A historic south London department store will be turned into a 92-bed hotel, despite a petition signed by hundreds of residents opposing it.
Wandsworth Council has approved the plans for the building that housed Morleys, in Tooting, for 70 years until the independent store shut in April.
Morleys closed the store after revealing it could not justify the funds needed to maintain and update it.
Instead, Criterion Capital, which owns the Zedwell hotel chain, will convert most of the building into a hotel. Part of the ground floor will be kept for shops, with the retailers to be announced in due course.
The building’s previous owners won permission to almost completely demolish it for 24 flats in 2023, but Criterion Capital put forward plans to convert it into a hotel after buying the site. The council’s planning committee approved this scheme on Thursday (October 23).
A petition signed by 400 residents had raised concerns about the plans, particularly that the hotel would be turned into temporary accommodation once permission was granted.
Labour councillor Sean Lawless said residents were concerned due to the recent outcome of a similar scheme, where a new hotel in Tooting was being converted to temporary accommodation as there wasn’t enough demand for it. He voiced his support for that site being used as temporary accommodation, but said residents were concerned about how planning permission could be given for a hotel in this instance when there was “no real proof” it was needed locally.
Councillor Lawless said: “If you are to accept it, then local residents demand firm conditions be placed on the site to ensure that it must be used for the purpose intended in this application – rooms to boost tourism, to attract visitors to Tooting, to spend money in our local area.”
Labour councillor Matthew Tiller added: “This does feel like a wasted opportunity to provide new housing rather than yet another hotel. It would be nice, if we possibly could, to push things in that direction.”
But planning officer Nigel Granger assured councillors the building could not be converted into another use without a separate application and major physical changes. He said independent assessments had ruled it would not be viable to provide permanent housing on the site.
Planning documents said: “A new hotel brand will be incorporated into the development, addressing a clear market gap. By repurposing an existing building, which would otherwise be difficult to reuse, the project provides both environmental and economic benefits.”
They added: “Furthermore, the development will generate job creation, contributing to both social and economic benefits for the local community. This aligns with broader goals of supporting local employment and fostering economic growth in the area.”
The committee approved the scheme at the end of the meeting, with six councillors voting in favour and two against.
