Hundreds of new homes to be built on former car park site

Skip Navigation

Hundreds of new homes to be built on former car park site

Friday February 17, 2012

Plans to build hundreds of new homes on a former car park site have been approved.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s planning committee approved the bid by EC Properties to build 808 homes at Seagrave Road in North Fulham last night (February 16) subject to a satisfactory s106 agreement being signed and approval by the Mayor of London.

The plans could provide the first phase of new homes for people currently living on West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates, if Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council decide to enter into a Conditional Land Sale Agreement (CLSA) for the estates with EC Properties. Two hundred of the 808 homes are earmarked for estate residents, if the CLSA is agreed.

The homes form part of a wider plan by EC Properties to transform the area around Earls Court, including the estates, potentially building 7,500 new homes and creating 12,000 new jobs.

In considering whether or not to include the estates in the wider plans, the council and residents must weigh up the benefits regeneration could bring, including new homes, new community facilities and job opportunities, against the disruption that major development inevitably causes. The CLSA includes legally binding tenant and leaseholder/freeholder offers, the terms of these offers go beyond what has been offered by other regeneration schemes.

For secure council tenants living on the estates:

  • They would only have to move once their new home is ready.
  • They would be receive home loss compensation, currently £4,700 plus all reasonable moving costs, including removals, new carpets and curtains, disconnection of appliances and services, re-routing of mail.
  • People would be offered a new home that is right for them and their family. This means that if people are currently deemed to be overcrowded they would get a bigger home.

For resident leaseholders/freeholders:

  • They would receive the full market value of their home, plus an extra 10% in compensation. The current market value would be independently assessed.
  • If they wanted to buy a new home in the development they would receive a 10% discount on the market value of their new home.
  • They would not be expected to extend their mortgage to buy another home in the development if it is more expensive. They can put their compensation towards the new home and any equity gap would be held on their behalf.


Plans for wider redevelopment

If the wider proposal go ahead, the development would include the creation of what are described as ‘four urban villages’, which includes a new North End, with the market at the heart of the proposals, a new High Street which includes shops, bars and restaurants; a West Brompton village, which is quieter and more residential and Earls Court, which would feature a new Exhibition Square.

It would also deliver:

  • 7,500 new homes (including 808 on the Seagrave Road site), of which 1,300 would be affordable homes and 6,200 private.
  • A new high street with shops, cultural and community facilities.
  • A new primary school with nursery and day-care facilities.
  • A new integrated health hub offering a range of primary health care.
  • Playgrounds and facilities for children of all ages.

Culture and Leisure:

  • A new community and cultural venue dedicated to the arts, community learning and entertainment.
  • New sports and leisure facilities.

Transfer and Traffic:

  • A new high street designed for pedestrians, cyclists and cars which links North End Road to Warwick Road.
  • A new, north-south thoroughfare called the Broadway designed for pedestrians, cyclists and cars which link Cromwell Road to Lillie Road.
  • Improvements to Earl’s Court, West Brompton and West Kensington stations New bus routes and new upgraded bus stops.
  • Electric car clubs and a series of charging points.


The Conditional Land Sale Agreement

The CLSA includes the following conditions which seeks to protect the interests of residents:

  • The developer must build the new homes before demolishing existing properties on the estate.  Only then will the land be passed to the developer.  This is a crucial part of the 'move only when your new home is ready' condition.
  • The council can insist on revisions to further phases of building work if the developer’s plans are considered too disruptive for people living on the estate.
  • The council is requiring a degree of 'upfront' payment from the potential developer, EC Properties. This gives the developer the incentive to get on with work as quickly as possible.
  • Overall, EC Properties would pay the council around £100million for the land. The council is requiring a degree of 'upfront' payment. This gives the developer the incentive to get on with work as quickly as possible.
  • The bulk of the £100million would be available to reinvest in the borough’s housing stock.

The CLSA consultation ends on March 12 and residents can take part by going online at www.lbhf.gov.uk/westken.

» Send us your comments now

The development sounds great but this combined with the re-development of Earls Court will be a complete nightmare for local residents. I used to live in the area and I would not want to return. The traffic is already bad imagine both developments and Chelsea playing the same night traffic would be horrendous!!!!
From Sarah on 01/03/2012 at 16:34
With 7500 new homes (of which 1300 being affordable and, according to the last LBHF announcement, the majority of those being for larger family units) the capacity of the proposed primary school facility will need to be considerable, given that the borough has already been forced to increase FE in many schools in the Fullham area to cope with current demand.
From Walter on 24/02/2012 at 19:38
The redevelopment of a squalid car park is usually welcome, at least in principle. Unfortunately, in this particular case, I am afraid that the mammoth size of the planned –and in due course approved- building works, a current trend throughout London, will more then counterbalance whichever benefit the area might derive from it. It is likely that the result will be another bunch of undistinguished high rise buildings quite out of character with the rest of West Brompton. They will overshadow the existing houses, form a dismal curtain between WB, Earls Court and the trees of the Brompton cemetery and, due to a significant increase in residents in the area, lead to problems of overcrowding and road traffic. We shall see.
From paolo on 19/02/2012 at 15:22
As usual, the council has not considered the most challenging aspect - namely car traffic. With another 808 homes, how is Seagrave Road going to support the traffic, especially at busy times when parents are dropping their children off at the London oratory School at the bottom of the road ?
From resident on 17/02/2012 at 18:07
The project looks nice but as a resident in a nearby road, I am concerned there is no mention of car parks under those new housing. The green park looks nice on the picture but will there be hundreds of car parks under it and available?
Currently the open car park is used by ambulances, where are they going to go?
Currently when there is an exhibition outsiders are allowed to use the car park, where are those people going to park when this new estate is built?

space for cyclist? where? the roads are already very narrow. Check how it is done in Copenhagen, there is the road for cars, a little higher there is the cycle path and a little higher the pavement for pedestrian, each his own space, the cars cannot drive on to the cycle path nor the pavement. In West Brompton/North end Road, the roads are so narrow, there is no space for the cyclists to be safe.
looking forward to hearing further from you
Kind regards
Helene
From Helene on 17/02/2012 at 16:10

Whatever is decided I would urge more inspiring architecture than that given permission for the Seagrave Road development - big, blocky, expensive and ugly. Grim. Brompton cemetery next door os more beautiful.
From Rosemary Pettit on 17/02/2012 at 15:54

Comments

Your comments

Name:*
Display name:*
E-mail:*
Comment:*
 
characters
 
Enter the code shown above:*

                      I accept the terms and conditions of posting to this site*
 

* denotes mandatory field