Quick Start for Burlington Lane Judicial Review Fundraiser

Old Chiswick Protection Society seeking support for legal challenge

A visualisation from planning documents of how the building would look behind St. Nicholas Church

March 28, 2026

The Old Chiswick Protection Society (OCPS) has launched a fundraiser to cover the costs of a Judicial Review challenge to Hounslow Council’s approval of a 42-metre residential tower at 1 Burlington Lane.

Within just two days the campaign has already raised more than a quarter of its £25,000 target. Over twenty donors have contributed so far, including actress Imogen Stubbs.

The development at the centre of the controversy would replace the existing 24-metre building with a 10-storey tower almost twice its height. Opponents argue that the scale and bulk of the new structure overshadow listed buildings and protected view in Chiswick most historic area, and permanently alter one of the last largely unspoilt stretches of Thames-side London.

The scheme is largely residential but includes only 6% affordable housing, far below Hounslow’s 35% target. Critics say this undermines the public benefit case for a building of such height in a sensitive conservation setting, particularly as none of the affordable units would be located on the upper floors. Supporters of the development, however, point to London’s acute housing pressures and argue that the site is a prominent, well-connected location suitable for intensification. Hounslow Council’s planning committee determined that the benefits of the scheme outweighed the harms to local heritage assets.

The planning application attracted objections from a wide range of civic and heritage bodies, including Historic England, Hounslow’s own Conservation Officer, the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond upon Thames, Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, Hogarth House Trust, and hundreds of residents. Despite this, Hounslow’s Planning Committee approved the scheme, and the Mayor of London later declined to intervene.

OCPS is now seeking a Judicial Review, arguing that the Council acted unlawfully by failing to take into account the conclusions of a previous Planning Inspector who had kept the building at its current height. The Society says the principle of consistency was not observed and that councillors were wrongly advised that they did not need to give weight to the Inspector’s findings or explain why they were departing from them. The Judicial Review is described by OCPS as the last opportunity to prevent the development in its approved form.

A visualisation of the building as seen from Hogarth Roundabout

To pursue the case, the Society must raise substantial legal funds. As a small charity, it says it cannot meet the costs alone, prompting the launch of the JustGiving campaign that has already attracted significant early backing. Supporters frame the issue as a defence of Old Chiswick’s historic character and the riverside landscape enjoyed by thousands of Londoners and visitors each year.

To donate to the fundraiser click here.