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Leeland Terrace – transforming a neglected green space

For a long time, the Seaford-Leeland Terrace corner was just a neglected spot with brambles and always far-to-reach blackberries. All that changed when I saw a notice at the West Ealing Neighbours notice board near Sainsbury’s in Melbourne Avenue (a good source of info) asking for neighbours willing to help spruce up a few forgotten council-owned green corners.

It was a good call as I was looking for volunteering activities now that my kids are mutating into teens. The first meeting was very lively, full of people bursting with ideas; and finished with the creation of a WhatsApp group, of course. The subsequent Saturdays were busy, with many hands trying to control the aforementioned bramble, the creeping and in some places overhanging ivy; and trying to devise ways to keep the fence from toppling over.

And then it happened as with some chemical reactions: after a big burst of effervescence the contents of the beaker calm down and nothing seems to happen, but if you look carefully crystals start to appear where the liquid evaporates. And so around those first crystals, a group of a few regulars (always open to newcomers and occasional passers-by) has formed, creating a new group called West Ealing Green Spaces of which the core (and to whom thanks and admiration are due) is bubbly Simone!! And Simone will say it’s not true, but when she is in the plot more people stop and chat than if it is just Mary and me, say.

Thanks to this group friendships are being created, we get to meet new people with fresh (and sometimes different) points of view, and we have created a place to be proud of. It even makes me more willing to pick up litter! For me, it has been amazing to be spreading mulch (several layers of it), to build up the raised beds, and to receive the spontaneous “thank you”, “good job” and once or twice a helping hand from passersby. Being part of this motley crew is also a great reminder that when people get together with a common objective, great things happen!

So thank you David for giving the initial push and to all helpers, be they regular or one-timers. And I have plans to tutor a bramble along the (not toppling now) fence for ease of berry picking.

By Andres Requena Gutierrez, WEGS founding member


If you want to get involved in this project then drop by on a Saturday morning at 10am and one of the group will be there. Also, if you have a site in mind you’d like to see transformed please contact westealinggreenspaces@gmail.com.

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Draft 2023 Ealing Local Plan – a West Ealing Perspective

Apparently this plan ‘will shape and guide the future development (of Ealing) and help ensure this is sustainable’. This plan is expected to become approved in 2024. (The current Ealing Local Plan – the oldest in London – was published in 2010).

Ealing Matters (a group of over 60 Ealing community and residents ‘organisations) has produced a 14-point checklist of broad areas of comment and objection

To view the whole draft plan go to: www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201164/local_plan

You have until 8 February 2023 to send your comments on the plan to the Council. Comments can be sent to localplan@ealing.gov.uk

Planning Committees do not have to follow the new plan. Ostensibly all Planning Applications are judged on the merits of the application. The Local Plan will offer ‘guidance’.

There is no dedicated section on West Ealing – not even on the centre of West Ealing. This is because the Council does not view West Ealing (W13) as a separate community – but part of Ealing (W5). This is strikingly perverse as both the centre of Ealing and the centre of West Ealing have recent Council approved Neighbourhood Plans.

There is no specific plan for West Ealing but what does exist are summary details of 14 development sites. All the sites are primarily residential sites. So the message here is that the development of West Ealing is primarily about enabling an increase in the population of West Ealing.

The details of these West Ealing development sites (EA14 to EA28) can be viewed on pages 174 to 203. There are no details given about density of development i.e. how many homes can be built on each site. Below is a list of the sites with small descriptors and some comments from me:

EA14 – Arden Road car park, W13 8RA. Residential and commercial. Already has an approved Planning Application. Height can be up to 21 storeys.

EA15 – 1-19 Broadway, Aviation & Pioneer Courts, W13 9AN. Pioneer Court is a fairly new co-ownership residential block. This seems like wanton destruction of existing modern flats. Residential and mixed use. Up to 13 stores.

EA16 – 66-86 Broadway, W13 0SY. A residential and mixed use scheme which is an extended version of the 2010 Local plan site. Up to 13 storeys.

EA17 – 59-65 Broadway (Lidl), W13 9BP. This sits with the rumour that Lidl will move its supermarket across the road to the current Wilko site (90 – 94 Broadway). Apparently Lidl owns the site on which Wilko sits. Residential and retail. Up to 8 storeys.

EA18 – Sainsbury’s and Library, 77-83 Broadway, W13 9BA. This site is somewhat different to the site in the 2010 Local Plan. It includes West Ealing Library and O’Grady Court (Sheltered accommodation). In the proposed use statement there is no explicit reference to a supermarket or a library. The open space which currently runs from Leeland Terrace to Broadway is part of the development site. The northern part of this is effectively West Ealing’s town square. There is no indication that this open space will be preserved. (Some/all? of EA18 site was purchased in recent years by a developer who specialises in hotel development). Up to 13 storeys.

EA19 – 1-10 Chignell Place and 112-126 Broadway. Up to 13 storeys. If this is a tower of 13 storeys it will tower over the rear of the West London Islamic Centre. Residential-led and mixed use.

EA20 – 99-115 Broadway, W13. this development includes the St James Court open space. It’s unclear whether the open space will be retained. Up to 12 storeys. Residential-led and mixed use.

EA21 – 130-140 Broadway. W13 0TL. Residential and mixed use. Up to 13 storeys.

EA22 – 131-141 Broadway. Mostly Kwik Fit. W13 9BE. Up to 6 storeys in height. Residential-led with retail.(see separate articel below for more details of the application for this site)

EA23 – Green Man Lane Estate (GMLE). W13 0RJ. This presumably is the last stage(s) of the development began with demolition in 2011. 714 homes were agreed in the Planning Permission of September 2010 – with completion scheduled for 2022. Now over 1,000 homes are being built with an actual final completion date of who knows when. Up to 13 storeys.

EA24 – 2 Alexandria Road (Waitrose). W13. The proposed use is ‘residential and community’. There is no mention of a new supermarket. Up to 13 storeys.

EA25 – ‘West Ealing Station Approach’ 44-54 Drayton Green Road and 41/42 Hastings Road. W13 8RY (Majestic, Halfords, plus parade of shops) Residential and community. Up to 13 storeys. The latest development intention if for 408 student flats

EA26 – 119 Gordon Road, Castle House. W13 8QD. This is the second stage of developing the old BT building. No reference to building heights. . Residential-led with some affordable workspace.

EA27 – Access House & T. Mohan, Manor Road. W13 0AS. No indication of building heights. The site plan shows Jacob’s Ladder (footbridge) but gives no indication of access to the bridge from the development site. Mixed use.

EA28 – Gurnell Leisure Centre. W13 0AL. ‘Leisure-led with enabling residential use’. No reference to building heights. The Council’s first attempt at this development failed at the Planning Application stage.

It’s surprising that these other sites are not included in the plan:

+ Orion Park, Northfield Avenue. W13 9SJ

+ The old Woolworths site at 96-102 Broadway. W13 0SY

+ The remaining phase(s) of the Sherwood Close Estate (recently, bizarrely christened ‘The Bowery’).

Eric Leach

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Deadline looming for objections to plans to add new storeys to Azalea Close and Court

Information about this application was posted on our Facebook page and it is covered in full detail on the Ealing Today website. In brief the freeholder wants to add a new storey to Azalea Court and two storeys to Azalea Close. The extra height will affect all the surrounding roads such as Shirley Gardens and Nightingale Road as well as the visitors to the nearby Kensington and Chelsea cemetery.

The deadline for comments is 15th August and the Ealing Today article has the planning application reference details.

Thanks to the local residents who posted this on our Facebook page.

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Possible west London ban on new homes as electricity grid is out of capacity

Interesting story in today’s papers about developers in Hillingdon, Ealing and Hounslow having been told it could take another 10 years before new homes can be connected to the electricity grid. According to the Greater London Authority one of the problems for west London is a series of planned date centres that use massive amounts of electricity. Apparently, one data centre can use as much power as 10,000 homes.

Later: In Monday’s (1st August) business pages there’s a story with more detailed information about the proliferation of data centres in west London. It seems about half on the country’s estimated 200 data centres are in the South East with a large number in the Reading to Ealing area. It goes on to say that there are seven outstanding applications for new data centres in Ealing.

So what next for planned developments in West Ealing such as on the old Woolworth’s site, the tower next to the new station, the Majestic Wine Warehouse site, Waitrose’s plans to build new homes on its site and so on?

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John Lewis plans to build homes-to-rent over Waitrose in West Ealing

John Lewis’ plans to build 10,000 homes to rent on its sites in the South East was written about in the press a few months ago. Now, according to an article in today’s business pages, one of those stores will be the one in West Ealing. The retailer is quoted as saying residents in the area will be invited to a public consultation over the coming months.

Later: There will be an public exhibition about the plans in West EAling Library on Friday 1st Juky 4-8pm and Saturday 2nd July 10am-2pm.

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Lidl to replace Wilko but not yet

Yes, the rumours of Lidl repalcing Wilko are true but not for some time yet. Wilko rents its site from Lidl and eventually Lidl will redevelop the site and take over the ground floor. However, none of this is happening soon as Wilko has another 2-3 years on its lease. Let’s hope that when it does have to move Wilko can find another site elsewhere in West Ealing.