Plans submitted for 18-storey tower block for women who can’t afford rent

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

Women who can’t afford to rent in the capital might be able to get housing in an 18-storey West London tower block – if plans are approved.

Proposals for 270 “affordable homes” near White City have been unveiled by Women’s Pioneer Housing (WPH) – an association based in Hammersmith and Fulham that “challenges gender inequality and provides much-needed homes for women”.

WPH wants to build a mix of flats and shared living spaces by bulldozing a 36 block of one-bed flats and its current office building on 227 Wood Lane.

The project includes an 18-storey tower with affordable flats, workspace, a gym, launderette and a roof terrace.

The designs feature a new office for WPH and a cafe open to the public with space for 50 people. A planning report said the design of the new block makes use of a triangular piece of land and was inspired by New York City’s iconic Flat Iron building.

It adds: “WPH aims to make a positive difference to women’s lives by providing homes and services which offer a springboard to independent women to achieve their potential… The existing buildings are now in significant need of repair and investment to bring them up to modern standards.”

The proposed development site sits near Imperial College London’s White City campus and the BBC TV centre and is an eight-minute walk from White City Tube station.

The new set-up would create 46 new jobs (24 in Hammersmith and Fulham) and pump around £1.6 million into the local economy through spending from the new residents, according to a report by an agent for the developer.

In a statement, the company said: “The exterior of the buildings and public realm are in need of investment. During our previous consultation events, many residents expressed concerns about safety, anti-social behaviour and crime in the wider area.

“Development will enable Women’s Pioneer Housing to replace these homes with new modern and much-needed homes. It will also provide new office space, allowing Women’s Pioneer Housing to remain at the heart of a community, in which they have had a presence for almost 100 years.

“It is not practicable to seek to improve the existing accommodation, therefore we propose to demolish the existing buildings to build new modern accommodation and improved public realm.”

WPH was set up in 1920 to give women more affordable homes amid the fight for gender equality. The association aims to give good-quality homes to women who struggle to rent privately and it owns around 1,000 properties in West London.

WHP applied to Hammersmith and Fulham Council for permission to build a 29-storey tower on the site with space for 80 apartments, offices and 350 shared living spaces in January 2020. But the plans were reconsidered after complaints about the height of the building.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s planning committee will decide whether the plans get the green light on Tuesday October 11. The council’s planning officers have recommended that the project goes ahead.

Pictured top: CGI of proposed Women’s Pioneer Housing block (Picture: Wood Lane Real Estate LLP/Women’s Pioneer Housing/Alford Hall Monaghan Morris)