A West London council has approved plans for a nine-storey hotel on the site of a former Woolworths. The hotel will be based in West Ealing, 96-102 Broadway, just minutes from the nearby West Ealing station and the Elizabeth line.
The building will host 268 rooms, a restaurant and bar, and a conference space for meetings. The restaurant and bar on the ground floor will be open to the public.
Of the 268 rooms, 183 will be standard rooms, 56 will be “premium rooms”, and 29 will be wheelchair accessible. There will also be no car parking spaces on site, however there will be spaces to park bicycles.
In 2020, planning permission was granted to build 120 flats on the site. However, this did not materialise, but the previous building was demolished.
During the consultation period, the council received 17 letters of objection, and two supporting the project. One resident described the plans as a “giant vacuous air bnb”.
Some residents were concerned about the scale and height of the development. However, planning officers noted that under previous granted planning permission, old proposals sought to build up to 15 storeys, meaning this development is reduced.
Other objections included concerns that a hotel is being built instead of any affordable housing. In response, planning offices cited the London Plan, which encourages residential and hotel development.
The site is also not subject to any “site allocation” meaning only one type of building could be constructed. Therefore, planning officers considered the hotel an acceptable use of land.
The site will also host a co-working space on the ground floor, something residents objected to, claiming that it was not needed. Council planning officers rebuffed these claims, arguing that there is no evidence that there will not be extra demand for co-working spaces in West Ealing.
Concerns were also raised about the potential strain on community infrastructure. However, officers secured a section 106 agreement which they say will “mitigate the impact on local transport, town centre management, regeneration, air quality and crime prevention.”
A section 106 agreement is a legally binding agreement between the council and the developer. This is typically financial contributions used to mitigate impacts of the development, and without would otherwise lead to the refusal of planning permission.
In this instance, officers secured a total of £336,523.55 in section 106 financial contributions from the developer. The largest of which are an £88,625 payment to support local employment and skills programs, £75,000 to improve transport and public spaces, and £53,174 towards “town centre management.”
The developer must also employ 60 per cent of all construction workers with Ealing residents. It must also use at least two local suppliers for building materials.
The plans were passed unanimously by Ealing Council’s planning committee.
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