Tough Environmental Standards Set for Chiswick Skyscraper
Tests for 24-storey tower by Chiswick Roundabout most extensive ever
Indicative view of the proposed building from Chiswick Roundabout. Picture: The James
October 3, 2026
The latest proposal to build on the long-vacant plot by Chiswick Roundabout is to face a more demanding set of environmental standards than any of the previous failed projects that proceeded it.
Hounslow Council has issued its formal Scoping Opinion for The James’s 24-storey co-living tower, setting out an extensive list of technical requirements that the developer must now address before submitting a full planning application.
The James signalled its intentions earlier in the summer when it lodged an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Note, prepared by Trium Environmental Consulting. The document confirmed that the developer is seeking permission for a co-living-led scheme comprising 496 studios and 60 affordable homes, supported by retail space, play areas and a roof-level amenity terrace. The proposal would be built in a single phase and, if approved, would become one of the largest co-living buildings proposed anywhere in London.
The site itself is a notoriously awkward triangle of land on Larch Drive, hemmed in by the A4, the North Circular, Gunnersbury Avenue and the elevated M4. It sits next to the B&Q store, which is earmarked for transformation into the London Motorsport Campus. The James argues that its scheme will complement this wider regeneration of the Golden Mile, providing housing for workers and entrepreneurs drawn to the area’s growing creative and technology cluster.
The ambition is not new: since 2000 the plot has hosted a procession of proposals, from the 26-storey Pinnacle, withdrawn after intervention from the Secretary of State, to the Citadel, approved in 2009 but never built, to the Octopus, consented in 2012 but abandoned, and the 120-metre Chiswick Curve, rejected in 2019. Holly House, a 24-storey residential tower approved in 2024, was the most recent attempt, but it was dropped last year when its backers cited “prevailing market conditions”. The James says its new proposal will not exceed Holly House’s height.
Co-living, sometimes described as a “mega HMO”, offers private studios with compact kitchenettes and en-suite bathrooms supported by shared lounges, workspaces and social areas. A demand study by Knight Frank argues that the model could ease pressure on the local housing market by attracting younger renters away from house shares, freeing up larger homes for families. The 60 affordable homes, mostly family-sized, would be positioned on the side of the site furthest from the motorway flyover, reflecting concerns about air quality for young children.
Hounslow Council’s Scoping Opinion, however, makes clear that the environmental testing required for this scheme will be far more extensive than anything previously demanded on the site. The Council has agreed that major topics such as transport, air quality, noise, daylight and sunlight, overshadowing, wind microclimate, climate resilience, greenhouse gas emissions, townscape, heritage and visual impact must all be included in the Environmental Statement. But it has also added new layers of scrutiny that go well beyond the developer’s original proposals.
The James Chiswick viewed looking south down the North Circular. Picture: The James
Transport modelling must now cover every mode of travel, including detailed assessments of impacts on Kew Bridge and Gunnersbury stations, bus routes, pedestrian routes and cycle infrastructure. TfL and National Highways have insisted on a full Healthy Streets Transport Assessment, including night-time Active Travel Zone studies, and have required evidence that the development can be constructed and operated without compromising the A4, the North Circular or the elevated M4. National Highways has warned that any increase in mainline queuing at M4 Junctions 1 or 2 would be considered an unacceptable safety impact.
The Council has also required a wind microclimate study that goes beyond pedestrian comfort and must assess the effects of the tower on vehicle stability and driver safety on the elevated M4. Solar glare modelling must consider the A4, the North Circular and the motorway flyover, and daylight and overshadowing assessments must include nearby homes and public spaces. TfL has raised concerns about tree protection, arguing that the developer’s survey does not comply with national standards, and the Council now requires root investigations before the application is submitted.
Socio-economics, which the developer attempted to exclude, has been reinstated as a required topic. The Council argues that the scheme provides far less employment space than the site allocation should do and that the plot sits within the Great West Corridor Opportunity Area, which aims to deliver 15,000 new jobs. The area is also a Creative Enterprise Zone, and the developer must assess how its proposal affects the local creative economy.
Although the site contains no heritage assets, the Council notes that a 24-storey tower will be visible across a wide area and must be assessed for its impact on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Heritage Site, Kew Palace, the Orangery, Strand-on-the-Green, Gunnersbury Park and numerous listed buildings. Strict guidance on photography and visualisations must be followed, including detailed annotations of lens type, cropping and tilt-shift use.
The James has already begun public engagement, holding online sessions in early June and an in-person event at the Clayton Hotel. No date has been given for the submission of the full planning application, but the Scoping Note suggests the developer intends to move quickly.
Whether this latest proposal will finally unlock the long-empty plot at Chiswick Roundabout will depend on how convincingly The James can meet the Council’s expanded list of environmental, transport, heritage and socio-economic requirements. After two decades of ambition and disappointment, the future of the site now rests on the most comprehensive assessment ever demanded for a development here.
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