URW’s £1.3bn White City resi development set for green light

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield looks set to get the nod for its £1.3bn White City scheme after shaving 10 storeys off the height of its tallest residential towers. The tallest towers will now not top 35 storeys, as opposed to the 45-storey max in the original plans. The plans for nine new buildings will provide up to 1,700 homes (up from 1,100 in plans approved in 2017) and include 340 affordable homes. This will be made up of 256 discount rented units (75%) and 84 affordable rent units (25%). The development will include private and communal garden areas, a basement-level car park and close to 30,000 sq ft of commercial and community space. The application, which was originally submitted in April 2021, was paused by URW to enable revisions in response to concerns about the height and to allow further community engagement. The revised proposals were submitted in May this year. If approved by Hammersmith & Fulham Council next week, they will need to be referred back to the mayor for his final decision. The five-acre site, to the north of URW’s Westfield London shopping centre, has been cleared and is currently being used for temporary operations to support the wider construction. It is located between Wood Lane to the west and the Westway (the A40) to the north. Development at the site was initially approved in 1996 with a scheme that has been adapted over the years. Montagu Evans is advising Westfield Europe on the planning application, while Glenn Howells is the architect. The outline application also includes the following: White City Regeneration Area contribution of £19,349,320 for social, physical, economic and transport infrastructure within the borough Provision of affordable workspace occupying no less than 20% of the commercial floorspace at a discount of 40% to market gross rents Financial contribution of £2,327,500 towards employment and training. Keith Whitmore, head of development, design and construction for the UK and director of construction management for Europe at URW, said: “Throughout the design and planning process we have held extensive consultations with the local community, the council and statutory bodies. “We are confident that our enhanced plans will further strengthen this project, creating a vibrant mixed-use destination that delivers for both residents and the broader local community. We look forward to hearing the committee’s decision on our updated application next week.” To send feedback, e-mail julia.cahill@eg.co.uk or tweet @EGJuliaC or @EGPropertyNews See which agents are doing the most deals in the London submarkets with our On-Demand Rankings >> Photo © Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield