news
Lambeth Council Votes on Three Brixton Projects, £4.2M Transport Plan
Three planning applications and a £4.2 million transport allocation sit before councillors at the 18 July meeting.
How we reported this
Lambeth Council will vote on 18 July on three planning applications that would reshape sites along Coldharbour Lane and Brixton Road.
The decisions come after the council published its draft capital programme last month, which sets aside £4.2 million for cycle lanes and bus priority measures on Brixton Road. Local groups have pressed for faster action on housing targets set in the 2021 Lambeth Local Plan, and the July meeting is the first chance to lock in delivery dates before the autumn budget round.
Applications on the table
One application covers a 48-unit residential block on the former Post Office sorting yard at 2-6 Coldharbour Lane. A second seeks permission for a mixed-use redevelopment of the vacant lot next to Brixton Market on Electric Avenue. The third concerns an extension to the Windrush Square community hub run by the Brixton Business Improvement District. Officers have recommended approval for the first two schemes and refusal for the hub extension on design grounds.
Council records show the Coldharbour Lane site has stood empty since 2019. The Electric Avenue proposal includes 12 affordable homes and a ground-floor unit reserved for a Brixton Village trader who lost their stall in the 2023 fire. The Windrush Square plan would add two meeting rooms and a new entrance facing the Ritzy Cinema, but heritage officers flagged the proposed cladding as out of keeping with the Grade II listed square.
Numbers behind the choices
The draft capital programme lists total transport spending of £4.2 million across Lambeth wards in 2026-27, with £1.1 million earmarked for Brixton specifically. Average private rents in the ward reached £1,875 a month in the first quarter of 2026, according to Land Registry data. The council’s own housing waiting list stands at 3,847 households, of which 612 are in Brixton.
Councillors will also receive an update on the £850,000 allocated last year for resurfacing work on Brixton Hill between St Matthew’s Church and the Town Hall. Completion has slipped from March to September because of utility diversions, and members must decide whether to release contingency funds or defer other schemes.
After the 18 July meeting, the planning decisions move to the Mayor of London for final sign-off if any scheme exceeds 30 residential units. Residents can submit further comments until 5pm on 15 July through the council’s online portal. The next full council budget session is scheduled for 12 November, when any unspent transport money could be reallocated.