Mutual faces opposition from Bromley Lib Dems in blow for Dame Sharon White
John Lewis’s flagship housing scheme is at risk after local councillors vowed to oppose the project and accused the partnership of a “lack of respect”.
The mutual’s upcoming housing development project in Bromley was branded “just not acceptable” by the head of the authority’s Liberal Democrats, who accused it of failing to promise enough affordable homes.
John Lewis submitted a planning application for the scheme late last month, with the intention of building 353 one, two and three bedroom flats above a Waitrose store as it attempts to diversify away from retail amid a slowdown on the high street.
Failure to secure approval would be an embarrassing blow to the business’s chairman, Dame Sharon White, who wants the company to make 40pc of its profits from outside retail by 2030.