Ballymore and Sainsbury’s have submitted a planning application for a major canalside neighbourhood in Ladbroke Grove.
The proposed new neighbourhood has been designed to deliver 2,519 new homes, of which at least 500 will be affordable, plus two parks and a local high street with a reinstated, historic canal basin at its heart. Plans also include over 90,000 sq ft of high street shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a new Sainsbury’s Supermarket (130,000 sq ft).
The proposed neighbourhood would deliver much-needed new homes for London on a 19-acre brownfield site which has already allocated for development by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the GLA / Mayor of London.
John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, said: “Kensal Canalside is one of the last remaining major brownfield sites to be developed in London and the largest in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The scale and location of the site – in one of London’s 48 Opportunity Areas – presents a real opportunity to create a thoughtfully designed, accessible and sustainable canalside neighbourhood with strong transport links.
“There are over 3,000 households on RBKC’s housing waiting list. Our proposals will make a positive and significant contribution towards reducing that figure. Kensal Canalside will provide a significant number of much-needed homes, plus a variety of retail spaces as well as open green spaces and a community leisure and amenity space that our residents and the local people can enjoy.”
Bordering the Grand Union Canal to the north and railway tracks to the south, the site is part of the Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area, identified in the Mayor’s London Plan.
Situated around 15 minutes’ walk from four tube stations (Kensal Green, Kensal Rise, Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park), the plans encourage sustainable travel with new bus stops, pedestrian links and cycle routes and improved access to the canalside path.
Patrick Dunne, Group Property and Procurement Director, Sainsbury’s, adds: “The development of the Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area will revitalise a key brownfield site in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, delivering places for people to live, work, shop and relax, and providing a significant boost to the local economy.”
The development will create a minimum of 2,000 permanent long-term jobs and provide a significant boost to the local economy, amounting to approximately £37m annually. The scheme will also deliver funding for social infrastructure within the local community such as healthcare and schools.
If planning is successful, the 11-year construction programme is estimated to start in 2025 with the first homes delivered in 2030, along with the new Sainsbury’s store and the neighbourhood centre around the restored canal basin.
