Sutton is facing a major shortage of homes at prices people can afford, Richard told the public enquiry into the latest planning application for Sutherland House, on 18 July.

He called on the Planning Inspectorate to make it a condition of granting the application that at least some of the 160 luxury flats to be included in plans to renovate the block be “affordable homes”, to enable Housing Associations to make them available to people in real need.

He told the enquiry of examples from his casework as a local Councillor where people were living in cramped conditions, including one case where parents, grown up children and their children were all living in a two bedroom flat, yet this family were still some way down the priority list on the Council’s housing register. There was a crying need for more homes at prices people can afford.

He said “These flats, close to Sutton station, will be worth a bomb. I cannot believe that the economics of this project make it impossible to provide some affordable homes without the developer still making sufficient profit to make the conversion worthwhile.”

He criticised Government plans to make it possible to convert offices to housing without providing affordable homes, in the future.

He said “Sutherland House is an eyesore. It is overdue for re-development. But the developers could make this one change, providing some affordable housing, to help the local community.”

Richard was speaking at a Planning Inspectorate enquiry into the most recent planning application for Sutherland House, to convert the property to 160 luxury flats, held at Strawberry Lodge, Denmark Road, on 17 July.

The Council has suggested that up to ten of the flats could be affordable homes without an unacceptable impact on the economics of the project, following an independent study.