A West London town will see over 850 new homes built across several tower blocks after plans were approved.
On Thursday (September 4), Hounslow Council’s Planning Committee approved applications for two huge housing projects in Brentford. The largest will see hundreds of homes built on the former Sega Site on Great West Road.
These flats will be spread across four tower blocks, ranging between 15 and 19 storeys. Of the 856 new flats, 266 have been marked as ‘affordable’ including a mix of social rent and shared ownership homes.
130 flats will be maintained as council housing, and awarded to people on the council housing waiting list. The remaining 136 of the affordable units will be sold under the shared ownership scheme.
The 590 flats left over will be sold at market rate. Across the entire development, there are 39 studio flats, 318 one-bedroom flats, 407 two-bedroom flats, 75 three-bedroom flats, and 17 four-bedroom flats.
The new neighbourhood, which will be known as Brentford Works, will cost around £500million to complete. It will be financed by the developer, Areli Group, and Tikehau Capital.
The 1million square foot development will also provide 10,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space. There will be a new public square named the ‘Golden Mile Square’.
Council officers argued that the development would “optimise the development capacity of an underused brownfield site within the Great West Corridor Opportunity Area”.
Additionally, space has been protected for a future station on the new West London Orbital Line.
There had been some objections raised by residents and local organisations, including potential harm to local infrastructure. Officers explained that the impact on local infrastructure will be prevented as a community infrastructure levy – cash paid by developers to improve local infrastructure – will be secured to mitigate against any potential impacts. The levy will reach £20million.
There were also concerns that the view from Kew Gardens would be harmed, with the development sitting 450 meters north of the northern boundary of Kew Green. To mitigate concerns, three blocks were reduced in height.
The development will reportedly lead to a 67 per cent on-site carbon reduction, whilst introducing 1.5 acres of ‘new realm’. Additionally, the Brentford Fountain on site will be returned to Brentford.
The plans were unanimously approved by the Planning Committee. It will now go before the Greater London Authority for stage two approval – which is standard for larger projects.
Will Robinson, Head of Development at Areli Group, said: “The team have actively engaged with the local community and we are pleased to see the project so well supported by the local authority and our neighbours, Brentford FC. Through this engagement, the scheme design was significantly improved, while remaining deliverable and aligned with current market needs.
“Brentford Works is a key development within the exciting Golden Mile 100 Year Renaissance project which we all believe will be the next major regeneration district in London and we look forward to a continued positive relationship with the council and other stakeholders.”
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