TfL’s largest residential development so far, over 850 homes along old railway land in Acton has secured planning permission. The location, Bollo Lane runs alongside the District and Picadilly line tracks between Chiswick Park and Acton Town, and on the railway side, is mostly occupied by TfL car parks and a couple of office buildings.
(c) TfL
The masterplan, designed in collaboration with architects HOK and East and engineers Mott MacDonald, covers a 3.6-hectare site and spans from Acton Town station in the north to the level crossing towards Chiswick.
When completed, Bollo Lane will be lined with a cluster of blocks, each separated by open space, and to the south end, a fake railway viaduct will create spaces for shops and an elevated garden.
Although the development is for 852 homes, that’s slightly less than the 875 that were originally planned, following some modest changes to the development plans.
Half of the homes are designated as affordable, with a range of rents, such as discounted market rent and London Affordable Rent, and shared ownership properties.
(c) TfL
The proposals form part of TfL’s wider housing programme, which will provide more than 10,000 homes across the capital as well as a commitment to deliver 50 per cent affordable housing on average across all sites brought to the market since May 2016. Work has started on almost 1,500 homes. Including Bollo Lane, planning committee approval has now been secured for a further 6,650 homes and TfL is awaiting planning committee decisions on almost 1,250 that have already been submitted.
There is also an ongoing process that could see the London Transport Museum’s depot at Acton, near Bollo Lane redeveloped.
Both the information notice and a TfL spokesperson have confirmed that any development on the site will have to take into account the requirements of the London Transport Museum.
Given the current dire state of the UK economy, and the report within last week that the population of London may have already decreased by 700k since March 2020, are these homes needed? Do we need more small flats to be built in an already saturated market?
Considering how many people are on waiting lists or spending ages hunting for a home they can afford, there’s no way that London’s housing supply can be described as saturated. Quite the opposite.
Yes we need property in London and the market can decide the price, if the govt would let it. Usual local old people moaning but as someone who’s lived on a road abutting bollo lane for 11 years I welcome it. London isn’t preserved in aspic, it’s not a museum. It changes and rebuilds and if you don’t know that when you come here you surely will when you leave
It’s worth noting that the local community, although happy with the redevelopment of this under-used site and the social housing provision it would generate, bitterly opposed the scale and density of the development. TFL acknowledged the concern but did nothing to revise their designs.
This is purely an exercise to generate additional revenue to fill a financial black hole – at the expensive of communities not just in Acton but across London.
Local community ha, about 15 people who oppose everything, including cycle lanes and distant buildings in Brentford that might ruin their enjoyment of the sky. Total tosh and they’re all about 80. Bye bye
Sadly Tony you’re miss informed on a number of fronts but I won’t waste my time correcting you. Bye bye
Unbelievable. The negative impact on West Chiswick, which is in the London Borough of Hounslow, and NOT Ealing (who approved this development) will be immense. I fervently hope that Hounslow Council will make strong representations to their colleagues in Ealing, with a view to reversing their approval. At the very least it should be “called in” by the GLA.
Hi Roger, what forms do the negative impacts take? Cheers
Good to see that the shadows cast from these tall building will be falling across retail/light industrial units, and not across residences already in place.
Now that permish has been granted, I can presumably comment on the brutalist-lite appearance, the massing of the blocks, the most probable lack of passive ventilation (Christmas dinner/lockdown with the windows shut not good said our great leaders) and so on.
At the moment, the towers will be adrift in mainly tin-shed land but that won’t last, especially if the depôt is builded on. Then they’ll have set a precedent and there’ll be even more not alot of effort gone into the design blocks. Probs.
This is London after all and I think we deserve better: in style, size of individual dwellings and substance. Harrumph over.
What brilliant news, its about time large scale affordable developments were approved. The design seems especially balanced with the varying heights. Its a shame the usual nimbys object to the plans, however they seem to object to everything ever proposed. Frequently objecting more as a hobby. London is not a museum and needs to adapt, its frustrating that the people with a lot complain when the people with a little want more!
The design seems of a high standard and it really opens up an old brownfield site.
High rises in Inner London are hardly out of place and this one is 50% affordable housing. Of course any form of development will be objected to by vocal NIMBYs but they should remember they live in Inner London where change and developments are continual and this is hardly rural Dorset. Maybe they should up sticks and move there if they do not like new/tall buildings.
Glad I’m not a complete voice in the wilderness. The trouble is, the process of getting planning permission only asks you to attend if you object to it which means often the only voices you here are these Robert Markhams or Angies who dont read or cant or just rail against anything. The many 1000s of people who welcome it for a myriad of reasons dont get heard. It will transform that area and I cant wait. Not least to tuen up with my popcorn and watch the same 15 people shuffle around objecting to joggers, cyclists, people under 80
Agreed Tony.
A lot of people want more affordable housing and this site is ideal for regeneration. You’re right – those in most need often don’t get heard in the planning process whilst the vocal NIMBYs stymie anything that comes forward. I still think these people need to remember they live in inner London and not rural Dorset and must expect new builds and tall buildings.
Any social housing?
Thought not.
Read the article again.
Or as is more likely, for the first time
Affordable housing is not social housing. They are different things.
… although, to be clear, I am in favour of this developement FWIW.
Glad to see new housing granted planning permission. Hopefully being near to the tube network means that this can be an almost entirely car-free development.
PS there’s a minor typo: “Picadilly” 😀
Nowhere near my back yard actually, I maybe wasn’t clear enough.
I object, yes indeed, but to the massing and the samey samey “style” of the identikit blocks that could be anywhere in this otherwise changing world.
Why should social housing and other flats be squeezed into ever smaller footprints for the good of the developer and other interested parties? Good that it’s a brownfield site at least.
Regards from central London, ex of rural Dorset, strangely enough.
I think you have a point JP. The blocks springing up in London are all of a type. The ones in South Acton which faces this new development are high spec, are in a variety of finishes but considering they are ‘architect’ designed I was quite disappointed. As much as I applaud them building new streets the terraced housing they built is almost entirely featureless, though the bricks are very nice ! Just to clarify though its mixed housing, social, rental and private. Not just social.
I think this new run of flats with its railway arches and new walkway will be
“to the massing and the samey samey “style” of the identikit blocks”
I’m not sure if you’ve looked at much of London: little clumps of same-same: Victorian terraces, Georgian Terraces, etc, etc.
Will it also be near to Acton Main Line (Elizabeth Line/TfL Rail).
You can check the proximity on a map.
Given the very high demand for affordable housing, this is very good news indeed. There is a similar estate completed just a year or so ago around South Acton Station. The two will complement each other. This second one is just a sneeze closer to the greatest general shopping /coffee shop venue in the universe, I refer, of course, to Chiswick High Road.
TfL to be congratulated, thrice over, particularly if they pull it off.