The London Borough of Hounslow approved plans by Duggan Morris Architects for the redevelopment of a riverside site in Brentford. The project, a joint venture between the developer Bluescape Ltd and Topland Group PLC, proposes 193 new market sale homes. A resident’s gym, cinema room and a commercial unit accommodating a riverside café facing Waterman’s Park.
_
The Site is located on the northern bank of the River Thames and currently contains two attached buildings in the form of Max Factor House, an underutilised office building, and Waterman’s Arts Centre, a multi-use facility containing a theatre, cinema, cafés and art galleries. The site is linked to the redevelopment of a former Police Station site in Brentford that will accommodate a new re-provided Arts Centre, closer and more convenient to the Town Centre, along with an affordable housing component, designed by Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects.
Albany Riverside represents an exciting opportunity to enhance environmental quality and townscape through the delivery of a high quality optimised supply of new housing in an extremely sought after location. This attunes with the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the London Plan, the LBH Local Plan and policies of the Unitary Development Plan.
The buildings and landscaping have been developed in relation to the specifics of their locale, as a collective and cohesive whole, whilst also giving careful consideration to the quality of the internal accommodation. As proposed, the public realm will benefit from significant enhancements to both streetscape and river path, as well as enlivened frontages with multiple entrances and positive overlooking. It is intended that the proposed halo of enhancement to Waterman’s Park will create a fully accessible river path to wheelchair users and those with pushchairs.
It is considered that the proposals will promote local distinctiveness and are of a scale and form that carefully curate and bring definition to the journey along Brentford High Street as seen from afar and in close proximity, yet avoid adverse visual impact to the Royal Botanic Gardens, a World Heritage Site.
