Category: West Ealing

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Notes from West Ealing Neighbours’ public meeting on Thursday 8th October at the Drayton Court Hotel

(You can see the presentation slides used at the meeting here)

Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers

Eric Leach, vice chair, opened the meeting. David Highton, chair, said these meetings are well attended and offer a chance for residents and councillors to meet. If we want these meetings to continue WEN needs new volunteers willing to join the committee. Both David and Eric are very happy to talk to any potential volunteers about what is involved in being part of the committee.

The annual accounts ending 31st December 2025 show £583.71 in the bank. In the current year WEN received a donation of just over £1,000 when Stop The Towers closed down.

Finally, the proposal to re-elect David Highton as chair, Eric Leach as vice chair and Andrew Cazalet was proposed, seconded and approved by a show of hands at the meeting.

W13 Wards

West Ealing is made up of a number if different wards and since the recent local elections the political make up of these wards is more varied as illustrated by the slide shown.  The two wards on either side of the Uxbridge Road both completely changed parties at this election.

Know Your Councillors

The new councillors for the LibDems and Greens were introduced to the meeting:

LibDems for Walpole ward

  • Will Francis
  • Matt Mellor
  • Ksenia Maximova

Greens for Hanwell Broadway ward

  • Andrew Walkley
  • Clare Welsby
  • Natalia Kubica

The three LibDem councillors spoke first and outlined some of their initial priorities including:

  • Anti-social behaviour and rough sleeping in Melbourne Avenue
  • The proposed temporary theatre in Walpole Park

Cllr Walkley introduced the three Green Party councillors for the Hanwell Broadway ward (which covers an area immediately north of the Uxbridge Road. Their priorities include:

Anti-social behaviour

Concerns about the lack of social housing being built and the high number of studio flats, co-living and HMO housing now being, or soon to be, built in the ward.

Both parties explained how the councillors could be contacted and how they hold surgeries. Cllr Mellor explained the concerns around the safety of Cllr Maximova due to her support for Ukraine and the resulting procedure to contact them for a face to face meeting.

St Mary’s Cathedral Café

This has recently opened and is a very welcome addition to the area.

West Ealing Farmers’ Market

WEN believes this will move back to Leeland Road in October. (Later – there seems to be some doubt about this now).

West Ealing Community Library

Clare Harrington, the library’s new part time manager, outlined the wide range of activities available in the library – over 30 a month. The library also hosts one of the Council’s Customer Service points which offer residents the chance to talk to Council staff face to face on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week.

Clare explained how the library is mostly run by volunteers and new volunteers are always very welcome.

Rough Sleepers

This summer has seen a sustained problem with people sleeping rough in front of the library. It has now largely been resolved.  The LibDem councillors have put together an action plan to seek a long term solution to rough sleeping:

Advising residents to use MET Engage to report anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Looking at environmental solutions to reduce ASB

Talking to local shops e.g. Greggs about bringing in anti-shoplifting lay outs etc

 It is quite clear this issue requires the involvement of a wide range of agencies, police, Council staff – including RISE, St Mungo’s, mental health professionals etc.

Troubadour Theatre proposed for Walpole Park

This is a recent and controversial proposal for a temporary (3 year) pop-up theatre in Walpole Park. The LibDems are active in their opposition to this proposal. A show of hands at the meeting indicated a high level of concern and opposition to this proposal. An e-petition has gathered enough signatures to trigger a Council debate.

Concern was expressed that a similar theatre in Enfield has had its lease terminated.

577 Bedsits in West Ealing?

There are plans to build some 577 studio homes in the three developments at Kwik Fit, St James Avenue and the old Woolworths site. These are largely aimed at young professionals and do not seem to include any social housing.

There are worries about how they will be managed. Will there be a concierge on site? Will their residents feel a part of the local community?

WEN will arrange a meeting of some St James Ave residents with the developers Luxgrove so they can convey their concerns.

Development Sites Update

1.Dean Gardens

When will the half-built blocks be demolished and what will be put in their place?

2.Gurnell

When will the new leisure centre be completed?

3.Green Man Lane Estate

Following the previous problems with builders, a new builder, the Higgins Partnership, will take on the final phase 4 –  including 400 new flats and a new church hall.

4.Kwik Fit

Not much happening. (Update: some preparatory work now going on whilst the final sign off is awaited)

5.Majestic Wine Warehouse site

Work well underway for the 412 student homes tower.

6.Manor Road

Still problems in Manor Road with building material storage.

7.Old Woolworth’s site                                                                                                                   

Work now underway for 8 storey 268 co-living units.

Questions

A resident of Green Man Lane raised the problem of noise and parking issues related to the West London Islamic Centre in Singapore Rd.

Problems with restaurant rubbish bags left out overnight and causing delight amongst the foxes.

The Lime Bikes (and the other brands) are often left in inappropriate places. This needs managing.

Fly tipping still a worry  – suggestion is to use the Love Clean Streets app to get these collected by the Council.

Ealing Council doesn’t permit electric vehicles to be charged with covered cabling crossing the pavement. Other Councils do allow this.

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Changes on West Ealing Broadway

The building that for years was used by Daniels home furniture store (132 – 138 Uxbridge Road) which has been empty for months is being advertised as the site of (yet another) gym.

The two somewhat run down art deco buildings at the northern end of St James Road are now boarded up. Although the planning status of both sites is ‘Awaiting Legal Agreement’ clearly work has begun on the 129 bedrooms at 105 -113 Broadway and the 86 bedrooms at 99 – 103 Broadway. These developments are described as ‘Homes in Multiple Occupation’ (HMOs).

Removing the four year growth of trees is underway at the old Woolworths site (96 – 102 Broadway). No doubt we’ll see the upwards development of the 286 bed hotel later this year.

The now demolished KwikFit site (131 – 137 Broadway) is now being sensibly used as a small private car park.

And soon to be implemented are changes to Leeland Road – the site of the 15 year old weekly Farmers Market. This part of the Council’s ‘LiveWestEaling’ initiative. What we can look forward to includes:

  • One way traffic only – southbound
  • A cycling Contra-Flow
  • Re-sited pedestrian crossing
  • Loss of car parking spaces in Leeland Terrace.

During the implementation of the changes, the Saturday Farmers Market will be re-located to The Avenue (W13 8 PH) as from Saturday 27 June 2026.

Eric Leach

One of the empty shops on our high street. What will our high street look like in five years? What shops and services will be there and who will be using them? – David Highton

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News 20 May 2026

Ealing North MP Becomes Secretary of State for Health and Social Care


James Murray MP has been elevated to become a Cabinet Government Minister. He represents some business and residents in the eastern sector of West Ealing. Sadly he has no prior experience in health and social care but has experience in management consultancy, housing and finance. He replaces Wes Streeting MP whose tenure as Health and Social Care Minister lasted less than two years.

Ealing Southall MP Becomes a Government Whip


Deidre Costigan MP who represents some West Ealing centre residents and businesses has been given the grand title of Junior Lord of The Treasury, a role in the Government Whips’ Office.

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Notes from WEN public meeting of 16 March 2026

These notes include information about the newly formed West Ealing Action Group, Your Voice Your Town which has replaced the old ward forums, the ongoing controversy over Lammas Park, progress at West Ealing Community Library and updates on the many local development sites such as Waitrose, Gurnell, Woolworths, Manor Road and more.

Click here for the full notes


1.Police

The new Met Police service Met Engage https://www.metengage.co.uk/ is worth signing up for.

There will soon be no police station open overnight in the borough. Councillors urger to lobby police to change this and keep one open.

2.West Ealing Action Group

Laura McLean, Area Manager, Regeneration, Investment and Jobs at Ealing Council gave a presentation.

Ealing one of 12 boroughs to get £50k funding for High Street Place Labs. The aim of this project is to improve the high street over the next three years including:

  • repurposing empty shops and buildings
  • improving ‘back street connections’ that link areas together eg Canberra Road, Melbourne Avenue, Walsingham Road etc
  • Developing the night time economy

Two meetings of local stakeholders have been held so far and the third is tomorrow (Tuesday 17th March).

3.Your Voice Your Town

A Council initiative, following the end of ward forums, to encourage community involvement in local decision making. Each of the borough’s seven towns has a budget for grants to local projects. Also, a mechanism for residents to have  say in how some of the Community Infrastructure Levy money will be spent in their area.

4.Lammas Park

This remains a controversial issue with some residents. Cllr Driscoll explained the current situation and defended the creation of a wetland in the park as part of the overall scheme. The temporary fencing around the area will come down soon but it will be kept around the newly planted areas.

5.Pear Tree Park

A newly created park as part of the West London Regional Parks Corridor (see slides on this).

6.West Ealing Community Library

Catherine Fitzgibbon ran through the wide range of activities now available at the library. The library is looking for volunteers to help keep it open from 5-7pm in May and June for students to study for their exams. Anyone interested please email friends@wecl.org.uk

The library is run by West Ealing Community CIC, a not-for-profit organisation. It is close to signing a Licence to Occupy with the Council. It has also strengthened its governance with some new directors.

There will be a Community Library Spring Party on Saturday 25th April.

7.Development Sites

Dean Gardens

The half-complete buildings will be demolished following the bankruptcy of the original builders – Henry. The Council’s insurance covers a small part of the cost of this.

Green Man Lane

A2Dominion are closing in on appointing a new contractor following Rydon going out of business.

Gurnell Leisure Centre

Concerns raised about due diligence on the Council’s preferred partner Vistry.

There will be a high percentage of affordable housing in the 300 flats proposed for this site.

£3million will be spent to de-risk the site prior to the new leisure centre being built.

Kwik Fit

A private development so the Council can only encourage the developer Luxgrove to get started.

TIDE – Hastings Road

Work on the planned 400 plus student homes has now commenced.

Manor Road

Still concerns over traffic management on this site next to the station. The Council will follow up with the developers on these concerns.

St James Ave

Another Luxgrove development. Work yet to start on the planned HMOs

Waitrose

Although the John Lewis Partnership has pulled out of its plan for rental homes on this site, it is still pursuing its planning application and may seek to sell this on to a developer. Given the timing of this application it will now include a CIL contribution to improving local infrastructure.

Woolworths

Also a Luxgrove development.

Sherwood Close

Concerns raised about the quality of some of the new buildings, especially over locks to stop intruders.

Work started on the private housing site close to Northfield Avenue.

8.Felix Project

This charity collects and distributes surplus fresh food to food banks, charities etc. It distributed 18,000 tonnes last year.

9.Dean Gardens

Needs some cleaning up.

10.Hanwell Carnival

London’s oldest carnival is back in 2026 0n Saturday 20th June. Volunteers are welcome and details on their website –https://hanwellcarnival.co.uk/

11.West Ealing Station Elizabeth Line

Disappointment that the additional trains on this line will not be stopping at West Ealing given its planned population growth over the next few years.

12.School Streets

Questions asked about the effectiveness of School Streets given over 250,000 Penalty Charge Notices issues since 2020.

13.Road Works A lot of disruption in West Ealing caused by road works at the start of this year. The Council is looking at ways to improve this including plans for lane rental charges

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December 2025 newsletter

In this issue:

  • Stop The Towers: a valiant effort has ended
  • Victoria Hall: another valiant effort stymied
  • Ealing’s Local Plan: up in the air again?
  • West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood
  • West Ealing Action Group
  • Your Voice Your Town
  • Library news
  • LAGER Can
  • Meetings with Waitrose developers
  • Book Group
  • Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter
  • Free Christmas Events

The newsletter can be viewed here.

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Notes from WEN public meeting of 14 October 2025

Topics of the meeting included: Lammas Park East Lodge and flood alleviation; West Ealing Community Library; policing; Your Town Your Voice; West Ealing Action Group; Victoria Hall; Stop and Shop+; and updates on the many local development sites including Dean Gardens, Gurnell, Majestic Wine Warehouse site, Manor Road, Waitrose, and the old Woolworth’s site.

Click here for the full notes


These notes are not intended to capture everything that was said at the meeting. They are just trying to capture some of the main items discussed.

1. East Lodge

The original planning application was withdrawn. Over 3,000 objections. Questions asked about why the lodge has not been included in a conservation area. Cllr Manro explained the delay caused by the staff member involved having to leave and took time to recruit a replacement. A new application may yet come forward.

2.Lammas Park and Flood risk works

The Council has authorized flood risk alleviation works in three of its parks – Lammas, Dean Gardens and Belevue Park Park. The aim is to capture excess surface water and then release it slowly back in to the sewer systems in order to avoid flooding at times of heavy rain,

The Lammas Park works have caused much local concern over the area of park taken up, delays in works and worries about e-coli in the water. Cllr Driscoll, cabinet member for climate action, spoke to this and explained the actions being taken by the Council and Thames Water to investigate possible misconnections to the sewer systems and rectify any problems. The works have yet to pass their final tests, so no date yet for completion.

3.West Ealing Community Library

Catherine Fitzgibbon is leading the group negotiating with the Council to take on the lease for the library which is run by volunteers. Her priority at the moment is to recruit new directors to join the board of West Ealing Community CIC which will be the organization taking on the lease. It is a small not-for-profit organization and needs to strengthen its governance in readiness for running the library. Anyone interested in joining the board please email – info@mywestealing.org.uk

4.Law and Order

David Highton, chair of WEN, said he was clear that our local MP Deirdre Costigan, our local councillors and the police themselves are all well aware of the level of concern about anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and drug taking in West Ealing.

He stressed the importance of people reporting ASB so the police have a record of it as this helps decide how they will deploy their teams. (details of ways of reporting are on the WEN website – www.westealingneighbours.org.uk )

There will be a new team of eight police who are being recruited for Ealing Broadway town centre. He said it was important that West Ealing was included as part of the town centre so they would spend time here.

5.Town Teams/Your Town Your Voice

This is a new initiative. Each of the boroughs seven towns now has a town team set up to encourage local community involvement in deciding how to spend their allocation from the  initial £480k budget for the borough. They will later be able to have a say in how the 10-15% of moneys from the Community Infrastructure levy will be spent. The team covering West Ealing is in the process of setting up guidelines for organisations wanting to apply. The one for Hanwell is not looking for applications.

6.West Ealing Action Group

This is another newly set up group. The Mayor of London has allocated £50k to improve the West Ealing high street, re-purpose empty shops, explore night-time activities and more. Any group interested in joining can email Cllr Manro – manros@ealing.gov.uk

7.Victoria Hall

The largest public hall in Ealing is owned by a charity. The Council wants to dispose of it to a hotel developer. Friends of Victoria Hall (FoVH) have been battling to save it for the community. The final phase of the legal battle over its future comes to a head in November. FoVH are looking for funds to help pay their costs – https://savethevictoriahall.weebly.com/

8.Stop and Shop

Some confusion over the introduction of a new scheme by the Council. The main reason for the new scheme is to stop people parking for hours or days in these short stay spaces. The Council has no way of knowing how long people have been parking in these so little or no enforcement. Under the new scheme people will have to register first before parking for their free 30 minutes. However, they can then extend their stay by paying for more time.

There was concern over people who did not have the smart phone needed to use the parking app. Cllr Driscoll explained there are alternatives such as some high street shops offering ‘pay point’.

Later clarification: The transaction charge is 10p and not 20p  when using the ‘pay by phone’ app.  We are in the final year for the 10p charge. It might go up in the future.  

9.Development sites

Dean Gardens car park

Cllr Manro confirmed that the work on this site will almost certainly have to be demolished and a new contractor found to start again.

Green Man Lane

Phase 4 soon to be underway once a new contractor has been appointed.

Gurnell

The leisure centre and housing are separate projects. Work on the leisure center should start early 2026

Kwik Fit site

Demolition has started. No date yet for the building work.

Majestic Wine Warehouse site

A change of plans means it will now be student accommodation with towers of 17. 14 and 5 storeys. The Council has negotiated a cash payment because of this change and loss of potential social housing.

Manor Road site

Much concern about the management Manor Road by the contractor and many felt it was an accident waiting to happen. Cllr Manro will ask for this to be checked.

Orion Park

A contractor should be appointed soon

St James Ave

A change of plan to a more modest development as Luxgrove haven’t found a housing association willing to but the planned social housing element. So, no bridge over the street joining the two sides.

Waitrose

No plans to start building until 2026. Waitrose have set up regular meetings with local groups to try to keep them informed about plans and progress. WEN is one of the groups involved

Old Woolworth’s site

Another Luxgrove development site. No work started yet.

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Join the movement to shape West Ealing’s future!

Are you concerned about the future of West Ealing?  Do you want to be part of an organisation dedicated to its improvement and transformation?

Become a Board Member of the West Ealing Community (WEC) Community Interest Company (CIC)

The WEC Community Interest Company (CIC) manages the West Ealing Community Library (WECL). This is a key activity in fulfilling its commitment to creating a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving neighbourhood for everyone who lives, works, or visits West Ealing.

We’re looking for passionate, forward-thinking individuals to join the WEC Board and help guide our mission. If you care about building community, sustainability, and local impact in West Ealing — we want to hear from you!

More …


💼 What Does the WEC Do?

WEC was established to “carry out activities which benefit people who live, work or visit West Ealing”.  We are and continue to support and develop initiatives that:

  • Promote arts, culture, and community events – including the SoundBite Festival in Dean Gardens and the Christmas Fair in December
  • Create long-term community assets of benefit to the whole community, specifically managing WECL
  • Build a strong sense of community, social cohesion and improve dialogue
  • Improve community safety and the well-being of those who reside in or pass through West Ealing
  • Support the development local businesses, job opportunities  and enterprise
  • Foster a sense of pride in the area’s open spaces, streets, local services and cultural activities
  • Boost opportunity for innovation, creativity and development amongst businesses and residents’

🧠 Who Are We Looking For?

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. You don’t need board experience — just a commitment to West Ealing and a willingness to contribute your time and talents. That said, we’re especially keen to hear from people with skills or experience in:

Skill AreaWhy It Matters
People management, recruitment and trainingHaving motivated staff, volunteers working to deliver our aims
Finance & BudgetingEnsuring responsible use of funds and financial sustainability
Legal & GovernanceSupporting our growth, compliance and ethical decision-making
Fundraising & Grant WritingSecuring resources to grow our impact
Marketing & CommunicationsRaising awareness and promoting our work
Community EngagementBuilding trust and participation across diverse groups
Urban Planning & RegenerationShaping the physical and social landscape of West Ealing
Environmental SustainabilityDriving green initiatives and climate resilience
Arts & CultureEnriching local life through creative programming
Small Business SupportStrengthening the local economy and entrepreneurship

🤝 What’s In It for You?

  • Make a real difference in your community
  • Collaborate with passionate local changemakers
  • Gain valuable leadership and governance experience
  • Be part of shaping West Ealing’s future

📩 Ready to Get Involved?

To express interest or learn more, email us at info@mywestealing.org.ukor call David Highton on 07968 819016.

Let’s build a better West Ealing — together.