Asahi Makes Third Attempt to Control Griffin Brewery Access

Chiswick Mall residents fear loss of right of way

The entrance to the road on Chiswick Lane South. Picture: Google Streetview

July 12, 2023

Another planning application has been issued in an attempt to control access to the Griffin Brewery from Chiswick Lane South.

The owners of the brewery, Asahi, have made two previous attempts to restrict access to the area. It claims there is a safety risk with heavy equipment used on the road and that its staff have been abused when they have told people walking in the area that it is a private road.

The road is a dead end but often people walk down it thinking they can get through to the other side of the brewery.

An application made by Asahi last year was refused because council planners deemed the appearance of proposed gates would have a harmful impact on the Old Chiswick Conservation Area and the nearby listed buildings.

A subsequent application earlier this year was refused on the grounds that it would require an ‘extinguishment’ of a public right of way and would therefore be detrimental to the amenities of residents.

Access to the rear of properties along Chiswick Mall is obtained through the road and the council understands that there is a covenant agreed between the brewery and residents in 1955 which guarantees access.

Residents say they need to maintain access for vehicles to their properties from this direction for maintenance purposes and to allow emergency vehicles to attend when there is flooding on Chiswick Mall at the front of the houses.

The latest planning application is for a gatehouse only which would be set back from the road and not easily visible from Chiswick Lane South according to Asahi. There would be a marked pedestrian crossing from the gatehouse to the brewery’s main reception.

Asahi says it has engaged with the local community about its plans and will continue to do so although some residents objected previously on the grounds that they were not notified of the company’s intentions at the time of previous applications.

One resident said, “It may be the latest application is an attempt to breakdown the overall plan into pieces. A gatehouse on its own is pretty pointless without a gate, so the concern would be, if this application is approved, it would be followed by another go at getting a barrier installed.”

Asahi says that in 2021 there were 52 ‘near miss’ incidents in which members of the public used the road and 26 between January and August 2022. A near miss is categorised as an incident when an ‘unauthorised’ person walks on the road while drays, trucks or forklift trucks are in operation. 46% of the people travelling through the site were neighbours and/or dog walkers, 39% were cyclists (9% children) and 15% were people with push chairs. Ten incidents were logged in the first eight months of 2022 in which Asahi staff were abused when they challenged individuals on the road.

The application reference is P/2023/2166 and further details can be found by going to the planning section of the Hounslow Council web site and using this reference to search.