Frasers Timber

In the latter half of 2022, we undertook public consultation on proposals for new homes on the Fraser’s site. The following issues were raised by neighbours and stakeholders:

 The need for the height of the building to relate to the height of the new buildings on The Ballymore site

 The importance of affordable housing

 The need to ensure that conditions for local boat dwellers were respected and, where possible, improved

 The need for better open space and green space for the use of all

 The need to respect our neighbours at Shire Place.

The project has the following aspirations and aims:

New homes

 A high quality residential development;

 100% affordable housing provision;

 Well-connected to the High Street and local amenities

Improved public outdoor space

 Create a beautiful and inclusive public realm for Brentford

 Continue and improve the riverside walkway;

 Increase accessibility for all users

A sustainable development

 Targeting maximum carbon reduction;

 Maximise greening to roofs and communal gardens;

 Car-free development with new cycle parking.

A high quality design

 Respect the character and appearance of the Conservation Area;

 Transition in scale and height betweeen the Conservation Area and the Brentford Project;

 High quality affordable housing units

We have prepared the following image that shows how the development will appear from The Ham. You can see the Ballymore development to the left. The materials and colours have been selected to reflect the surrounding area.

The importance of affordable housing.

We know that the delivery of affordable housing is very important. We are delighted to be able to provide a 100% affordable housing scheme on this site.

On a conventional residential project, 35% of the homes would be affordable, meaning that 21 of the proposed 60 flats would fall into this category. Of that, 12 would be at social rent levels and 9 would be part-rent, part-buy.

Our revised proposals consist of 100% affordable housing, with 40% at social rent and 60 % under part-rent, part-buy tenure. This results in 24 flats at social rent, a doubling of the number of homes in this important tenure.

Landscape character

The landscape vision is to provide a high quality public realm improving accessibility and fostering the outlook onto the River Brent and Syon Park. Upgrades to both the street frontage and canal walkway are key to an inviting and accessible public realm.

The site is characterised by 3 key landscape areas:

Entrance Courtyard: A verdant entrance courtyard provides and an inviting sense of arrival and enhances the street frontage with greening and trees along Ham Wharf road.

Central Playspace: Central to the public realm is a play space set within amenity lawn and planting. The play accommodates ages 0-4 with numerous play opportunities. Defensive planting along private terraces provide privacy and screening to the dwellings whilst providing the playspace with a sense of enclosure and greening to the public realm.

The Canal Side: The canal facing space of the scheme will provide social amenity for residents and the greater community. Seating will provide opportunities for people to gather and relax whilst taking in the south facing views of the River Brent and Syon Park.

Below is a computer-generated image showing how this will look:

You can click to enlarge the plan below – it shows how the elements relate to each other. The three pictures on the right are indicative pictures to show the proposed character of the area.

Click to open the plan as a popop

Here’s a Masterplan of the area – you can click to enlarge.

Click to open the plan as a popop

Canal side walkway

The canalside walkway will be upgraded to provide a flush and accessible route down the canal passage and along the canal side walk. The pathway will be widened to a minimum of 2m, with improved passive surveillance from adjacent residences.

Removing the existing steps along this route improves the access to the towpath for bikes, buggies and wheelchair users. The widening of the path and the communal amenity play space adjacent creates a space for all.

Numerous seating opportunities have been proposed with views overlooking the River Brent.

Additional amenity planting has been provided where feasible to provide a sense of scale, shelter and to provide additional greening to the river’s edge.

Play space

The play space will be a gathering point which will promote a sense of community amongst residents by encouraging encounters through informal seating and play, bringing people together. Provided adjacent the canal path and the central pathway through the site, the play will be provided for residents and the wider community. The play space is set within amenity lawn and planting, with sheltered hardstanding for play in all weather.

The naturalistic character of the playspace with a timber boat references the site’s history and current context. The play accommodates ages 0-4, with play elements scattered throughout the amenity lawn and adjacent planting. Play features will include opportunities to balance, climb and for imaginative play, allowing children to be active and explore. The under croft provides additional play opportunities out of the elements for games and climbing.

Defensive planting along private terraces provide privacy and screening to the dwellings whilst providing the courtyard a sense of enclosure and greening to the playspace public realm.

Trees

There are 4 existing Grade C trees and 2 existing Grade C tree groups within the application boundary to be removed. All the trees surveyed have an estimated life expectancy of between 10 and 20 years.

The tree planting strategy proposes 12 trees within the application boundary, resulting in an overall increase in tree provision and canopy cover, which also contributes to the wider biodiversity strategy for the Site.

The proposals make use of 5 key native species across the site in order to create a cohesive scheme. Trees are used at key junctures and viewpoints to aid wayfinding and inform the character of spaces. Mature, semi mature, and young trees as both clear stem and mutli-stemmed will be used to create a layered tree canopy and create contrast.

Lighting

A variety of lighting typologies have been proposed to enable the functioning of the site while providing a safe and aesthetically pleasing landscape. Each lighting type reflects the different landscape character and use, for example light posts have been proposed along key pedestrian routes, while bollards have been proposed in the more light sensitive area, adjacent to the canal.

A balance between safety, ecological habit and adjacent residents have been considered, resulting in the below proposal.

Parking

116 cycle parking spaces are proposed, of which 112 are for residents and four for visitors. Two vehicle spaces for Blue Badge holders will be provided.