New plans to build more than 800 homes on a town centre supermarket site have been submitted to Redbridge Council’s planning team.
Five tower blocks between 36 and 16 storeys high are being proposed in a development named Chapel Place, on Sainsbury’s site in Roden Street, Ilford.
The towers will contain 837 “predominantly build-to-rent” homes and 447 student rooms, 35% of which will be affordable.
Joint developers Telford Homes and Sainsbury’s submitted the plans on July 12, proposing nearly 6,800sq m of “garden area” with ground floor commercial units for retail, workspace or leisure.
A CGI view of how the towers will look from Ilford station\'s entrance. Image: HTA
The new plans come only four years after a controversial application for the site, to build more than 600 homes, was approved after intervention from the secretary of state for communities and local government Sajid Javid. That application expired before construction started.
Architect HTA describes the proposal as a “high quality mixed-use scheme” that will create a “new green space” as a focal point for the area.
It adds: “The proposed development seeks to make best use of this underutilised town centre location to deliver a high-quality residential-led mixed-use development, together with significant public realm and landscaping enhancements.
“The varying heights respond to the surrounding context, whilst the design has sought to utilise distinguishing detailing and expression in order to create a sense of identity and character for each building.
A CGI image of the public realm area at the centre of the proposed plans. Image: HTA
“The scheme includes a significant central green space, which residents of the development and members of the local community alike can access and enjoy.”
At the northern edge of the site, bordering Chapel Road, the tallest block will be higher than Pioneer Point’s 33 storeys, while a row of new terraced houses will border the southern edge of the site.
According to the architect, this will create a link between the “fine grain” of the terraced residential neighbourhoods and the “taller buildings to the north”.
The public have been consulted through a website, two adverts in the Ilford Recorder, leaflets to 6,000 people, virtual consultation meetings in July last year and “workshops” for residents of Riverdene and Audrey Road.
The controversial previous application for the same site that expired after being approved by the Secretary of State. Image: HTA
According to the figures provided, in total 62 people either attended those meetings or provided feedback.
On the consultation website, the developers admit that the previous scheme had a number of shortcomings, including only 4% affordable housing.
The website says: “Several years on, Sainsbury’s has identified a number of areas where the plans could be improved, including better connectivity, new opportunities for placemaking, increased affordable housing, and enhancing the quality of the residential accommodation.”
Overall, the developers are promising 35% of the homes will be affordable, although the plans do not make clear exactly how exactly this will be distributed between the build-to-rent and student accommodation.
A CGI of the entrance to the site. Image: HTA
A breakdown of the build-to-rent homes shows 34% will be one bed, 47% two or three bed, 13% three bed, and 6% studios. The affordable homes will be 31% three or four bed, with one to two beds homes evenly split.
Further details can be found on the consultation website, at www.chapelplaceilford.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here