Gateway Tower On Way For Chiswick

Planning application lodged by Christmas for 42-storey tower block to replace Octopus

The developers behind the Gateway Tower, the 42-storey mixed use development which is expected to replace the Octopus at Chiswick Roundabout, are expected to lodge a planning application by the end of the year.

One of the partners has told an architectural magazine Architects’ Journal that the Gateway Tower development superceded the Octopus and was the focus of Galliard’s ambition for Chiswick Roundabout.

The new scheme would be almost three times taller than the Octopus at 140m and incorporates 410 flats, a 140-room hotel, 4,170m² of office space and a five-level spiral basement with 150 parking spaces.

Peter O Malley, a partner in LOM told the Journal that ;"The new proposal has got uses that are in demand, it’s a building that we believe will get the support of the local authority, and it’s in support of the regeneration of the Golden Mile,’, according to the report.

‘We’re looking towards an application being lodged towards the end of the year.’

Galliard Group and London and Bath Estates won planning permission for the Octopus, four years ago. It was to be a five-storey 50 m high commercial building on the elevated site of the M4 with an advertising billboard. and LED 'shroud'.

But it emerged recently, during the announcement of regeneration plans for the Brentford 'Golden Mile' which borders on Chiswick, that a new proposal might be on the cards. Gailliard asked LOM Architecture and Design to design a taller mixed-use scheme for the same site to replace the Octopus.

Hounslow Council has, according to the report, confirmed that LBH was in discussion over ‘a possible alternative scheme’ for the Octopus site, but said no new application had been received. LBH has not replied to queries from chiswickw4.com on the matter.

The height of the tower is likely to draw local opposition from residents in Chiswick as the skyscraper project would give Chiswick one of the highest buildings in London and totally transform the local skyline. Locals are already critical of a proposal to build a high density housing development of 1,000 homes to be known as Kew Gate. Plans are also being discussed to redevelop the B&Q site on the A406 North Circular Road.

The project has already attracted opposition from residents in west Chiswick. The chair of the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society, Marie Rabouhans, said it was "developers gone mad".

The graphic below which was created by consultancy firm Urban Initiatives shows a large development on the B&Q site which is similar in scale to the building occupying the current Octopus site. Chiswick Roundabout can be seen on the right of the image.

Hounslow Council's Plan for the 'Golden Mile in Brentford and Chiswick

Details showing current Octopus and B&Q site by Chiswick Roundabout

The London Octopus project had been hailed by Gailliard Group as one of the most futuristic and exciting commercial buildings ever launched in London. Reports last year suggested that royals from both Qatar and Dubai were likely to bid for its purchase, reputed to be £120 million.

You can read about the background to the Octopus here.

November 7, 2014