Forum Topic

Is Brook House ever going to be built?

At 25 storeys Brook House at the end of Bollo Lane was poised to be Chiswick's tallest building and would have been visible across the area in the same way those towers in North Acton are although much closer.Originally it seems to have been the plan that this would have been the first phase of the massive TfL scheme with the flats sold on the market to fund the rest of the development. However, as the report on the front page shows, construction is starting at another point further up Bollo Lane on a part of the development with smaller towers which a build to rent company is funding.I am not a property expert but I would guess that this is because there is less confidence that the flats in the tower would be sold at a price to recoup costs. What would be interesting to know is if this is just a change of order in the way the overall project is being built or if Brook House is effectively scrapped. Has anybody been past the site to see what sort of activity is taking place there recently?

Mark Evans ● 7d9 Comments

As I recall, the advantage with the South Acton Estate, sorry, Acton Gardens, was that the whole project was designed to an overarching plan, with something like a nine-story height limit and community facilities and the rest included. It was also arranged that existing residents would be rehoused on the estate, which was substantially social housing.Subsequent developments in the area seem to have escaped any overall plan, with cynically speculative tall blocks to be dotted around the industrial estate and, biggest of all,  along the railway embankment to help TfL's funding problems, with but a small percentage of 'affordables' included in the plans, which the developers usually wriggle out of building. 

Peter Evans ● 6d

Yes, Old Oak Common will be a "station complex" with multiple different stations for Elizabeth line, HS2, WLO/Overground and N Acton station on the Central line isn't far away either (I don't know if Great Western main line would also use Elizabeth line station). As you say, some of the interchanges would involve a bit of a walk but I suppose there could be bus services linking stations.

Michael Robinson ● 6d

Fair point. A further reason why Gunnersbury should be made accessible.Although they are describing it as an interchange with HS2, it will be about 500m away from the HS2 station and the Elizabeth Line. I still think this will be transformative for South Acton though. I assumed destinations in East London would be speeded up by travelling to Ealing Broadway and picking up the Lizzy line but CityMapper rarely recommends this route over old school lines such as the District. This suggests more Chiswick origin journeys haven't benefitted that much from the Lizzie line but that would change once Old Oak Common Lane opens.

Mark Evans ● 6d

AFAIK the "Old Oak Common Lane" station for interchange with Elizabeth line and HS2 would also be on the Mildmay Overground line so also accessible from Gunnersbury.Given Gunnersbury also has the District line, I think that beats access to Neasden on the WLO from S Acton ;)There isn't yet funding to actually build WLO but I think Old Oak Common station on Mildmay line would still go ahead even if WLO doesn't, although it may be part of the HS2 project at Old Oak Common.

Michael Robinson ● 6d

Susan, didn't you sport that this is a discussion just for Evanses? :)I've not heard that there was much foreign buying in Acton Gardens including from the Ayatollahs but occupancy on completed units seems to be quite good (judging by pot plants etc on balconies). This may be someone renting from a foreign landlord.The transport links of these flats are already excellent but will go to stellar if the West London Orbital is ever built. South Acton would then provide a two stop link the the Elizabeth Line/HS2 interchange station. It would effectively become Chiswick's best connected station.

Mark Evans ● 6d

They did say the now deceased leader of Iran did own a lot of them, howtrue not sure.

Janice Evans ● 7d

Coming into Acton Town on the tube, it's staggering how many blocks of flats are being completed along there. With flats falling out of favour, you do have to wonder who will buy them. It wouldn't surprise me if they mostly went to overseas buyers given the excellent transport links to Heathrow and central London.

Susan Kelly ● 7d

Have they stood on Bollo Lane on a windy day, along there is a real wind tunnel it can blow you over, tall buildings would make it even worse.

Janice Evans ● 7d

That would be relief for nearby residents, who objected to the concept that the level crossing end of Bollo Lane had ‘become accepted’ as a location for tall blocks. Theoretically, each planning application should be judged on its own merits, but the TfL development cited the tall Pocket Homes building as a precedent, which in turn had cited the nearby tall block in the Business Park, which many had objected to being built bigger than originally proposed exactly to stop it being used as a precedent, which we were told at the time it wouldn’t, but of course it has. Meanwhile, if TfL is already economising on this development, will we ever get the landscaped walkways and jolly cafes featured so prominently in the original artists impressions?

Peter Evans ● 7d