Hounslow Council has approved the latest phase of the Wireless Factory redevelopment in Isleworth, allowing 111 new homes to be built, none of which will be affordable. The decision, made at a planning committee meeting, follows an independent viability review that identified a £2.794 million deficit for the developer, making affordable housing unviable.
Viability review and affordable housing clause
The review determined that including affordable units would render the project financially unfeasible. However, as in the first phase, the Section 106 legal agreement includes a clause permitting a registered provider to use grant funding to convert the blocks into 100 per cent affordable housing. This conversion depends on securing external funding, which has not yet been achieved and cannot be guaranteed at the planning stage.
Of the 111 homes approved, the breakdown includes 47 one-bedroom flats, 53 two-bedroom flats, and 11 three-bedroom flats. The scheme does not include any four-bedroom homes, despite council officers attempting to increase the number of family-sized units beyond the three-bedroom allotment. The council did manage to secure five additional three-bedroom flats compared to the original plans.
Councillor concerns over affordability and design
Cllr Guy Lambert voiced strong opposition to the lack of affordable housing. He told the planning committee: “This is the third housing application that I’ve sat on where we’ve got a policy that will be 40 per cent, 45 per cent, 20 per cent - they vary according to who you’re talking to - affordable. And, the answer to all of them is 'no affordable housing', and it's always because the developers can’t afford it… turning old warehouses into new flats is a very profitable business in my opinion. I think that wool is being pulled over our eyes by the industry, so I will not support this.”
Cllr Tony Louki, Labour Chief Whip, criticised the developers for omitting balconies and play areas. He said: “I think they’re getting off lightly, developers, when they don’t put play equipment in and they don’t put balconies on every block.”
Scheme details and site context
The development will demolish Units 1-4 and 7-8 of the factory, formerly known as Victory Business Centre. Block A will be a six-storey U-shaped building, while Block B will be a part-three, part-four, and part-five storey structure. To protect the privacy of neighbouring residents, the developers opted for a stepped profile.
This is the third phase of the wider redevelopment of the site, with phases one and two currently under construction, totalling 104 homes. The site is designated as a 'Locally Significant Industrial Site', meaning residential development would not ordinarily be supported. However, officers deemed the loss of commercial space acceptable because over half of the site was vacant and underutilised.
Parking and final vote
The development will provide nine parking spaces, four of which are reserved for blue badge holders. It is expected to create a parking overspill of 59 cars onto surrounding streets. To address this, the developer will contribute £400,000 to consult on and implement a controlled parking zone across the Worton Estate.
Councillors voted in favour of the plans, with 10 approving. Cllr Louki and Cllr Craig Owen abstained, and Cllr Lambert voted against. The decision allows the project to proceed, with the affordable housing conversion clause remaining dependent on future grant funding.
