Wandsworth B&Q

The B&Q carpark, Smugglers Way, Wandsworth

B&Q is a popular and loved DIY and garden centre retailer, and one of the largest and well known in the UK. And the Wandsworth chain was no exception.

Conveniently situated beside the A217, the store’s carpark was easy for drivers to access without causing queues or traffic jams as its fairly remote location surrounded by fast-paced roads contributed towards its speedy in-and-out system.

But towards the end of 2019, B&Q’s divisional director south, Joe Orlando told The Wandsworth Times: “B&Q is committed to our customers in the Wandsworth area, we’re very sorry to be closing the Wandsworth store on Saturday, October 12 and we send our sincere apologies to Wandsworth customers.”

This came after the news that developers were given permission to demolish the Wandsworth B&Q to replace it with a flat complex.

Animation of future plans for flats

Orlando reassured Wandsworth customers: “we have stores in nearby Chiswick, West Norwood and New Malden and we look forward to welcoming our local customers there.”

The demolition of Wandsworth’s B&Q will make way for the construction of 13 tower blocks ranging from 8 to 15 storeys and forming 517 homes in total. There will also be additional facilities such as restaurants, shops, and parking spaces.

The decision to replace the well-known garden centre has faced some concerns and criticisms from the general public.

The first issue raised is the location of the homes. Being situated in the centre of the busy crossroads and in very close proximity with the Wandsworth roundabout, the flats will be exposed to the noise pollution of traffic 24/7. This also adds a risk to living there, especially to those with children or disabilities as one would be subjected to the daily task of simply leaving your apartment complex amongst a busy road. It would basically only be worth living there if you owned a car. People have also raised the concern of pollution of the air due to so much traffic and vehicle activity in the area. This adds health risks that can be damaging to those vulnerable such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions. This excludes certain groups which narrows the targeted market for these flats.

Another concern raised on the internet by the general public was that of pricing and sustainability. The types of flats intended to be built mirror the expensive, large windowed flats overlooking the Thames already in this particular area. This concerns people as it is clear that the vast majority of the flats will overlook the waste and recycling tip or the A217, begging the question of tiered pricing in according to how desirable the view is. The developers have made a promise that 20% of the housing will be affordable, but people are questioning just how affordable these flats will really be. This adds to the argument against the production of the flats replacing B&Q as people do not see it being able to contribute as much to society as the large home improvement centre that previously occupied the site.

Following this concern, people have pondered the idea of building more public facilities in the site. This would surely bring in more money as more people would frequent the facilities rather than purchase or rent highly expensive flats in a less than ideal area. As many people find they are rather inconvenienced by the demolition of Wandsworth’s B&Q, they find that the production and development of an expensive apartment complex to be a disappointment.

Jobs and part of the local economy have been torn down by the drastic decision and it seems that people are generally disgruntled and bored by the prospect of more flats replacing well-known and loved shops.