Charlton and Albany House Scheme Gets Green Light

Senior councillor warns rising construction costs present challenge

Aerial view of the proposed development looking North
Aerial view of the proposed development looking North. Picture: Hounslow Council

Participate

Positive Response To Plans To Demolish Brentford Estate

Council Survey Shows Support for Estate Redevelopment

Sign up for our weekly Brentford newsletter

Comment on this story on the

February 24, 2023

The redevelopment of Charlton House and Albany House has moved a step closer after Hounslow Council’s cabinet voted in favour of the programme.

At a meeting on Tuesday night (21 February), councillors approved plans to demolish the existing estate on Brentford High Street for its replacement by five apartment blocks ranging between one and eight storeys high containing 209 flats.

All the new flats would be classed as affordable and existing residents will have the option to live in a new build within the borough or live somewhere else and return to the estate once the flats have been completed.

The scheme would double the number of flats on the site and includes ground floor retail space along the High Street.

Proposed view from High Street Brentford towards Brook Road South between Western and Central Blocks. Picture: Hounslow CouncilProposed view from High Street Brentford towards Brook Road South between Western and Central Blocks. Picture: Hounslow Council

The council undertook a lengthy consultation exercise with residents which it says showed broad support for the proposal with 87% voting in favour during a ballot held in 2021. Some residents living in nearby Market Terrace said the tower blocks would block sunlight to their homes.

A sign on the side of a road  Description automatically generated
View of the estate. Picture: Google Streetview

However, a senior councillor has warned that rising costs may present a challenge for the plan.

Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development at Hounslow Council, said, “The regeneration of this estate is a top priority for Hounslow Council, and we have a robust strategy to make the regeneration of this estate reality.

“Eye-watering inflation and rising construction costs do mean we face challenges in delivering this project. However, we remain committed to making this happen and ensuring we deliver affordable homes for Hounslow residents.”

To keep the disruption to a minimum and the community together for as long as possible, residents will be moved out as close to the start of the building works as possible, which is currently expected to be towards the end of this year. Once commenced, the buildings are expected to be ready for occupancy in around three years.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

Bookmark and Share