After weeks of inactivity work has started again on the new hotel at the corner of Melbourne Ave and the Uxbridge Road. Scaffolding is starting to go up. The delay has been down to the developers needing to carry out a detailed structural survey for Holiday Inn Express who are going to operate this hotel. There will also be some changes to the plans with two more storeys at the front (Uxbridge Road) end to increase the number of rooms. I don’t know what the likely completion date will be but I can’t see Tony Luckhurst being back before Christmas.
The new Morrisons Local in West Ealing opens on Thursday
The old Blockbusters stood empty and forelorn for some months and then work on the new Morrisons Local started and it’s progressed very quickly and will open at 9am on Thursday. On the corner of St James Ave and the Uxbridge Road this supermarket should bring some much-needed footfall down this end of the high street and, hopefully, benefit the nearby shops.
All quiet on the hotel front
Another occasional update on the new hotel in West Ealing – nothing’s happening. Having cracked on with the demolition it’s all been quiet for the last 10 days or so. I hope plans are still on schedule as I’m looking forward to Tony Luckhurst’s return in good time for Christmas.
West Ealing Business Hub project to continue to next stage
West Ealing Hub Project Continues
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The West Ealing Hub Working Group has conducted a study to assess the feasibility of a coworking space in West Ealing over a three month period from April to July 2013. The study is now complete! Over 250 people input their ideas and comments to inform the final study. We would like to say thank you to everyone who has contributed.
Our research has shown that there is awareness in West Ealing that the area is changing. The hub idea was received with great enthusiasm, and many local people indicated that they would like to take an active part in developing an inspiring business coworking space on the high street.
We looked at various business models of coworking spaces and hubs all over London to find a model that would work best for West Ealing. The feasibility study found that there was a case to be made and a solid foundation to take forward the future enterprise.
A new operational group chaired by David Highton will be looking further into developing the right business model.
The West Ealing Hub Feasibility Study was supported by resources secured from Ealing Council’s High Street Innovation Fund and Riot Recovery funds.
West Ealing Hub Working Group
Interested in helping with our West Ealing craft markets?
Help needed with our markets
We need some ideas, energy and enthusiasm to help us develop both our monthly craft markets and our annual arts and crafts fair.
We want to restart our monthly craft market in St James Ave again soon. We learnt a lot from our first year and we now want to take it to the next level. I think we will be helped when the new Morrisons opens in Blockbusters as this is almost certain to bring many more people to St James Ave.
We’re looking for volunteers interested in any of the following:
•Choosing the stalls for each market
•Managing the booking and admin
•Helping manage the market on the first Saturday of each month
The monthly craft market in St James Avenue
On top of the monthly craft market, we need a number of volunteers to help with the annual arts and crafts fair each November in St James Church. Martyn has put on some 12 of these annual events and feels now is a good time for a change – so many thanks to Martyn for establishing the arts and crafts fair as a much-anticipated annual event.
The areas of interest are similar to the monthly market:
•Choosing the stalls
•Managing the bookings and admin
•Organising the lay out of the market in St James Church
•Helping run the event on the day
•Managing the volunteers who help set up and clean up
Both these events are fun to be involved and offer a great opportunity to be at the heart of what’s happening in West Ealing.
If you’re interested in helping please email us at westealingneighbours@gmail.com
Keep an eye on this space in Leeland Road
The Santa Rita café (on the left) has been closed for a while and rumour has it that this site is to be redeveloped and flats built above. Not necessarily a bad thing but with local house prices climbing ever higher, partly driven by Crossrail, there is likely to be more and more of these infill-type developments.
West Ealing hotel site update – just Dean’s wall left standing
This is the first of an occasional series of updates on the progress of the new hotel in West Ealing. I took this photo at about 9.30 yesterday morning (Thursday 11th July). The site is almost fully demolished. The wall behind Dean’s flower stall is the only bit still standing. It’s only function seems to be to hold up his awning. He tells me his awning will be attached to the wooden hoarding when the wall finally comes down. I think they have to dig up all the concrete base next so they can start on the foundations. That could prove a bit noisy so be warned.
Oh, and one more thing – there’s talk of possibly adding another storey to increase the number of hotel bedrooms. Whether this is serious or not we shall see. There are questions about impact on light on O’Grady Court and other nearby buildings but it does seem to mean the developers or hotel chain see this as a sound commercial opportunity and are willing to invest in West Ealing.
Your chance to help shape the future of the centre of West Ealing – come along to the Drayton Court on Tuesday at 6.45pm
West Ealing Neighbours is a big supporter of the new West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum (WECNF). WECNF became a designated public body on 27 March 2013. The forum is a collection of people who live, work or have an interest in the centre of West Ealing who are working together to create a 15 year plan for the area. WECNF operates under the auspices of the 2011 Localism Act.
The public launch and first Annual General Meeting of the forum starts at 6:45pm on Tuesday 18 June at the Drayton Court Hotel in The Avenue. A 12 person Management Committee will be elected at this meeting.
Everyone is welcome to attend the launch/AGM.
You can apply for forum membership and find our more about the forum here
Today: WEN public meeting at 7.30pm ‘What’s happening on our high street’ and development update for Green Man Lane Estate 4.30-8pm
Two West Ealing events today:
Update on the Green Man Lane Estate development in the Jubilee Hall in Green Man Lane 4.30-8pm
What’s been achieved so far and an opportunity to see the plans for phase 2.
This is the most important development in West Ealing for a generation and phase 1 homes are now for sale. The development will take 8-10 years to complete and will increase the number of residents from around 800 to some 2,ooo. This alone will have a major impact on West Ealing. Add the coming of Crossrail and the redevelopment of the Sherwood Close Estate and there is a lot of change on its way.
What’s happening on our high street – WEN public meeting from 7.30pm at St John’s Church in Mattock Lane
I think West Ealing is on the edge of change, as I’ve said above, and now is a good time to start thinking about what we want our high street to look like in 5 or 10 years time. I think it will look very different but that’s just my opinion. Come along and listen to some ideas and give us your thoughts and hopes as to what you’d like to see for our shopping centre. Is it different shops, fewer shops, more housing or maybe community services taking over empty shops?
New 60-bedroom hotel in West Ealing gets go-ahead
As this photo shows, work is already underway on the new hotel in West Ealing following agreement at last night’s (Wednesday 15th May) Planning Committee meeting. The plan is for a new 60-bedroom hotel on the corner of Melbourne Ave and the Uxbridge Road. The concerns about the traders at the top of Melbourne Ave and Luckhurst’s the butchers appear to have all been resolved. You can read the background to this story here.