A planning application to demolish a Homebase and build nearly 350 flats is now in the hands of the Mayor of London after being rejected by the council.

Plans to build the flats, which would be between seven and 17 storeys high, were rejected twice by Wandsworth Council.

After the second refusal, planning committee chairwoman Councillor Sarah McDermott said they “didn’t feel the developers addressed the reason for refusal the last time”, which was on the basis of height.

The initial application received nearly 150 objections from residents and the Wandsworth Society.

After a council officer advised London Mayor Sadiq Khan in June that permission would be rejected, the Mayor decided to take over the application.

In a letter to the council, Mr Khan said he recognised that in the last three years it had “taken a positive approach to approving new homes” and “exceeded the annualised development plan targets for housing and affordable housing”.

However, he said: “I note that the proportion of affordable housing secured relative to overall housing consented during this period is significantly below the Wandsworth Core Strategy 33 per cent target and represents a significant undersupply of affordable housing in the pipeline.”

He wrote the proposed development “has potential to make an important contribution to housing and affordable housing” in the borough.

However, a council spokesperson said: “We refused planning permission because we agreed with local people who argued this proposal was inappropriate, poorly thought-out and overbearing.

“For them it was a classic case of a developer trying to squeeze too much into a plot of land that’s simply not big enough.

“Rather than trying to ride roughshod over local democracy, the mayor should respect locally accountable decisions that have the backing of local people.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor is determined to tackle London’s housing crisis and significantly increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes across the capital.

“After careful consideration, the Mayor has decided to call in this application in order to subject it to further scrutiny and determine whether more affordable housing can be delivered on the site.”

Under article 7 of the Mayor of London Order 2008, the Mayor can take over ‘call in’ applications which have been rejected by London boroughs, effectively becoming the local planning authority for an application.