John Lewis to appeal to planning inspectorate for decision on 428-home rental development | News

John Lewis Partnership has informed Ealing Council that it intends to appeal to the planning inspectorate over its proposal to redevelop the Waitrose store in West Ealing.

The redevelopment will also deliver 428 build-to-rent homes in four blocks of up to 20 storeys, including 83 affordable homes.

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) submitted a full planning application for the redevelopment of Waitrose West Ealing almost a year ago on 4 August 2023.

The Board was initially set to determine the application by the November 6, 2023 deadline.

For smaller projects, the statutory time limit for establishing a planning application is eight weeks. For major development proposals, the deadline is 13 weeks.

The development has been subject to opposition from residents, who have raised concerns about the height of the towers. In addition, Ealing Council leader Peter Mason has expressed concern that the development is not meeting affordability targets.

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JLP said it was “confident that an appeal will grant permission” and that it would “continue to work closely with the Council and the local community to deliver a range of social and charitable initiatives should the plans go ahead”.

John Lewis also said the scale of the development follows the policy set out in the Mayor’s London Plan, which promotes “the identification of suitable sites for higher density mixed residential intensification, capitalizing on the availability of services within walking and cycling distance and transport current and future audiences. provision that includes, for example, the complete redevelopment of low-density supermarkets’.

The JLP said the likely date for filing the appeal would be June 25, 2024.

Katherine Russell, Build to Rent Director at JLP, said: “We have taken the decision to appeal the indeterminacy of our planning application to build new rental homes almost a year after it was first submitted to Ealing Council. Our proposals will create hundreds of homes at a time when all political parties agree that more housing and local investment is desperately needed to boost economic growth, with a priority on brownfield land.”

Russell added: “An appeal is not something we take lightly, however we believe we have strong grounds to be successful given the opportunity to transform an under-used brownfield site close to a publicly funded Crossrail station with new homes and investment that will benefit the wider community.”

A spokesman for Ealing Council said: “The council has consistently raised a number of concerns with this application and the applicant was previously keen to extend the time for determination while dialogue continued to see if these concerns would could be addressed.

“It is extremely disappointing that they now appear to have decided to appeal the indeterminacy rather than wait for a local decision. As of yesterday morning I understand they are considering amendments to address our concerns.”

The JLP still aims to start on site in late 2025 and finish in 2029, subject to the appeals process.