Vistry Selected as Council's Partner for Gurnell Development
Company will build over 300 flats in the residential part of the scheme
A visualisation of some of the flats in the development . Picture: Ealing Council
March 18, 2026
Ealing Council has selected Countryside Properties UK Ltd, part of the housebuilding group Vistry, as its preferred development partner for more than 300 new affordable flats planned as part of the long-awaited redevelopment of Gurnell Leisure Centre. The appointment marks a significant step forward for a project that has been stalled for years and has faced repeated public opposition, planning setbacks and concerns over the scale of development on Metropolitan Open Land.
The council confirmed that Countryside will lead the residential phase of the scheme, which sits alongside a new leisure centre to replace the 1970s-built facility that closed in 2020. Detailed planning permission has already been granted for the leisure centre and surrounding parkland, while outline permission is in place for the housing element. Countryside expects to submit a Reserved Matters application later this year.
The 13.2-hectare site, located between Ruislip Road East and Argyle Road, forms part of the council’s wider ambition to create a new west London Regional Park stretching into Hounslow. The Gurnell homes and leisure centre would sit at the heart of this green corridor, with the council arguing that the redevelopment will improve public access to open space and modernise a key community asset.
The Gurnell project has a fraught history. A previous version of the scheme, brought forward jointly by Ealing Council and EcoWorld London, was withdrawn in 2021 after widespread objections and a recommendation for refusal from planning officers. Critics argued that the proposed tower blocks were too tall, would harm protected open land and would not deliver enough affordable housing.
Countryside’s appointment signals a fresh attempt to move the project forward, but the company itself has been involved in several controversial schemes in Ealing and beyond. The developer previously partnered with the council on the South Acton Estate regeneration, later rebranded as Acton Gardens, a long-running project that has delivered thousands of new homes but has also faced some criticism over the loss of social housing, the scale of demolition and the treatment of existing residents during decanting. Vistry, through Countryside, has also been involved in major regeneration schemes in Hounslow, Barking & Dagenham, Barnet and Greenwich, some of which have attracted scrutiny over build quality, cladding issues and the balance between private and affordable housing.
Despite this, Ealing Council leader Peter Mason said the Gurnell partnership would deliver “safe, warm places where local families can build better lives” and argued that the scheme demonstrates the council’s commitment to ensuring regeneration benefits residents. Vistry West London managing director Nick Churcher described the appointment as an opportunity to deliver “much-needed high-quality affordable housing at scale” and said the redevelopment would have a “transformational impact” on the community.
The application later this year will reveal the final design, height and layout of the flats.
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