Mar 06, 2026

Planning approval for 980 Great West Road

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Planning committee approval paves the way for upwards of 2,300 new homes and more than 300,000 sq ft of commercial, community and educational space on London’s Great West Road in Hounslow. A pioneering approach to retrofit and reuse will save more than 34,500 tonnes of embodied carbon in the demolition and construction phases.

The decision by the London Borough of Hounslow’s planning committee marks a milestone in delivering one of the UK’s most ambitious reuse-led developments transforming the former GSK House into a new neighbourhood rooted in sustainability, circular economy principles and genuine long-term social value for Brentford.

Spanning 13 acres, the approved scheme will deliver 2,324 new homes, including 227 social rent, 90 intermediate, 506 Purpose-Built Student Accommodation and 296 co-living units, alongside 24,000 sqm of commercial space. The development provides 22% affordable housing with a 70/30 split of Social Rent and Intermediate housing and will generate 1,980 permanent jobs.

The designs have been developed by a multiple award-winning design team led by Haworth Tompkins, with Studio Egret West as Landscape Architect for the site and plot architect alongside Metropolitan Workshop and DRMM as plot architects, and Turley as planning consultant.

Rather than erasing the campus’s millennium-era character, we chose to reinterpret it, reusing existing materials, introducing habitat-led planting that embraces the riverside ecology, and extending the park’s play network through a 1.2km loop that reconnects the site with its wider ecological and community context.”

Duncan Paybody Director of Landscape, SEW

The project’s pioneering low-carbon strategy retains the basement and substructure, significantly shaping the masterplan - heavily influencing the proposed building heights and locations, while also freeing up the ground floor for active uses. Two key buildings from the original campus, including the high-rise tower, will be retained and adapted, with their reuse being integral to the overall low-carbon approach. Studio Egret West is leading the design of the retained tower, which will contain generously proportioned homes with oversized balconies, large communal areas, shared amenity spaces and a large rooftop conservatory.

The new neighbourhood is grounded in a reuse-first strategy - a bold approach that retains embodied carbon, preserves significant existing sub and superstructure, and champions material reuse. It will deliver 61% publicly accessible open space and a 10% biodiversity net gain.

Retained tower

Rooftop Conservatory in the retained tower

Afforable housing plot

Reconnecting the historical island site to Boston Manor Park, the River Brent and Brentford High Street is also key to the site’s placemaking credentials. Alongside their work on the tower, Studio Egret West has designed a generous and accessible landscape that sees more than 60% of the site given over to public realm, including play areas, gardens and riverside access.

More than 330,000 sq ft of flexible commercial, retail and community uses will be provided across the wider masterplan supporting a diverse local economy and providing a platform for education providers, social enterprises, independent businesses and charitable organisations. A collaborative process with the London Borough of Hounslow and the University of West London will see a 200 sqm innovation hub delivered to drive innovation within the emerging Golden Mile district.

Reaching this milestone - the first of many for this project - is down to the way we’ve been able to work with a local authority that is genuinely committed to growth and has a clear strategic vision for one of the most exciting places in London. Alongside a pioneering approach to retrofit at this scale is a very clear commitment to people and place. A broad range of tenures, a new NHS primary care facility, a tech and innovation hub are all part of a new neighbourhood at the heart of the emerging Golden Mile district.”

Andy Portlock CEO of Hadley