Borough Triangle affordable housing to be cut to just 10% as Liberal Democrats demand refusal

Liberal Democrat councillors in Borough & Bankside and St George’s have called on Southwark Council to reject new plans that would slash affordable housing at the Borough Triangle development to just 10%. 

The major scheme, which will deliver 892 homes on the site of Mercato Metropolitano, was already approved in 2025 with what councillors described as an unacceptably low level of affordable housing. The developer has now submitted a new application (Ref: 26/AP/0677) seeking to reduce this even further. 

Councillors have written to the Council’s Head of Planning urging officers to refuse the application, warning it would set a dangerous precedent and further erode trust in the planning system. 

The move comes just days after the Canada Water masterplan in Rotherhithe was approved by the Labour Deputy Mayor with only 9% affordable housing, raising concerns that expectations are being lowered across London. 

Commenting, Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition and councillor for Borough & Bankside, said: 

“This scheme was already failing local people - now it’s getting even worse. Cutting affordable housing to just 10% on a site delivering nearly 900 homes is simply unacceptable.We warned from the start that Borough Triangle didn’t go far enough. Now the developer is back asking to water it down even further and that raises serious questions about how this was approved in the first place. When developments like Canada Water are being approved with just 9% affordable housing, it’s clear the bar is being lowered and developers are taking full advantage. Labour are rolling over to developers at every level of government, Southwark residents deserve better.” 

Cllr Graham Neale, Liberal Democrat councillor for St George’s ward, added: 
 
“Residents have been clear all along - this development does not deliver the homes local people need. Instead of improving the scheme, the developer is now trying to reduce its commitments even further. Southwark is in the middle of a housing crisis. We should be maximising genuinely affordable homes on sites like this not allowing them to be cut back.” 

Local resident Anna Bayraktar said: 
 
“This is an insult to local people. With over 22,000 households on Southwark’s housing waiting list, we should be building more genuinely affordable and council homes not cutting them back. Residents have been clear: this is not good enough, and it won’t be accepted.” 

Councillors are urging residents to make their voices heard by submitting comments on the application using reference 26/AP/0677. 

They also warned that the proposal reflects a wider pattern of Labour-led decisions allowing developers to reduce affordable housing commitments.