32-Storey Chiswick Curve Turned Down By Council Planners

Hounslow Planning Committee to discuss it in January with recommendation for refusal

The planned tower viewed from Chiswick Roundabout

The planning application for the 32-storey Chiswick Curve, also known as the Chiswick Tower, has been turned down by planning officers at Hounslow Council.

The current application will come up for discussion before Hounslow Council's Planning Committee on 12 January, 2017 where councillors will be told that council officers have recommended refusal. The grounds for refusal are not yet known.

Local campaigners said they were happy at the news but have urged people to attend the meeting, as councillors are free to come to a different decision than that recommended in the officer's report.

A statement from the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society (WCGS) said, "WCGS is pleased to learn that the officer recommendation is that the application for this very harmful 32-storey development proposed at the Chiswick Roundabout should be refused. We strongly endorse this recommendation as the proposed scheme would have a seriously detrimental impact on the local economy, environment and the quality of life of existing residents and any future residents of the development.

"The recently amended proposals fail utterly to address the major objections raised at the beginning of the year by our Society and by many others, including statutory consultees. Many of these objections were based on the proposed development’s lack of compliance with the policies of Hounslow’s Local Plan, the London Plan and the NPPF."

A formal planning application was submitted by Starbones Limited to Hounslow Council on 21 December 2015. for what would be the tallest building in West London, higher than Trellick Tower in Paddington.

However, the matter was put aside for several months pending talks between the developer and the local authority, and campaigners against the proposal continued to voice their opposition to the project.

The amendments proposed by developers, Starbones Ltd, included an increase in the number of housing units, reduction in the retail/restaurant floorspace and a small increase in the office space. It was also proposed that the giant LED digital advertising screens would be reduced from four to three.

The amendments included:

• increasing the number of residential units from 320 to 327
• An increase in the amount of office floorspace from 4,608m2 to 4,682m2
• A reduction in the amount of retail/restaurant floorspace from 498m2 to 459m2
• Relocation of plant room space and revisions to internal play space areas
• Reduction in the number (from 4 to 3) and scale of digital advertisement screens
• Changes to the design of the façade of the first six storeys
• Changes to the design of the north elevation

The Chiswick Curve from Strand on the Green

Local groups in Chiswick, Kew and Brentford had been campaigning strongly against the development, including residents' and community groups, conservationists as well as the Green Party, English Heritage, Kew Gardens, and Tony Arbour MLA. Their opposition rested mainly on the grounds that this was an unsuitable site for residential development, that the structure was too high, there would be a negative impact on traffic and public transport, increased pollution, and there was currently a lack of surrounding infrastructure.

The Curve from Kew Bridge

Marie Rabouhans of the WCGS added; "We urge residents of Chiswick and Brentford to attend the meeting on 12th January when the decision on this very important issue will be made by the Planning Committee acting as the Local Planning Authority. While informed and advised by the Council’s planning officers, members of the Planning Committee are free to come to a different decision than that recommended in the officer’s report. We all need to demonstrate by our presence how important an issue this is to the local community.

"The Papers for the meeting, including the officer's report, will be available on the Council's website by 5th January 2017. WCGS will be studying the report in detail and providing comment on it to members of the Planning Committee. Meanwhile we can all contact our local councillors and let them know that we support the officer's recommendation for refusal."

The Curve outside Gunnersbury station on Chiswick High Road

A view from the A4

December 22, 2016