Sean Spurr
Fairview and L&Q have submitted plans for 807 new homes in Park Royal on the site of the former Guinness Factory on Lakeside Drive.
Much of the surrounding site has been redeveloped into mid-rise residential and business park uses, including the Royal Waterside scheme by Redrow and First Central offices.
The including of a 27 storey tower in the plans, drawn up by architects Allies and Morrison, mark a significant increase in scale, in part responding to the shortage of housing, and in part due to the area becoming part of the Old Oak and Park Royal opportunity area, where planning has been delegated to a new development corporation.
The tower is planned for the south-east corner of the 2.2 hectare site, furthest from the recently completed residential blocks and other housing, but closest to Park Royal station – arguably an ideal location for transit orientated development.
Of the 807 flats planned, 544 or 67% will be for the private market, with 146 or 18% social housing and 117 or 15% for intermediate tenures. The most common flat size will contain two bedrooms, with 51% of the flats being this size.
A small amount of non-residential floorspace is planned, with 1,359 sqm designated for a mix of retail, office and community space.
Given the accessible location, only 88 car parking spaces are planned, but there will be 1428 cycle spaces encouraging active travel.
The wider opportunity area has seen proposals for towers stretching from North Acton to Scrubs Lane, including the gigantic Car Giant scheme, however this is the first major scheme for the west of the opportunity area. Current plans involve most of this area remaining industrial, with an intensification of this usage, however this site was demolished and redesignated for mixed use prior to the establishment of the opportunity area.
