EcoWorld jv refused £230m BTR and leisure consent

A joint venture between EcoWorld London, Ealing Council and the council’s development company Broadway Living has seen plans for the £230m redevelopment of Gurnell Leisure Centre refused. Councillors went against the planning officer’s recommendation and refused plans for a new leisure centre and 599 flats at the committee on 17 March. Proposals included 403 BTR flats and 196 affordable homes for the borough, with the private residential to pay for the new leisure centre. The plans would have seen six blocks of up to 17 storeys built on a 33-acre site on Ruislip Road East. However, the councillors branded the scheme overdevelopment and questioned whether it should be built on metropolitan open land. Councillor Ray Wall said: “The leisure centre looks like a warehouse with two chimneys plonked on top of it.” Committee members also voiced concerns over development on an area of flood risk. “To build on a flood plain is quite stupid, quite a crazy thing to do. We know that we are storing up trouble for the future,” said councillor Anthony Young. He described the development as a “massive monstrosity”. “It’s too heavy a mass, too dense a development and the design is poor. We should be voting against,” added Young. An Ealing Council spokesman said: “Although we are disappointed with the planning committee’s decision to reject the plans to redevelop Gurnell Leisure Centre, this outcome demonstrates that our planning process is robust, with council submissions treated like those from any other applicant. Over the coming period we will take stock, look into the specific reasons for refusal and consider the best options in response to the decision.” The setback follows refusal for EcoWorld London earlier this year, when Woking Borough Council voted against plans for 929 homes next to the railway line. It comes as EcoWorld London ramps up its hunt for a BTR funder for a potential platform of sites. The developer is looking for backing for a large scheme in Barking of at least 1,000 flats, with an option to add more sites to the deal, and has tasked newly launched BTR business Apo with securing the finance.   To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette Photo: 3DReid