Low Response to Sainsbury's 'Early Listening' Consultation
Just 79 fill in survey expressing concerns about parking and building height
An aerial view of the Sainsbury's site at Essex Place. Picture: Berkeley Group
March 5, 2026
Residents have been given their first formal update on Berkeley and Sainsbury’s plans for the Chiswick Gardens redevelopment, as the developers confirmed that the “early listening” phase of consultation has now closed.
The update, sent to those who engaged with the process, reveals that just 79 people completed the survey and around 300 attended the two pop-up events at Sainsbury’s on 12 and 14 February — a relatively modest level of participation for a scheme expected to reshape one of the area’s busiest sites.
Berkeley and Sainsbury’s say they are “pleased with the level of interest”, but many locals have privately expressed concern that the consultation has been too narrow and too early to influence the fundamentals of the scheme.
Several attendees at the pop-ups reported that representatives were already discussing building heights “in the mid-teens” of storeys and underground parking beneath the new buildings, suggesting that key design parameters may already be fixed.
The developers’ summary of feedback claims support for a modernised, more sustainable Sainsbury’s store, a high level of concern about the height of the residential towers and questions about how much parking will be retained.
While the consultation team emphasised that this was a early stage of the process, several residents who attended the events have reported back that the proposals felt “already drawn up”, with little indication that heights, density or the overall layout were genuinely open to change. Others noted that the consultation boards focused heavily on general principles rather than specific options, reinforcing the sense that the next stage may present a near-final scheme.
Berkeley and Sainsbury’s say they are now reviewing the feedback and will respond in a second phase of consultation, expected later this spring.
That stage is likely to include more details on building heights, massing and layout as well as parking provision as well as early indications on housing numbers and tenure mix.
The developers are then expected to refine the plans before submitting a full planning application, potentially later in 2026. Given the scale of the site, the application will be subject to statutory consultation and GLA review.
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