Mayor of London takes control of Borough Triangle application rejected by Southwark Council

Southwark Liberal Democrats have responded to the Mayor of London’s decision to call in Berkeley Homes’ revised application for the Borough Triangle development in Elephant and Castle.

The Mayor called in the application on 5 October 2026, meaning he, rather than Southwark Council, will now decide it following a public hearing at City Hall.

Berkeley’s application sought to reduce affordable housing at the scheme from 35% to 10%, cutting the number of affordable homes from 230 to 60 out of 892. Southwark’s planning committee refused the application unanimously on 9 September, following the advice of council officers that the revised scheme would not deliver sufficient affordable housing.

The original planning permission, approved in March 2025 with 35% affordable housing, remains in place. During consultation on that scheme, 415 of 434 public comments were objections.

Liberal Democrats in Southwark had consistently campaigned against the scheme on affordability grounds.

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Executive Member for Strategic Planning will be writing to the Mayor to clearly set out the position of the Council and local people.

This also comes as the Labour government's reforms reducing the amount of local input into planning applications will come into force later this autumn.

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Southwark Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Executive Member for Strategic Planning said:

"Southwark’s planning committee looked carefully at Berkeley’s proposal to cut affordable homes at Borough Triangle from 230 to 60, and refused it unanimously. That was the right decision for a borough with thousands of families waiting for a home they can afford. It is disappointing that this decision is now being taken out of local hands. Residents have been clear about this development from the start, and their views must be properly heard in the Mayor’s process. 

Liberal Democrats will always stand up for local communities – whereas Labour seem to think that they know what's best."