Chiswick roundabout development granted permission against officers' recommendation

Developers London & Bath Estates and Galliford Homes are behind the project, which includes the erection of a 50 metre tall building which will provide 5,000 square metres of office space.

The building, designed by Make Architects, includes an "LED shroud and media screen" which will cover the building and be used to display adverts and public art. The developers also received consent for a retail showroom on the ground floor and a rooftop garden and public viewing gallery.

Hounslow’s planning committee resolved to grant planning permission for the development against the planning officers' advice, which recommended refusal of the scheme amid concerns regarding the visual impact of the proposed media screen and shroud.

“When one of the councillors said ‘it’s bold, it’s brash, it’s in your face’ I thought thank goodness someone’s got it,” Kim Gottlieb, managing director of London & Bath Estates said. "This is meant to be a 24 hour, modern, vibrant, top three world capital city. Let’s give it the architecture it deserves."

The plans for the Hounslow 'Octopus' development have received support from both the Mayor of London and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

London & Bath said it was talking with potential occupiers and “expected to conclude negotiations with a major international occupier”.

Full planning permission will be granted when the section 106 contributions, through which authorities can ask for measures in 'mitigation' of the upheaval caused by developments, have been agreed.