A petition has been launched calling for residents to back Lewisham Council’s rejection of a planning application which would see a 34-storey tower near Lewisham station.

Developer Meyer Homes submitted a new application for the house and workspace development, which includes Lewisham’s tallest building, while it appeals the council’s rejection of its first application.

Planning appeals are submitted to an independent planning inspector who has the powers to overturn a local council’s decision.

Petition creator Katy Walsh wrote Lewisham Council should not be “bullied into accepting the proposal,” on what she describes as a Victorian cul-de-sac.

“The site boundary is 13 metres from my house and my neighbour's house. It will be completely overbearing and there will be hundreds of windows looking into my garden and into my children’s bedrooms. It is not in keeping with Silk Mills Path,” she said.

Her other concerns include air pollution and the extra pressure on amenities the 365 apartments in the proposal would bring.

“If this site is approved, us local residents including many children, elderly and vulnerable people will be literally living in a building site for several years,” she wrote.

“We have already had years of breathing in the pollutants from the Gateway site. Please give our lungs a break.”

Councillors unanimously voted against the development of the eight, 14 and 34-storey building on the former Tesco car park in Conington Road at a planning committee in April, with transport access and capacity, affordable housing and height listed as concerns.

Councillors and residents were not convinced the developer’s plans, which included a Skydeck viewing platform on top of the tallest building, 365 apartments and workspaces, would bring enough benefits to outweigh the concerns.

Meyer Homes’s revised plans include improved access to the Skydeck – which would be free to the public between 10am and 1pm, and free to residents at all other times – and an agreement with Network Rail around funding improvements to Lewisham station.

The petition has so far reached more than 350 signatures.