Building Near Hanger Lane Gyratory to Be Converted into Flats

West Africa House on Ashbourne Road has been mostly empty for a number of years. However, Ealing Council has now granted planning permission with a draft legal agreement – meaning once the final legal agreement has been secured work can begin on the site.

The building was the former home of the Bank of British West Africa, a financial institution operating across Britain ’s West African colonies.

The building will become home to 36 flats. This includes two studio flats, 30 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats.

The documents do not indicate whether the homes are for rent or market sale, and it is unclear whether any will be affordable. The development will provide nine car parking spaces, in addition to four blue badge spaces.

To promote sustainable transport, the developer must install two electric vehicle charging points.

The cycle store requires a “minimum of 55 long-stay spaces”. There will also be two short-stay cycle parking spaces.

There are currently a number of retail units operating out of the ground floor of the site. These units will be retained in the new-look block of flats.

The three-storey high building is located in the Hanger Hill (Haymills) Estates Conservation Area, but is not a listed building. Planning documents indicate that the external appearance of the building will not change and therefore the development is unlikely to impact the character of the conservation area.

The site falls also falls within a Controlled Parking Zone. This means that residents will not be able to apply for parking permits to park outside of the development’s nine spaces.

During the public consultation, Ealing Council received representations from the Hangar Hill (Haymills Estate) CA Panel. The panel described the plans as “a reasonable new use for the property”.

Some of the conditions attached to the approval include the requirement for the developer to create a construction management plan which must be approved by the council. This is to reduce any disturbance caused by the work on nearby residents.

Site work will be restricted to between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. The plans are now subject to a final legal agreement however the development looks set to go ahead.

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter

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