For decades, Sir Mick Jagger has sung that you can’t always get what you want.
That sentiment is taking on new significance for the Rolling Stones frontman when it comes to a row over a luxury tower block in an area of London that has been close to his heart since the Swinging Sixties.
Jagger has waded into a dispute over One Battersea Bridge, a 28-storey tower in Battersea, where developers have proposed to build 110 flats in a 99m-high building on the southern banks of the Thames.
The tower would overlook Battersea Bridge and the existing Albion Riverside building, right
“Such a huge building project of another high tower in Battersea & Chelsea makes no sense and is totally wrong on every level,” Jagger, who lives in Chelsea, told his local online newspaper, The Chelsea Citizen. He made the comments before an eight-day public inquiry, which begins on Tuesday, into whether the development can go ahead.
“I have lived in this area for a long time and I care about what happens to it,” Jagger said. “If this goes ahead it could lead to more tall buildings being built in the area and changing this wonderful stretch of the Thames riverside for ever.”
Jagger, 82, first moved to Chelsea in the early 1960s with his bandmates Brian Jones and Keith Richards. He is supported by the Good Life actress Felicity Kendal, 79, who said the modern high-rise would be “utterly monstrous and will wreck this part of Battersea riverside”.
Felicity Kendal at the Chelsea Flower ShowDave Benett/Getty Images
“It is a total eyesore and completely out of keeping with this area,” Kendal added. “It simply must not be allowed. If they allow this, it will mark the beginning of the end of Battersea riverside as we know — and love — it. It will open up a free for all for other developers to build towers along the river. Before long it will become another Vauxhall.
“These developers don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. They are just in it for the money. If the Inspector goes against the will of everyone — the people and the council — and allows this tower it will be a travesty. It will be a defeat for democracy and basic common sense.”
Eric Clapton, another famous local, has previously backed calls to stop the plans.
Jagger and Kendal’s comments mark the latest chapter in the dispute over One Battersea Bridge, which would feature a public restaurant on the ground floor, underground parking, and a mix of residential and commercial spaces.
The site is next to Battersea Bridge and is currently occupied by a five-storey office, which would be demolished.
The development would feature a public restaurant on the ground floor and residential and commercial spacesFarrells
The developer, Rockwell, first proposed a 34-storey building of 142 flats, but this was later reduced. A final planning application was submitted around May 2024 and, in April last year, it was rejected by Wandsworth Council, which cited the building’s “excessive height and scale”.
The developers will this week appeal the decision to the planning inspectorate at Wandsworth Town Hall, costing the local authority more than £500,000 in legal fees, a local councillor revealed.
Tony Belton is the chairman of Wandsworth Council’s planning committee, which unanimously rejected the tower proposal last year. Belton, 84, has served on the council since 1971 and said he has never seen such unity between the Tory and Labour benches.
“In all my years on this council, the Tories have opposed Labour on every planning application that Labour has supported. This is the first time that I can recall them supporting us. Rockwell has succeeded in one thing: uniting everyone against their plan,” Belton said.
The veteran councillor called on Rockwell to refund the council the money should it lose the appeal.
A spokesman for Rockwell said: “If London is to meet its housing targets, developments in sustainable locations like this (which attracted nearly 1900 letters of support) need to be granted without having to go through lengthy appeals.
“One Battersea Bridge represents a great opportunity for high-quality homes, designed by the world-renowned architects, Farrells. This regeneration project includes 50 per cent much-needed affordable social rented homes that exceeds Wandsworth’s adopted policy targets.
“The plans also provide affordable workspace, a free-to-access community hub run by local charities, and major public-realm improvements that would transform an underused site and replace a building no longer fit for purpose.”