Mayor of London Boris Johnson has approved National Grid’s plans for the regeneration of the Southall Gasworks site.
In December, the mayor took over the scheme after Ealing council had thrown out the plans.
It is the second time the mayor has used his power to take over a planning application from a local authority, following his decision to give permission to the
At a public hearing at City Hall last night he approved plans which will create up to 3,750 homes, of which 30% will be affordable, a new town square, 300,000 sq ft of shops and offices, a hotel, cinema, and recreational facilities. It will also open up the
A legal agreement attached to the application will see the developer contributing over £22m towards the provision of transport infrastructure improvements, education and health facilities, and public realm improvements for the local community.
The mayor has insisted that only 2,500 units can be built before
The mayor said: “Having had the chance to listen in person to all the arguments for and against this proposal, and consider the application in greater detail, I am satisfied that all major concerns have been addressed.
“This application is clearly of major significance to
“West London is an important driver for the capital’s entire economy and within a decade it will become one of the best-connected regions in the
“Failure to give the Southall application the go-ahead and develop this key brownfield site could be detrimental to the future economic prosperity of the area.
“Considerable sums are being invested to bring lasting benefits to the local community and therefore I have no doubt that this development must be allowed to go ahead.”
Ealing and Hillingdon councils, whose boundaries the development will cross, decided to refuse the planning application for Southall Gas Works on 4 November and 10 December 2009 respectively.
The mayor said the scheme was of major strategic importance for the whole of
