Regeneration » West Ealing Neighbours Blog

New monthly craft market to launch in West Ealing on Saturday 7th April

David Highton, Regeneration, West Ealing Shopping 1 Response »

Apr 012012

New monthly craft market to launch in West Ealing on Saturday 7th April

West Ealing Neighbours, with the support of Ealing Council, is launching its new monthly craft market in St James Avenue on Saturday 7th April. The market will open from 10am-3pm and its 16 stalls will feature a regularly changing selection of handmade goods from local craftspeople. There will also be free teas and coffees provided by St James Church. WEN has been working with the Council on plans for this market for well over a year. We want to build on the success of the annual Arts and Crafts Fair in St James Church and the two West Ealing Family Days to pilot a regular craft market offering quality, locally made goods. If we are successful, we hope to increase the frequency of the market. Please do come along and support this new venture and if you are able to distribute our posters and flyers in your streets do please email us [...]

Government Reviews Ealing’s 15 Year Plans

Eric Leach, Local Development Framework, Regeneration No Responses »

Oct 312011

On 1st November 2011 we have the beginning of National Government’s External Examination of Ealing Council’s spatial plans for the town over the next 15 years. Specifically under examination is Ealing’s Local Development Framework Core Strategy. You can examine this here (pdf). At the heart of Ealing’s plans are the building of 14,000 new homes, almost 10,000 of which will be along the Uxbridge Road/Crossrail ‘Corridor’ and clustered around Acton, Southall, West Ealing and Ealing Broadway Stations.

Why do people shop in West Ealing? A recent survey gives some answers

David Highton, Regeneration, West Ealing Shopping 3 Responses »

May 312011

Why do people shop in West Ealing? A recent survey gives some answers

‘Why do people shop in West Ealing?’ is the title of a survey late last year of 400 shoppers carried out by Brunel University on behalf of Ealing Council. The answer – buying food is the main reason people come to shop in West Ealing, but there’s a good deal more valuable information in the results of this survey than this one answer. The final report is 20 pages long but here are some of the key findings from this survey: What’s good about shopping in West Ealing: 1. Buying food was the main reason for people shopping in West Ealing. 2. Buying specific non-food items came second 3. Eating and socialising ranked third as a reason to come to West Ealing Overall, West Ealing is liked for its varied, multi-cultural location that is good for food shopping, pubs, eating and socialising. What needs to be improved about shopping in West Ealing: [...]

The changing face of our high street

David Highton, Local Development Framework, Regeneration, West Ealing Shopping 5 Responses »

May 122011

The recent opening of the British Heart Foundation’s new shop (see previous post) made me think again about the changing nature of our high street. Yes, you could just say it’s yet another charity shop and we already have eight. But, it struck me that this shop is something rather different for West Ealing. Almost every time I go in to one of the charity shops it seems busy as I try to manoeuvre my way between the shoppers and the clothes rails. What BHF seem to have noticed though is that there is a complete gap in the market for a charity shop selling household goods such as electrical appliances and furniture. Much has been written about how Britain’s high streets are changing. I have lived in West Ealing since 1978 and, like many others, can all too easily reminisce about how West Ealing’s high street used to have a [...]

A charity shop with a difference opens in West Ealing

Local Development Framework, Regeneration, West Ealing Shopping 3 Responses »

May 032011

A charity shop with a difference opens in West Ealing

British Heart Foundation opened the doors of its new shop today and it set me thinking about charity shops and our high street. I thought first off I’d better count how many charity shops there are along the street between the Lido Junction and the junction with Eccleston Road. I counted 8 (including the Salvation Army) plus the mystery Storefair which threatened to open back in September but has remained resolutely shut for months. In my experience most of these shops are usually busy and you have to manoeuvre your way round them between the clothes rails and the shoppers. So, I think the BHF shop, which sells electrical goods and furniture, is a clever move as it fills a gap in what charity shops usually offer. Most charity shops won’t touch electrical goods as they have to be properly checked for safety etc. When I went in this morning [...]

Ealing Broadway developer Glenkerrin faces collapse

Eric Leach, Regeneration No Responses »

Apr 302011

Ealing Broadway developer Glenkerrin faces collapse

Vice Chair Eric Leach reports that according to ‘Property Week’ magazine would-be Ealing centre developer Glenkerrin is facing collapse. Grant Thornton is expected to be appointed on 10 May as Administrators to the company’s five London properties. Irelend’s National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is the instigator of this action. NAMA also appointed Grant Thornton as Receivers to the Irish Glenkerrin properties. Glenkerrin bought up the existing Arcadia site and other properties immediately west of Ealing Broadway Station and proposed a retail and residential development , including a 26 storey residential block, in 2008. Ealing Council agreed to the Planning Application but the Government eventually turned it down in December 2009. WEN as part of Save Ealing Centre spoke at a Government Inquiry on the application and you can read Eric’s personal blog of the daily twists and turns of this Inquiry here). It appears that Glenkerrin is in debt to the tune [...]

Money wasted on meaningless pavement replacements on The Avenue

Eric Leach, Regeneration 6 Responses »

Apr 202011

Money wasted on meaningless pavement replacements on The Avenue

Eric Leach questions Council ‘regeneration’ on The Avenue in West Ealing. Way back in February 2010 we reported that the Council planned to spend £280,000 on regenerating The Avenue retail strip. Over a year later workmen are taking up lots of quite serviceable paving stones from the wide pavement on the eastern side of the road and replacing them with new paving stones. This must itself be costing thousands of pounds and there is no obvious regeneration benefit here. At a time when £millions are being cut from Council budgets it seems quite obscene to spend money unnecessarily. We still await the conversion of the mixed Stop and Shop and Pay and Display kerb side car parking arrangement into ‘free-form’ 30 minutes free parking controlled by car registration numbers. Although budgeted to cost £8,500, the new arrangement is not scheduled to increase the number of cars which will park there. [...]

Demolition starts at Green Man Lane Estate

David Highton, Local Development Framework, Regeneration No Responses »

Apr 192011

Demolition starts at Green Man Lane Estate

Chair of WEN, David Highton reports on the beginning of the end for the Green Man Lane Estate. Demolition began yesterday as the 10-year redevelopment of the Green Man Lane Estate kicked off in earnest. Council leader Julian Bell was joined by representatives from housing association A2Dominion, builders Rydon, architects Conran and GML residents as the bulldozers finally moved on site. Whatever your views, and West Ealing Neighbours’ views are fully documented on our website this development marks a huge change for West Ealing. When completed the development will house some 2,000 people as compared to the curent 800. This ’densification’ will be repeated in a year or two when the Sherwood Close Estate (aka Dean Gardens Estate) is similarly redeveloped. Add to these two developments the 100s of new homes at Sinclair House (opposite West Ealing station), the Daniels development, the Waitrose development, the newly completed flats on the old Groveglade indoor market site and many [...]

21 storey tower set to dominate West Ealing centre skyline

Eric Leach, Local Development Framework, Regeneration No Responses »

Dec 192010

21 storey tower set to dominate West Ealing centre skyline

Vice Chair of WEN Eric Leach reports on a new development in West Ealing. Just 12 months after National Government said ‘No’ to a 26 storey residential building overlooking Haven Green, plans have been submitted for a 21 storey residential building which will overlook Walpole Park. The plan is to demolish the old Westel/TVU mini-Centre Point lookalike building on the corner of Craven Road and the Uxbridge Road on the eastern borders of West Ealing. In its place is planned to build three new buildings – a hotel, a flats for sale block and an Affordable Rents flat block.