Greenwich Council has ordered two occupied tower blocks in south London to be demolished for breaking planning rules in an extraordinary move.
Officials said the Mast Quay Phase II rental development, two high-rise tower blocks near the Thames in Woolwich, was so different from approved plans that it should be knocked down and rebuilt.
The towers are occupied and are home to 204 apartments - meaning tenants could now have to find alternative accommodation.
In a statement, the council said developer Comer Homes Group had breached 26 planning conditions and accused the developer of continuing to let flats in the scheme despite being advised not to do so while an investigation was ongoing.
Among the breached conditions were a lack of play space for children, no step free access for disabled residents to their own balconies, and a lack of promised green space in outside areas, it said.
It said it believed the only “reasonable” way to rectify the harm done to tenants and the area was to demolish the buildings and restore the land to its former condition.
But the developer could appeal against the enforcement notice, setting the stage for a legal showdown.
If it does not it will have to knock down the buildings within a year or face the prospect of an unlimited fine.
Greenwich Council leader Cllr Anthony Okereke said: “This decision is not one that the Royal Borough of Greenwich has taken lightly, but I believe it is reasonable and proportionate to the scale and seriousness of the situation.
“Mast Quay Phase II represents two prominent high-rise buildings on Woolwich’s riverside that just are not good enough, and the reason that they are not good enough is because the development that was given planning permission is not the one that we can all see before us today.”
Officials described the step as unprecedented.
Cllr Ann-Marie, Greenwich Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement said: “Without enforcement our planning system can have no integrity and that is why we will not shy away from property developers exploiting the system for their own gain, to the detriment of residents and other responsible developers who do the right thing."
The Standard has contacted Comer Homes Group for a comment.
A one-bed flat advertised in the development earlier this month had the asking price of £1,829 pcm.
An earlier completed phase in the development, finished in 2007, is not affected.
The developer could also seek to avoid having to demolish the flats by seeking retrospective planning permission, but it is not clear if this is feasible.
