Friary Park Redevelopment Gets Green Light

Huge project will see a number of blocks from 3 to 24 storeys

Artist's impression of proposed redevelopment

Ealing Council has given the go ahead for a major redevelopment of 990 new homes to be built in Friary Park.

The 1980s estate next to Acton Mainline station was originally built for private sale by Laing Construction. It was bought by Catalyst (then Ealing Family Housing Association) in 1987.

It currently consists of 225 social rented homes described by planning consultants Barton Willmore as 'undersized', in a site that '' lacks permeability, encourages anti-social behaviour and has ' inadequate green space.'

All the current buildings on the Friary Park Estate and its surrounding roads would be demolished, and replaced with new homes of mixed type. The scheme has been worked on since 2014 and the plans are expected to deliver 372 'affordable' homes and 618 for private sale.

The buildings will range between 3 and 24 storeys high. New community facilities are part of the proposed redevelopment.

The application was a joint submission from Catalyst housing association, and Mount Anvil, a private sector property developer which is part financing the huge project.

Philip Jenkins, group development director at Catalyst, said: “We’d like to thank our customers and everyone else that has been involved in the consultation for these exciting new proposals for Friary Park since 2014.

“We are eager and now ready to bring forward a new estate that the whole community can live in, play in, and enjoy for years to come.”

Cecilia Aridegbe, resident and chair of the Residents Steering Group, said: “We are really happy with the councillors’ decision. Catalyst and Mount Anvil have ensured our views are heard and we feel they have really listened to us.

Picture: Catalyst

All the current buildings on the Friary Park Estate and its surrounding roads would be demolished, and replaced with new homes of mixed type (social rented, shared ownership, private sales).

Catalyst is one the country’s largest housing associations, providing more than 22,000 homes in London and the South East, through a wide range of rental and homeownership types.

They say all existing Catalyst tenants on Friary Park have the option of being re-housed in the new development if they want to, most residents will be able to move straight into a new home on the redeveloped site. However, to allow homes to be demolished so that new ones can be built, some in the first phase will need to move elsewhere: either until a suitable new home is available in a later phase of the redevelopment, if they want to return to Friary Park; or permanently if they prefer.

The project is expected to be finished by 2027.

4th December 2019