The Ealing Council Planning Committee met on Wednesday 22 October 2025, to discuss a modification to a planning obligation relating to The Castle Hotel, and two planning applications for Mount Close and the International Trading Estate. The committee also had to approve the minutes from a previous meeting, and note site visit attendance.

International Trading Estate, Trident Way, Southall

The committee was scheduled to consider a planning application for the International Trading Estate on Trident Way, Southall. The application sought permission for site clearance, including demolition of all existing buildings, and redevelopment of the site. The proposed development included:

• Four data centre units within three buildings of approximately 67.9m Above Ordnance Datum (AOD) in height (Use Class B8¹, approximately 158,702sqm gross external area (GEA))
• Four industrial buildings ranging from approximately 41.3m to 46.2m AOD in height (Use Classes B8, B2 and E(g)(iii)², approximately 23,389 GEA)
• A central pavilion building of approximately 35m AOD in height (Use Class E(b), approximately 223 GEA)
• Two substations (38.05m AOD in height)
• Associated plant, enclosures and necessary physical security systems
• Internal roads, servicing, circulation, car and cycle parking
• Hard and soft landscaping works

The application was accompanied by an Environmental Statement for the purposes of Environmental Impact Assessment.

The planning officer's report noted that the site forms part of a Locally Significant Industrial Site (LSIS) within the Southall Opportunity Area, where policy strongly supports industrial intensification. The report stated that the proposal would optimise the use of this brownfield site through the delivery of a range of industrial uses that supports London's role as a global digital hub, and that the proposed data centres are classified as critical national infrastructure and would form part of an emerging data centre cluster in West London. The new industrial units would provide flexible, fit-for-purpose accommodation for a range of businesses, supporting both the retention of existing tenants and future growth within the borough.

The report noted that the development had been subject to extensive pre-application engagement with the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL), the Canal and River Trust, and other statutory consultees, and that the proposal had evolved through several design review stages, resulting in a high-quality design response that integrates substantial new landscaping and public realm improvements. The data centre buildings adopt a modular architectural language with strong vertical articulation and colour gradation to reduce their visual mass, and the layout introduces a new north–south Green Link connecting Brent Road with the Grand Union Canal towpath, opening up previously inaccessible land to pedestrians and cyclists.

The report stated that the proposal would deliver major public benefits including new employment opportunities, affordable workspace, and investment in local skills and infrastructure, estimating that the scheme would generate approximately 460 full-time equivalent construction jobs per year and around 1,120 operational jobs once completed, representing a significant uplift in employment compared with the existing site. The development would contribute approximately £14.6 million in annual business rates and deliver £6.6 million towards a Data Centre Skills and Training Strategy to support local employment pathways in the digital and technology sectors, and a further £750,000 contribution will support a Local Economy Management Plan to assist existing and returning businesses.

The report also stated that the proposal includes substantial environmental enhancements, achieving a Biodiversity Net Gain of 79.4% and an Urban Greening Factor of 0.17, supported by the planting of 153 new trees, new habitats, and rain gardens along the canal edge. The data centre design allows future connection to a District Heat Network, facilitating heat recovery from data operations.

The report noted that the impact on air quality would arise from the testing of the 218 diesel backup generators, which are required for maintaining the data centre's continuous operation in power outage, and that these generators will require an Environmental Permit from the Environment Agency to ensure that emissions are within nationally set air quality standards. In addition, the development secures £3 million in air quality contribution towards sustainability initiatives and implementation of Ealing's Air Quality Action Plan.

The report stated that the development would introduce large data centre buildings visible from the Grand Union Canal and surrounding townscape, and would result in less than substantial harm to the setting of Bull's Bridge (Grade II) and the Canalside Conservation Area, but that this harm has been given great weight but is considered to be at the lower end of the spectrum and is clearly outweighed by the significant public benefits of the development.

The planning officer's report recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to Stage II referral to the Mayor of London, completion of a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Section 278 works under the Highways Act 1980, and compliance with the planning conditions listed in the report.

Mount Close, Ealing

The committee was scheduled to consider a planning application for Mount Close, Ealing. The application sought permission for phased redevelopment of an existing residential estate to provide new homes (Use Class C3³), including associated cycle and vehicle parking, landscaping and amenity space.

The planning officer's report noted that the estate has been owned by the Dolphin Square Charitable Foundation since 2016, and that the proposal seeks to transform the existing 1950s estate of 40 homes into a mixed-tenure Build to Rent scheme comprising 178 homes, including 138 net additional homes, 11 reprovided homes, and the refurbishment of 29 existing homes. The scheme also includes new public realm features, landscaping, amenity spaces, and associated infrastructure.

The report stated that the scheme delivers 50% affordable housing by habitable room for the 138 net additional homes, all in the form of Discount Market Rent (DMR), meeting the London Plan's Fast Track Route threshold, and that 65 affordable homes would be secured as DMR via a Section 106 agreement.

The development introduces buildings ranging from 4 to 6 storeys, with taller elements located along Castlebar Road, and the design is supported by a townscape and heritage assessment. The visual and heritage impacts are on balance acceptable and outweighed by public benefits.

The scheme achieves a 79.33% reduction in CO₂ emissions and includes renewable energy technologies such as PV panels and exhaust air source heat pumps, and a carbon offset payment of £97,782 is secured.

The development is largely car-free, with 29 parking spaces (including 8 disabled bays) and 317 long-stay cycle spaces, and contributions are secured for junction improvements, CPZ consultation, and active travel enhancements.

The proposal followed extensive pre-application engagement with the Council, Design Review Panel, and Community Review Panel, and public consultation yielded 103 responses, with 92 objections primarily concerning height, parking, and amenity impacts, and 11 letters of support.

A total of £1,101,100 in financial contributions would be secured through the S106 agreement, covering transport, energy, education, healthcare, air quality, and public realm improvements, and non-financial obligations include Build to Rent covenants, parking permit restrictions, employment and skills plans, and energy monitoring commitments.

The planning officer's report stated that while the scheme results in minor heritage harm and does not meet local policy tenure mix targets, it aligns with the London Plan's strategic objectives, and that the public benefits associated with the delivery of affordable housing, high-quality design, and sustainability measures are considered to clearly and convincingly outweigh any adverse impacts.

The planning officer's report recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to conditions and completion of s106 legal agreement.

The Castle Hotel, Victoria Road, Acton

The committee was scheduled to consider a modification or discharge of planning obligation relating to The Castle Hotel, Victoria Road, Acton. The application sought to modify the s106 Agreement dated 3 May 2023 attached to planning permission with reference 214465OPDFUL.

The planning officer's report noted that the site benefits from planning permission for the demolition of the existing public house and the redevelopment of the site to provide a part 32 storey, part 27 storey comprising 462 co-living rooms with associated communal amenity spaces, a public house and associated access, cycle parking, blue badge parking, bin storage and landscaping, and that the application site also falls within the administrative area of the OPDC and OPDC are the Local Planning Authority, but that the subject application is being dealt with by London Borough of Ealing (LBE) as the LBE were the determining planning authority for the development.

The report stated that the report considers a proposal to vary the existing s106 agreement to make the scheme achieve practical completion and to occupy the consented co-living scheme through a forward funding arrangement, and that a Forward Funding agreement is a contract where an investor agrees to provide funding for the construction of a development project, allowing developers to secure financing before the project is completed, enabling them to proceed with construction.

The current proposal requires a deed of variation to the S106 Agreement to change the definitions within Schedule 3 of the Agreement to recognise forward funding agreement as a Sales Agreement for the purpose of the LSR, and the LSR is usually carried out at 75% occupation and has been secured as such in the Agreement for the consented Co-living scheme, however, given the need for the site to reach practical completion, the forward funding agreement as a mechanism to facilitate the LSR is required by the developer.

The report stated that at the time of writing, the development is at near practical completion and without the forward funding arrangement the development is unlikely to reach practical completion, and there is a risk of the site stalling, and that therefore, if the forward funding arrangement can be considered in the LSR, the development can reach occupation of the development which will trigger the payment of the secured contribution towards affordable housing for the development.

The report noted that the proposal would allow for the inclusion of the forward funding arrangement in the definitions in Schedule 3 of the 106, and alter the Late Stage Review Date in order to allow, delivery, completion, occupation and receive the secured payment of affordable housing contribution (to OPDC) which is a key priority in this challenging economic climate.

The planning officer's report recommended that the committee approve the modifications to the Schedule 3 (Viability) of the Agreement to recognise forward funding agreement as a Sale agreement for the purpose of Late Stage Review, and agree to delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Planning, Design and Sustainability to finalise the recommended deed of variation to the original legal agreement.