Victorian shop reprieved as Southwark planners veto development

Since 2011 three planning applications for the demolition and redevelopment of the Tower Mini Market at 188 Tooley Street have been refused by Southwark Council.

Last year a planning inspector rejected an appeal against the council's decision on the second scheme.

Now planning officers have turned down the latest scheme – by architect Andrew Reed – which proposed to replace the current three-storey building with a four-storey block using the same palette of materials as the existing building.

"The proposed demolition would result in the unacceptable and unjustified loss of an important heritage asset that is of architectural and historic importance to the Borough and which contributes positively to the character and appearance of Tooley Street Conservation Area, contrary to the general presumption of retaining such positively-contributing buildings," said officers in their decision notice.

They added: "The proposed development, by reason of its visually-prominent location, its excessive scale, massing and height and its poor design would have an adverse impact on the visual amenity of the area.

"It would be an oddly-proportioned pastiche of inferior visual quality which together with its excessive height and size would create an overdominant and incongruous form of development that would fail to preserve the character and appearance of Tooley Street Conservation Area or the setting of nearby listed buildings and structures."