Developers plan to build student accommodation on top of warehouse

By Owen Sheppard, Local Democracy Reporter

An unusual proposal to build up to 900 student flats above a builder’s merchants in Paddington has been unveiled.

It would see the Travis Perkins warehouse in Harrow Road become part of a 21-storey, 65.5 metre-tall development.

The site borders the Grand Union Canal and the Westway flyover, and would be named Baltic Wharf.

Travis Perkins and Unite Students, which owns student accommodation in 27 UK cities, are aiming to submit a planning application to Westminster Council by May, and start building by winter.

Residents were invited to an online Q&A on February 10, in which architect James Goodfellow said the warehouse would be moved back against the canal to “free up” the canal-side towpath for pedestrians.

The developers also emphasised that the building’s stepped design would allow it to have garden terraces on several floors, and be built using recycled materials.

Asif Uz Zaman from Unite Students said 35 per cent of the flats would be let at “affordable” rents defined by the Mayor of London’s housing policies.

The two companies built a similar scheme in Camden, with the builder’s merchant based at the ground floor of a student block with 563 flats. It is used by University College London students.

If it goes ahead, the scheme would join two other developments that look set to transform the area.

Berkeley Homes is currently building 560 flats across several housing blocks along Edgware Road, including a 30-storey tower.

The vacant Paddington Green Police Station looks set to have a planning application submitted to turn it into a new tower with over 600 homes.