The Hounslow Council Planning Committee was scheduled to meet on 4 December 2025, to discuss planning application P/2025/0794 for 389 Chiswick High Road. The application requests permission for alterations to, and a change of use of, the Chiswick Tower site.

The meeting was also scheduled to cover declarations of interest, and the minutes from the meeting held on 6 November 2025¹.

389 Chiswick High Road

The Planning Committee were scheduled to consider planning application P/2025/0794, which requests:

• Alterations to, and change of use of, Chiswick Tower to provide 394 rooms of shared living accommodation² and 486 sqm co-working space.
• Demolition of the existing two-storey annex to provide 23 residential units within a new nine-storey plus basement building.
• Children's play space and amenity space.
• Public realm improvements.
• Gunnersbury Station entrance improvements.
• Landscaping and other associated works.

The planning application was recommended for approval subject to conditions and the completion of a Section 106 Agreement³ and a Section 278 Agreement⁴.

The report pack notes that the application is considered to be a major application with significant public interest, which would require a legal deed if approved.

The report pack notes that the emerging Hounslow Local Plan 2020-2041, which is under review, has allocated Gunnersbury Station and Car Park as an area for 60 residential units and 2,160 sqm commercial space. The site for this proposal would only cover the northern part.

The report pack also notes that the site is within an Archaeological Priority Area, and that the area next to the railway line is within a London Underground Zone of Interest. Part of the site, which is also adjacent to the railway line, is classified as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. The site has a Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) of 5, indicating very good connectivity to public transport services. The land along the railway and immediately adjacent falls within Flood Zone 3, while the rest of the site falls within Flood Zone 1.

The report pack details relevant planning history for the site, including a prior approval for the change of use from office Use Class E to residential Use Class C3 to create 181 residential units and ancillary residential floorspace, which was approved on 2 May 2025.

The report pack notes that the applicant has engaged with the council through a Planning Performance Agreement since 2024, and that multiple meetings and two Design Review Panels have been held.

The report pack states that the applicant has carried out a high-level feasibility study for potential station improvements to Gunnersbury Station to determine whether safeguarding some area within the site would be sufficient for station improvements. The station improvements do not form part of the current proposal, but as part of the development, the applicant has agreed to facilitate future station improvements by safeguarding sufficient land to allow works to take place. The existing constraints at this station are that it is not step-free and the current facilities do not meet the station's demand, particularly during peak hours. The study aims at creating a station with prominent and enlarged entrances, reorganised and generous concourse, clear and uniform public passageway, lift access for accessibility benefits, additional stair and alleviation of platform pinchpoints. Two designs, referred to as the Baseline Design and the Enhanced Design, have been presented.

The report pack notes that 284 neighbours, the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society, and the Old Chiswick Protection Society were notified on 10 April 2025. Four objections and two conditional support comments were received, including comments from Andy Slaughter MP and Ruth Cadbury MP, and from the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society.

The report pack includes summaries of the comments received:

• Andy Slaughter MP objected to the application because it fails to secure improvements for Gunnersbury Station, not just for step-free access but also capacity improvements, and that the co-living and annex development will only add more pressure to the station.
• Ruth Cadbury MP objected to the application as it adds further passenger pressure on Gunnersbury Station without providing essential additional passenger capacity and step-free access.
• The West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society supported the site-wide strategy to facilitate the opportunity for TfL and Network Rail to comprehensively redevelop Gunnersbury Station to improve capacity and introduce step-free access, and supported the phased development which delays the development of the car parks to provide for TfL and Network Rail to deliver the necessary improvements. They raised concerns about how the two-year option on the land to the rear of the development for TfL to consider appropriate improvements for the station aligns with the proposed completion of the Phase 1 development by 2029, and requested a clause in the Legal Agreement for a phasing plan of the whole site to prevent the premature development of the wider site in advance of delivery of the station improvements. They supported all apartments in the annex building being social housing, and had no objection in principle to the conversion of the tower to co-living, but concern that it would give rise to a significant increase in light pollution. They also raised concerns that outdoor space for co-living residents will receive little sun and will be exposed frequently to high winds, and welcomed the proposed improvements to the public realm around the station entrance and the addition of a linear park and play space at the northern end of the western car park but concern about the impact of wind on the comfort level. They requested a condition on any planning permission that the glass doors across the pedestrian access to the western car park deck are permanently retained and maintained, and requested a clause in the Legal Agreement on any planning permission that secures public access in perpetuity along the pedestrian and cycle route from the Chiswick High Road entrance of Gunnersbury Station across the western car park top deck to Wellesley Road. They requested that they are involved/consulted on any art-work proposed for the public realm, and that this is covered by Condition, and that the provision of active frontages and hard and soft landscaping at the front of both parts of the development on the Chiswick High Road will be a significant improvement to the public realm, and requested that such landscaping is extended eastward as far as the railway bridge. They also requested that the maintenance and lighting of Wellesley Road Access Route is regularised after the development, and that the developer make a substantial financial contribution, secured by Legal Agreement, to the station improvements to be carried out by TfL/Network Rail. They supported moving the bus-stop a short distance west to allow the 440 bus to stop outside the station, provided that there is no reduction in the size of the bus shelter, and agreed that Wellesley Road should not be used by construction traffic.
• TfL recommended that the applicant undertake a detailed feasibility study during the Option Agreement period, followed by the safeguarding period and this should be secured in the s106 agreement. They stated that the proposals include a new temporary pedestrian and cycle route from Wellesley Road (Cycleway 9) to Gunnersbury Station through the proposed linear park along the existing car park, improving access to the station and is in line with London Plan policy T2 (Healthy Streets), and that the applicant should confirm that even when this site is redeveloped, pedestrian and cycle access will be maintained to Wellesley Road. They also stated that the increase in the size of the station forecourt and allowing a wider access route to the station alongside additional greenery, seating and play space around the will improve station access and wayfinding, and that the applicant should be responsible for the funding and delivery of new London Underground station roundels on Chiswick High Road, and this should be secured by condition or planning obligation. They will seek a contribution of £50,000 to refurbish the A4 underpass, and recommended that at least 20% of long-stay cycle storage are provided as Sheffield stands at standard spacing. They also raised concerns that the location of the cycle hub is tucked away and is a significant distance from the building entrances, and stated that all cycle parking should be designed and laid out in accordance with the guidance contained in Chapter 8 of the LCDS, and that this should all be secured by condition. They are supportive of a slightly reduced blue badge provision subject to securing a Car Parking Management Plan (CPMP) which should detail how blue badge parking will be allocated, managed, enforced, and monitored, and where additional spaces could be provided should demand arise, and that electric vehicle charging points are required to be provided in accordance with London Plan Standards, and this should be secured by condition.
• Network Rail stated that they do not currently have funding available to redevelop or upgrade the station, and that the feasibility study must be delivered by the applicant and must consider the impact of the proposed development on the station and potential enhancement options. They also stated that once the agreement between TFL and the developer has been agreed in terms of the daily uplift in London Underground and Overground trips, TfL in communication with NR will be able to calculate a contribution to deliver improvements at Gunnersbury Station, and that property and access rights required for any future station upgrades must be protected.
• The NHS requested a section 106 financial contribution of £142,000 in order to help facilitate the delivery of the expanding, upgrading, reconfiguring and digitalising local clinical spaces and to provide sufficient capital to improve NHS capacity in the area and subsequently accommodate the future population growth which would be created by this proposal.

The report pack also includes summaries of comments from National Highways, the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the Metropolitan Police, Historic England, the Greater London Authority, and the Health and Safety Executive.

The report pack lists the relevant planning policies to be considered, including the National Planning Policy Framework, the London Plan, and the Hounslow Local Plan.

The report pack includes an assessment of the proposal, covering topics such as the acceptability in principle, design and heritage, housing quality, impact on amenity, transport, ecology, and sustainability.

The report pack notes that the applicant has a fallback position on this site, and the proposal has prominent community benefits by retaining a part of the site for future Gunnersbury Station improvement.

The report pack states that the applicant would be approved with a legal agreement and conditions to ensure it would not result in unacceptable harm to the area, neighbours and ecology and would be sustainable and resilient.

Other Matters

The agenda also included an addendum report, and the date of the next meeting, scheduled for 8 January 2026.