West Hampstead Lib Dems object to revised plans for the O2 site which cut affordable housing to just 20%

The revised application to Camden Council reduces the proportion of affordable housing to just 20% of the total, in both the first phase, to be built on the site of the former Homebase store, and across the whole development. It takes advantage of the Labour Government and Labour Mayor of London’s policy changes made at the end of 2025. (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-announced-to-ramp-up-housebuilding-in-london.) 

The application also significantly downgrades the Community Centre from a prominent standalone building to a smaller facility underneath the affordable housing blocks, effectively depriving West Hampstead residents of a community asset. 

The Lib Dem objections reiterate their long-standing support for housing-led redevelopment on the site, as set out in the Fortune Green and West Hampstead Neighbourhood Development Plan, as well as concerns about the Labour Council’s approval of an early application which didn’t meet the council’s policies on affordable housing or open space, and the impact on overcrowding at West Hampstead Tube Station. 

The full text of the objection can be found here. The application is expected to be considered by Camden Council’s Planning Committee over the summer.