Affordable Housing Reduced in Greenock Road Tower

Council persuaded to allow changes to 18-storey building after viability review

A visualisation of the approved scheme on Greenock Road from the planning submission

January 23, 2026

Ealing Council’s Planning Committee has approved significant changes to redevelopment proposal for 8–10 Greenock Road in South Acton, giving the green light to an 18-storey mixed-use tower after revisiting the scheme’s affordable-housing offer.

The application returned to committee this Wednesday (21 January) because the developer sought to revise the affordable-housing provision originally agreed in February 2024. At that time, the scheme included on-site affordable homes. However, updated viability evidence submitted by the applicant showed that the development could no longer support that level of provision in the current economic climate. Independent consultants appointed by the council confirmed that the project is in deficit and that the maximum reasonable contribution the scheme could sustain was a £1 million payment in lieu.

Councillors accepted the revised offer, concluding that refusing it risked leaving the site stalled indefinitely. The £1 million contribution will be ring-fenced for affordable housing delivery elsewhere in the borough, with early- and late-stage viability reviews built into the Section 106 agreement to capture any future uplift in value.

The previous plans met the council’s 35 per cent affordable homes target for new developments. However, this will now be missed entirely.

The money to be paid equates to £23,000 per affordable home lost in the new plans. This point was raised by Councillor Chris Summers at the meeting who said: “I just think we’ve been sold a very bad deal, I mean, 43 units in that block of flats, they’re now going to be able to sell for market value. That’s got to be an awful lot more than £1 million.

“I know the scheme was unviable, but I don’t understand how we’ve gone from 43 units to £1 million – which is not going to be able to build us many affordable units at all elsewhere… how have we got to £1 million?”

Responding to his question, a council officer said, “We don’t assess the equivalence value of the affordable housing that was initially proposed, rather we look at the viability of the entire development…

“It is a deficit scheme, so it’s still not making money in plain terms, so the applicant has proposed a commercial offer… to perhaps consider future economic conditions and take a risk on their part. They have said they will contribute £1 million even though the viability of this scheme is not resulting in a profit.”

With the viability issue resolved, the committee voted to approve the development, which will deliver a stepped building rising to 18 storeys, containing 124 flats, flexible industrial floorspace, a café, landscaped amenity areas and associated servicing space. The scheme also includes improvements to Greenock Road, which is currently unadopted, and contributes to wider public-realm upgrades planned across the South Acton LSIS.

Objectors had reiterated concerns about the height of the tower, which exceeds the 15-storey guideline set out in the South Acton LSIS Masterplan. Residents from Chiswick streets on the opposite side of the railway tracks, including Temple and Weston Roads, argued that the additional height would intensify overshadowing and alter the character of the area, particularly for homes around Stanley Road and Palmerston Road. Others expressed disappointment at the loss of on-site affordable housing, questioning whether a financial contribution could deliver equivalent social value.

Concerns were also raised about the co-location of industrial and residential uses, with some fearing that new homes could lead to future complaints about noise and heavy-goods movements, potentially constraining long-established businesses in the area.

Planning officers acknowledged these issues but said the scheme’s benefits — including an uplift in industrial floorspace, new public realm, wider pavements, street trees, and improved access — justified the height and supported the strategic aims of the London Plan and Ealing’s emerging Local Plan. They noted that the Masterplan allows limited height breaches where developments deliver wider infrastructure improvements.

The application will now proceed to GLA Stage II sign-off, after which the Section 106 agreement will be finalised and the developer can move toward demolition and construction.

Written with contributions from Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter