By Scarlett O’Malley
January 13 2020, 14.10
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The company responsible for the planned high-rise flats behind Perivale’s famous Hoover Building unveiled their revised designs to residents this weekend.
AmroLiving held a two-day consultation at the Royal Nawaab restaurant on the Hoover Building site, disclosing plans to still build a 15-storey rental block.
Ealing Council rejected their initial plan for a 22-storey tower in September last year, after a great deal of opposition from the people of Perivale.
Elaine Grundy, creator of a Change.org petition opposing the build, said: “Apparently they reduced the extra seven storeys because it would have been seen from the front of the Hoover building.
“I said but you’d still be able to see the tower from elsewhere and they didn’t deny it.
“I asked about extra school places, GP practices etc. and they said they’d provide money. I said but money doesn’t give you physical space.”
Mrs Grundy, a Perivale resident, added that there would only be 45 car parking spaces for the proposed 280 flats.
AmroLiving, who are calling the project The Wiltern, plan to build an Art Deco style development of 1, 2 and 3 bed-flats to stay in-keeping with the Hoover Building’s aesthetic where the site’s petrol station is situated.
The build would implement an affordable housing provision agreed by Ealing Council, reducing 35% of the flat’s rental fees for those on lower incomes or who work within key services.
The original plan was refused by Ealing Council’s Planning Committee on September 18, 2018 on the grounds that the ‘excessive height’ of the block would be visually intrusive behind the Grade II* listed Hoover Building.
However, the company previously stated they would not be able to make the building any lower as it would not be commercially viable.
AmroLiving’s Managing Director Raj Kotecha said: “We think the revised plans respond to the concerns the residents had, in particular on height and the scale of the building.
“We are aware that residents are also concerned about traffic congestion in the area, so we’ve done further surveys and we are confident that once the petrol station is replaced by a residential building, there’s going to be a substantial reduction in traffic.”
There are currently four other developments proposed, within the planning stages or currently being built within a two-mile radius of the Hoover Building, adding to residents’ worries of overcrowding, pollution and weakening infrastructure.
Real estate developer Greystar are currently working on 379 apartments as the first phase of the Greenford Quay development, which will see 1,965 new homes across seven main buildings.
EcoWorld property developer has proposed to build seven tower blocks between six and 17 storeys high, creating 612 new homes on the Greenford- West Ealing border.
Residential property group A2Dominion has had approved planning permission in West Ealing on Hastings Road for 7 blocks, creating 183 new homes between 3 and 25 storeys high.
The fourth development, situated just across the road from the Hoover Building site, is also run by A2Dominion.
The company plans on building a 9 storey tower, comprised of 57 flats but they will only be offering five disabled car parking spaces and 110 cycle spaces.
Ealing resident Chris Sinnock, who attended the AmroLiving consultation this weekend, said: “There are some improvements, however we still feel that it is still quite out of character with the area.
“The major concern is around the cumulative effect of all these high-rise buildings in the borough.”
Mr Sinnock only found out about the AmroLiving consultation through social media and said he felt worried that the council had not made residents aware.
Perivale resident and architect Vinesh Pomal said while the style AmroLiving has put forward is good, he believes Perivale does not have the infrastructure to deal with such a development.
Mr Pomel said: “The trains are packed in the mornings, it’s really hard to get an appointment at your local GP surgeries day to day and the local roads even in the evenings and nights are packed.”
He added: “The architects have done a great job and ambitions are there, but the area can’t deal with it.”
A new petition against the 15-storey tower has been created and can be found here.
