CGI Claims to Reveal True Scale of Friary Park Redevelopment

Opponents of scheme publish images showing how it dominates area

CGI of development produced by opponents of the scheme

Opponents of the recently approved scheme to redevelop the Friary Park Estate in Acton have not given up their resistance to the project.

CGIs have been published based on the plans submitted to Ealing Council which they claim show how the scheme will fit into the local landscape. It gives an indication of how the towers of the scheme which range up to 24 storeys high might dominate the area.

In the documentation submitted by the developer as part of their application and the associated consultation process no images were provided which gave an indication of the scale of the development in the local context. This has been a feature of many of the developments in the area including the Council's own scheme in central Ealing and residents who are uncomfortable with the height of buildings being proposed across the borough are producing CGI themselves in an attempt to make clear what the impact will be.

The estate is to undergo a major transformation after planning permission was granted to Catalyst to demolish homes and replace them with around 930 new ones in tower blocks.

Catalyst say, ''Our proposals will dramatically improve the housing conditions on the estate by providing high quality new homes. There will be an increased number of family-sized homes for social rent to meet the needs of the families currently living on the estate.''

However, local residents say the skyscrapers are out of keeping with Acton's surburban semi-detached and Victorian houses and believe the increase in population will cause a massive strain on local services and an increase in pollution in the area.

CGI of development from a distance produced by opponents of the scheme

The London Mayor has the power to stop the Catalyst proposal from happening even though Ealing’s Planning Committee has approved it and locals are hoping he will intervene and have launched a petition to try and persuade him to do so. 

The 1980s estate next to Acton Mainline station currently consists of 225 social rented homes described by planning consultants Barton Willmore as 'undersized', in a site that '' lacks permeability, encourages anti-social behaviour and has ' inadequate green space.'

All the current buildings on the Friary Park Estate and its surrounding roads would be demolished, and replaced with new homes of mixed type. The scheme has been worked on since 2014 and the plans are expected to deliver 372 'affordable' homes and 618 for private sale.

Artist's impression of proposed redevelopment provided by the developer

The project is expected to be finished by 2027.

February 13, 2020