The Return of the Octopus

Revised plans submitted for landmark building at Chiswick Roundabout

Revised plans have been submitted to Hounslow Council for 'The Octopus' a large building planned near Chiswick Roundabout.

An earlier design was refused permission by Hounslow’s Planning Committee in March 2010. One objection was considered to be the impact of the advertising space on highway safety, especially on the M4 motorway. Since then, a public inquiry has been held into this issue which resulted in a judgement in favour of London & Bath Estates, with the Inspector concluding that there was no adverse impact on highway safety.

The scheme, designed by architects MAKE, provides 4,800 square meters (52,000 square feet) of office space, a retail showroom at ground level, new landscaping, a rooftop public viewing gallery and an LED shroud around the building.

The developers say the majority of residents supported the scheme with 137 letters in support and only 8 objections. English Heritage did not object to the scheme and the revisions are aimed to deal with points made by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

The new application is for a building that is 3m less high than the previous one. It also has increased the amount of office space and added a new 305 square metre retail showroom space on the ground floor. There is now a viewing gallery and a rooftop garden which will be open to the public.

The east facing motorway level advertising screen, which had faced the roundabout and the Thorney Hedge Road and Wellesley Road conservation areas has also been removed and the west facing screen has been reduced in size.

A new glazed grand entrance, on Gunnersbury Avenue has been added and the car park has been relocated from the surface to a basement level.

The scheme incorporates a number of sustainablity measures including solar shading, borehole cooling and rainwater harvesting.

Kim Gottlieb, Managing Director, London & Bath Estates said, “Over the past year we have taken on board a range of comments, made some significant design changes and resolved the critical issue of highway safety. I am confident that we now have a scheme that is right for Hounslow Council and for the local area."

May 22, 2011