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If there’s one thing we always need more of in London, it’s housing. Flats, houses, even studios – anything to create more space for the city’s ever-expanding population. One development in Brentford would not only add 2,300 new homes to the area, but create entirely new community spaces, maybe even complete with an Overground station.
The current plans, which were submitted by Hadley Property Group to Hounslow Council in August, are centred around the renovation of 980 Great West Road, a disused office block once home to pharmaceutical company GSK. The building, which has been empty for a few years now, is only part of Hadley’s vision which also includes a public plaza. Its overall goal is to ‘create a new neighbourhood that is both future-facing and rooted in Brentford’s character’.
Of the 2,300 new homes proposed, 35 percent will apparently be ‘affordable’. Some will be student lets, while others will be regular rentals or made for co-living. Elsewhere, more than 330,000 square feet of retail or commercial space will be created ‘to support local businesses, education providers, social enterprises and charities’, while the neighbourhood will also boast new riverside play-areas and parks.
The project is ‘reuse-first’, meaning that if a space can be converted rather than destroyed and rebuilt, it will be. This ‘significantly reduces the site’s embodied carbon footprint’, and allows for some very cool renovation works.
Just up the road in a separate project, the area could be getting a future Overground station, although this hinges on the West London Orbital line getting the green light. The West London Orbital is a proposed Overground line which would be a ‘a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines’ according to Transport for London. If approved, the service could run from Hounslow to West Hampstead and Hendon, going through the likes of Acton and Neasden.
New stations would need to be built on the Orbital route, and one of those could be Lionel Road station. Sadiq Khan has previously said it will likely be closer to 2030 before the service is funded, though the space earmarked for Lionel Road will remain vacant until a decision is made.
Here are some more renders of the plans for 980 Great West Road.
Did you see that this south London neighbourhood is the coolest place in the city, according to the Telegraph?
Plus: London is getting a dazzling new riverside public attraction and luxury hotel.
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