500-room Co-living Skyscraper Planned by Chiswick Roundabout

Holly House scheme dumped in favour of a 'Mega HMO'

Indicative view of the proposed building from Chiswick Roundabout. Picture: The James

May 21, 2026

A developer is proposing a tower that could rise as high as 24 storeys on the long-vacant plot beside Chiswick Roundabout, in what would be the latest — and most ambitious — attempt to build on a troublesome development site.

The James, a co-living operator with buildings across the UK, has released CGI images of the proposed scheme and launched a public consultation ahead of a formal planning application to Hounslow Council. The development, to be known as The James Chiswick, would comprise around 500 co-living rooms alongside approximately 60 family-sized flats — a mix of affordable and private rented — and flexible retail space on the ground floor.

The triangular site on Larch Drive sits in the shadow of the elevated M4 motorway, at the junction of Chiswick Roundabout and Gunnersbury Avenue, and has been empty for decades. It is adjacent to the B&Q store and car park, which has its own separate planning consent for redevelopment as the London Motorsport Campus.

Large co-living buildings of this kind — sometimes referred to in planning circles as a "mega HMOs" — involves self-contained private studios with en-suite bathrooms, a double bed and a small kitchen area, complemented by shared communal spaces. The James describes each room as fitted with a table and chairs, with shared amenities forming a central part of the offer.

The Financial Times described the model in January 2026 as "poised to radically reshape the urban rental landscape," and The James already operates communities in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.

The developer argues the scheme would benefit the wider Chiswick housing market by drawing younger renters away from house shares and traditional HMOs, in turn freeing up larger family homes currently occupied by sharers. A study by property consultants Knight Frank, commissioned to assess demand for co-living at the site, concluded that the scheme would relieve pressure on existing housing stock, offer greater choice for renters, and release HMO properties back to single-household use.

The 48 affordable homes — described as predominantly family-sized — would be positioned as far as possible from the motorway flyover, with the developer noting that families are considered more vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality from passing traffic.

For anyone who has watched the Larch Drive plot sit empty over the past quarter-century, the announcement will prompt a degree of scepticism. The site has seen a remarkable succession of ambitious proposals, none of which has resulted in a single brick being laid.

The James Chiswick viewed looking south down the North Circular. Picture: The James

An earlier attempt came in 2000 with the Pinnacle — a 26-storey office block with a restaurant — which was withdrawn following concerns raised by the Secretary of State. That was followed by the Citadel, a 13-storey office block, which received planning approval in 2009 but never proceeded. In 2012 came perhaps the most eye-catching concept: the Octopus, a spherical office and retail project, which also gained consent but came to nothing.

The most recent failure was the Chiswick Curve, a 120-metre tower proposed in 2019 and rejected by the Secretary of State. Most recently of all, planning permission was granted in November 2024 for a 24-storey residential block called Holly House, which would have delivered 255 homes. That scheme, which also included office and retail space and an apprenticeship offer, was described by its backers as having optimised the difficult triangular site. It too has now been abandoned — the developer citing "prevailing market conditions" as having made construction undeliverable.

The ground floor level facing Chiswick Roundabout. Picture: The James

The James says its new proposal will not exceed the height of the consented Holly House scheme.

The site sits at the edge of what has been designated the Golden Mile — a corridor running through Chiswick, Brentford and Osterley that was first established as an automotive and industrial hub in 1925 and has since reinvented itself as a creative and technology district. It now hosts 45 per cent of London's broadcast sector jobs and was designated a Mayoral Creative Enterprise Zone in 2018.

The adjacent B&Q site, assuming planning consent is implemented, will become the London Motorsport Campus — an 11,000 square metre public venue for motorsport, engineering and innovation, surrounded by commercial, leisure and university facilities. The James frames its development as a complementary piece of that wider regeneration, providing housing for the workers and entrepreneurs the Golden Mile is designed to attract.

An aerial view of the site (bounded by red dotted line). Picture: The James

The James is holding a series of public consultation events before submitting a formal planning application to Hounslow Council. Residents can attend online sessions on 8 June at 7pm and 9 June at 1pm, or in person at the Clayton Hotel on Chiswick High Road on 11 June between 3pm and 7pm. Views can be submitted online until 20 June.

No timetable has been given for when a planning application will be lodged.

Public consultation details and the survey can be found at thejameschiswick.communityuk.site