St James has today (20 May 2015) secured a resolution to grant planning permission from the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham for a new development with up to 1,465 homes in White City.
Currently occupied by a Marks & Spencer warehouse, the 4.2 hectare (10 acre) brownfield site will be transformed into a residential neighbourhood set in a new 4 acre public park White City Green. This open space will be fully funded by St James and provide opportunities for a range of leisure and recreational activities and events.
The whole development aims to deliver up to 1,465 new homes, along with commercial, office, community and leisure space. It will bring £615m of investment, create 620 jobs in construction, 350 permanent jobs on completion, and deliver just over 30% affordable housing on and off site.
Award-winning architectural practice, Patel Taylor, was appointed as the architect, masterplanner and landscape architect to develop proposals for the site following a design competition. The concept of "Living in the Park" will inform all the place-making, while the massing and architectural detail of the buildings creates a series of unique settings across the site.
A new bridge and pedestrian deck across the Central Line will improve connectivity from Wood Lane and provide direct access to Westfield London to the south. The pedestrian deck also provides an enhanced setting for BBC Television Centre.
St James worked very closely with the local community through an extensive nine-month engagement programme. Workshops, site visits, one to one meetings and public exhibitions all shaped the final proposals.
The developer also involved the local secondary school, Phoenix High School, supporting students to put forward their masterplans for White City Green through a series of design and regeneration workshops.
The Marks and Spencer Warehouse is due to be vacated in July 2016 and construction is planned to start at the earliest opportunity. The scheme will be delivered in a number of phases over a 15 year period.