Notting Hill Housing’s planning application for 195 homes and a nursery on brownfield land at Reynard Mills, Brentford was approved unanimously by Hounslow Council today 30 October, receiving particular praise from Councillor Bob Whatley, Chair of the Planning Committee, for listening to residents and consulting extensively with the local community.
The decision marked a significant success for Redwood’s client and a positive step forward for the Reynard Mills site, which had seen three unsuccessful applications lodged by other developers since 2011. The previous applications were strongly opposed by local residents due to concerns with the scale and design of the proposals, and a perceived lack of meaningful public consultation.
Redwood Consulting was brought on board to support Notting Hill Housing on the community and stakeholder engagement element of the project, which included an extensive programme of meetings with local elected members and community groups as well two sets of public drop in sessions in November 2013 and January 2014. This process was endorsed by the community, with local residents’ organisation Windmill Road Action Group (WRAG) – which had been opposed to all previous schemes for the site – offering their support for the application.
Development on the site is anticipated to start in summer 2014 subject to approval by the Greater London Authority.
Redwood continues to be heavily involved in a range of schemes requiring political communications and stakeholder engagement support.