Ealing Council planning committee has approved a significant development of 220 homes on the site known as Smiths Farm adjacent to the A40.
The application was for the site redevelopment to provide 220 dwellings in seven blocks between four and seven storeys high—the conversion of the listed farmhouse and barns to provide a cafe / commercial unit.
The site has been used for commercial purposes for the last 30 years, with current uses including a lorry park, workshops, storage and plant yards. This produces an unattractive brownfield site that has been viewed as a natural location for much-needed new homes over the last ten years.
Ealing Council welcomed Residential proposals in principle in the past but were not brought forward, as they proved to be financially unviable.
The submitted proposal includes the following benefits:
- 110 units of market housing;
- 111 units of affordable housing;
- 0.5 ha of new, public open space;
- improvements to public accessibility, landscaping and connections between Northala Fields, Marnham Fields and the Grand Union Canal, supported by S106 financial contributions;
- the refurbishment and re-use of Locally Listed Heritage Assets on the site;
- remediation of a contaminated and unsightly site within the Green Belt;
- A biodiversity net gain would exceed the 10 per cent policy requirement.
The approval is subject to satisfactory completion of Section 106 and Section 278 legal agreements and a Stage II referral to the Mayor of London. The developer is Howarth Homes.
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