CASE STUDY
We were appointed by Workspace Group to support the planning application for the redevelopment of the existing Wandsworth Business Village, off Wandsworth High Street. The application proposed a complete demolition and rebuild of existing business space to create a new SME business community, residential development, greater permeability through the town centre, and retail/A3 use at ground floor.
The site is within a densely populated local area and is adjacent to a primary school. Due to the status as an operational business village, existing tenants needed to be dealt with in addition to the local community. Some sensitive issues arose throughout the process which required careful handling and communication to local stakeholders.
The programme consisted of engagement with The Wandsworth Society, The Wandsworth Town Centre Partnership, West Hill Primary School, local residents and businesses, ward councillors and senior councillors. Feedback from all stakeholders was fed into the proposals as they progressed, and the project team ensured consistent communication with all relevant parties.
An extensive programme of meetings and briefings was put in place to seek to explain the proposals in detail. This was followed by two public exhibitions and ongoing briefing with local councillors.
The application was approved unanimously at committee with no objections registered from the local community. The development is currently under construction, and engagement with the local community is ongoing throughout this process. As a result of the extent of engagement, Workspace Group now have an ongoing relationship with officers and senior councillors within Wandsworth focusing on other regeneration initiatives across the borough.
PLMR’s crisis communications experience is second to none, and includes pre-emptive and reactive work across traditional and social media channels. We work with a range of organisations to offer critical communication support when they are faced with difficult and challenging scenarios.
