Commendation for best brownfield development
Locked together
After the closure in the 1980s of the former British Waterways depot at Brentford Lock, where the Grand Union Canal meets the River Brent (not to be confused with the nearby Brentford Dock on the River Thames, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as an interchange with the Great Western Railway), the Lock remained derelict for years until developers began showing interest in its little-known site of eight acres of land and water hidden behind Brentford High Street.
The years of delay in bringing forward the site for redevelopment was because British Waterways wanted to retain control of the canal and the quality of any development. First, it commissioned an investigation of the contaminated site from Taylor Woodrow, who also advised on its remediation, and it asked chartered surveyors Drivers Jonas to advise on the development potential of the lock, and then to secure planning permission, market the site to attract a development partner, structure an appropriate joint venture, and sell the site on a 999-year lease to developers, but retaining the freehold and receiving overage on the sales of the new homes.
The first sign that anything was happening was on 11 May 2000 when English Heritage gave a Grade 11 listing to the single-storey Toll House built in 1911 to collect tolls from barges and boats wishing to pass through the paired locks – Thames Lock 100 and 101 – on their way to or from the Thames or the River Brent. Not really a house, it has an entrance lobby, a manager’s office, a clerk’s office and a washroom. It has now been restored for possible use as a tearoom.
Then, on 20 April 2001, the London Borough of Hounslow granted planning consent for a mixed-use residential and commercial development that would create 343 new homes, shops, restaurants, a pub, a hotel and moorings for narrow boats, which was to be carried out by a partnership between British Waterways, St George and Charles Church. At this time, the Grand Union Canal Conservation Area was designated to conserve its historic interest and character.
St George West London opted to develop 150 apartments for sale in three blocks, including 30 units for Notting Hill Housing Group to sell on a shared-ownership basis to key workers, but by 31 October 2002, with more than 70 per cent of its apartments sold, St George had also sold its 50-per-cent stake in Brentford Lock Limited (its joint venture with Charles Church) to Crest Nicholson.
This restructured joint venture went on to develop 173 apartments and 20 riverside houses on the large island in the middle of the lock basin, which is reached by a causeway from Brentford High Street and has the Grand Union Canal on one side and the River Brent on the other. These houses and apartments are illustrated here and have been sold at prices ranging from £250,000 for a one-bedroom apartment with a terrace or balcony up to £825,000 for a four-bedroom riverside house and garden. The open-plan layouts make for flexibility, especially in the house, which can have their living rooms on the ground or first floor, as shown here.
HomeBuilder: CHARLES CHURCH SOUTHERN LIMITED
Charles Church House, Knoll Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3TQ
Tel 01276 808080 Fax 01276 808081
Contact: Chris Warner, Sales Director
Email: chris.warner@charles-church.co.uk
Website: www.charles-church.co.uk
in a joint venture with
CREST NICHOLSON (LONDON) LIMITED
Trinity Place, 21-29 Thames Street, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8JG
Tel 01932 840999 Fax 01932 844550
Contact: Graham Holland, Sales Director
Email: gholland@crestnicholson.com
Website: www.crestnicholson.com
Architects: ACANTHUS LAWRENCE & WRIGHTSON
Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, Chiswick, London W4 4PN
Tel 020 8994 2288 Fax 020 8747 9001
Contact: Charles Lawrence, Principal
Email: design@alwarchitects.co.uk
Website: www.alwarchitects.co.uk