It will not look so great if you already live in the area in places like Green Dragon Lane, Stile Hall Gardens and Strand on the Green.Contrary to national, Greater London Authority and London Borough of Hounslow planning guidelines and establishe public policy, the new development contains no social or affordable housing. It is also higher and much more dense than is normally allowed.It is a classic case of squeezing a quart into half- pint pot or, in this instance, into a half-pint plot..Due to their high cost, height and lack of car parking, and unsuitability for families, these luxury high rise apartments are most likely to be bought by overseas investors such as Chinese, Russians, Azeris, Arabs, Kazakhs or Nigerians. They will not provide homes for many Londoners.The reason for this is that the site has to include for 910 high rise apartments and a 160 bedroom hotel in order to fund a 20,000 seater football stadium costing £70 million.If the sites for the apartments are worth £100,000 each and the site for the hotel is worth £10 million, then the owner of the site could make £101 million, thanks to Hounslow's Labour Council approving this application without insisting on social or affordable housing or a lower or less dense development. Similar large profits will be made by the developers such as Willmott Dixon when they build and sell the apartments and the hotel. The Labour Party is putting private profit before the public interest.
David Giles ● 4385d