Developer Reveals Plans for Chiswick Police Station |
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No ground floor retail in six storey building containing retirement flats
December 6, 2022 More details of the planned redevelopment of Chiswick Police Station were revealed at a public presentation held this Monday (5 December). Birchgrove along with Levanter Developments hosted the event ahead of the submission of a planning application for a six-storey building at 205-207 Chiswick High Road containing 52 flats designed for older residents. The information on the display boards at the exhibition were not available in a brochure or published online as the developer says that these are just preliminary designs subject to later amendment. In the current design there will be a restaurant and café on the ground floor of the building which would be available for the public to use but is primarily meant for residents and their guests. It will not have a frontage onto the High Road but would be accessed through the main entrance.
There would also be two rooms at the ground floor set aside for free community use which any local organisation, not just non-profits, will be able to use without charge. The developer has already had conversations with the organisers of local Sunday markets who will be able to use the rooms as a base on market days. There would be no parking provided at the site and residents of the development would not qualify for permits in nearby controlled parking zones. The two police parking bays in the car park at the front could be converted to an ambulance station. Parking spaces at the rear of the building on Prince of Wales Terrace have been removed and will be replaced with a vegetable plot for use by residents. The art panels on the existing building will be moved to a new courtyard area with a communal garden in the middle of the development. A Linden Gardens residents who attended the presentation of Monday said, “The building is not a huge step up from what was there previously which is disappointing, but a retirement community is a better option than flats that would be marketed to everyone, so we probably need to accept this is a least bad option. The main thing that should change is the lack of retail space on the ground floor. It is already a massive struggle for businesses on the south side of the High Road at this point and an opportunity to revitalise the area has been missed.” A planning application is expected to be submitted to Hounslow Council for the scheme early next year.
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