Planning Application Lodged For 22-Storey Tower Block Near South Acton Station
Plan for 210 flats on industrial estate car park would 'devastate' nearby allotments
CGI of 'Sky Lounge' on 22nd floor
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The developer behind a proposal to build a 22-storey tower in South Acton between Greenock Road and Stanley Road, has applied for planning permission for the project, amidst local concern about the scale of the development.
Local allotment owners also say the blocking of light from such a tall building would be 'devastating' for them.
Residents say they were not given enough prior notice or information from the developers in advance.
Nearly forty objections have been lodged with Ealing Council, mainly on grounds of the scale of the building which is more than twice as tall as the tallest existing building, Ravenswood Court at ten stories high. Other objections are that the area is zoned for industrial units and there will be no residential infrastructure, such as parking, to support it.
The proposal involves building a second block 10 storeys high next to the footpath that links the two roads. The site is on a car park on the South Acton industrial estate next to the allotments.
The developers say that the building needs to be so tall because of the limited footprint of the site and to allow them to include affordable units. There would be 210 built-to-rent flats a ‘percentage’ of which would be affordable with a mix of studio, 1,2 and 3 bedroom flats. There would be a residents lounge on the ground floor and a Sky Lounge on the 22nd floor.
The ground floor would include 254m² of floor space for light industrial and workshop space, with the building entrance fronting Stanley Road. It is believed that, as the area remains zoned for industrial use, the developers would need to show no loss of such space as a result of the development.
The first floor would include 642m² of flexible floor space serviced by a goods lift located to provide convenient access to the ground floor deliveries and servicing bay.
Location of development
Christopher Stobart who represents the plot holders on the South Acton allotment site (which this year was judged the best small allotment site in The Borough of Ealing) said of the plan, ”The short time devoted to this exhibition, and the skimpy information provided indicate to me a desire to attract as little publicity as possible.
“The impact on the allotment site would be devastating, since it would block out sunlight from a large area from approximately midday to the end of the day; noise, wind , mess and general disturbance during construction would have further detrimental impacts. The scale and exact location of these buildings is scarcely mentioned in the material displayed at the exhibition.
“There would also obviously be a major impact on the apartment blocks on Stanley Road, particularly Ravenswood Court.”
South Acton allotments. Picture: Google Streetview
A public exhibition was held in the Acton Gardens Community Centre in November with no notice given to local media that it was taking place. The information supplied was described by one attendee as ‘skimpy’. Although CGI was provided for parts of the project there was no visualisation provided to show the overall scheme. Only a line drawing was given showing the height of the building in context.
Only indication of scale of project given at exhibition
The plan has been conceived by Henley Investments who say they are working closely with Ealing Council. The design would be by HTA Design LLP a design consultancy who specialise in architecture.
CGI of entrance to the planned building
The site is bordered by the industrial estate to the south west, a public footpath to the north, Stanley Road to the east and an allotment to the south east. It is currently used as a car park, servicing the adjoining industrial units. The development will be ‘car-free’.
There has been a spate of major developments in the area recently with Transport for London disclosing that they are intending to develop a large plot of land they own along Bollo Lane. Two 15 storey towers are also being proposed on Stirling Road.
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January 21, 2020
