The regeneration magazine for the London borough of Ealing / Issue 10 / 2019
orld of Opport W a g uni n i tie ild u s B
NOW SELLING NEW HOMES AT FILMWORKS Be part of the big picture – arrange a visit to the new Show Apartment Prices from £599,950*
Filmworks features a stunning collection of art-deco inspired 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments and penthouses, ideally located in the heart of Ealing. The new homes will be centred around a vibrant new piazza, home to an impressive eight-screen Picturehouse cinema and an exciting mix of shops and restaurants including Planet Organic and Vapiano.
Take centre stage, enquire now 020 8003 6091 or email sales@filmworks-ealing.co.uk *Price and details correct at time of going to press. Computer generated images are indicative only.
www.filmworks-ealing.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies
WEST LONDON’S NEW VIBRANT VILLAGE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST STUDIOS, SUITES, 1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM APARTMENTS
southallwaterside.co.uk
Heathrow 8 mins
Southall
Ealing Broadway 6 mins
www.southallwaterside.co.uk
Computer generated image of Southall Waterside, indicative only. All journey times are sourced from crossrail.co.uk
Southall Waterside is one of London’s most significant regeneration projects. Adjoining 90 acres of country park and situated along the banks of the Grand Union Canal, Southall Waterside is a place of gardens, parks, trees and water. Shopping and restaurants, art and entertainment, cafés and culture. Perfectly placed for all that London has to offer, Southall Waterside is located in one of West London’s most up and coming commuter belts.
Bond St 17 mins
Liverpool St 24 mins
Canary Wharf 31 mins
Woolwich 39 mins
GREYSTAR IS THE GLOBAL LEADER IN RENTAL HOUSING, WITH OVER 25 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN DELIVERING AND MANAGING SUCCESSFUL RENTAL APARTMENT COMMUNITIES. WE INVEST IN OUR DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE LONG TERM AND ARE COMMITTED TO CREATING HIGH-QUALITY, WELL-MANAGED NEIGHBOURHOODS. THE PLACE • A new residential and retail destination for Greenford • The UK’s largest purpose-designed ‘Build to Rent’ scheme to date • A vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood on the banks of the historic Grand Union canal • The result of extensive consultation with LB Ealing, the Greater London Authority, local businesses, residents, and other stakeholders • A revitalised place, bringing the currently derelict 20.3-acre site back to life • A model of modern canalside living, reconnecting the local community with Horsenden Hill THE HOMES • Approximately 2,000 new homes across seven main buildings, with on-site management • Approximately 75% will be available for rent from Greystar, with the rest for sale • A range of beautifully designed apartment types available from Autumn 2019, from studios to 3 bedroom homes • Resident amenities including courtyard gardens, gyms, roof terraces and club rooms • A genuinely tenure-blind neighbourhood, including discount market rent and shared ownership homes OTHER FEATURES & AMENITIES • A wealth of new amenities for residents and the local community alike • Local shops and workspaces, a supermarket, restaurants, cafes, public gym and offices • Attractive, curated public open spaces, including a landmark central square • New connections through Greenford, including the reopening of Berkeley Avenue • A new pedestrian bridge over the Grand Union Canal • A new two form entry primary school and accommodation for a new on-site healthcare centre • The creation of apprenticeship opportunities as well as approx. 1,200 onsite jobs beyond the construction phase
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Welcome to Ealing in London
Welcome to Ealing In London’s tenth-year anniversary edition. It’s been ten years of good growth and great partnerships with developers of all scope and ten years of Ealing as The Place to do business and invest in.
M
ilestones are a good moment for reflection and we have achieved much over the last 10 ‘Ealing In London’ years. In our special supplement we look back at some of the people and places that have helped shape Ealing into the robust, forward-thinking borough that it is today. Places such as Dickens Yard, which could only have happened with a shared vision with developers, St George. People such as Sofia Cabral, a 2016 apprentice, now on a meteoric career path with A2Dominion as a property manager. Developments such as Greystar’s Greenford Quay, already taking shape canal-side, and heralding a step change in the way today’s city dwellers can secure a home of their own. Ealing In London is also looking to the next 10 years. There were two announcements last year that sharpened our view of Ealing’s future. The first regarded the West London Orbital route and the opportunities it will
unlock in outer London with potential for 5,000 jobs and 20,000 new homes. Add in HS2 at Old Oak and the Elizabeth Line, and we will be London’s best-connected borough. To put these connections into perspective, commuters travelling from Ealing Broadway to Bond Street on the ‘Lizzie Line’ may not have enough time to finish their latte. The second was the Mayor of London’s budget allocation to councils which awarded Ealing nearly £100million to start work on the capital’s biggest affordable house building programme. We will build these new homes in the biggest council housing programme in a generation and will work with our partners to deliver the balance of our 2,500 target. Finally, as a reminder that it’s people’s well-being and the feel-good factor about place that will determine our growth, we reflect on the cultural highlights and events of 2018 within these pages. If you want to be part of our success story and our next ten-years, then talk to us about the opportunities that we have for you in Ealing for tomorrow.
Cllr Julian Bell Leader of Ealing Council and cabinet member for regeneration
contents 06 Ealing Mapped 08 Delivering Dickens Yard 13 Ealing In London News 16 Development Spotlights 23 Building a World of Opportunities 29 Connectivity is Key 30 Ealing In London’s Summer of Love 32 Making Ealing Town Centre Thrive 38 The Father of Loud’s Legacy 43 London’s Deputy Mayor talks to Ealing In London 46 Putting the Art into Artisan Treats 48 Southall Works 55 Millennials are moving to North Acton S1-S13
Special Supplement
Ealing In London looks back at a decade of good growth through ten stories in our special edition.
08 23 30 32
credits Editor: Robin Das
Email: dasr@ealing.gov.uk Editorial team:
Iesha Anastasiou, Quinton Drawbridge, Sue Hill, Carla Passino, Paul Shearer
Produced by:
Ealing In London
Designed by: Splash Creative
Images: Paul James Eugen Brodner Berkeley Group 3Fox International Nicola Gaughan - Iconic Creative Robin Das Kumon Blo Bar
University of the Arts London Syreta Massop Remarkable Productions Ltd City and Docklands Montreaux Developments John Sturrock Hanson Leatherby
Panayiotis Sinnos
The Collective
Catalyst Housing Association
FTI Consulting A2Dominion
White Label
Lucy Do
Ideal Insight
Barbara Pearce Scott
Printed by PrintHouse Corporation, London, NW10 6ST, UK. Printed on 100% recycled paper Published by London Borough of Ealing (LBE), Perceval House, 14/16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W5 2HL, 020 8825 5000 www.ealinginlondon.com @EalingInLondon2019 © LBE. 2019. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of LBE is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of LBE.
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Ealing Mapped The key developments in the pipeline across the London Borough of Ealing
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1. Acton College School p19 2. Acton Gardens S6
northolt
3. Ada Lovelace School p19 4. The Collective p55
a40
5. Copley Hanwell W7 p18 6. The Costume Store p55 7. Dickens Yard p8-11 8. Ealing Broadway Centre p13 9. Ealing Fields School p19 10. Ealing Filmworks p16
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11. Ealing Town Hall* p16 12. Greenford Quay S8 13. Green Man Lane Estate p27 14. Havelock Estate S7 15. High Lane Estate p13 16. Imperial College developments p55 17. Margarine Works* p53
elizabeth line (crossrail)
southall
18. Modular Homes S11 19. North Acton Town Square p55 20. The Oaks, Acton High Street p11 21. Old Oak and Park Royal Development 22. One West Point p55 23. Park View Place* 24. Perceval House* p16
towards reading & heathrow
10
southall 17
29
27. Rehearsal Rooms p55
31
14
25. Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery p17 26. Quayside Quarter* p53
A4020
22
26
28. Revolution p17 29. Southall Waterside S5 30. St Bernard’s Gate S7 31. The West Works p53 32. Westgate House *Planning applications in submission as of February 2019.
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M4
elizabeth line (Crossrail)
London Heathrow 23
12
perivale 4 32
22 3
15
18
5
greenford
24 7 11
a40 16
13 13 25
hanwell
6
towards the city
27
North circular rd acton main line
ealing
west ealing
hanwell
30
19
18 28
21
10
8
acton 20
20
ealing 2/18
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1
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M4
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Delivering Dickens Yard St George has delivered Ealing’s Dickens Yard, one of the most gamechanging developments in west London. Robin Das talks to some of those who made it happen.
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The newly opened Elizabeth Square and apartment buildings at Dickens Yard.
t’s been the perfect place for pop-up yoga in the warm glow of a summer’s eve, hosted Ealing’s trademark Eat Me Drink Me food markets and saw 2018 out in celebrity style with a carol-chorus Christmas lights switch-on. It is the Dickens Yard’s development which has been delivered by St George working with Ealing Council and is at the heart of the council’s long-term vision for the town centre. Cllr Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “The big thing for me was placemaking. From the early 2000s we were committed to our vision and we have stayed true to it.” Today, 700 apartments have been completed, with the final phase the Elizabeth Apartments topped out at the end of 2018. These apartments front the new Elizabeth Square and seamlessly integrate the site into the town centre. Complementing the square’s opening has been a flurry of new store and restaurant openings and new names to Ealing, such as Japanese ramen eatery, Tonkotsu, Content by Terence Conran, triyoga, Pasta Remoli, The Skinny Kitchen, GAIL’S Bakery and fashion favourite Jigsaw (see pages 10 and 11). Julian became leader of Ealing Council in 2010, the same year in which he joined Tony Pidgley, CBE, Berkeley Group’s chairman, for the inaugural groundbreaking. Up until then the site had been a municipal council car park straddled by a 70s office block. Julian said: “We needed to create a town centre for the next generation. My own daughters told me, ‘Dad, sort out the town centre and (then) we won’t go to Westfield’.”
“We needed to create a town centre for the next generation.” Cllr Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council Brendon Walsh, the council’s former director of property and regeneration during this period, said: “In the early noughties Ealing had lost its edge and the administration were looking to get the borough back into its stride. Dickens Yard offered a real step change on how to achieve that.”
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The council were robust in ensuring their vision would become a reality. The selection process included a ‘materials and quality agreement’ which set out that any development would have a high-quality spec – brick, glass, and stone finishes. The council paved Bond Street with York stone and secured grant funding to improve store fronts and worked on setting up the Ealing Business Improvement District (BID). The town hall’s façade was improved showcasing the civic pride in the borough – and the way was paved for the council and St George to begin to create a unique and distinctive quarter in Ealing. Julian added: “We wanted to bring something new to Ealing - to create a new part to the town centre with higher end retail to complement the Broadway Centre and its brand names. Linking the new square with the school and the church has been the key to making it a really fantastic place.” The way the square has developed as a unifying point is testament to the partnership with St George, and that Ealing, was, “ahead of its time in terms of working together. Developers know that Ealing’s a place that’s consistent. You’ve got to have a plan and stamina and you can’t afford to deviate from that.” The development also helped ease housing pressures in the borough. Council housing residents looking to downsize were allocated housing in the first building with high-quality purpose-built homes, which helped to free up much needed family-sized council homes elsewhere.
“Dickens Yard is a wonderful achievement and it has been a true collaboration between public and private partners.”
Dickens Yard site mid 2000s prior to construction works.
View of the parish church through Dickens Yard
Steve Kirwan, operations director, St George Today, the computer generated images previously featured in past Ealing In London magazines are a reality. The new pedestrian links have created a stunning high street vista of the parish church. The development has connected this classic Ealing heritage architecture with the council’s vision of a vibrant modern lifestyle quarter. Julian added: “the view of the church looking down the new pedestrian route, it now makes it look like a new church.” The creation of Dickens Yard has also given a boost to the town centre as a whole. In the Broadway Centre new openings have been announced including Decathlon (see page 13). St George provided £3.65 million to expedite the delivery of affordable homes on the development and a further £7million in Section 106 contributions towards local public services. The company is also constructing the Filmworks development, opposite Dickens Yard, with the cinema due for completion in late 2020. Steve Kirwan, operations director, St George, said: “Dickens Yard is a wonderful achievement and it has been a true collaboration between public and private partners. We are immensely proud of the development and that we have stayed true to the original vision. Filmworks will carry on the momentum, with new life and new community right in the heart of the town centre.”
“The delivery of Dickens Yard is a real achievement and testament to a shared vision and our strong partnership working with St George.” Lucy Taylor, director of regeneration and planning, Ealing Council Today, what was once a virtual off-limits space is a bustling, vibrant area as residents, commuters and visitors embrace Dickens Yard as their workspace, home and stopping off point on a west London day out. The Elizabeth Square was named in recognition of the highly anticipated Elizabeth Line and features a nod towards the borough’s film-making past with a sculpture depicting lyrics from the George Formby song from the 1949 Ealing Studios film, ‘Let George Do It!’. Lucy Taylor, Ealing’s director of regeneration and planning, said: “We are familiar with the tough times that town centres are experiencing across the country, so the delivery of Dickens Yard is a real achievement and testament to a shared vision and our strong partnership working with St George. “The reward is an aspirational new quarter in Ealing town centre that can be enjoyed by everyone all year round.”
Apartment buildings at Dickens Yard
DICKENS YARD AT A GLANCE CONSTRUCTION STARTED: 2010 TOTAL HOMES: 700 INCL. AFFORDABLE HOMES: 148 RETAIL SPACE: 36 UNITS OVER 100,000SQ FT £7 MILLION IN SECTION106 CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NEW PUBLIC SPACES AND SERVICES £3.65 MILLION TO EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY OF AFFORDABLE HOMES AS PART OF THE COUNCIL’S ESTATE REGENERATION PROGRAMME 46 APPRENTICES EMPLOYED ON-SITE IN PLUMBING, CARPENTRY AND ELECTRICAL WORKS. OVER AN ACRE OF LANDSCAPED PUBLIC REALM INCLUDING A NEW PUBLIC SQUARE AND NEW PEDESTRIAN LINKS 9
Dickens Yard Ealing’s Place to be Seen Dickens Yard features an eclectic and exciting mix of retail, restaurants, bars and lifestyle outlets. Here is our Ealing In London selection.
No 17 Dickens Yard The new place to be seen Darwin and Wallace, purveyors of an award-winning collection of neighbourhood bars, opened its seventh location, No 17 Dickens Yard, in 2018. Born from the creators of beautiful independent pubs across the city and three-time winners of the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards ‘Best Pub’, No 17 Dickens Yard sets the tone for a relaxing evening with an attractive interior palette of moody dark tones contrasted with lighter warmer touches. It is the perfect backdrop for socialising over a hearty breakfast, music brunch sessions, an evening nightcap and everything in between. Definitely a place to be seen. www.darwinandwallace.co.uk
Charlottes W5 Perennial favourite that always wows Charlottes W5 has the honour of being the first outlet to open on Dickens Yard back in 2015 and has been wowing die-hard Ealing foodies and new-comers ever since. It is Alex Wrethman’s third branch, following on from Charlotte’s in Ealing Common and Chiswick, and has already been recognised with two Michelin bib gourmand awards. Alex said: “Quality, provenance, sustainability and value are foremost in our thinking and with our monthly menu changes, guest chef events and exclusive tastings we take pride in documenting our stories with our loyal guests.” www.charlottes.co.uk
Blo Bar The glam squad are at the ready for Ealing Blo Bar offers a relaxing environment for expert hairdressing and beauty services. Treatments include manicures, pedicures, colouring, cuts, makeup, waxing, spray tans, pamper parties and much more. Nadia Shanteer, owner of Blo Bar, said: “Following the success of Chiswick we decided that Ealing was the best place to go next. We are so excited to have landed in Dickens Yard. We have tried to combine the best of everything which includes expert hairdressing, makeup and beauty as well as providing an on-site crèche for the little cherubs. We hope you like us. The glam squad are at the ready for Ealing!” www.b1obar.com
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triyoga Ealing’s sanctuary Founded in 2000, triyoga has become London’s top destination for yoga, pilates and treatments, creating beautiful spaces where everyone can belong. The team has created each centre to be a sanctuary away from the noise and bustle of London life; somewhere calm and tranquil, that can be a part of people’s everyday lives – and the Dickens Yard centre follows the same philosophy. triyoga hopes to dispel the myths surrounding who can practise yoga, because it really is for everyone – hence, ‘everyone triyoga’. www.triyoga.co.uk
GAIL’s Ealing’s new artisan bakery Artisan bakery GAIL’s, known for baking everything by hand everyday using the finest ingredients, opened in the Elizabeth Square in 2018. GAIL’s makes fresh bread daily in addition to cakes, sandwiches and salads, complementing the local variety of Ealing food and beverage outlets. Tom Molnar, co-founder of GAIL’s Bakery, said: “Ealing is a great community and we look forward to baking in Dickens Yard.” www.gailsbread.co.uk
Kumon A place to grow young minds Kumon has more than 630 centres across the UK and Ireland and offers children the opportunity to develop their maths and English skills through a daily study programme of individualised worksheets and visits to the centre once or twice a week. The flagship centre in Ealing is one of more than 250 Kumon centres across London. In the UK and Ireland, more than 70,000 children of all ages and abilities study the Kumon Method of Learning, which also celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2018. The centre is also an instructor training facility with access to live classroom situations for new and existing Kumon instructors to gain hands-on experience of working with students. www.kumon.co.uk
Other lifestyle stores at Dickens Yard - Tonkotsu, Balans Soho Society, Gymbox, The Skinny Kitchen, Jigsaw, Pasta Remoli, Benham and Reeves and Content by Terence Conran. Kate McKenzie’s Eat Me Drink Me artisan food market now opens up at weekends and at special events on the new Elizabeth Square.
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ACTON GARDENS W3 8QT
WE ST LON D ON LI VI NG W I TH A LL THE RI GH T CON N E CTI O NS Discover Acton Gardens, a collection of contemporary 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments built around carefully crafted parks and green spaces. With easy access to five stations nearby, you couldn’t be better connected.
VISIT OUR SHOW HOME BOLLO LANE, ACTON, W3 8QT
020 3504 5070 | www.actongardens.co.uk
Ealing in London News
High Lane residents say ‘Yes’ to regeneration plans R
esidents of the High Lane estate in Hanwell have overwhelmingly backed council plans to rebuild their neighbourhood. In the first ballot held by a London council to determine public support for regeneration this century, 91per cent of residents backed the plan. The new plans include a mix of tenures, including social rent, shared equity and private sales. The entire neighbourhood will be rebuilt, creating a new shop, community centre and full sized multi-use games area for the community. All tenants are guaranteed to get a highquality, new home on the rebuilt estate if they want one. Leaseholders can opt to leave the estate with a market value payment for their home or stay with a share of the equity in a new home. Councillor Peter Mason, Ealing’s cabinet member for housing, planning and transformation, said: “The GLA’s decision to enshrine the need for ballots on regenerated estates is an approach that we’ve enthusiastically adopted, and all of our future estate regeneration projects will be subject to approval by residents before work starts.”
The ballot was the council’s first since it committed in 2018 to consulting residents before the regeneration of their estates goes ahead. The commitment reflects a new GLA initiative, which makes grant funding for council home building programmes dependent on residents’ approval. Read more about this story in our interview with London’s Deputy Mayor James Murray on pages 43 and 45.
New affordable artists’ studios M
ore than £530,000 in funding to create affordable artist studios at St Bernard’s Chapel in Ealing, London, has been granted to a Catalyst Housing and Acme project. The funding is part of the GLA’s Good Growth Fund. The Grade-II listed chapel is located next to Catalyst’s 270 new-build residential development, St Bernard’s Gate, in the west of Ealing. The
scheme will deliver high quality and affordable workspace for local artists accommodating 20 to 25 studios over two floors as well as an exhibition and project space for the artist tenants. Catalyst, which owns the chapel and much of the surrounding land, will match the GLA’s funding, and Acme will help with the project’s design and manage the space once construction has been completed.
Broadway Centre welcomes new stores F
our new brands - Decathlon, WH Smith, Sports Direct and Explore Learning - will be joining Ealing Broadway Centre, owners British Land have confirmed. Following the success of their temporary space, Neon Sheep have taken a permanent site. Together the five lettings equate to 45,000sq ft of space. Ealing Broadway centre has an estimated annual footfall of 15 million and is located in a prime position in Ealing Broadway. It includes 130,000sq ft of office space at International House, some of which has been allocated to Storey, British Land’s flexible workspace brand, which opened earlier last year.
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Building Contractors & Developers Since 1966
Portal West W3
www.oshea.co.uk
Westgate W5
The Stage EC2
The Oaks W3
Ealing in London News
2500 genuinely affordable homes for Ealing E
aling Council will receive nearly £100million in grant for 1,138 new genuinely affordable homes. The funding from the Mayor of London’s office, which was announced last autumn, will give Ealing the biggest and most ambitious council housing programme in the capital. The homes will be built by Ealing Council and will form part of the 2,500 genuinely affordable homes target that the council has committed to deliver by 2022. The council will be working with its partners to deliver the balance. Tony Clements, executive director of place, said: “This is a huge and very ambitious task in which we will use our own land for housing and invest more resources into housebuilding. By expanding our own programme of new council housing, we will provide more homes that everyone can afford. We will also work closely with other developers and housing associations to create the new homes needed to build safe, vibrant communities.” See our article ‘Building a World of Opportunities’ page 22 for more on this story.
Mayor of London visits the award-winning Copley estate
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, talks to residents at Copley Hanwell W7, with Deputy Mayor, James Murray, and Ealing councillor Peter Mason.
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he Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Mayor, James Murray, visited new council homes at Copley Hanwell W7, an Ealing Council housing estate, in January. They were shown 31 flats in Darlington Court by Councillor Julian Bell and Councillor Peter Mason. These flats are the first new council homes completed in Ealing since the Mayor’s funding announcement and form part of the council’s target total of 2,500 (see above). All of the homes will be available at London Living Rent levels, which are also defined as being genuinely affordable rent levels. Councillor Bell, said: “It was great to show the Mayor the work taking place in Ealing to provide genuinely affordable homes that are also built to the highest standards. These award-winning homes set the bar for what we are trying to achieve – affordable, well-designed modern homes where people would want to live.”
Viability statements publicly available A
s part of Ealing Council’s ongoing commitment for greater transparency in its planning process, from 1st March all affordable housing and development viability statements and information submitted as part of a planning application have been publicly available on www.ealing.gov.uk. The aim is to improve the way in which residents and local forums can engage with the council during the planning application process.
Award wins for Broadway Living B
roadway Living, the council’s housing subsidiary that manages the estate regeneration programme, has won a number of awards for Copley Hanwell W7. Alton Court, the first phase of homes on the estate, scooped the top prizes for ‘Best First-Time Buyer Home’ at the London Evening Standard New Homes Awards, ‘Best Show Home’ at the First Time Buyer Readers’ Awards and ‘Best Starter Home Scheme’ at the What House? Awards. Broadway Living was awarded for its exceptional and forwardthinking partnership model for ‘Best Partnership’ at the Inside Housing Development Awards. www.broadwayliving.co.uk
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Development Spotlights
Town Hall & Civic Centre Plans KEY DATE: COMPLETION 2023 Plans to redevelop Ealing Council’s civic suite and the town hall continue to progress. At the beginning of 2018, the council signed a Development Agreement with Galliford Try to redevelop its 1.27hectare Perceval House site with new offices fronting Uxbridge Road and affordable housing to the rear. The plans propose to include a modern customer services centre and library, basement car park and four retail units. Housing at the rear will consist of 470 flats, 50per cent of which will be affordable. Demolition and build will be phased Ealing Town Hall plans over a number of years allowing the council to continue to operate from the site. Mastcraft are the chosen development partner for Ealing Town Hall and submitted their planning application in the new year for their planned renovation of the Grade II building to provide a hotel, restaurant and bar in the central core of the building. The west wing will remain available for community hire, with a refurbished Victoria Hall. The council will retain the east wing for civic purposes, including marriage, civil partnership and citizenship ceremonies, the mayoralty, council chamber and councillor facilities. The council will remain the freeholder.
Filmworks KEY DATE: CINEMA COMPLETION LATE 2020 Construction is well underway on St George’s Filmworks development in Ealing Broadway. On completion, Filmworks will be a mixed-use development of 209 high-spec residential units, a multi-screen cinema and ground level units for retail, commercial and community uses. Among the retailers currently confirmed as occupiers are Planet Organic and Vapiano. The new development will feature a new town square plaza and will open up pedestrian links to Bond Street, Ealing Green and Walpole Park. The centrepiece of the development will be the eight-screen Picturehouse cinema which will have capacity for 1,045 seats. The cinema is due for completion in late 2020.
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Development Spotlights
Pitzhanger Manor KEY DATE: REOPENING 2019 Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, designed and built by architect Sir John Soane as his Regency rural retreat in 1804, has been brought back to its former glory, following a £12 million, three-year restoration and conservation project. Ealing Council, which owns the property, bid and secured external funding to allow the Pitzhanger Manor Gallery & Trust to restore the property transforming it to how it would have been in Soane’s own day. Restoration work has included removing later additions to the property; reinstating the conservatory and the central roof light; recreating a colonnade connecting the gallery and manor giving full accessibility and the meticulous recreation of Soane’s original intricate paint schemes throughout the manor house. The adjoining gallery has also been upgraded ready to stage three exhibitions every year. The first will be Anish Kapoor. Complementing the house and gallery is Soane’s Kitchen, a contemporary café-restaurant, built
within Soane’s walled kitchen garden in Walpole Park and operated for Pitzhanger by Social Pantry. Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “Pitzhanger Manor is the crown jewel of Ealing’s heritage. This ambitious restoration project is realising the building’s full historical impact by
returning it to Soane’s original vision of a villa in a beautiful landscape. “We are proud to have initiated and supported this transformational project, which is at the heart of plans to build on our fantastic cultural heritage and ensure Ealing is a great destination for tourists and visitors from near and far.”
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust, supported by Ealing Council, has been leading the fundraising campaign for the project, additionally supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and donations. The Trust is now embarking on the final stages of the fundraising campaign to secure £500,000 to cover the remaining building works and ongoing maintenance costs.
CEG’s ‘Revolution’ office development
KEY DATE: COMPLETION JUNE 2021 CEG is delivering a visionary office HQ for a radically changing London. Located in the heart of Ealing, the 170,000 sq ft Revolution building has been designed to meet changing occupier demand for more collaborative and flexible space. With health club style facilities on the ground floor, it will offer up to 10-storeys of Grade A office space. Future-proofed and fully tech-enabled, everything from access and security to smart building facilities management and workspace utilisation is designed to benefit occupiers and deliver time-saving efficiencies. A bar and restaurant and a social sky terrace will offer indoor and outdoor space for meetings, drinks, lunch or post-work events. Flexible space will enable large or small businesses to evolve, adapt and flourish within the building. It will be offered to the market as a headquarters development, floor-by-floor or as letready studios for four to 50 people. These will be fully-furnished, ready to occupy with all-inclusive rents and flexible terms, offering a swift and easy solution for those wanting a prime business location in Elizabeth Line ready Ealing.
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Development Spotlights
Copley Hanwell W7 KEY DATE: PHASE SIX CONSTRUCTION COMMENCES SUMMER 2019 Copley Hanwell W7 is Ealing Council’s flagship estate regeneration programme and is being run through the council’s subsidiary housing company, Broadway Living. In 2012, the council made a commitment to regenerate Copley Close using its own resources, meaning it is both developer and landlord. This allows the council to retain 100per cent of the asset value of its land and ensure that 65per cent of homes will be affordable. This is a first for any local authority. The estate is also the centrepiece of Ealing Council’s plans to deliver 2,500 more genuinely affordable homes for the borough by 2022 – the most ambitious target in London. A number of these homes have already been delivered on site. Other properties will be available as shared ownership or sold on the open market, giving the estate a healthy mix of tenures. Regardless of tenure, all the homes will be well-proportioned and be
designed to the same high specification. Income from the sale of homes gives the council the opportunity to create more homes for affordable rent, so they are a vital part of the process. The apartments are all light, bright and airy and are built ‘tenure blind’ – constructed to the same standards regardless of whether they are rented or sold.
On completion, the new estate will feature 279 new homes, 554 refurbished homes, a new nature reserve, community centre, fitness trail and shop. The council is also working closely with Network Rail to explore the possibility of refurbishing Castle Bar station, which runs adjacent to the estate.
The Oaks shopping centre KEY DATE: SPRING 2019 The Oaks shopping centre in Acton, a £135m regeneration mixed use development, is due for completion in March 2019. The development has been in construction for the last three years and developers O’Shea are now on site ensuring that all the units will be ready to be handed over to retailers on completion. The first units to open will be Lidl, Wilko, Iceland, M&S Simply Food and The Gym after completion of fit out works in May, with other brands opening shortly after. In total, the new centre will feature 13 retail units. The scheme will also comprise 178 new apartments spread across five new blocks including one, two and threebedroom shared ownership apartments, to be available through L&Q.
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Development Spotlights
Schools for tomorrow Ealing is a fast growing and young borough – under 15s have grown by 20per cent since 2001 – which is why the council has been planning to meet the demand – where it will be most needed – for future school places. It has done this through its ‘Planning for Schools Development Plan Document (DPD)’ – which has become a blueprint for guidance by other local authorities. The document focuses on providing enough school places where needed and that good design and space standards are at the heart of new build school developments.
A DPD is a formally recognised planning document which forms part of Ealing Council’s Local Plan. It has already delivered two schools in Ealing, Ark Byron in Acton Park, a two-form entry primary school accommodating 420 pupils opened in 2018, and Eversheds Sports Ground, a temporary school for 480 pupils which will then move into Place House (see below) when completed. The plan is now delivering three new school developments in Ealing.
Acton College Site Ada Lovelace Ark Soane School School KEY DATES: PHASE ONE GUNNERSBURY LANE OPENING SEPTEMBER 2019 SCHOOL FULLY OPEN: SEPTEMBER 2020 Easily accessible in Acton town centre, between Mill Hill Road and Acton High Street, this development will accommodate a new sixth form entry secondary school, creating 1,200 much needed pupil places for the borough. It will be Ealing’s first mixed-use school and residential development, incorporating 113 residential units directly above the school, with an additional three residential units constructed on Mill Hill Road. Of the 116 new homes, 25per cent of these will be genuinely affordable units. The main entrance will connect to a new pedestrianised street joining Mill Hill Road to Acton High Street and linking into planned access improvements through Woodlands Park.
KEY DATES: COMPLETION AND OPENING SEPTEMBER 2020 Works have started on the former Barclay’s sports ground, to create a new 6.5 form entry secondary school for 1,330 pupils. The school will contain a multi-use sports hall, dance and drama studios and an outdoor multi-use games area, accessible to the community, and with a wide range of activities such as dance, aerobics, yoga, martial arts, football and badminton available.
Ealing Fields School KEY DATES: COMPLETION AND OPENING SEPTEMBER 2020 The Grade II Place House on Little Ealing Lane, which is currently vacant, will be redeveloped and the main historical features, including Place House, restored. The rejuvenated site will accommodate a four-form entry secondary school and sixth form, creating 840 new pupil places. Its new sport halls and drama facilities will be available for community access.
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Supporting the Ealing Community Nearly 1,200 schoolchildren have benefited from our award-winning Young Readers Programme with the National Literacy Trust since 2014 at Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre.
ÂŁ150,000+ invested into the Ealing community since 2014 through cash contributions, time volunteering and in-kind donations.
ÂŁ123,000+ raised through fundraising for charitable causes at Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre since 2014, thanks to the generosity of our visitors and centre team.
“The annual Buskathon featuring a range of local musicians all raising funds for local charities is so inspiring. I can’t imagine any other shopping centre in the whole country does anything like this – certainly not as well!” Manager, The Soup Kitchen charity
“We are very grateful for the magnificent sum raised by donations from visitors to Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre – every penny will be put towards supporting children and young people with disabilities and additional needs.” Fundraising Manager, The Log Cabin charity
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Park View Place is a new residential estate of 346 flats proposed for the phase 2 development of the old Kellogg Tower site in Greenford. The scheme is currently awaiting final planning approval by Ealing Council and GLA. We are pleased to offer 36.4% of the proposed scheme as affordable housing with a mix of London affordable rent, discounted market rent and shared ownership homes. There will also be a mix of flats for private sale as well as flats to let. The development, which consists of 4 blocks (with underground parking), is designed with the intention of creating a green community space, offering a range of studio to threebedroom apartments, along with access to gym, a roof terrace and courtyard gardens. Phase 1 of Park View Place was completed last year and sold to Network Homes, who are providing
270 apartments for residential housing. The 2nd Phase of the development now proposed in the adjacent unused land (former car park) is to be transformed into a residential estate that includes: a very generous recreational space, new bridge link to Grove Farm Park at the rear, a new restaurant, café and a creche. The development is environmentally conscious, offering solar pv panels, electric charging points and air sourced heat pump technology in line with London’s plan for carbon reductions and energy efficiency. The development offers approximately 4 . 3 acres of new community space, as well as pedestrian/cycling routes to Sudbury Hill tube station. Branded as ‘Park View Place’ to reflect the balanced relationship between the new development and the park land, it will significantly contribute to the regeneration of Greenford area of Ealing.
For further information please visit www.interlandgroup.co.uk
Building a World of Opportunities London’s biggest council homebuilding plans
Ealing’s target is 2500 genuinely affordable homes by 2022.
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ith Londoners desperately needing more homes, Ealing Council is taking bold steps to tackle the housing crisis. It’s committed to delivering 2,500 more genuinely affordable homes by March 2022, officially the capital’s highest target. Quinton Drawbridge hears from some of those who will help makes these plans a reality. The scale of Ealing’s housing crisis is daunting. The price of the average home in Ealing in 2017 was £485,000 – almost 16 times the local average annual wage. Between 2005 and 2017 average private rents rose 38per cent, while average individual earnings rose just 21per cent. The number of people who reported to Ealing Council as homeless went up by 39per cent between 2013 and 2017. Demand for genuinely affordable homes in Ealing far outstrips supply. There are almost 8,000 households on the council’s housing register, but last year only around 500 council homes became available, while the borough also loses around 100 homes each year through Right to Buy. “London is increasingly unaffordable and unequal, and the housing crisis is often the symptom of that inequality which hits people hardest,” said Councillor Peter Mason, Ealing Council’s lead member for housing, planning and
“Ealing Council is open for business, but developments must be affordable and inclusive” Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council transformation. “Many residents face a real struggle to afford to live in the areas they have grown up in. There’s no point in building more and more homes if local people can’t afford to live in them. Our Affordable Housing Statement says that you shouldn’t pay more than one third of your household income for a genuinely affordable home.”
Taking action In response, Ealing has put together London’s biggest council homebuilding programme, leading the way in creating the modern, comfortable and safe homes that its residents need. The new homes will be built at sites all over the borough, with a substantial proportion coming from the council’s estate regeneration programme. From Northolt to Acton and everywhere in between, ageing estates are being demolished and rebuilt. Reflecting the ambition and scope of the council’s construction target, the Greater London Authority (GLA)
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“If we had homebuilding schemes that stacked up, there would be effectively no limit on how much we could borrow,” Tony Clements, Executive director of place Ealing In London’s round table delegates
has awarded Ealing a grant of nearly £100 million from its Building Council Homes for Londoners programme - a tenth of the total £1 billion pot that is being shared between the London boroughs. But there is still work to be done, which is why in autumn 2018 Ealing In London hosted a round table event with top executives from the housing associations who will help the council hit its ambitious target. The lively and wide-ranging discussions touched upon several issues, with providers sharing the challenges they had faced around densification and tenure-mixes, to overcoming issues around planning and gaps in funding.
The council’s approach Councillor Julian Bell, Ealing Council’s leader and cabinet member for regeneration, told the room: “To deliver the sheer scale of affordable housing that the borough needs, we need to work very closely with our housing association partners and the private sector. We want developers to invest in our borough, but the projects must meet the right criteria of affordability. A lot of suitable housing proposals are coming forward, which is a credit to our private sector partners. Many of the 2,500 homes will be coming from the private sector, so we want to help however we can.” Council officers explained to the attendees that Ealing’s approach will touch on five key areas. • •
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Attracting investment – making sure developers are aware of the huge advantages the borough has to offer. Planning – the council recently issued an Affordable Housing Statement, which aims to ensure that the starting point of negotiation for any development is the number of genuinely affordable units. Partnership working – establishing innovative, effective models of collaboration between the council and its private partners. Acquiring properties – the council will actively enter the property market when suitable properties become available.
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Direct delivery – Using its GLA grant funding, the council will build 1,100 homes on sites it owns.
“Ealing has already made great strides”, said Councillor Mason. “Our experience from our ongoing estate regeneration programme means that we are one of the few councils ready to hit the ground running with the Mayor’s homebuilding grants. On land we own, we have agreed in principle that sites with capacity for at least 1,300 homes can be developed. We also hope to help housing associations to access significant amounts of grants for schemes.” Going forward, the council aims to be more of an activist in the market, though it is not looking to compete with the Housing Association sector. Ultimately, Ealing is looking to have innovative and creative discussions with the private sector since collaboration in the early stages serves us all well and unlocks the right opportunities to hit these targets.
Utilising grants and the council’s borrowing power Maximising how the grants system works is a hot topic for the private sector. Although the Mayor’s grant funding is universally welcomed, it still leaves a shortfall when trying to ensure that the average development in Ealing is genuinely affordable. Rod Cahill, the then chief executive of Catalyst Housing Association, explained his thoughts on the grants system. “We’re all behind this plan. It’s just a case of finding the right mechanism to make it work. Fundamentally, it’s about finding a way to secure more grants and share the cost burden. “There are pots of cash available – Right to Buy receipts, the Mayor’s funding scheme and so on – but at the moment they can’t be combined”, he added. “One suggestion would be to get the Mayor to increase grants for affordable schemes, or to combine it with a grant from the council itself.” Councillor Mason was clear that the council wants to find a way to make this work. “We’re open to helping on this issue. We hope to enable housing associations to get
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Boston Road, Hanwell - Ealing
A2Dominion’s Boston Road scheme is our newest project in Ealing, where we manage over 3,500 homes. We are now building over 700 homes in the borough as we continue our long term partnership with Ealing Council. Located in Hanwell, the scheme will provide 44 shared ownership, 55 affordable rent and 184 private rent homes to Ealing. While we take a commercial approach to housebuilding, all the profits we generate are reinvested to support our social purpose, helping to deliver more homes and services for customers.
a2dominiongroup.co.uk
a2dominion.co.uk
significant grants for schemes, while we could potentially provide extra subsidy to associations with Right to Buy receipts. As a public body, we have access to funding at competitive rates, which could open some options to us.” It was also felt that the circumstances are right to push for a big rise in the number of low rent homes. It was voiced that the government’s recent changes to the way local authorities can borrow money should make affordable housing schemes much more viable. That councils and developers could work together to maximise funding opportunities and the possibility that councils could consider buying sites for the housing associations to develop. “If we had homebuilding schemes that stacked up, there would be effectively no limit on how much we could borrow,” said Tony Clements, executive director of place. “That could potentially be a huge change in the sector and for Ealing, especially since we are one of the few councils with experience in development.”
“The council needs to ensure the process of getting planning permission is efficient and consistent and is innovative in their approach.” Danny Lynch, A2Dominion
Help with the planning process The housing associations were clear that it will be vital to get planning permissions to hit the 2,500 homes target by 2022. They also thought that it would be useful to build rapport with new partners at the projects’ outset and to be realistic about time frames and outcomes. Danny Lynch, director of land and development at A2Dominion, gave his take on the issue: “A2Dominion have had a long-term partnership with Ealing Council, building more than 1000 new homes in the borough. Boston Road in Hanwell and the Green Man Lane regeneration scheme are just two examples of our commitment to deliver quality homes for Ealing residents. “Given the timescales to build these new homes, the council needs to ensure the process of getting planning permission is efficient and consistent. With the task ahead of us, it is important for councils such as Ealing to be innovative in their approach. This could be the council doing some more remodelling around the Retail Price Index as a pilot London borough.” Cllr Mason added: “With longer lead ins, resources can be better allocated, so it would also be useful to us to establish partnerships in the very early stages and to be realistic about viability to ensure we can deliver viable schemes that meet the needs of Londoners.” The round table provided a constructive platform for exactly the kind of dialogue which has been the basis of Ealing’s success in recent years. The strong relationships that have been forged in Ealing will be vital in meeting the scale of the housing challenge the borough faces. Cllr Mason concluded: “Hitting the target of building 2,500 genuinely affordable homes by 2022, will still leave around 5,700 households waiting for a council home – so this is just the start.”
A2Dominion and Rydon’s Green Man Lane development
Case study: Green Man Lane Estate The transformation of the Green Man Lane estate in west Ealing is underway, delivering new apartments, maisonettes and houses. The development started in 2013 and is a nine-year, five-phase project replacing 464 flats with a mix of 770 one to four-bedroom homes. Phase two delivered 187 new private sale and affordable homes, including more than 20 new homes for wheelchair users. The regeneration scheme also includes an eco-friendly energy centre, community café, public parks, play areas and a new primary school. Awarded Best Regeneration Project at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards, the scheme is a joint venture between A2Dominion and Rydon and has been designed by Conran and Partners.
The Ealing In London round table was chaired by: Tony Clements, executive director of place, and attended by: Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council Cllr Peter Mason, Cabinet member for housing, planning and transformation Dave Baptiste, Ealing Council Mark Wiltshire, Ealing Council David Scourfield, Ealing Council Danny Lynch, A2Dominion Doreen Wright, A2Dominion Rod Cahill, Catalyst Housing Group Victor Clinton-Dove, Catalyst Housing Group Joe Richardson, Home Group Stuart Miller, L&Q Troy O’Rourke, Notting Hill Genesis Tim Preston, Metropolitan Thames Valley Phil Church, Peabody Matthew Bird, Network Homes Austen Reid, Clarion Matt Campion, Shepherds Bush Housing Group
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Connectivity is Key Along with the Elizabeth Line and HS2, Ealing could benefit from a new west London orbital route.
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he west London orbital route is a proposed new London Overground line and has been made one of the top new schemes in the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy. The circular route, which will run from Hounslow to Cricklewood and Hendon, will incorporate the existing stations at Acton Central and South Acton and a new station at Old Oak Common Lane adjacent to the new HS2 and Elizabeth Line station. The route will make journeys across the sub-region quicker and easier, avoiding the necessity to travel in and out of central London to get to destinations such as Brent Cross and Neasden, as well as providing better and easier connections to Thameslink, the Elizabeth Line in 2020, Eurostar and HS2 services when completed. There will also be an increase in the frequency of services on the Overground providing significant
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benefits for residents and businesses. The majority of the route will use existing lines. As much of the line is currently only used for freight services there will need to be some upgrades to part of the proposed line. The success of the proposal, which should bring to life a longtalked about set of connections, has hinged on the unique political crossparty mandate between the five west London boroughs involved and TfL. Speaking at MIPIM UK in the autumn, Cllr Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council and chair of the West London Alliance, said: “Orbital routes are key to homes growth in outer London and encouraging more people to use public transport. We are making serious progress on the West London Orbital and it is fabulous value for money.” The new line will use largely existing infrastructure, and cost around £300 million to realise.
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Ealing In London’s Summer of Love Ealing Summer Festival Walpole Park It was a summer fest of big names in jazz, comedy and blues at the annual Ealing Summer Festival – now a much-loved staple of the capital’s events calendar. More than 40,000 festivalgoers partied, swayed, jigged and laughed out loud during the fortnight fest, making the 32nd year one of Ealing’s most popular.
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What a summer it was in Ealing, host to a wide array some amazing events across the borough. From amazing highs, our magazine launch and our Summer Festivals, to the depths of World Cup despair in Walpole Park. Once again Ealing In London, Ealing Council and its partners pulled out all the stops and curated some show stopping moments. Here are just a few of them.
Ealing In London’s Sponsors’ Comedy Night Party Walpole Park Ealing In London threw an English Summer Garden themed sponsors’ party at this year’s comedy festival. Ealing In London sponsors and their guests were treated to some quintessential English summer treats including Pimms cup, a coconut shire, summer puddings and the chance to kick back in west London’s biggest deckchair to experience a ‘Honey, I shrunk the kids’ moment - as well as some of the best of British comedy.
Flash Mob Yoga Elizabeth Square It was a sultry summer’s evening as the flash mob yoga crew popped up at the new Elizabeth Square at Dickens Yard in Ealing Broadway. Limbs stretched and bodies contorted in harmony to the soothing sounds of the instructor as summer swallows circled overhead to the backtrack hum of the Uxbridge road. Instantgrammable exercise that felt so good!
Lovebox Gunnersbury Park
Acton and Greenford Carnivals
London festival Lovebox and sister Citadel were relocated to a new location in Gunnersbury Park last summer for the first time. The Ingeniously festivals were an enormous success and received rave reviews, with people calling it ‘Summertime magic during the two-day festival. The festival will be back from 12 to 13 July this year in the park.
The sun shone and the crowds came out to party at this year’s Greenford and Acton carnivals. The events are firm favourite fixtures for locals and always popular with many families and children in the areas.
World Cup Semi-Final Walpole Park It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it can only have been the night that the Three Lions met The Blazing Fire (aka the Croatian team). Hopes were riding high in Walpole Park at the Ealing In London organised event – which the team only had 48 hours to set up. Let’s not dwell on how it went – instead let’s celebrate and recall ‘Three Lions’ ringing round, our boys on the pitch, the glow of strangers embracing as England scored in the opening moments and how it really could have been so sweet…
London Mela Southall Park
Ealing In London magazine launch St George’s Filmworks marketing suite
Founded in 2003, The London Mela is now the largest South Asian arts festival in Europe with up to 90,000 people attending every year.
The St George, Filmworks marketing suite was the five-star movie backdrop for this year’s Ealing In London magazine red carpeted VIP launch event in June.
With a third of its audience from non-Asian communities, ’The Mela’ is a truly inter-cultural family event with something for every generation of every community making it a unique celebration of London’s diverse cultural heritage.
Hosted by Cllr Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council and Tony Pidgley, CBE, Berkeley Group, guests from across the regeneration and development industry were welcomed through an entrance adorned with flaming torches.
Remarkable Productions and producer Ajay Chhabra work closely with Ealing and Hounslow Councils and the Mayor of London to produce this event which also involves partnerships with ZEE TV, BBC Asian Network, Sunrise Radio and Oxfam.
The evening also helped showcase the best of local talent and business - the Hanwell Hootie provided music courtesy of gypsy jazz performers Handmade in Ealing provided artisan chocolates and catering was by Charlottes W5 restaurant.
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Making E Ealing Town Centre Thrive BY PAUL SHEARER
aling, where classic pictures such as Whisky Galore, The Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts and Coronets were made at its studios, is arguably the home of iconic British filmmaking. So it is fitting that a new 1,000 plus seat eight-screen cinema is being built nearby by developer, St George, with a highly anticipated completion in 2020. Media coverage around pressure on our high streets as the retail sector struggles to come to terms with changing demographics, consumer shopping habits and competition from online sellers often fails to tell the story of successful renewal and regeneration efforts such as cinema’s rebirth in Ealing. The inaugural Ealing town centre conference was held in British Land’s Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre with a welcome by Cllr Julian Bell, council leader. Delegates from the council joined local stakeholders and independent business owners, to discuss the future of Ealing town centre as a premier destination for business and culture in west London. The question posed was how best to create a thriving and lively town centre for Ealing, balancing both day and night time economies, that work for residents, businesses and workers alike, from all walks of life. The Elizabeth Line has been the principle driver of change across the borough. “When the line opens in
2020, travel times will make Ealing a zone 1 for connectivity, but with a zone 3 quality of life,”. In her introduction, Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council’s director of regeneration and planning, remarked how much has changed in Ealing in the last decade. Elizabeth Square is now open for business, the Dickens Yard development has proven hugely popular, and the long awaited plans for a cinema are now coming to fruition. The historic Pitzhanger Manor in Walpole Park, designed and built by architect Sir John Soane, has recently been restored to his original vision and is now reopening with a new art gallery.
A shared vision of place “What are the new uses, the new spaces and buildings that we need to encourage and create here to improve the town centre? What could Ealing’s unique selling point be?” asked Lucy Taylor. With Ealing’s new Local Plan underway, it’s a really good time to think about what kind of planning policies would be right, particularly for the remaining development sites and how their use might be designated. How might the public realm and transport be re-envisaged and what kind of new cultural events might complement this reimagined environment? The council wants to create a shared vision and shared action plan for the town centre.
“Ealing as a place is a public private partnership with businesses both big and small. 32
Chairing the discussion, Pat Brown, director of Central, a consultancy that has been working with the council, took up the theme of this shared vision and how best to create a distinctive town centre. “It’s ultimately about a great place that is growing well but is also growing in an equitable way leaving no one behind,” explained Pat. Integrated planning and transportation can help provide spaces for work and leisure and can also seek to redress social imbalances, especially the need for better health outcomes for an aging population, by creating the housing, services and activities that make people want to be out and active, helping alleviate isolation. Having recently visited a thriving quarter in Mexico City- celebrated as being ‘vibrantly chaotic’ - Pat remarked the success was not the result of designing a manicured space, but about enabling the creation of a place that people want to live, work and visit. Mixed use are more resilient in harder economic times and one developer has recognised this and is converting parts of an ailing shopping centre on the edge of Southampton into residential use. The success of curated spaces which frame shopping as an experience, driven by “Instagramable” moments, is another emerging growth trend in retail. Achieving the right balance between residential,
commercial and retail space can create vitality day and night, week day and weekend. “What makes people want to come to the town centre rather than jump on the tube to go to Oxford Street?” asked Pat, adding: “What is the Ealingness of Ealing and the experience of being here?” Ealing already has a branding advantage as it is known across the world for its film studios and heritage and could build on this.
From A to B Access is important, and while the Elizabeth Line will provide excellent east/west transport links, better north/ south connectivity is needed to bring people in from all parts of the borough. Russell Roberts, transport planner for Ealing Council, explained the council’s vision for an appealing town centre that works better as a key destination with high quality public realm and a street scape that makes people want to shop and work in Ealing Broadway. “We want to create a more people-focussed town centre where people feel safe and comfortable moving around”. This also means promoting low polluting ways of getting from A to B. Functionally, the town centre tries to do too much as a retail centre with traffic dominated through routes, as a major bus corridor and as an employment centre. Competitors such as Westfield, Uxbridge and Kingston all tend to have better areas of traffic free,
pedestrian circulation space. Ealing’s assets are underutilised, especially the heritage shop fronts and the green space around the town centre. The council is pressuring Network Rail and Crossrail to complete the Ealing Broadway new station forecourts and a high-quality entrance, lift facilities, and an enlarged ticket hall. Meanwhile, Transport for London (TfL) are introducing new low emission hybrid buses on Uxbridge Road by next year. The first phase of the council’s network of electric vehicle charge points will be completed by spring with a subsequent phase due for the end of 2019. A bid is being submitted for TfL funds to change the way the town centre works and to find opportunities to create more pedestrian space and better access routes to the underground. There are also plans to explore the possibility of creating a walk of fame to celebrate Ealing’s illustrious film heritage.
Business challenges Praising the quality of Berkeley’s work on the public realm of Dickens Yard, Amanda Raven, head of London and South East, British Land, said that collaboration on things like signage, groundworks and branding would help give a better sense of what Ealing stands for. Tony Clements, executive director of place, for the council, emphasised the importance of creating space for
We have a long-term vision which is about growth and development that benefits the whole community.”
Tony Clements, Ealing Council 33
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“What could Ealing’s unique selling point be?”
“What is the Ealingness of Ealing and the experience of being here?”
Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council
“Ealing has something about it compared to other suburban locations which comes down to the investment that the council have made.” Nick Lee, CEG social activity that fosters connections which have been shown to improve health outcomes and combat loneliness. Mixed-use schemes afford greater resilience for neighbourhoods and developments and Nick Lee, CEG’s development director, felt that a greater diversity in business space is beneficial overall to the promotion of Ealing as a business location. “We are looking to deliver a new development on the Uxbridge Road on a scale that could deliver 1,500 to 2,000 jobs,” he explained. Commercial real estate is changing and successful locations tend to be created when a larger business or businesses are supported by a network and cluster of smaller businesses. Nick welcomed the University of West London’s business ‘incubator space’ and said that CEG’s own development could house a larger business. The most important thing is to ensure a diversity of stock of different kinds of space at different price points. Nick said that establishing an identity for Ealing would help this and stressed the great amenities that Ealing town centre already has with its numerous green spaces asking where else in London has so many open spaces?
Pat Brown, Central
Chris Fenner, director of property from the University of West London, agreed that Ealing’s proximity to the City and unique character are an attraction for the 18-24year olds who make up the bulk of the 10,000 students that the university has in the area. Established more than 100 years ago, the University of West London is formed by an agglomeration of the renowned art school and Thames Valley Polytechnic. It has risen to 50th in the league tables and it has forged links with many local businesses providing work experience for students while studying. It is keen to forge more partnerships, especially with developers. “Our biggest challenge is affordability for our students,” Chris remarked. Accepting up to 3,000 students annually, the university only has campus accommodation for 800 therefore they are approaching developers who may be able to help with their accommodation needs.
“We wholeheartedly believe in the future of Ealing as a really strong strategic location for us.” Amanda Raven, British Land. Turning to retail, Amanda acknowledged that margins were being squeezed and costs were rising during a time when competition from online retailers was increasing. Ealing however could benefit from an emerging trend to click and collect shopping. “Independents are absolutely brilliant, and we would love to see more of those,” said Amanda, and as a landlord, British Land are looking to introduce more experiential shopping to attract
the younger consumer into the town centre. Amanda felt the leisure offer in Ealing town centre was currently lacking and that the night time economy was weak, which perhaps prevented some operators from becoming occupiers as their business models look to trade seven days a week.
“We saw in Ealing an opportunity to show that independent retailers can thrive and stand out when they are surrounded by chain stores if you are different and unique.” Edwin Harrison, Artisan and Artisan Coffee School. As an independent retailer, Edwin Harrison, owner of Artisan and Artisan Coffee School, urged greater flexibility from landlords. “Small entrepreneurs think creatively and can create vibrancy from events that they can set up quicker than chain stores which are often hampered by internal bureaucracy. The independent doesn’t just add value to their own business, it adds value to the landlord’s portfolio, because it brings that something extra to the high street or shopping centre”. Tony concluded that the foundations for a vibrant and modern Ealing town centre are already there and suggested building on these by maintaining and diversifying employment space, by a more diverse retail offer and by harnessing the energy that creative businesses bring. The challenge ahead was to define and promote the borough to be competitive in a range of markets.
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5 2 U X B R I D G E R O A D, E A L I N G
Changing the way you work 170,000 sq ft of intelligent office space 11 minutes from Bond Street
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Delivering inspired space for business to flourish
Night-time’s the right time Matthew Booth‘s consultancy, Populate, has produced a report on Ealing town centre. As part of this he presented his main findings on the night-time economy (NTE) which are:•
it accounts for one third of all employment across the capital;
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over 700,000 jobs are in the NTE currently valued at £26.3bn;
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50per cent of culture and leisure sector jobs are categorised as NTE;
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two thirds of respondents in a recent survey said they regularly go out at night;
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the biggest barrier to going out for people was cost;
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it is a fast-growing sector and it is also changing by becoming less alcohol reliant; and
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there has been a significant decline over the last 20 years from over two thirds to about 50per cent saying that they go out for a drink.
Matthew concluded, “It’s not just about booze”. Among other things to consider were the inclusiveness of the night time offer and the protection and safety of residents, visitors, and NTE workers. Making it happen in practice would also involve a diverse range of stakeholders. Populate will continue to work on its report and is considering a broad range of questions particularly regarding licensing, not just for drinks but also for entertainment and gambling licences, which could be resolved through special area licensing.
Safety first Helen Statham, safer communities and licensing team, for the council, reported that she has a team working on a strategy for the night time economy and welcomes comments and feedback from local stakeholders. She wants to encourage the right sort of business to Ealing, noting that businesses who flout the regulations are a drain on scarce public resources. “A priority for my team is a safe Ealing,” Helen concluded. The question remained - how best to balance the public safety of local residents while expanding Ealing’s cultural offering into the evenings and weekends? Lucy Taylor saw the council’s role as an enabler. A more flexible planning policy is one approach
“Everywhere that is successful needs an identity and it is important to be clear on what Ealing’s is.” Alex Wrethman, Charlotte’s Group
and also making the licensing process as smooth as possible so as not to create barriers to innovation and growth. The council owns assets which might also unlock opportunities, as it did previously when it proactively used compulsory purchase powers to get the cinema development off the ground. However, it is important that future growth is coherent, which requires considered thought as to what the best locations are for community space. June Martin, director, of the Hanwell Hootie music festival, made the point that it is people who make a place come alive. The Hanwell Hootie, as London’s largest free one-day music festival, provides a unique opportunity for local traders who can take as much as three months income on the day. It is supported by the council and funded mainly by developers but what is needed is a long-term strategy. “In the last three years festivals have contributed one billion pounds to the UK economy,” said June. Kate McKenzie, director, KMC Squared, agreed that better support would help her organisation build on the success of events such as the Cheese Festival, which has generated great publicity for Ealing as a place where things are happening. Alex Wrethman, CEO and owner of Charlotte’s Group, which has opened Charlotte’s W5 in Dickens Yard, spoke of how he had to create his space as a destination to make the business work as he found it was a challenge to persuade customers to come to Ealing for an evening out. The debate returned to the question of an identity for Ealing and a brand that was inclusive. Alex said: “Ealing isn’t going to be the new Shoreditch, nor should it be. We have a huge
heritage here but it’s not all been pulled together,” adding the Ealing Studios story is not really told. He acknowledged that Gordon Young’s rock sculpture in Elizabeth Square, engraved with lyrics from a George Formby song featured in the Ealing Studios production ‘Let George Do It’, was a step in the right direction. Pat Brown concluding asked the overarching question, “How do we define and create the quality experience in the town centre that needs to guide the night time, cultural and transport strategy?” The council and its partners will now be taking forward many of the points raised at the morning’s event to inform their work in these areas.
The Ealing In London Town Centre Conference was hosted by British Land at Ealing Broadway shopping centre. CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:
Cllr Julian Bell – Ealing Council Matthew Booth – Populate
Pat Brown – Central Consultancy Piers Clanford – St George
Tony Clements – Ealing Council Chris Fenner - University of West London Edwin Harrison – Artisan Nick Lee - CEG
June Martin – Hanwell Hootie
Kate McKenzie – KMC Squared Amanda Raven – British Land
Russell Roberts – Ealing Council Helen Statham – Ealing Council Lucy Taylor – Ealing Council
Alex Wretham – Charlotte’s Group
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The Father of Loud’s Legacy
Launched 2013
The Hanwell Hootie is much more than just London’s largest one-day music festival, as Carla Passino discovers.
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
2018 AT A GLANCE...
20,000
400
90 BANDS 15 VENUES
VOLUNTEERS
£100,000s LONDON’S
BOOST FREE ONE-DAY FANS MUSIC FESTIVAL
BIGGEST
TO LOCAL ECONOMY
T
he crowd streaming towards the festival stage at the 2018 Hanwell Hootie was as electric as rock band Rews as they warmed them up on the main stage with an edgy, energetic performance. “The reason we play (here) is that we want to inspire people, we want to get our name out there— so to be associated with the Hootie is just brilliant,” said Rews’ beat-rocker, Collette Williams, as she came off stage. Although the Hanwell Hootie has grown faster than expected since it set up in 2013, its original spirit—to champion live music—is still intact. It remains a free festival so everybody, from all backgrounds, can join in. It’s this chance to relate to a broad, diverse public that appeals to bands like Rews. “We just want to connect with people and we seem to do that.” “You get all ages at the Hootie,” adds the other half of Rews’ duo, songstress Shauna Tothill. “I think our music appeals to younger audiences and when you play in a club or a pub, it’s over-18s only, so it’s nice to be able to welcome families and those who may not usually be able to make it to our gigs.” The Hootie launched in 2013 by a group of friends as a celebration of the life and work of Jim Marshall, the amp legend known as the Father of Loud. Marshall had died a year earlier and the group thought the best way to commemorate him was to hold live-music events in small venues across Hanwell, where Marshall had opened his music shop and developed the guitar amplifier – which changed the sound of British music forever.
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From the inaugural event’s 13 bands in three pubs, around 90 now perform at 15 venues scattered either side of the former Marshall shop, on Hanwell High Street, to 20,000 music-lovers – making it the Capital’s biggest free one-day music festival.
A cradle for talent As the festival is the perfect springboard for musicians, several artists that wowed the crowds at the Hootie have since made it onto the world stage. The Raven Age played a couple of years ago and went on to support Iron Maiden on their world tour. Rews first played here in 2017 and later signed up with Marshall Records, who released their debut album, Pyro. “We found them before Marshall did!”, explains June Martin, one of the organisers. The Hootie team go out of their way to discover and nurture new artists. “Most bands come to the Hootie through application, because we are trying to find new and emerging talent,” says Martin, “however our music team attend many festivals and gigs throughout the year looking for talent that we bring to the festival”.
“Changing genre encourages people to experience a different type of music throughout the day,” June Martin, Hanwell Hootie
Fizzy Blood playing at the 2018 Hanwell Hootie.
The musicians panel deliberately sets out to choose a variety of styles and genres for the festival. “There’s only one venue which has the same style of music throughout and that’s Blues because we use a venue that was historically used in the 60s by Blues musicians, but in the rest the music is completely different every time.” Take the packed Green W7, where on the Ealing in London sponsored stage, the haunting, almost poetic melodies of folk singer Hannah Scott have just petered out when the punchy punk-rock of Concrete Caverns fills the wistful silence. On the Busking Bus, a converted double decker, Songsmith play a heart-wrenching ballad about a group of young men who perish at sea—just before local quartet OldSchool lift the mood with an acoustic set. “Changing genre encourages people to move to the next venue and experience a different type of music throughout the day,” adds Martin.
A Council that backs culture With around 20,000 people attending the Hootie, the boom to local businesses, such as convenience stores, takeaways, and restaurants, is immense. The Hootie also highlights Ealing’s music heritage and culture, its history and its legacy, and the fact that the borough is promoting opportunities for young people and musicians to flourish. Ealing Council, which has improving opportunities for young people as one of its priorities, is keen to ensure that community inspired culture and events flourish in the borough. It’s why Ealing In London has been a key supporter of the Hootie from its beginnings. While cultural events are often viewed as attractive ‘addons’ the reality is that UK festivals are big business and over the last three years contributed more than £1 billion to the national economy. Many local businesses can take as much as three months’ earnings in one festival day. A business that is flourishing is the nearby Dodo Micropub, run by Lucy Do which hosts a silent disco during the Hanwell Hootie (see S12).
Hanwell Hootie Busking Bus.
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REGENERATING & DEVELOPING EALING Providing development, agency, valuation and building consultancy services across the London Borough of Ealing. Get in touch to find out more: STEPHEN ARMITAGE Director, Real Estate Advisory +44 (0)20 7198 2135 sarmitage@lsh.co.uk
NEIL PARLETT Director, Real Estate Advisory +44 (0)20 7198 2104 nparlett@lsh.co.uk
lsh.co.uk
Hootie Pop-ups
A community effort
The Hootie also run pop-up events throughout the year across Ealing borough. “We have just done one in collaboration with Hootie sponsor the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre,” says Martin. “We support a three-day Buskathon—we brought musicians in to busk for charity. For us, it’s about Ealing being a creative and cultural hub. By bringing that cultural life across Ealing, collectively, we are all working together to support Ealing music.”
The Hootie owes much to the 400 volunteers that take care of anything from running the Busking Bus to decking out the venues. Belinda Newstead, a volunteer since the very first Hootie, has done both. Her job, she explains, is to, “recruit all the busking bands”— but, this year, she has decorated the meadow, “from the information and volunteers’ tents to the Marshall Shack – the sponsors’ chill out area.” As the festival got bigger, so did Newstead’s role. “The first year there were three pubs. Every year, a little bit more gets added. Not that she minds: “It’s the spirit of the community. Everybody is willing to help out. I never want to leave this place.” Newstead is also part of the Hanwell Ukuleles and while performing earlier on, she realised just how much the festival means to the area. “I saw a two-year-old all the way to a 90-yearold. Everyone was happy, singing with us and dancing. The music brings us together and that’s a wonderful thing.” For her, the best moment is the last performance of the day. “At 11pm, everyone congregates in St Mellitus Church to watch the last band play. It’s lovely because it brings us all together in celebration.”
“The Hootie is a great opportunity for unsigned musicians to get out and play,”
Charlie Kellie, Lycio “The venue itself is very different from what we have done before,” adds vocalist Genny Mendez. “All the lanterns that are hanging around, it was just very relaxing. I’d love to do it again.” It’s a sentiment that’s shared by other artists. Back at Viaduct Meadows, Rews say they have ambitious plans to bring their music “to different corners of the universe,”. They have a busy festival season ahead but the Hootie has a special place in their hearts. “Closing the main stage next year,” says Tothill, “that would be good.”
A special place Indeed it does as the powerful notes of electro-hybrid band Lycio fill the church, firing up the throng that packs the pews. Dozens of lanterns hang from the ceiling, shimmering in the blue and purple lights that bathe the naves, as the last beams of the day filter in from the arched windows. Just as the band comes off stage, they are intercepted by a group of fans, who rave about their music and pledge to follow them on Spotify. It’s an unexpected perk for the trio, who legged it all the way from Birmingham to Hanwell. The Hootie, explains Charlie Kellie, who works the keys and laptop rig, is, “a great opportunity for unsigned musicians to get out and play—great venue, good, professional sound and playing in front of new people. From a performance point of view, when you get a nice reaction, it actually makes a big difference.”
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Regeneration of Perceval House
Proud Sponsors of Ealing in London Galliford Try Partnerships are pleased to be working with Ealing Council as development partner to deliver the regeneration of Perceval House, providing new Council offices and a library alongside 500 new mixed tenure homes, which will include fifty per cent affordable housing, in addition to new retail space and public realm.
Galliford Try Partnerships is a leading regeneration business, working with Registered Providers and Local Authorities to increase the supply of housing and helping to build sustainable communities.
gallifordtry.co.uk
James Murray talks to Ealing In London James Murray has been London’s Deputy Mayor for housing and residential development since 2016. James’ responsibilities include overseeing the Mayor’s £4.8bn affordable homes programmes, including ‘Building Council Homes for Londoners’ – the first-ever City Hall initiative dedicated to building 10,000 new council homes. James’ responsibilities include advising the Mayor on affordable housing planning policies, the private rented sector, homelessness and rough sleeping. Ealing Council has an ambitious estate regeneration programme with a pipeline of 6,000 new homes of all tenures. The council secured nearly a tenth of the £1billion GLA’s ‘Building Council Homes for Londoners’ grant allocation, £99.35m, and the largest programme for homes planned – 1,138 homes over 18 schemes. This target forms part of its 2,500 genuinely affordable homes manifesto commitment to be built by 2022.
In February 2019, James Murray talked to Robin Das from Ealing In London. What is your impression of Ealing as a place? I love Ealing, I grew up here and I’ve spent a lot of time here. Ealing is somewhere that has a lot of diversity and fun that reflects its city side as well as beauty and open space - it is a very attractive place. However, like much of London, it faces challenges in housing, such as in the private rented sector (PRS) and the need for more social and council housing. I was really pleased that Ealing Council submitted such an ambitious bid to the GLA for the building of genuinely affordable homes and it’s fantastic now to be working with yourselves to build those new homes and regenerate the estates. Can you explain more about the GLA’s initiative for council house building programmes to be subject to residents’ ballots? Just last month the mayor and I visited Copley Close in Ealing to see the plans that the council is delivering, and they look very impressive. The tenants we met who are moving into their new homes were really excited as these are high-quality homes that meet their needs. From our point of view, the money that we have allocated to Ealing through ‘Building Council Homes for Londoners’ means that more social rent homes can be built and this is a great outcome for Ealing and its residents.
“Meeting residents at High Lane estate gave me confidence that our ballot approach will win Londoners’ trust.” After Copley, I visited High Lane Estate, both of which are about a mile away from where I grew up, so I know the area well and it was great to see the council working with City Hall to make a difference here. At High Lane the council conducted the first estate regeneration ballot under the new rules that the Mayor brought in last year. I met some of the representatives from the residents’ association who talked about the ballot, their relationship with the council and the estate regeneration. Meeting them gave me confidence that the ballot approach will win Londoners’ trust. It is vital that residents’ views are at the heart of any plans to regenerate their estates and that is why we see ballots as such an important way of gathering their views as part of that process. To see Ealing conduct the first and the benefits that the residents’ association has brought to the process is really encouraging and we look forward to other councils and residents’ associations following Ealing’s suit.
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Our aim is to create a lasting legacy, supporting the sustainable growth of local people and businesses via our unique delivery approach whilst building the homes the country needs.
The Mayor of London’s visit to Copley Hanwell W7
What other initiatives have City Hall got to build more social and affordable housing? As well as councils building new social housing and other affordable homes, we’ve also got a broader affordable housing programme that chiefly supports housing associations to build new homes as well. As many of the housing associations we support operate in Ealing, we were pleased that last year we started a record number of affordable homes*, the highest number since City Hall took control of the affordable housing programme. There are some other polices that are of importance to the Mayor, such as increasing the levels of affordable housing in planning permissions. We also welcome Ealing’s support in lobbying for greater investment in London that we know we need, such as greater powers over the private rented sector. Private renters have seen their rents increase year on year but still have poor-quality accommodation and little or no security of tenure. Overall, what we need is councils and City Hall (being) given far more investment and powers so that we can really see a step change in the number of affordable homes being built.
“Ealing’s… support is essential for us to deliver to Londoners on the frontline.” Ealing has introduced a licensing policy to clamp down on rogue landlords. Do you see this as a policy that can be further developed across the Capital? Like councils, the mayor has relatively few powers to influence the private rented sector, so what we are keen to do is work with councils and to use the powers that we do have to their fullest extent. One important initiative the Mayor has introduced is the ‘Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker’, which is a public database via which prospective tenants can see if a landlord or agent has been prosecuted or fined by a council. Users can also use its ‘Report a Rogue’ tool to report someone they are concerned about. We welcome Ealing being part of this initiative and signing up to it. We encourage all boroughs to use their powers (over the PRS) to their full extent, but what we really need is national change to overhaul the laws around security of tenure, stronger renters’ rights and increasingly to introduce a system of rent control and stabilisation, to improve the lives of Londoners who rent privately.
What are the challenges and opportunities for London in the year ahead? There is no doubt that the Government’s mishandling of Brexit is causing huge uncertainty and it’s no wonder that private sector development is being impacted by this and the prospect of a no-deal or a bad deal. What we need to do is to keep the pressure on the Government to avoid those negative impacts as far as possible and crucially to keep affordable home building going during the mess that they have created. There is an opportunity for London to support more councils and housing associations to build more affordable housing, which is typically more productive than purely just private sector development. For that to happen, we need to make sure the Government steps up and plays its part rather than allowing the impact of a no deal or a bad deal to hit London hard. What we most need to be doing is building significantly more council, social rented and genuinely affordable homes.
“We see Ealing as a really important council that works… to put council home building and other genuinely affordable housing schemes centre stage.” How can councils work better as enablers to encourage town centres to be thriving enjoyable mixed-use places for all? Councils have a really important role in setting out what the vision for their local areas should be and that town centres have a range of different retail and places for people to go out and enjoy themselves. Also, that locations near town centres are an opportunity to build housing at high density. This should include more social rented and genuinely affordable homes to make sure centres develop in the right way, with the mix of housing, retail, jobs and other services that people can enjoy. I think that councils, as they develop their local planning polices, have a really key role in shaping the vision for what a local area should look like. While I understand the pressure on planning resources, it is important they set out that vision through detailed conversations and consultations with local residents. How important is the role of culture? What is really important is that busy town centres are welcoming and accessible to Londoners of all backgrounds and interests with a mix of different uses and opportunities for people to go out and enjoy themselves. A council’s role is important in supporting and encouraging a variety of cultural offerings and opportunities in town centres and across the capital – and that we make sure that London really is a city for all Londoners. Finally, when someone says ‘Ealing’ to you, what comes to mind? We see Ealing as a really important council that works with the Mayor to promote his agenda and puts council home building and other genuinely affordable housing schemes centre stage. We know that Ealing supports our council home building programme and our genuinely affordable housing programme and that Ealing’s and other councils’ support is essential for us to deliver to Londoners on the frontline. * 12,526 genuinely affordable homes started. This includes 2,826 new homes based on social rent levels. February 2019.
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Putting the art into artisan treats Coffee houses and patisseries are helping the high street through tricky times. Robin Das met two local companies that supply cafes and stores with their artisan edibles and how they have helped launch the first Ealing Restaurant Awards.
B
elgium is synonymous with the very best when it comes to pastries and cakes, so it’s fitting that Debaere, a wholesale bakery based in Perivale, was founded by Ric DeBaere, a Belgium master pastry chef in 1998. Ric’s passion and cake creativity meant he was soon supplying a network of coffee shops in Acton with his products. Ric’s key values of using only natural ingredients, colourings and freshly baking everything right before despatch has remained core to Debaere’s brand today, now wholly owned by Terry Morgan and Kaleem Dhutta.
Today Debaere supplies some of Ealing’s best-known independent coffee shops and stores including the Beehive, The Farm W5, Fade to Black and The Fifth Taste, plus many national retailers such as WholeFood stores. “In and around Ealing there’s a whole different assortment of our products,” adds Andy, “there’s a good chance if you go into a store, you’ll find our products.”
“There’s a good chance if you go into a store in Ealing, you’ll find our products.” Andy Gittens, Debaere
“Freshly baked means freshly baked with us” Andy Gittens, Debaere Andy Gittens, Debaere’s sales manager, elaborates: “Freshly baked means freshly baked with us. Everything we make is handmade as far as possible.” Stepping into the production area as the Debaere crew expertly plait dough into perfectly sized croissants and pastries before sliding them into hot ovens, it’s clear that this really is their guiding philosophy. The company can produce around 14,000 products a day from tea time classics to red velvet cake, artisan bread and event canapes. Last year, the company began producing a range of bars. Andy says: “The bars help customers get to know us as, unlike most of our products, they are packaged with the Debaere name.”
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Beavering away in her kitchen on her artisan chocolate creations is Lucy Savage, proud purveyor of ‘Handmade in Ealing’ chocolates. Lucy explains the challenges of going it alone in business and how she is making her products the ‘go to name’ for locally made high quality gourmet chocolate and assorted sweet treats. “I loved baking growing up and I’ve always been a foodie. When I was young my gran used to buy kits to make Easter eggs and I loved making them and the science of making chocolate. It is such a skilled complex process.” “At Handmade in Ealing the essence of our products is the use of natural flavours, which can be exotic and fun but all combined with quality couverture chocolate containing real cocoa butter,” says Lucy. Never afraid to experiment, Lucy’s collaborations with local coffee houses and businesses have included a turmeric, chai and vanilla latte bar with
Fade to Black, a Hanwell independent coffee store and a range of perfumed chocolate bars with 4160 Tuesday’s perfume company. But top of her sales list is her hand-painted Bon-Bons. Like many small businesses, rather than dive in with both feet, Lucy has spent the last 18 years dabbling in experimenting and producing her unique chocolates and truffles as gifts. Two years ago, after spotting Kate McKenzie, founder of ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’ food markets in Dickens Yard, Lucy decided to take the plunge and to transform a hobby into a fulltime business.
“Renting a space (in a store) is a really good way of getting into retail – it’s a permanent pop-up.” Lucy Savage, Handmade in Ealing
“The Ealing Restaurant Awards is the food Oscars but for restaurants.” Andy Gittens, Debaere
Today, Lucy, as a micro-business, sells direct as opposed to wholesale, including renting a space in Ealing Broadway’s specialist gift shop ‘All Original’. As Lucy says, it would be difficult to set up a chocolate shop, so the space in ‘All Original’ is a costeffective way to enter the market with a place on the high street which Lucy can brand and product-place. “It’s a really good way of getting into retail. It’s equivalent to a pop-up but it’s a permanent pop-up,” she says. The challenge, she says, going forward is kitchen space in the right location. Lucy and her partner Chris have made their products in rental kitchen units in Park Royal, but while most of us lapped up this year’s long hot summer for Lucy it was the worst climate in which to perfect their creations. The alchemy of chocolate is a science and hot weather is not kind to the process. “Our bon bons can take two to three days to make – it’s a
mix of science and art – we really are creating edible art.” Since moving on from her first kitchen experience, Lucy has benefitted from Ealing Council’s one to one business mentoring, which gave her some very practical tools, such as how to grow your business and raise finance. As well as creating delicious foods, what Debaere and Made in Ealing also both share is a close working collaboration with each other and other independent borough businesses through an ever-developing, supportive business network in Ealing. Andy flags up the Ealing Business Forum, which Debaere attends and has helped them as a business without a high street store front. “(The forum) is how we’ve grown awareness of our brand,” he explains. “We also met Nicola Gaughan at the forum, ‘Iconic Creatives’ a designer from Hanwell, and we engaged her to design our brochures – an example of using Ealing talent in Ealing.” Talent, passion and joined up working across Ealing’s gourmet food businesses have now fused into this year’s very first ‘Ealing Restaurant Awards’ – founded by Andy and the Eat In Ealing blog - or as Andy suggests ‘the food Oscars but for restaurants’. Lucy and Debaere catered for the event which was hosted by ‘Fade to Black’. The event says Andy, ‘brought the local community, restaurants and bloggers together’, as 20 eateries competed for the title, which was won by Matese Pasta Lab. The year’s winner will display the ‘Ealing Restaurant Award’ plaque for a year, before being handed over to the next winner.
The production line at Debaere.
Handmade in Ealing chocolates.
“I’d love a chocolate house in Ealing… somewhere that we could make the chocolate and be a tourist attraction.” Lucy Savage, Handmade in Ealing Andy and Lucy both have big ambitions for their hand-crafted products for the future – Andy to keep building Debaere’s brand awareness and Lucy to look to new markets out of borough. “I’d love a chocolate house in Ealing,’ she admits, ‘somewhere that we could make the chocolate, be educational, host workshops and be a tourist attraction.” With passionate food creatives who dream big, maybe Ealing can have its cake and eat it.
Lucy Savage of Handmade in Ealing.
Debaere
WWW.DEBAERE.CO.UK
Handmade in Ealing TWITTER@EALINGCHOCS
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Southall Works
With the arrival of the Elizabeth line in Southall, this vibrant, multi-cultural and colourful part of west London is on the cusp of big changes. And it will be the new station with even better access to London and beyond that is going to be pivotal to it all. Sue Hill finds out more….
I
“We want to create a hub around the station that connects the north and south of Southall and opens up the canal.”
t’s been ten years in the making bold vision of this post-industrial area, with but with some very exciting the station at its heart, will also help the developments already under way, council meet its target of delivering 2,500 and with some of the biggest genuinely affordable homes across the regeneration schemes ever in planning borough by 2022. But it’s more than that; it’s with Ealing Council, Southall is on the about creating a new way of life for today and cusp of big change. tomorrow’s residents – while keeping what The arrival of Crossrail, with the new makes Southall so special – the intoxicating Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council Elizabeth Line running through Southall’s blend of cultures, colours, festivals and a interchange, will slash the area’s journey community that wears its heart on its sleeve. times to the city, Canary Wharf, Paddington and its regional Ealing’s director of regeneration and planning, Lucy Taylor, rail networks, the West End and Heathrow Airport. Is it any says: “We’ve got the bustling Broadway, the grand temples, wonder that Southall is currently a hotbed of activity and shimmering retail, joyous celebrations and all the vitality that a place on the up? Recognising the massive opportunities comes with that plus old Southall with its history, culture and for growth that the new transport links would bring, Ealing strong communities.” Council has already spent some ten years making sure they Diversity is Southall’s hallmark and the local community – get it right - and that Southall works. a melting pot of British, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tami and Somali For years Southall has had vast areas of land, all within a ten cultures among others – wears its difference with pride. “This to 15-minute walk of the station, much of which sits alongside is a unique part of London,” continues Lucy, “it has a really a spur of the Grand Union Canal. Now, these are at different strong identity, where religious leaders of all denominations stages of development as the council sets about linking the new come together as one at religious events, such as Diwali and transport hub to Southall’s historic Broadway and old town. The Nagar Kirtan and its diversity is its strength.”
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Montreaux’s plans for the Margarine Works site
southall
Southall Connectivity
southall
THE ELIZABETH LINE WILL LINK SOUTHALL TO… HEATHROW 8 MINUTES
PADDINGTON 14 MINUTES
BOND STREET 17 MINUTES
CANARY WHARF 31 MINUTES
UP TO 10 TRAINS AN HOUR
Umesh Sharma, who chairs the board of trustees at the Network Homes that will deliver 575 new homes next to Shree Ram Mandir Hindu temple, says: “This is a golden the station, with 35per cent of them being affordable. The mile (for places of worship).” The abundance of churches four buildings will also have office and flexible commercial and temples make for enticing architecture and a packed floorspace and will act as a gateway to two massive calendar of events such as Diwali and parades and is development sites, Galliard Homes’ Quayside Quarter key to the smooth functioning of the community. “It’s and Montreaux Development’s Margarine Works, which down to hard work and straight forward honest respect,” between them will bring more than 4,000 new homes says Umesh, “We always pray for the plus commercial and amenity space. wellbeing of everybody.” Redrow’s neighbouring development Lucy explains how the area around the The West Works, has already started station is now the focus of development. selling its high-spec apartments, adding “When you look at Southall on a map another 300 homes to this newly created Umesh Sharma, there is a hole in the middle where there area around the station. Shree Ram Mandir temple isn’t really anything going on, yet this is Recognising the opportunity to get where the railway station is. So what we’re doing is filling people out of their cars with the new transport links, the in the gap. We want to create a hub around the station that council have been working with developers on how they brings better quality housing and more genuinely affordable can change the way people live. “We are for the first housing that connects both parts of Southall as well as time, seeing a reduction in car ownership in London, and opening up the canal.” Crossrail is going to be a real game changer for Southall,” One development that received resolution to grant Lucy said. “Why have a car, if you can hop on the train by Planning Committee last November is The Arches, and be in the centre of London within 20 minutes? But it’s a £200 million joint venture between Stanhope and also about giving people desirable leisure, retail and sports
“We always pray for the wellbeing of everybody.”
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Southall High Street
Southall canal
facilities that they can walk to. We’ve got the vibrancy of mean it’s a great location for businesses. Lucy adds: “If traditional Southall which is great but you need something your business doesn’t have to be based in central London that complements all that to create more of a holistic then why not relocate to somewhere like Southall and avoid town centre. What we want to do now is create a more paying those premium prices?”. mainstream offer. “And if you’ve got reasonably priced affordable housing, “There’s been lots of consultation on and Southall has - it’s not ridiculously what people want to see in the area. priced like many other parts of London Young people want a more mixed offer - your workforce can afford to live there. - the little shops are great and vibrant What we’ve seen is many young people but we also want to attract some high struggle to get on the housing ladder street shops, as you’d see on any other but with our commitment to genuinely London high street. It’s about changing affordable housing they’ll be able to stay the way people live by offering them in the local area. a new and exciting way of living.” The “It’s not just about attracting new Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council council has been leading mixed-use residents, it’s also about meeting the developments, like Berkeley Group’s needs of those already there. Then of course there’s 85-acre Southall Waterside development where phase our proximity to Heathrow. We’ve always been strong one has already been completed, beginning their delivery for food production and have a lot of companies who of new affordable homes and capitalising on business provide inflight food for the airlines. But when it comes and employment opportunities. to business opportunities we don’t want to be sector Southall’s proximity to Heathrow, the A40 and the M4 specific - because Southall really will be a great location corridor, as well as its transport links into central London, for businesses.”
“By giving people everything they need on their doorstep you take away the need for them to have a car.”
50
Glade Walk at Galliard’s Quayside Quarter
Southall Saris
And food is central to life in Southall, with 59 ‘curry This sentiment is echoed by planning consultant Noel mile’ restaurants in town including Gulu Anand’s family Rutherford, who is working with Galliard Homes on run Brilliant restaurant, which counts Prince Charles transforming the former Honey Monster factory into an and Gordan Ramsey as punters. Gulu’s daughter Dipna exemplar mixed-use development. Noel identifies the says: “We have been here (Southall) for 45 years and the proposals will deliver 2,000 new homes, 250,000 square recipes, consistency and quality will feet of creative industry, with a focus on never change.” film and TV production with associated There’s no doubt about it, there’s a light industrial workshops and production real buzz around Southall right now as space, flexible retail and commercial the Southall Waterside development gets units, community facilities and public ready to welcome its first residents. The realm connecting Southall centre to scheme, which has been instrumental Glade Lane Canalside Park. Galliard in the development of the areas around Noel Rutherford, Planning Consultant Homes has worked closely with the the station, will deliver 3,750 new homes council to ensure this site offers new in phases over the next 25 years. Lucy said: “It really feels employment opportunities for local residents and improved like Southall is on the cusp of greatness. Southall Waterside earning potential. If approved by the council in spring, the has given residents a taste of what’s to come, so when new homes will be delivered by 2021, once again helping we talk about creating this new quarter around the station meet the council’s affordable housing targets. they only have to take a look what’s happening down the Noel said: “We spoke to the council weekly for about a road to see what we’re going to do. It’s about bringing this year before submitting our planning application to make part of Southall back to life and making it a better place for sure we got it right. It is probably the biggest full planning everyone to enjoy.” application that the council has ever received. It’s a detailed
“This is a scheme that is not just talking about housing, it’s delivering housing.”
51
Creating great places and affordable homes in Ealing since 1963
Proud supporter of Ealing in London
For more information contact: Catalyst.Developer@chg.org.uk
chg.org.uk
Canalside view at Montreaux’s Margarine Works site
Redrow’s The West Works
Southall market wall
Dipna Anand’s Brilliant restaurant
application, and we had four different architectural practices Montreaux development of the former Maypole Factory and working on it, including architects from Ealing Studios. The Asian station Sunrise Radio studio building. The iconic site, scale of the operation in this much detail is quite incredible now called Margarine Works, a nod to the factory’s past as but it just shows the commitment of this developer, it’s not the world’s largest producer of the spread, submitted its just an outline plan, it’s all the way to detail which obviously application in July 2018. costs a fortune. What that does is show the intent to build Brendon Walsh, development advisor to Montreaux, and that marries well with the council’s need for housing says, “During public consultations, we found that these and employment in Southall. It’s not talking about housing, developments show that young people view this as a great it’s delivering housing. And this is a scheme that’s on its opportunity to have modern living right here in Southall.” way to deliver housing on some scale.” The plans for the site envisage 2,000 new homes, offices, Quayside Quarter will also provide shops and leisure facilities around a onemassive opportunities within the creative acre public park and new canal basin. industries. Even now, as they await the For the last 18 months, they have spent next stage of the planning process, time speaking to the local community, the vast industrial site is being used again ensuring that Southall works. for various filming projects including a Ton Webber, Montreux’s development new series for Netflix and music videos. manager, said: “We’ve looked to draw “Employment is another big story here,” everything that is great about Southall said Noel. “We have engaged with the into our scheme. Its vibrancy and Tom Webber, Montreaux market and spoken directly with Ealing unique culture, which will then knit our studios and down the road in Hayes - one stop on the proposals into the existing urban fabric. We have excellent new Elizabeth line - we have the Global Academy which links with the local community and there’s a lot of positivity specialises in broadcast and digital media courses. So, about what’s happening. The people of Southall are pretty what we’re offering those students is somewhere they can business savvy and open to the positive changes and aspire to work locally.” opportunities with new homes and jobs. It’s an exciting time Quayside Quarter, which will help to open-up a disused because there’s no doubt about it, Southall will fulfil its full part of the Grand Union Canal, will neighbour the £1 billion potential – its future is very bright .”
“We’ve looked to draw everything that is great about Southall – its vibrancy and culture into our scheme,”
53
Imperial College students in the Woodward halls of residence
Millennials make the move to North Acton With Imperial College London’s new halls of residence and the UK’s biggest co-working, living space The Collective in North Acton, the area is becoming a magnet for the under-40s. Robin Das found out more.
L
ying mid-point between Ealing Broadway and White City, North Acton is often seen as just a stopping off point for those traversing the Central line. Traditionally, the area’s focus has been as a commercial district - an overspill from the Park Royal Industrial estate to the north. However, North Acton’s ace is its strategic location, close enough to the very centre of London and the A40 for businesses and higher education establishments to see it as a viable area to relocate to, but just far enough for its land values to be competitively priced. As a result, North Acton now has one of the highest numbers of planning applications in London lodged with Ealing Council for tall buildings with more than 20 storeys. Today, North Acton is reinventing itself as a destination for a younger generation to live, work and study – a mix of millennials and the intelligentsia. They have found themselves caught in the trap of earning a good central London wage but still unable to get a limb on that tantalising housing ladder. Imperial College London, based in South Kensington and ranked one of the best universities in the world, has been looking westward in recent years. Due to the confines of their main Kensington site and limited space at their major hospital campuses, in 2009 they
“As the area expands there will be more amenities for its growing population - making North Acton one to keep your eye on.” Lucy Taylor, director of regeneration and planning, Ealing Council
54
Imperial College’s development sites in North Acton
commenced the acquisition of 23 acres of land in White City for the establishment of a new campus. This will have multidisciplinary research facilities co-located with office space for commercial partners. “Imperial is a really important part of west London,” says Jon Anderson, director of financial strategy, for the university. “The question for us has been where do our early career researchers, many of whom are 30-somethings, live?” This is a fundamental issue – the classic brain drain – as the capital risks losing its future scientists, physicists and engineers because of its pricey homes. “The high and rising cost of living in London is a fundamental threat to Imperial’s ability to recruit and retain talented staff, the college’s most critical resource in maintaining its global top ten status – we consider this the ‘London Factor’,” says Jon. The college has responded by committing to the development of a portfolio of keyworker housing, at genuinely affordable rents, to help support its community of 8,000 staff. Imperial already had a connection to Ealing with the Woodward Buildings, a development of 690 student rooms, five retail units, community space and gym, which opened
in North Acton in 2015. It was therefore a natural choice for Imperial to look to Ealing when searching for additional expansion space for its staff and student communities. A new development is now under construction on Wales Farm Road which will provide rooms for more than 700 first year students in North Acton, alongside a common room and other facilities. The student accommodation will sit in two blocks including a 96m brick-clad centrepiece tower, creating an iconic identity for the site. The student buildings are due to be completed by July 2020. As well as the Wales Farm Road development, Imperial is also building a block of 85 residential flats with a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units. All the flats will be professionally managed as part of the college estate and 35per cent will be offered at the London living rent to keyworkers, with priority given to Imperial staff. These flats are due to be completed by September 2020. Jon adds: “We see these two sites as the next step in developing a new student and university ‘city’ with quick connectivity on the red thread of the Central line to our White City and Hammersmith campuses.”
“We see these two sites as developing a new student and university ‘city’ with quick connectivity on the red thread of the Central line.” Jon Anderson, Imperial College, London
55
One West Point The New Iconic Residence in West London
For more information about our developments please contact us Tel: +44 (0)800 852 1188 Email: info@cityanddocklands.com Web: onewestpoint.london
Proud to be associated with Ealing in London
“People move here because it’s an easy place to run a business from.” The Collective The Collective’s co-living spaces
Nearby, and next to the Grand Union Canal, is the Collective, the UK’s biggest co-living and work space, opened in May 2016. The building, which was constructed as an office block, has been transformed into one mega shared space for 500 flatmates divided up into co-working hubs, collective spaces, communal kitchens and 546 individual studios with their own en-suite. Each floor has a different themed kitchen, including a US diner and a Japanese feng-shui space, and a different shared area such as a library, spa, cinema and games room. Young urbanites are attracted by the one-monthly rental fee that includes utilities and broadband, on site trouble shooting handyman and a readymade circle of new mates. This explains why the occupancy rate is 97per cent. “We’ve tried to eliminate the pain points you have in a flat share,“ says the Collective’s on-site team. Millennials make up 75per cent of tenants, but there are also baby-boomers too with some residents in their 60s. And while many work in tech industries, there are plenty of creative industry bright sparks too and it is popular with the self-employed as, “rather than pay rent for a co-working space we provide that as standard,” say the team. “People move here because it’s an easy place to run a business from.”
Key North Acton Developments One West Point
DEVELOPER: CITY AND DOCKLANDS
City & Docklands has commenced work on their latest development site in North Acton of 578 homes across four buildings, with the highest at 42 storeys, in the OPDC west London plan. The development, which is now fully funded, is due for completion at the end of 2021, and will provide a mixture of one, two and threebedroom apartments, with a 30per cent affordable housing allocation. Residents will also benefit from top of the range amenities and services. At the lower levels, One West Point will provide a state of the art co-working office space and coffee bar on the ground floor, creating a community hub at the centre of the development and up to 170 new jobs once complete. In the 42-storey tower 275 units are being sold. City & Docklands are retaining 303 units which will be run under its PRS brand – AWOL – ‘A Way Of Life’. Gary Sacks, CEO of City & Docklands, said: “We are excited to deliver such an exciting project. It is set to transform west London and the wider Old Oak Common regeneration area providing much needed London homes at a time when housing provision in the capital is critically required. Community and lifestyle has been at the very heart of this project, and we are proud to create a legacy (of) homes and communities that will stand the test of time.”
The Rehearsal Rooms DEVELOPER: HUB AND M&G REAL ESTATE
North Acton has had a long association with the BBC, as the television centre’s main rehearsal studios and its costume collection was located here until its closure in the early 2000s. Today on the same site is HUB and M&G Real Estate’s Rehearsal Rooms, a build to rent block of 173 tenure-blind homes. Steve Sanham, MD of HUB said: “HUB develops homes in fringe areas with great transport and infrastructure links – North Acton definitely fits that category. “We did all the headline things like including equal sized bedrooms, plenty of storage and purposedesigned community space – but what we think really makes this scheme sing is the quality of the external rooftop spaces, including allotments and barbeque areas.”
Above: Rupa Huq MP Ealing and Acton and Cllr Peter Mason, Ealing Council, break ground at One West Point in January 2019 with Gary Sacks, City and Docklands, Rory O’Connor, O’Shea and Tony Clements and Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council.
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PROUD SPONSORS OF
ONDO EALING IN LONDON
Imperial College London is investing for its future in North Acton, creating homes and jobs for the College community and Borough residents. WOODWARD BUILDINGS
WALES FARM ROAD
A development of 690 student rooms, five retail units, community meeting space and gym; opened in 2016.
Construction started in spring 2018 for a mixed-use scheme of 735 student rooms and 85 build-to-rent apartments, 35 of which are available exclusively to key workers at London Living Rents. 50,000 sqft NIA of office space will be delivered in Phase 2 of the development.
HOMES TO RENT FROM 2020
www.imperial.ac.uk
Imperial College’s Wales Farm Road site
City & Docklands’ One West Point
The Collective’s ethos is also about community and events and under the Collective Living banner, have included ‘sip, munch and mingle at the bar’, Gospel music, canal clean up mornings and dye workshops. The team are always keen to get residents to share skills, “we want people who move in here to develop personally and on a professional level,” they say, hence the development of a skillsswapping programme. Lucy Taylor, director of regeneration and planning, Ealing Council, said: “North Acton is definitely in the midst of a major transition from a predominately industrial area on the edge of the borough to a district with a busy mix of quality residential stock, student accommodation, educational institutions and work hub space – with great connections into central London.” “As the area expands there will be more amenities for its growing population – making North Acton one to keep your eye on.” Without doubt the influx of a new generation of flexible renters and students is changing the look and feel of North Acton – and firmly putting it on the map as a new west London goto destination.
North Acton Town Square
The Costume Store
UNIVERSITY OF ARTS LONDON (UAL)
The Costume Store is one of UAL’s largest and newest halls having opened in September 2012. It is located on the site that once housed the BBC’s costume collection in North Acton. It accommodates more than 520 UAL students and approximately 150 Imperial students in contemporary and stylish en-suite cluster flats and large selfcontained studios. The halls of residence are opposite North Acton tube station and the London College of Fashion (LCF) site in Shepherd’s Bush is just 10 minutes away on the tube. The property was chosen due to its proximity to the popular LCF Lime Grove campus and the excellent transport links connecting it to central London, which is less than a minute’s walk from the hall. UWL’s Costume Store site
LONDON BOROUGH OF EALING/ TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Expected Completion: 2019 In 2018, several milestones were reached with the opening of a new stairway at North Acton underground station and streetscape improvements. These are part of a complete programme of modernisation and regeneration to the station and North Acton square. Ealing Council is working with Transport for London (TfL) to transform the site, which was formerly a petrol station, into an attractive and safer open space. The new, improved public space will provide brand new green spaces, highway quality paving, safer infrastructure, street furniture and DDA-compliant access to the station upon completion. Cllr Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said at the opening of the stairway in 2018: “We remain committed to improving public spaces and encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport for journeys wherever possible. A safer more accessible space at North Acton is something that can help residents do just that.”
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Ealing In London are proud to have been sponsored this year by the following: -
Ealing In London 2019 Sponsors’ Page We would like to thank all our 2019 partners for their support of Ealing In London as we celebrate a decade of good growth and regeneration in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing In London would also like to thank the many sponsors, partners, local businesses and stakeholders in the borough, who have supported it over the last ten years. Working in partnership, we have made Ealing one of the fastest-growing boroughs in the capital and a role model by government as to how a local authority can successfully work with the private sector. Ealing In London works closely with all our supporters throughout the year. The benefits of sponsorship include council leader and directorate meetings, invitations to Ealing In London panel discussions, debates, conferences and events. If you are interested in becoming a 2020 Ealing In London sponsor or advertiser and would like to find out more about the work of Ealing In London, then please contact Robin Das or Iesha Anastasiou on 020 8825 9046, email dasr@ealing.gov.uk or contact us via www.ealinginlondon.com
@Ealinginlondon1
Ealing In London
EalinginLondon
Ealing In London
Ealing In London Celebrating 10 years of good growth
In this special section we look back at some of our highlights from our past editions…but first how it all began… “Ealing at the heart of west London, is a popular commuter base with a broad range of shops, restaurants and green spaces. Its highly skilled and diverse community, strong creative sector and enviable transport links have all helped to make it a green and pleasant land for developers.”
2010
So sang the opening lines to the very first edition of Ealing In London back in 2010, when the council first began to exhibit at MIPIM. Fast forward a decade and many of the schemes portrayed as CGIs then are now tangible places - Dickens Yard, Acton Gardens, Southall Waterside - due in part to the unique partnerships the council has built with the private sector over the last ten years.
Ealing In London is born
ealing The regeneration magazine for the London borough of Ealing/issue 01/spring ‘10
EALING IN LONDON
Join those who are making things happen in Ealing
london
Investors and developers are saying Ealing is a key location for investment and they are confident Ealing is a great place to do business. A perfectly placed location Great transport connections A thriving economy A growing business community A great place to live and work Huge potential with over 100 development opportunities for housing, retail, leisure and business development.
issue 1 2010
EC009 - EiL ad AW.indd 1
In 2010, the number one priority for council leader Cllr Julian Bell, elected as leader that year, and the council’s regeneration team, under the steerage of executive director, Pat Hayes, was to turn a rather sleepy part of London into a first-choice destination for residential and commercial development. As Pat pointed out in ‘It’s good to talk’ in our launch magazine, Ealing had many strengths – economic resilience, a big industrial base, town centre masterplans and changes in planning policy. The priority was to revitalise the town centres and large council housing estates. The directorate also looked at how to use the council’s land and other resources to stimulate development activity. As Pat said in 2010: “We’ve got to work decisively, to work with the commercial sector and be a catalyst for development. So yes, we’re ready for change.” In that year, St George’s Dickens Yard broke ground and as Julian points out this really was the catalyst for major change. Reflecting on where the authority was on some of its key estates, Julian says: “I remember when South Acton was a no-go area, when 80per cent of residents wanted to be transferred from the S2
10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
■ IntroducIng EalIng: Its heritage, setting and future aspirations
■ round tablE: The views and opinions of Ealing’s main players
■ sItE vIsIt: All the major development sites reviewed
page 04
page 11
page 20
■ Park royal: London’s biggest industrial business park
■ HousIng: Ealing’s residential market, its evolution and prospects
■ EducatIon: The BSF programme and its ambitions for the borough
page 31
page 41
page 45
21/1/10 17:18:56
estate. On Copley (estate) in 2010, it was clear to us the bids (to regenerate the estate) wouldn’t work – and we would have to take the lead ourselves. My message to residents then was to judge me on my actions, not my words and we had early successes with the installation of new windows. Today, I’m incredibly proud of the transformation of these sites.” Part of the step change in the council’s thinking was showcasing the borough via the Ealing In London brand at MIPIM to attract inward investment and to position itself as a development friendly authority within the international market and to create interest and confidence in Ealing as an authority and a place. From 2009 to 2016, Ealing In London partnered with 3Fox at MIPIM. Toby Fox, managing director of 3Fox International, comments on the brand partnership: “From 2009 we helped Ealing on its journey from quiet outer London borough to investment hotspot (putting it) firmly on the development radar. In the teeth of the credit crunch, Ealing had a clear vision of what it wanted to achieve in reviving its high streets, attracting new businesses and building new homes for its residents.”
Southall Waterside
2011
In 2011, we highlighted plans for the former Southall gas works which had fallen into general disuse since the 1970s. At 88 acres, the scale of the neglected and redundant site was huge – and so was the vision for transforming it. In 2014, Berkeley Group announced it was to develop the massive site, signalling a momentous vote of confidence in Southall and this area of west London. Their plans envisaged a scheme comprising new homes, shops, restaurants, entertainment and leisure facilities. The development planned to open up access to the 90 acres of green space at the Minet Country Park, as well as one kilometre of frontage along the Grand Union Canal. At 36 times the size of Trafalgar Square, the sheer scale of the regeneration was significant. Launching the project, Berkeley Group commented: “As one of the largest regeneration projects in London, we are committed to creating a unique and spectacular destination, unlocking part of the city like never before.”
2019
2019 marks a significant year for Southall Waterside as Berkeley Group begins to deliver the first phase of the development. As part of this, Berkeley Group is delivering the first affordable homes in conjunction with Catalyst Housing, with residents moving in at the beginning of the year. Development of this phase is well underway and will eventually provide 632 homes – 304 of which will be affordable. The scale, ambition and scope of Berkeley Group’s original vision remain at its core. To get an idea of it, the length of the linear park will be equivalent to 278 squash courts of open space for all to enjoy once completed; the arrival square will be the same size as seven tennis courts and the overall site will be equivalent in size to 3.5 O2 arenas. Damian Leydon, operations director, Berkeley West Thames, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed our first residents into their affordable homes and look forward to more people moving in throughout the year. The future for this new vibrant village is exciting. Residents will benefit from
the open green space which comprises half the development, the extensive leisure and retail facilities and the excellent connectivity of Southall.” Berkeley Group has also opened one of the country’s first construction academies at Southall Waterside. The West London Construction Academy provides modern apprenticeships, which allow students to gain on-the-job-experience of a live construction site - helping the next generation of industry experts get a firm foothold into employment. With the forthcoming Elizabeth Line service offering journeys into Bond Street in just 17 minutes, Southall is an up-and-coming destination to watch. Southall Waterside’s buzzing new neighbourhood – along with the area’s unique grand temples, shops, restaurants, joyous celebrations and strong sense of community – will really put Southall on the map. www.berkeleygroup.co.uk 10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
S3
2012
South Acton Estate
This year, we outlined the planning application for the complete regeneration of the South Acton estate, by partners Countryside and L&Q. The estate was built between the 1950s and 1970s with 1,800 homes and was the biggest in the borough. By the 1990s, it had become a classic example of the failure of post-war estate architecture and planning with more than 80per cent of residents wanting to move out of the estate. The plans proposed demolition and replacement with 2,400 new, mixed-tenure homes.
2019 Acton Gardens
Fast forward to today and more than 80per cent of residents want to stay on the estate. That is down to the vision of Ealing Council and Acton Gardens LLP, the joint venture of L&Q and Countryside, who have been spearheading the regeneration of the estate. The estate, reborn as Acton Gardens, is fast becoming an urban village surrounded by the leafy streets and unique character of Chiswick, Gunnersbury and Acton. It has been thoughtfully designed in a friendly village-style environment. Across Acton Gardens, apartments are framed by attractive landscaping offering year-round greenery and spaces for residents and the wider community to come together. Most importantly, there is no longer a disconnect between the areas– when someone walks into Acton Gardens it’s a seamless experience and feels part of the normal street pattern. The LLP’s masterplan breaks the area into phased developments and reintegrates it with the local neighbourhood. All phases have communal landscaped areas which all residents can access. Residents have also fed into the designs ensuring that the final builds worked for those occupying them. The first five phases of the programme were completed between 2013 and last year and together have delivered a total of 891 homes in a combination of apartments in mansion S4
10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
blocks and terraced houses with up to four bedrooms. Key features that can be seen across the estate include new blocks with distinctive coloured brickwork to add a unique look to the estate, the creation of a new station square area with a Sainsbury’s Local and public art work by Carrie Reichardt entitled The Tree of Life. Phase four, completed in 2017, incorporated a brand new public open space at West Park with a children’s playground and outside gym. The LLP is working on the completion of phase six which will include a new community centre, youth club, nursery and a supermarket plus a GP health care centre and a dental practice. Mark Ludlow, associate director of development, Countryside Properties, said: “Acton Gardens new residents will join an established community, where an array of essential services and amenities contribute to the neighbourhood feel. “What has been achieved is testament to how the failures of post-war planning can be reversed, and how estates can become healthy, attractive and well- functioning neighbourhoods. This is very much down to the partnership working with Ealing Council, the LLP joint venture, our architectural partners and residents involvement throughout.” www.countysideproperties.com
2013
Catalyst… in Ealing Southall station environs
St Bernard’s Hospital Uxbridge Road
A3005
Windmil l Lane
Southall
A3005
Grand Union Canal
Address: Merrick Road, London, UB2 Site size: 3.5-ha Planning status: Not granted PTAL score: 3 Uses: Leisure, residential, offices, food and drink
Site description
An opportunity to develop part of Southall around the new Crossrail station, to include a mixed-use scheme of residential, employment and leisure uses, taking advantage of the improved accessibility, proximity to the canal and open space. Existing uses include: B1, B2 and B8 industrial units, built in the 1980s (some are vacant).
This year, we highlighted the St Bernard’s Hospital site as an opportunity. In 2014, Catalyst Housing bought the site for redevelopment from the West London Mental Health Trust. Below, Sue Cooper, Catalyst’s business development director, who has been integral to the company’s key borough developments including the hospital site and Havelock Estate, brings the company’s story up to date.
Address: Uxbridge Road, UB1 3EU Owner: West London Mental Health NHS Trust Site size: 2.12-ha Planning status: Not granted PTAL score: 2 Uses: Residential
Site description
The St Bernard’s Hospital site is to undergo a major redevelopment project, resulting in modern, wellconstructed buildings and upgraded site infrastructure. In May 2012 the London Borough of Ealing approved the application subject to a Section 106 agreement. The Trust intends to begin marketing the surplus property at St Bernard’s in 2013 to coincide with the determination of the planning applications.
St Bernard’s Gate 2019
Sue joined Catalyst (then named Ealing Family) as their first Community Development Advisor in 1993, primarily helping to build a sense of community on the company’s larger housing estates – particularly in North Acton. Sue said: “I worked closely with Ealing Council and residents from the South Acton Estate to help set up SASAC (the South Acton Skills and Arts Collaborative) which at that time was focussed on teaching local people sewing and computer skills and was integral in setting up the then South Acton Carnival.” Today, Catalyst owns and manages more than 3,000 properties in Ealing borough. Sue comments: “With our head-office here this is very much our ‘home’ borough and many of the people we employ live in the area. Our original homes here were street properties that we bought in Southall, to address some of the homelessness issues that had been highlighted in the 1960s, including in programmes such as Cathy Come Home. “Since then we have gone on to build large numbers of homes here, both ourselves and in partnership with others; Michael Gaynor Close, Invicta Grove, the first phase of the South Acton regeneration and more recently St Bernard’s Gate and the Havelock Estate in Southall. “We have worked closely with the council on the St Bernard’s site to create and deliver 270 fantastic new homes there for social rent, London Living Rent, shared-ownership and outright sale. Once we have completed it there will be
shops and office spaces, and we’ve just heard that we have obtained ‘Good Growth’ funding from the GLA to help us turn the disused, listed chapel there into artists’ studios and a gallery (see page 13). So a real gem on the Uxbridge Road!” Havelock Estate is one of the projects Sue is most proud of, the first sub-phase of which was completed in July 2017 and the second soon due for completion. Sue said: “Already you can see what a positive change our work is making on the people who live there and the neighbourhood as a whole – building some fantastic new houses and flats, in traditional streets, that existing and new residents have moved into. We’ve also bought additional land next to the estate and are building some more large, rented family homes there.” Catalyst’s next major project will be Friary Park Estate in North Acton, which it has been planning with its residents. The plans envisage new, high-quality social-rent homes for existing residents, plus homes for shared-ownership and outright sale, and training and employment opportunities for local people. Looking ahead, Sue comments: “Ealing is a really ambitious borough with big challenges ahead in respect of the number of genuinely affordable homes that it needs to develop”. With Catalyst having recently appointed a new chief executive, Ian McDermott, Sue says, “we’re keen and ready to be part of the solution to that!” www.chg.org.uk 10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
S5
2014
Greenford Green
In 2014, we featured plans to regenerate the Greenford GlaxoSmithKline site in the north of the borough. At the time, proposals looked at creating a mixed-use development offering employment, residential with up to 598 homes, education and leisure and opening up the area with links to the then neglected canal-side waterways.
2019 Greenford Quay
In 2016, Greystar, a Build to Rent (BTR) company and the global leader in rental housing, acquired the 20-acre site and the following year was granted planning consent by Ealing Council to redevelop the area for 1,965 homes within a new mixed-tenure, and mixed-use canal-side community and creative quarter. Today, the site, which has been renamed Greenford Quay, is well under construction with the first phase on the western side, Berkeley Avenue, and a new central square scheduled to open later this year – with the first residents set to move in, in late summer. Greystar are currently working with Ealing Council to progress a proposal to increase the total number of apartments to 2,118 (an extra 153 homes) by reconfiguring floorplans, without affecting the overall design or public space – a process primarily driven by employing modular construction methods. The sizes of all the homes are above London plan space standards. Greystar is also proposing to improve the affordability of the affordable homes within the additional apartments. Using the modular system allows the apartments to be built off site, which ensures consistent quality and saves on time and on-site construction noise and traffic. The move to modular also means the first building can open a year ahead of S6
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the original schedule. The environmental benefits of modular as oppose to concrete represent a carbon saving equivalent of planting 160,000 trees. Greystar have worked closely with Ealing Council throughout the planning process. Most of the new apartments will be for rent – mirroring the company’s successful US model, as they will also be the future manager and operator – making Greenford Quay the largest purpose-designed rental community developed in the UK to date. The new neighbourhood will feature retail, offices in the refurbished Grade ll listed Glaxo House, restaurants, cafes, a new primary school and health centre. David Scourfield, Ealing’s chief planning officer, said: “One of the great things about the project is the way we’ve been able to work with Greystar. They have listened carefully as they really want the area to benefit from the scheme and give people what they want to see.” Mark Allnutt, MD of Greystar UK, said, “Greystar’s approach allows us to offer residents the benefits of a highquality home without compromise. We are working closely with Ealing Council to regenerate the site and create a truly sustainable community.” www.greenfordquay.com
The Ealing Half-marathon
2015
This year, we reported on the phenomenal success of the Ealing half-marathon – then in its fourth year having been set up by local running enthusiasts Sandra Courtney and Kelvin Walker. The race had steadily grown since its beginnings in 2012 and was helping to foster new community relationships.
2019
Since our feature, the half-marathon has gone from strength to strength with Kelvin and Sandra still at the helm, and last September’s race attracted more than 7,000 wannabe Mo Farahs and Paula Radcliffes. However, Sandra, who today is the race director, stresses: “Runners come from all sections of the community and walks of life, and it brings so many people together – running, volunteering and taking part. We also have runners from around the world, Brazil, Singapore and New Zealand – people even plan their holidays around the event! We also have fun runners and this year ‘Tom and Jerry’ were our winners.” Today, the route is well-established weaving its way from Lammas Park, where it starts and finishes, via many of Ealing’s green spots such as the Bunny Park. The race is Ealing at its very best when it comes to community involvement with water stations and a fuel station set up at churches and the Drayton Bridge Road Gudwara,
which help joggers stay rehydrated. A schools’ challenge race, which helped local schools raise £28k for key equipment, adds to the feeling of everyone getting involved. On the Saturday, Sandra and her team also put on the family race for tots and the mini-mile for six to sixteen-year-olds. With 1,700 plus kids taking part, the events really get families being active together in a fun way. Sandra adds: “We’re not just a pop-up event either as our half-marathon legacy arm holds a monthly mile on the first Friday of every month all year long and open to all.” With so many half-marathon entrants raising money for charities and the sense of great community the event engenders – the Ealing half-marathon will surely be celebrated in the ‘Ealing In London’ 20 year-edition. www.ealinghalfmarathon.com 10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
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2016
Apprentices
In 2016, Ealing In London shone the spotlight on the council’s apprenticeships programme, which has successfully trained, developed and nurtured more than 800 youngsters in the borough since it was set up in 2007. In ‘Growing ambitions’, we focused on the council’s successful annual ‘100 in 100’ campaign – which seeks to sign up 100 borough employers to pledge to recruit an apprentice in the 100 days before Christmas. Every year, the target has been exceeded and employers who commit to recruit apprentices include Berkeley Group, A2Dominion and London Underground. The article sought to challenge pre-conceived assumptions that apprenticeships are a second-best option to university as a route into work and talked to several young people who had made the active decision to take up training via the structured and mentored programme. One of the apprentices featured was Sofia Cabral. Sofia had been awarded the Ealing Apprenticeship of the Year award, by Ealing Council, while working in facilities management for housing association, A2Dominion. At the time she told Ealing In London: “I was told by my school that I should go to university. I was having difficulties at the time…but felt that I couldn’t let exam results determine my future.” Sofia then joined A2Dominion’s apprenticeship scheme in October 2014.
2019 Apprentices on a development site in Ealing borough
Sofia Cabral
Today, Sofia has steadily moved her way up to the role of leasehold property manager based in the borough in which she manages a portfolio of 700 properties, a role that sees her travelling across London and southern England. Reflecting on her apprenticeship, Sofia comments on the challenges presented by the role: “It was challenging adapting to the work environment so soon after college, but I’ve definitely matured and grown in confidence since being here.” She was also strongly supported by A2Dominion by being given sufficient time to focus on her studies while being employed. Sofia is one of 24 apprentices that A2Dominion have employed since 2012. The company focuses not only on developing the apprentices’ skills, but they also ensure that they gain invaluable experience to kick start their careers, by allowing them to study for a qualification while earning a salary. Sofia was given clear responsibilities, mentoring and support to S8
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understand the business and credits her success to hard work and a willingness to learn under the company’s guidance. Sofia said: “I’ve learned a lot along the way. Meeting new people, establishing connections and having exposure to different areas around the business has helped me gain an understanding of how the organisation is run and has provided an incredible platform on which to further my career.” Would she recommend apprenticeships to a young person? “An apprenticeship is not a second option; it is an ideal route into employment. Being an apprentice takes determination, self-motivation and hard work.” If you think your company would benefit from hiring an apprentice, as A2Dominion have, then please email apprenticeships@ealing.gov.uk for more information. www.a2dominion.co.uk
Southall Manor House is to be transformed into a centre of excellence for the hospitality industry, thanks to a £1.5million cash injection partly funded by the Mayor of London’s office. Ealing Council and Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College have come together in partnership with the Mayor of London on the project along with the restaurateur instrumental behind Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. The centre will be developed as a place where youngsters can gain valuable work experience, apprenticeships and training by working in a top-quality restaurant and events venue. Work has started on refurbishing and extending the building, which
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n 2010, Ealing Council partnered with Rydon and A2Dominion to transform what was the Green Man Lanes housing estate into a smart new neighbourhood. Fast forward to 2016, and more than 200 new homes have already been delivered with phase two currently Visualisation of St John’s School under construction. The new Orchard Café has recently opened, situated at courtyards and gardens. On completion, the heart of the scheme, and the new there will be 770 new homes with a mix and enlarged St John’s Primary School of one to four bed family-sized homes is currently under construction, which compared to the old estate that was will provide places for 630 children and primarily one bed units. Ealing’s housing includes a 100 place nursery. glazed extension at rear of Peter SouthallGaffikin, Manor House. manager, says The masterplan, developed by Conran Largeregeneration that the high quality landscaping planned and Partners, delivers a new street pattern for the scheme will be a welcome change alongside public parks, landscaped from the old estate. “It’s a move away piazzas and play areas with the new from original public spaces that no-one homes encircling public space with private
Innovative homes for the homeless
An innovative solution to providing emergency accommodation for the homeless as an alternative to bed and breakfast is under construction in the borough by developers QED Sustainable Urban Developments in partnership with Ealing Council. The company are building two, four and six person units on a former disused garage court, Bordars Walk, in Hanwell, at the rear of Greenford Avenue shopping parade. The new units are based on heavily modified shipping containers, divided and joined to ensure robustness to create a network of attractive and secure self-contained units. The site is expected to be opened and occupied from February 2017. The units will be the first of their kind in the borough and the council plans to construct more to meet the demand for emergency accommodation and as a cost-effective response to other types of temporary housing.
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Innovation on I Small Sites WhatHouse? Green Man Lane Estate Housebuilder of the Year
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will eventually house a new purposebuilt training kitchen and 80-seater restaurant, as well as a large glazed extension at the rear for event hire. The east wing of the building will be turned into an education and business centre, including conference facilities, meeting spaces and seminar rooms. When work is finished in summer 2017, the new-look manor house will host a restaurant, landscaped pavilion and flexible function spaces open to the public. The project aims to build a network of relationships with other hotels, restaurants and companies, broadening the range of training opportunities in venues across the capital.
.UK
West Ealing/ Greenford
Visualization of how the cycle route could look.
The first phase of an upgrade of the borough’s cycle routes is underway, with the construction of an improved route from the Mall in Ealing Broadway to the A406 North Circular Road, at Ealing Common. The work is being undertaken because existing cycle routes through Ealing’s town centre are challenging for cyclists, as bus and cycle lanes are shared and lanes are a mixture of on-road and shared footway sections. The aim of the first phase is to provide clearer, safer and more coherent routes for cyclists to and through the town centre, and to encourage more people to take to two wheels. The entire area, including footways, kerbs and carriageways, will felt for, which were unused and alsoownership be upgraded. The expected costs pretty he explained. will behorrible,” met by the council, development Tom Rigby,and Development Director 106 funding Transport for London. forFuture Rydonphases Construction, added: out “We will be carried continue to borough work very closely with is across the and the project Ealing Council and the community to expected to last three years. ensure the aspirations and ambitions of local people are met as this exciting scheme flourishes and its regeneration contributes to West Ealing’s resurgence.”
104 Broadway, West Ealing
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Key date: Completion late 2018/early 2019
T
hames Valley Housing Association (TVH) has acquired the former BHS site at 104 Broadway in West Ealing for an exciting new retail and housing development. The scheme, which is being undertaken in partnership with developer Southern Grove and Ealing Council, will see the creation of 136 new homes and over 15,000sq ft of groundfloor retail space. Geeta Nanda, TVH’s chief executive, believes that the new development will be well received among the borough’s residents: “Once again our excellent partners and partnerships are giving us the opportunity to deliver homes for local people in an area where there is incredibly high housing Bordars Walk, Hanwell demand. We’re delighted to say there will be provision of much needed affordable homes within this development, and we’ll be announcing the composition of the site soon.” 7
Hill infill sites – First phase Ferrymead Avenue, Greenford
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Key date: First completions – December 2016 to February 2017
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cross the borough, 294 new homes are being built under a joint venture between Ealing Council and private housing developer Hill. Of these, 115 homes will be for affordable rent and 179 homes for private sale. Altogether, the new homes will be built on 22 underused brownfield sites such as garages and car parks, all owned by the council. These sites, in Hanwell, West Ealing, Greenford, Southall, Acton, Hayes and Northolt, will be transformed with new homes for sale through Hill plus affordable council properties. In December, tenants moved into three family-sized properties in Ferrymead Avenue, Greenford and 50 new homes in Ruislip Road, Greenford will be ready by the end of February. Of these, 18 will be for private sale through Hill and 32 will be let and managed by Ealing Council’s Broadway Living. The council now has a programme to build approximately 100 council homes a year on council land. Andy Hill, Hill’s chief executive, wants to see other local authorities unlock public sector land, so that new homes can be built where they are needed: “Ealing is leading the way in providing homes for local people, and we are extremely pleased to be working with them.”
hill.co.uk
Greenford Green See p59
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In the year that Ealing In London got a fresh new look, two innovative housing small-schemes were highlighted. The Infill site programme was a JV between the council and housebuilder Hill, to develop 21 underused council-owned brownfield sites, including garages and car parks. On completion a proportion of the properties would be let and managed through Ealing Council as affordable homes with the remainder for sale through Hill. We also highlighted the partnership between the council and QED Sustainable Urban Developments, which sought to find an alternative to costly bed and breakfast accommodation. QED came up with the solution of using heavily modified shipping containers to create attractive and secure self-contained hostel units on small sites to be used as emergency accommodation.
2019
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Ealing Council’s innovative modular housing scheme at Marston Court.
In spring 2019, the final scheme in the Hill small site programme will commence at Seasprite Close in Northolt of 92 apartments, 30 of which will be affordable. On completion, 297 new properties will have been delivered ranging from apartments to houses, including 112 affordable homes across 22 developments. Cllr Julian Bell, leader of the council, said: “Our joint venture with Hills is a great example of how different models of delivery ensure we can offer high quality affordable housing to our residents. Entering into this partnership has allowed the council to deliver these new homes much more quickly, in around five years, than if each site had been built out individually.” The programme has also seen a high number of threebedroom homes built such as at Trinity Way in Acton and will help the council meet its London Plan targets of 10,740 small site builds over the next decade. The council anticipates a further tranche of small sites for a JV to come to market soon. In the new year, the council opened its third modular built site Westfield Lodge, in North Acton, following Marston and Meath Courts openings, giving it 110 hostel units to temporarily house vulnerable residents.
The units on all three sites are made up of kits of moveable and reusable parts of UK produced shipping containers, with the homes manufactured offsite. The sites were handed over to Ealing Council once construction was completed for immediate letting. The council brokered a new type of agreement with QED, creating a template for future similar developments. The development’s flexibility means that the units can be deconstructed and assembled on alternative sites, once the planning consent has expired. The developments have regenerated sites that were neglected and were attracting anti-social behaviour and are giving rehoused residents safer, more secure accommodation. Each development varies in design, but every unit has private kitchen and bathroom facilities. Meath Court has also been given an eye-catching exterior with some stunning wall art created by local artists. www.hill.co.uk www.ealing.gov.uk 10 YEARS OF EALING IN LONDON
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2018
Lucy Do’s Micro-Brewery Last year, we shone the spotlight of Ealing’s micro brewing industry Weird Beard Brewery and Lucy Do, who had opened The Dodo, micro-pub in Hanwell. We caught up with Lucy to see how the last 12 months have gone.
2019
Their very own Dodo beer, winning Ealing and West Middlesex Pub of The Year awards, a Hootie silent disco, food pop -ups and new team members behind the bar…it’s been a busy year for Lucy and the Dodo. The Dodo beer’s new unique brew has been made in collaboration with craft beer brewery Weird Beard and has gone down (glug!) incredibly well. Lucy said: “It was so much fun collaborating with Weird Beard for our beer ‘The Dodo’ that I imagine more collaborations will be on the horizon.” Lucy added: “I have a team now, so I have a bit more time to work on developing my business rather than just be in it. With this I’ve also made more of a conscious effort to get involved in entrepreneurial communities to help me connect with likeminded people and…to be a bit more creative.” There have been challenges - an explosion of pubs being refurbished in Hanwell means more competition. However, Lucy S10
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commented: “I’m happy that business is overall steady when so many new businesses fail in their first year.” Lucy’s piece of advice for anyone thinking of taking the start up leap? “Fortune favours the brave and if you are passionate and willing to work hard then it really will be the best decision you’ve ever made! “Never be afraid to ask for help along the way and always keep learning from people who are doing what you want to be doing! Community is really a wonderful thing!” Looking forward, Lucy has set her sights on more events and collaborations and her ambition is to have a second outlet within five years. So, look out for a Dodo pub coming to your high street soon! www.thedodomicropub.com www.weirdbeardbrewco.com
Ealing Today
- Building a World of Opportunities #Ealingworld
2019
Cllr Julian Bell and Cllr Peter Mason with Ealing’s genuinely affordable homes target
What has 10 years of Ealing In London delivered? Cllr Julian Bell recalls a visit to the borough from Eddie Lister, then Chief of Staff and London’s Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning. Julian recounts; “Eddie said ‘Look there are maybe three or four councils in the champion’s league for regeneration - and Ealing is one of them. I think that expression sums up the transformation that we’ve made.” Today, Ealing Council is recognised as an exemplary of how a local authority can work constructively with the private sector to deliver on regeneration ... and its word. These pages have told the story of Ealing’s decade of growth - but that could only have happened by the council taking a pro-active approach and setting out its stall back in 2010. Key moments of real success over the decade have been lobbying Network Rail to double the size of the planned Ealing Broadway Crossrail station; securing a CPO on the owners of the Empire cinema, ensuring that today a new cinema quarter is being built; and seeing new families move into high-quality homes on estates, because the council invested £1billion plus into regeneration rather than pursue austerity when the financial crisis hit. Julian said: “I’m incredibly proud of our many achievements such as on Copley Hanwell W7 - the quality of build of municipal housing is to the standard of decent homes. We are now doing that again on Golf Links (estate). We are also taking residents with us as we continue to transform places, such as High Lane estate where 57per cent of tenants voted in the first ballot (a manifesto commitment) and 90per cent endorsed our regeneration plans.” One of the challenges today is the ambitious plans to create 2,500 more genuinely affordable new homes in the
borough – the biggest council homebuilding programme in London. The Mayor of London has awarded the council a grant of nearly £100 million towards construction of 1,138 homes, nearly half of this total. As well as ramping up the council’s own home building plans, the council will be looking to partner with developers and housing associations to deliver the balance. Tony Clements, executive director of place, said: “This is a huge, very ambitious task in which we will use our own land for housing and invest more resources into housebuilding. “By expanding our own programme of new council housing, we will be free to provide more homes that everyone can afford. We will also work closely with other developers and housing associations to create the new homes needed to build safe, vibrant communities.” “Looking ahead Ealing is in a really strong position with the Elizabeth Line to maximise the opportunities it will bring us for the next 10 years.” If you want to be part of Ealing In London’s success story for the next 10 years, then get in contact with us today.
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Southall
The regeneration magazine of the London borough of Ealing/issue 03/spring ‘12
The regeneration magazine of the London borough of Ealing/issue 02/spring ‘11 EALING IN LONDON
EALING IN LONDON
Ealing: one of the best-connected areas in London london Hanwell
LONDON
“a must watch”
Ealing Broadway
gaMBit: ReMaDe in ealing
Acton main line
West Ealing
EALING: WHERE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES THRIVE
25 minutes to the West End 35 minutes to Heathrow
- 5 new Crossrail stations
50 minutes to Canary Wharf
- 18 minutes to the City - 8 miles from Heathrow
And things are going to get a lot faster...
- Over 100 major development sites
page 11
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■ Park royal: London’s biggest industrial business park
■ HousIng: Ealing’s residential market, its evolution and prospects
■ EducatIon: The BSF programme and its ambitions for the borough
page 31
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page 45
- 13,000 businesses
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
issue 3 2012
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issue 2 2011
issue 1 2010
Soon, Ealing will have five new Crossrail stations, further strengthening the transport network and the stations major development ■ IntroducIng EalIng:themselves will create new ■ round tablE: ■ sItE vIsIt: Its heritage, setting and future views and opinions of All the major development opportunities in the surrounding The areas. aspirations Ealing’s main players sites reviewed
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The regeneration magazine for the London Borough of Ealing/issue 06/spring ‘15
The regeneration magazine of the London Borough of Ealing/issue 05/spring ‘14
The regeneration magazine of the London borough of Ealing/issue 04/spring ‘13
GETTING NEARER: CROSSRAIL 2018 THE CITY TO EALING IN 18 MINUTES
CHALLENGE EALING THE CAPITAL OF WEST LONDON - 14,000+ new homes
- 10,000 new jobs
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EALING IN LONDON
EALING IN LONDON
EALING IN LONDON
SMART COOKIES: INVEST IN EALING
the ealing challenge:
CREATIVE TALENT: BRIGHT BUSINESS
think beyond the box
Ealing’s ripe with potential We’re ready for your ideas…
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The regeneration magazine for the London borough of Ealing / Issue 8 / Spring 2017
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ealing The regeneration magazine for the London borough of Ealing/issue 01/spring ‘10
FReeDOM tO WORK
Ealing Rocks
How music has shaped the borough
issue 7 2016
The Ealing In London Debate
What developers in Ealing see as the major challenges ahead
Why Ealing?
12 Reasons to invest in the capital of west London
Rainer Hersch Interview
Ealing’s comedian composer on life in W5