years.

Planning chairman Councillor Ravi Govindia said: "The former Shell-owned site is an area of huge potential, close to the river, park and Wandsworth town centre.

"There has been a great deal of activity in this part of the Wandle Delta and the Shell site will take the regeneration of this whole area a huge step forward.''

Road layouts in the area will also be improved, including providing a safe right turn from Putney Bridge Road into Point Pleasant.

Nearly 1,000 new, affordable homes are planned for the borough in the next two years.

The development should take two years to complete.

November 23, 2001 11:00