A DECISION to demolish Perceval House on the Uxbridge Road, Ealing, and replace it with a 26-storey block of flats has been deferred.

It follows a virtual meeting of Ealing Council planners on Wednesday night (17).

Councillors voted 7-6 to require changes are made to the scheme after two hours of debate. 

Concerns were raised over the lack of affordable housing and the limited number of homes suitable for families. Only seven of 477 flats would be three-bedroom.   

Among those who spoke against the redevelopment - which received almost 1,400 objections - were Fiona Brown, a local resident, and Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq. 

The MP told the meeting: “Let’s ensure we can say to our children we did everything possible, not just conform to the bare minimum for a developer who wanted to turn a quick profit before getting out and leaving us to deal with the fall-out.”

She urged further council scrutiny before a final decision is made.

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Ms Huq said later: “I simply could not stand to allow this 26-storey monster tower, so ill-suited to Ealing’s housing needs, to be waived through.

“It’s a proposal that was dreamt up pre-COVID, which is now completely inappropriate to future market demands.

“The council must insist on housing that tackles the spiralling number of working families on the housing waiting list – more than 10,000 at the last count.

“It must insist on the very best fire safety practice. These blocks need two fire escapes. It’s not a legal requirement, but post-Grenfell it’s clearly the right thing to do.

“I am clear that, if these issues aren’t addressed, the planning committee must reject the application.” 

Ealing Stop The Towers group pointed out that the main tower would be as high as New York’s Statue of Liberty.

It also claimed that, with vacant units in the nearby Dickens Yard development, the financial case for the scheme might be unsound.