The Mount Anvil development at Friary Park in Acton, a joint project with the Peabody Trust, gives an idea of what the proposal for the towers on Bacton Low Rise might look like. While this development has less density than the Bacton proposal it still significantly impacts the locality. The scheme will provide 1,228 homes 50% will be for private sale, with only 11% for social rent and the rest is a mix of London affordable rent and intermediate tenure. Unlike the Bacton tower plans, it also has retail, workshops, community space and provides more outdoor areas for the residents compared to the Bacton proposals. The tower blocks are up to 24 storeys high while the proposal for Bacton is 23 -26 storey.
The structures dominate their location and are built next to an area of two storey homes with no attempt to make any allowance for this in the design. At the borders of the development the blocks form vertical cliff faces that cut off light and visually overwhelm the existing residential areas adjacent to the site.. “Cap The Towers” a neighborhood group formed in reaction to the scheme says that “ These buildings are twice the size of what the developers initially proposed and were granted in their current planning permission and that one of the towers exceeds the parameter height set by Ealing Council’s planning officers”.
It is also very disappointing that the percentage of social housing was reduced from the original plan, the Ealing Nub News 27th Oct 2024 reports “The number of social housing units have reduced in the Friary Park development by 7% from original proposals.The project from developers Mount Anvil will bring 1,345 new flats to Acton with the original planning application stating that 237 (18%) of the homes were for social rent.In its latest application waiting to be approved, that number is now 152 (11%) – a drop of 85 units.This means that there will be 73 fewer social rent flats at Friary Park than there were before the Mount Anvil redevelopment programme began back in 2021.”
The lack of outdoor space was only increased by Mount Anvil as a result of local objection and it is interesting to note that the developer is repeating the lack of public space with the proposal in Bacton. Also it is important to note that according to the Bacton consultation no balconies will be included in the plans, another important way to provide outdoor space for residents that is being neglected in the Mount Anvil plans.
These photos were taken on the 20th Dec 2024 and show the project only partially completed but still gives a good idea of the impact of the scheme and what the Bacton proposal could look like if approved in its current form.
Acton: Social housing offer reduced in Friary Park development: https://ealing.nub.news/news/local-news/acton-social-housing-offer-reduced-in-friary-park-development-243513
Please click on the images to enlarge them
Bacton Towers Action 