The future of a controversial housing development in north London appears to be in doubt as the developer has pulled out of the scheme.
Dubbed ‘ Tesco Towers’ by its critics, the plan for 504 homes in ten blocks up to 13-storeys was submitted to Harrow Council last year and was expected to come before the council’s planning committee for a decision soon.
London housing association Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) submitted a formal application to redevelop the Station Road site – alongside Tesco, the landowner. Set to be called Greenmead Place, the plans involved demolishing the existing Tesco superstore and replacing it with towers ranging from four to 13 storeys – plus a new version of the supermarket.
However, the latest update means the future of the development is uncertain. Last year, NHG made the decision to reduce their development pipeline and focus on improving its existing housing stock. As part of this, it will step away from involvement in the Station Road application.
Whilst the plans could still be resurrected, the latest development is likely to give hope to those locals who have fiercely opposed it from the start. A Change.org petition objecting to the proposals, submitted by campaign group ‘No To Tesco Towers’, during the initial consultation phase was signed by around 2,500 residents.
The group raised concerns over “the scale of the development, a lack of truly affordable housing, and the impact on local infrastructure, such as roads, public transport, schools and health services”. Residents of a nearby retirement home described being “literally scared for [their] lives” over fears poor air quality and debris from the construction would further impact those with severe breathing difficulties.
Documents originally submitted by NHG suggested the development, which would be completed in two phases, represents ‘an opportunity to […] build homes on a brownfield side’ rather than on surrounding green belt land.
Phase 1 outlined the development of 233 homes – including all of the affordable housing in five towers ranging between seven and 13 storeys – and the construction of the new Tesco store. Phase 2 involved the building of 271 private sale homes – in five blocks ranging between four and 13 storeys – and the demolition of the existing superstore.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that Tesco will continue to liaise with Harrow Council to enable the local authority to make a decision on the application.
