Developer Avanton been granted go-ahead by the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick for their new £250m (GDV) urban-village development located on the 4.45 acre former Homebase site off Manor Road in London’s Richmond.
The urban-village will provide 453 apartments and penthouses, of which 173 homes will be affordable and the balance for private sale.
A spokesperson for Avanton said: “Avanton is delighted that the new urban-village in Richmond has been granted the go-ahead with the Secretary of State upholding the Mayor of London’s planning approval. Avanton purchased the Homebase site three years ago and after the initial plans to build 385 units were rejected by the local authority the Mayor of London granted consent for the 453 unit urban-village.
“The new urban-village will create a collection of high quality private sale homes and will also have a transformative effect on access to affordable housing in Richmond, providing the same as the total number of new affordable homes that have been delivered in the entire borough over the last three years.”
Avanton acquired the Homebase site in 2018 and submitted planning for a new urban-village scheme which Richmond Council initially refused in 2019. The Mayor of London intervened and called the scheme in, and in October 2020 planning permission was granted. However due to the high number of local comments, the scheme was referred to the Secretary of State who has now confirmed that he does not wish to call in the application and is content that it should be determined by the Mayor of London and Greater London Authority, meaning that the planning approval stands and the development can go-ahead.
The existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with four new buildings between four and 11 storeys tall. The buildings are designed around large piazzas and tree lined boulevards and the development is complete with a linear pocket-park to the Western boundary of the scheme, car parking and cycle bays.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, commenting on the scheme, said: “This site is well-connected, under-utilised, previously developed land that is exactly the kind of site we need to intensify if we are to develop in a sustainable manner, protect the green belt, and deliver the homes Londoners need.”
