The minutes of the Planning Committee meeting and the reasons for refusal have been published and can be found here. However, we would recommend watching the webcast for a more detailed picture of the night.

Berkeley could still submit amended plans, however, it is likely that they will wait to see the outcome of any Mayoral call-in. At some point, Kingston will refer the application to the GLA. The Mayor will then have 14 days to decide whether he wants to call the application in and become the local planning authority. The process then starts again, with a public hearing at City Hall possibly in the Summer or Autumn.

Given that Kingston has refused the application, Merton will wait to see if the GLA calls in the decision. The GLA will decide if they call in the Kingston element, or the whole development (across both boroughs). When the GLA decides on this, the way forward will be clearer. For the time being Merton will hold the application in abeyance.

If the Mayor decides not to call it in, or agrees with Kingston Council, Berkeley can still appeal. This will likely be an inquiry at a much later date. There is also a remote possibility that the Secretary of State, who will also be notified, could recover the decision. As soon as we have any information, we will let you know.