town centre Spatial Development Framework

Conservation Areas

Fig. 2.5: Conservation areas.

Listed Buildings Locally listed buildings Building of group or facade value

Fig. 2.6: Buildings of historic value.

Pitzhanger Manor. Locally listed buildings on Bond Street. Christ Church. Locally listed buildings in . 15 Context and Issues

2.3.3 Topography and Building Heights 2.3.4 Key Views and Vistas Much of the land in Ealing is flat, rising gently from the Thames to reach 30m The flat topography of the area does not allow for any natural vantage point near Ealing town centre Conservation Area. The ridge of higher ground being from which to obtain a comprehensive vista of the town centre. There are, at Castle Bar Hill, northeast of the town centre and reaching to the however a number of important local views into and within the area: north of the town centre. • South-east across Haven Green towards Ealing Broadway station. Building heights vary, although the predominant building height is 2-3 storeys • South along the northern arm of The Broadway. (figure 2.7). There is a cluster of taller buildings focused on the office quarter • North across Ealing Green towards the southern end of Bond Street. along . Here building heights are generally between four and • East along New Broadway towards the Arcadia Centre. seven storeys, with the exception of 97-107 Uxbridge Road (11 storeys), Cavalier House (12 storeys) and Westel House (16 storeys). Each of these buildings is • West along The Broadway towards the corner of High Street and New clearly visible, forming distinct elements on the skyline. Broadway. • Approaching the Mall from . Within Ealing Broadway, The Broadway Centre rises to 6 storeys, while Villiers • View across Dean Gardens. House above Ealing Broadway Station rises to 12 storeys. • Views from the west towards the beginning of West Ealing Centre. Within the retail core of West Ealing, heights generally range from 1-3 storeys. • Views from the east towards the beginning of Ealing Broadway Centre. Only the new flats to the east of Dean Gardens (6 storeys) and the flats on • Views of the new housing development at West Ealing Station from Uxbridge Melbourne Avenue (6 storeys) exceed this. Buildings under construction at the Road. former Daniels site (7 storeys) and West Ealing Station (10 storeys) will however exceed this height. The majority of these views terminate in unattractive built frontages. However, there are several positive landmark elements in the townscape: Most of the surrounding historic residential areas consist of 2-3 storey development of Victorian family housing. Notable exceptions are the 8 storey • The Town Hall clock tower, visible from Castlebar Road and a number of tower blocks of Green Man Lane and Northfield Road estates interspersed with 4 adjacent streets to the north. The Town Hall itself performs an important role in the townscape, marking a point of transition between the town centre storey maisonette accommodation. conservation area and the more modern office quarter, characterised by large free standing modern buildings, set back from pavement edge. • The Church of Christ the Saviour and its spire acting as a visual point of reference from most places along the main thorough fares. • The spire of the Polish Catholic Church, Windsor Road and the Old Town Hall act as gateway elements approaching the town centre from the east. • The Town House pub and No 35 The Broadway both provide good corner features.

Key issues for the town centre strategy: • The barriers created by the railway line. • The presence of a number of historic buildings and groups of buildings that give the area a strong and distinctive character. • The distinctive character and appearance of the Conservation Areas. • The presence of a number of statutory protected buildings which by virtue of their listings and settings will be retained. • The scale, grain and character of existing buildings/streets within the town centre. • The presence of a number of mega-blocks within Ealing Broadway Centre, West Ealing and along the Uxbridge Road which are impermeable, provide barriers to pedestrian movement and are detrimental to the overall legibility of the centre. • The negative impact of exposed rear service yards upon a number of streets. • The presence of a number of buildings that have a negative impact on the character of the area. • The existing topography. • The existing view corridors to and within the town centre. • The presence of a number of positive landmarks that help orientation and establish a sense of place. • The lack of high quality contemporary buildings in the town centre. • The poor quality of a number of shopfronts and the negative impact they have upon the character and appearance of a number of shopping parades.

16 Ealing town centre Spatial Development Framework

1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-10 11-15 16+

Fig. 2.7: Building heights.

Key landmark Important views

New Housing Westell Town Hall Pitzhanger Christ the Villiers Polish Catholic - ‘Luminosity’ House Manor Saviour church House Church spire Fig. 2.8: Key views and landmarks.

The town hall. The Polish church spire. Villiers House. . 17 Context and Issues

2.4 Open Spaces and Quality of the Public Realm using these roads and the High Street. • The quality of paving and the proliferation of signage and street furniture A key asset of the town centre is its open spaces, which make a significant further impede pedestrian movement and disorientate the user. contribution to the character and quality of the environment (Figure 2.9): • The streets and spaces that comprise the public realm of the town centre are of a poor quality. High volumes of through traffic, fumes and noise has a • - The largest green space located immediately to the south of negative impact on the shopping environment. The use of utilitarian materials the town centre. Residential properties enclose the park on three sides, with such as concrete slabs do not reflect the character and setting of the different the exception of the north, which is enclosed by Mattock Lane. This gives parts of the town centre. Levels of maintenance are also low. the park a secluded feel. The park includes areas of formal landscaping, large open areas for recreation, children’s play facilities, and an animal enclosure. • In addition the streets are cluttered with signage, redundant railings and Walpole Park however, feels detached from the main town centre due to the service boxes. lack of clear and direct links to Uxbridge Road. • There is a lack of variety and diversity in the public realm when moving along • Ealing Green - A more urban green space, Ealing Green is nevertheless an Uxbridge Road. attractive open space, providing an attractive focus for shops and cafes • Uxbridge Road provides the primary focus of retail activity. The high volumes located at the southern end of High Street and Bond Street and forming of slow moving traffic on this route, however creates an unhealthy and an integral part of the wider setting of Pitzhanger Manor , a Grade I listed unpleasant environment for the pedestrian and acts as a barrier to north- building. The space is dissected by two roads (Bond Street and Mattock Lane) south movement. and flanked by High Street to the east. These form barriers to pedestrian movement, make the space feel somewhat disjointed and create the feel of a • The presence of a number of pavements that cannot accommodate the traffic-dominated environment. volumes of pedestrian users. This is particularly noticeable on the pavements along eastern and southern Broadway. • Haven Green - A formally-landscaped open space, located to the north of • There is a lack of pedestrian only or pedestrian priority spaces within the Ealing Broadway centre. It is dissected by a road accommodating a one-way town centre within which to linger and relax. The only significant areas can bus route and surrounded by roads on the north, east and west sides, with a be found within Ealing Broadway Centre and along Oxford Road. The area car park situated along the southern boundary. Along with Ealing Broadway along the former Oxford Road is an open area with opportunities for shops to Station, Haven Green forms part of a public transport interchange for the spill out into the pedestrian environment. The Broadway Centre space is open centre, accommodating bus stops and standing facilities along the dissecting to the elements. It is, however not on any significant desire line and has a road and the eastern side. A taxi rank and cycle parking facilities are also feeling of a private area that is similar to a covered shopping centre. located in the south-eastern corner. • In certain locations - High Street/ Bond Street, Springbridge Road - the • Dean Gardens - Dean Gardens is the only area of green open space within pavements are too narrow. West Ealing. It performs a functional role and enhances sense of place through providing residents with space for interaction, recreation and play • Bus stops are crowded and on narrow pavements bus shelters do not provide within the centre, while contributing to townscape character, through the adequate protection from the rain. provision of a softer green space within an otherwise hard-landscaped • In West Ealing the pedestrian environment is also of a poor quality: environment. However, the high boundary railings create a barrier to - There is a general lack of pedestrian crossings over the Broadway and those accessing this vital open space and the southern boundary lacks an edge. that are provided fail to align with the north-south routes. • Ealing Common - While Ealing Common is not located immediately adjacent - Pedestrian access into the town centre from surrounding residential areas to the Centre, as the largest open space, it still performs a valuable role for is poor, obstructed by a lack of crossings over Leeland Terrace to the south the town centre in further adding to the network of green spaces located or Singapore Road to the north. The pedestrian environment is made within the wider area. worse on these streets by the lack of active frontage. Singapore Road is particularly poorly defined, fronted by service yards to the south and car Each of these green spaces has the potential to contribute significantly to the parking to the north. character of the town centre and to meeting the recreational and leisure needs of the existing and new resident, business and visitor populations. There is also - Pedestrian access from West Ealing Station is poor, with a lack of signposting and poorly aligned pedestrian crossings along Drayton Green significant opportunity to better integrate and connect these open spaces into Road. the movement network of the town centre. The presence of healthy and mature broadleaved trees along the streets is also critical to the character of the area - Pedestrian movement along Broadway is impeded by street furniture and poor quality and broken paving. and is intrinsic to the very historical image of Ealing as a green suburb. - High boundary railings around Dean Gardens limit access to this In terms of the quality of the pedestrian environment of the town centre, it is space, while poor lighting makes it uninviting at night. generally characterised by a poor quality public realm. Analysis undertaken by - Lighting is generally poor, creating an unsafe feel for pedestrians. Space Syntax as part of the baseline assessment highlighted the following key problems and issues: Key issues for the town centre strategy: • The quality of the streets and spaces that comprise the public realm and their • The area in front of Ealing Broadway Station is congested and of a poor role and character. quality. • The congested nature of parts of the public realm. • There is a lack of pedestrian crossings over The Broadway and where provided • The need to better integrate the existing green spaces into the town centre. they are complicated. • The future role and function of each existing green space and their • Railings are frequently employed to control pedestrian movement, which contribution to meeting the leisure/recreational needs of existing/future limits pedestrian accessibility. This results in a chaotic and congested populations. pedestrian environment in which people tend to cross roads informally where • The impact of traffic on the pedestrian environment and the lack of high pedestrian crossings are not provided, putting themselves at risk. quality pedestrian only/priority space. • Pedestrian movement across Ealing Green is impeded by the dislocation of the • Levels of pedestrian use and congestion. space caused by Bond Street and Mattock Lane. The quality of the pedestrian environment is further reduced by the number of moving and parked cars 18 Ealing town centre Spatial Development Framework

Metropolitan open land Public open space Community open space Green corridor Heritage Land Site of metropolitan importance for nature conservation Haven Green

Ealing Green Ealing Common Walpole Park Dean Gardens

Fig. 2.9: Open Space.

Haven Green. Ealing Green.

Dean Gardens. Walpole Park.

19 Context and Issues

2.5 Land Use

In order to help inform the preparation of any future spatial strategy for the 2.5.3 Centre Ranking town centre GVA Grimley has undertaken a review of the performance of the key • Ealing Broadway ranks 100th in the 2006 town centre rankings, up from property sectors that comprise the town centre and calculated the likely levels of 106th in 2005. In comparison West Ealing ranks 444th, up from 452nd in demand in each core sector. 2005. Closer examination of the national rankings indicates that Ealing Broadway is positioned above Wimbledon (101st), King’s Road (107th), This work - summarised in full under appendix 3 –advances a number of Kensington (113th) and Knightsbridge (139th). However, the fashion mix in all three of these lower placed centres is more diverse and comprises higher end findings that are relevant to the development of a spatial strategy for the town quality fashion retailers than can be found in Ealing Broadway or West Ealing centre: (13). 2.5.1 Retail Character • The town centre is ranked well below other Metropolitan Centres. For example • Ealing town centre is the principal focus for shopping in the Borough of Kingston (16th), Croydon (27th), Bromley (30th), Romford (54th) and Sutton Ealing. (80th) are all ranked significantly higher than the town centre based on the scale and the quality of their retail offer. It is realistic to assume that the • Ealing town centre is unusual in that it is divided into two distinct and very town centre can and should achieve a ranking in ‘the top 50-75’ centres. different areas, namely Ealing Broadway and West Ealing, separated by a range of other key town centre uses (predominantly offices) along Uxbridge 2.5.4 Comparison Goods and Fashion Retail Offer Road. As a result, the eastern (Ealing Broadway) and western (West Ealing) • Ealing town centre has a total estimated floorspace of 69,432sqm of ends of Uxbridge Road are characterised by their own distinct commercial comparison goods retailing (14). In terms of overall comparison goods offer offer, catchments and built form. this provision falls significantly behind all other Metropolitan Centres • Ealing Broadway is the dominant shopping area and comprises a range and a number of ‘Major Centre’, including Camden Town, Walthamstow, of more mainstream national multiple retailers. In contrast West Ealing is Kensington High Street, Lewisham, Streatham and Wimbledon in terms of its characterised by value orientated multiple retailers and a mix of independent/ total floorspace. Ealing is not therefore performing its role in the context of ethnic retailers, primarily serving its local resident catchment population. London’s network of centres. • Results from the West London Study in-centre survey highlighted the • Ealing Broadway has a range of mainstream fashion retailers, including different modes of travel that people use. The majority (45%) travel by bus, Next, River Island, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Top Shop with the next highest proportion (21%) walking to the centre, which reflects and Warehouse. When benchmarked against other competing West London its location at the heart of a dense residential areas. 13% of respondents Centres, such as Richmond, Kingston and Brent Cross, there is a clear ‘quality arrived by train on the days of the interviews. Of the remainder, only 12% gap’ in Ealing’s choice of high-end fashion and specialised retail offer. interviewed travelled by car, 5% by taxi and 4% by bike. However, Ealing Broadway currently lacks the supply of larger shop units to meet the requirements of modern retailers. 2.5.2 Diversity of Uses • West Ealing’s offer comprises some major national multiple retailers not • Ealing town centre has a total Goad footprint floorspace of c. 107,582 sqm represented in Ealing Broadway, such as BhS and Woolworths, as well as gross. This is broken down into c. 65,775sqm for Ealing Broadway and c. 41, retailers represented in both centres, such as Boots and Superdrug. The 606sqm for West Ealing (12). centre’s retail offer is, however mainly characterised by discount and value- • Ealing Broadway has a relative under provision of convenience goods retailing led retailers, such as Peacocks, 99p Stores, Wilkinsons, Ethel Austin, QS benchmarked against the average for West Ealing, West London’s centres and Ladieswear and New Look. UK average. 2.5.5 Department & Variety Store Offer • Ealing Broadway’s role as a comparison goods shopping destination, shows that the Broadway has a much higher provision than West Ealing, the West • Ealing’s department store offer is relatively limited, particularly when London Centres and the UK average. benchmarked against other Metropolitan Centres in London. • West Ealing has suffered from the movement out of Marks & Spencer and • Both centres have significant service provision, above UK average, but lower than for the 12 West London Centres. In the main, the service provision in other operators over the last decade. These closures primarily reflect the both centres is largely dominated by eating and drinking establishments. For centre’s proximity to Ealing Broadway and the fact that a number of retailers example, the Goad Centre Reports show that c. 22.4% of total outlets in West had outlets in both locations. Over time West Ealing has evolved as a more Ealing comprise A3/A4/A5 uses and c. 16% in Ealing Broadway, benchmarked value-led shopping destination, underpinned by its food and convenience against national average of 13.9% (12). offer, its market and its range of specialist independent and ethnic retail and service businesses. It therefore provides a complementary and more affordable shopping location for shoppers and businesses.

2.5.6 Managed Shopping Floorspace • Ealing Broadway supports two managed shopping centres: Ealing Broadway Centre, opened in 1981 and refurbished 2002 and Arcadia Centre, opened in 1986 and refurbished 1998. The large proportion of their shop units are considered small by modern standards and this is reflected in the length of time that some of the smaller units in the centre remain vacant. • There has been no major investment in Ealing’s retail offer and floorspace since the Arcadia Centre opened in 1986/7.

(12) Goad footprint floorspace does not necessarily represent the gross retail floorspace of shops or centres in planning terms, as GOAD only measures ground floor floorspace (except for shopping centres where they also measure the different mall levels). Nevertheless, because their approach is consistent across the c. 1,500 centres they audit, it does provide a useful measure and benchmark for planning and property market studies. (13) London-wide Town Centre Health Checks 2006 Analysis (GLA, 2007). (14) Javelin Venue Score. 20 Ealing town centre Spatial Development Framework

Town centre - West Ealing West Ealing - West Ealing - A3 and secondary Offi ce/ Civic Town Town centre Town centre local function - residential transport hub shopping serving the needs of a employment quarter centre - core fringe local residential population area fringe Fig. 2.10: Land Use characteristics (roles and functions) within the Metropolitan Centre. 2.5.7 Foodstore Offer 2.5.9 Eating Out & Drinking Offer • Food shopping is an important generator of trips to Ealing as a whole, but to • There are over 100 licensed premises within Ealing town centre boundary, of West Ealing in particular. For example, some 27% of respondents identified which 45 are licensed restaurants, 46 are fully license premises (pubs, bars and ‘food shopping’ as the main purpose for their visit to Ealing. night clubs) and 20 are off licenses (15). • Ealing Broadway’s existing convenience offer consists of Tesco Express, Tesco • In terms of quality there is a reasonable choice of quality branded and Metro, several small Budgens stores, Sainsbury’s Local on The Broadway, Marks independent cafes, restaurants and bars mainly concentrated in Ealing and Spencer’s Foodhall, two organic foodstores and an Iceland. There is also Broadway on the Mall, Haven Green, to the north of the station, Bond Street an annual French Market on Ealing Green. and along Uxbridge Road. This offer is complemented by specialist ethnic restaurants and take-aways in West Ealing. • West Ealing has a wide range of convenience and service provision serving its local residential catchment. The main foodstore offer in the town centre is • The evening economy is an important component of Ealing town centre’s anchored by a Sainsbury’s supermarket in the heart of the centre, although overall offer, and Ealing Broadway has developed as a popular destination for this is now looking old and outdated by modern standards. students and younger people living in the area. A 2004 Council Study into the cumulative impact of pubs, clubs and restaurants in Ealing indicated that • The recently refurbished Waitrose store adjacent to West Ealing station generates significant car-borne shopping trips. There are, however limited the growth of the evening economy in Ealing has created a number of crime linked trips to West Ealing due to the poor pedestrian linkages and the town hotspots and a relationship exists within the distribution of licensed premises centre’s relatively limited offer. (15). • The hotspot information presented in the 2004 report indicated that two of 2.5.8 Ethnic Retail Offer the zones in the town centre were regarded as being at capacity in terms of • Ethnic retailers are an important and growing component of Ealing’s retail the number of licensed premises (The Mall/ Haven Green and Ealing Green/ and service offer. In Ealing Broadway, there are several operators catering for New Broadway. the strong and growing Polish and Eastern European population. • The 2004 study shows that there has been a steady increase in the quantum • West Ealing has more independent retailers, many of which sell ethnic goods of food/ drink floorspace between 1998 and 2003, most notably in the Ealing such as Polish food shops, Halal butchers, Indian, West Indian, Iranian, Arab Broadway area. This has been accompanied by losses in A1 retail in West and middle eastern convenience stores and Afro hairdressers. West Ealing Ealing, and a small loss in A1 in Ealing Broadway. also has a variety of ethnic restaurants and take-aways, such as Turkish and • When comparing A3 floorspace with A1 floorspace across Metropolitan Lebanese restaurants. In response to the in-centre surveys conducted as part Centres, Ealing has the highest ratio of A3 to A1 floorspace, with one square of the West London Study some 11% of respondents specifically stated that metre of A3 floorspace for every 8 square metres of A1 floorspace. This is by they used Ealing for specialist food products and the most popular ethnic far the highest ratio compared with other Metropolitan Centres in London. shops were Halal retailers. The choice and quality of restaurants and bars in the town centre is, however more limited than in competing centres in West London, such as , Richmond and Kingston. For example operators such as Wagamama, Yo! Sushi

(15) Managing the evening/night time economy. The cumulative impact of pubs, clubs and restaurants. Case Study Ealing town centre. LB Ealing, Planning Policy Team. 2004. 21 Context and Issues

and Pret A Manger are not currently represented. Furthermore, the most The Quintain scheme will comprise more specialist designer outlet and recent list of requirements indicates interest from a number of quality players, sports-related retailers, and will represent a significant new attraction to including ASK, Smollensky’s, Zizzi and Lupa. It is considered that there is an complement and reinforce the Wembley ‘brand’. It is scheduled for completion opportunity for new development and investment to provide an enhanced in summer 2010. In addition, there are emerging proposals to extend Brent food and drink offer in Ealing Broadway. This would be balanced by the Cross Shopping Centre and John Lewis, as part of the wider Brent Cross/ strengthening of specialist and ethnic food and drink offer in West Ealing and Cricklewood/ West Hendon Regeneration Area. (Phase 1 to be constructed in towards the western end of the Uxbridge Road, between Ealing Broadway and 2010-2014, within final completion in 2026). West Ealing. • The property market study (appendix 3) suggests that scope exists to diversify and enhance the existing food and drink offer in Ealing Broadway. Key land-use/retail issues for the town centre strategy: It is recognised that such further growth will, however need to be carefully • The increased ‘leakage’ of affluent and mobile shoppers and spend to monitored and managed in order to ameliorate conflict and address any competing and new shopping locations. potential negative impacts of further growth. • The nature and character of existing and proposed competing retail centres. 2.5.10 Vacancy rates • The performance of the town centre when compared to other competing • Vacancy levels are relatively low benchmarked against the West London and centres. national averages (6.3% for Ealing Broadway and 5.9% for West Ealing, which • The age and outdated nature of the existing managed shopping centres and compares with a GB average of 10.3% and below the average for the 12 main the lack of recent investment. centres covered by the West London Retail Study (including, for example Hammersmith, Chiswick, , Acton, Hounslow and ). • The growth in overall leisure expenditure. • The relative under-provision of high quality fashion brands benchmarked 2.5.11 Market Demand against other Metropolitan Centres. • Current market interest and reported requirements for Ealing town centre are strong. In April 2007 there were 102 retailers and leisure operators with • The lack of a strong department store offer. requirements for Ealing town centre, ranking the centre 39th out of the • The lack of specialist retailers in Ealing Broadway. 1,300 centres covered. Ealing has been consistently ranked amongst the top • The demand/market interest from retailers, restaurant, cafe and bar operators. 50 centres in terms of requirements since 2000. (FOCUS Information Limited). Requirements are from a range of operators including two department store • The limited supply of large modern shop units in both centres. operators (Debenhams and TJ Hughes) that would normally take up large • The lack of integration between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing. anchor stores in town centres or as part of new shopping schemes. Of the others fashion retailers account for between 4,000 – 7,000sqm of the total • The quality of the retail environment. requirements and shoe shops for between 725-2,250sqm. There is also strong • The levels of congestion on the Uxbridge Road. demand from a number of high quality restaurant, café and bar operators. • The quality of the existing eating and drinking offer. However a lack of available or appropriate space within the town centre is preventing the town centre from meeting its demand. • The problems of an evening economy predominantly aimed at younger population, leading to issues of perceived and actual crime and safety. 2.5.12 Prime Zone A Rental Levels & Yields • The role, character and function of the different parts of the town centre. • Ealing Broadway’s estimated rents have grown by some 27% between 2001 and 2006. West Ealing has experienced stronger growth of some 50%, albeit • The growth of ethnic and independent retailing in West Ealing. from a much lower base level. The growth in Ealing Broadway’s and West • The poor quality of the existing Sainsbury’s store in West Ealing, and the poor Ealing’s rental values is a positive indicator, as it highlights the fact that quality of connection between the Waitrose store and the rest of West Ealing. demand for space in both centres is helping to drive up rental levels, over and above inflation. • Yields are steady at 6% in Ealing Broadway and 7% in West Ealing, which also indicates that the centre is relatively healthy and investor confidence is improving.

2.5.13 Competing Centres and New Investment • Compared with other Metropolitan Centres the extent of its core and secondary catchment is very tightly defined (figure 2.11). There is, however considerable convenience and comparison goods expenditure available within this catchment, and whilst Ealing is the dominant centre within the catchment accounting for a significant quantum of retained expenditure there is considerable loss of comparison expenditure (65% of available comparison goods expenditure) to the West End and other nearby centres including Brent Cross, and Kingston. • Ealing faces strong and increasing competition from other centres in West London. The West London Retail Study identified both the West End and Kingston as achieving the most significant share of shoppers and spend from the Ealing area. In addition, Richmond provides a quality/ niche retail offer and Brent Cross functions as a destination/ day-out shopping location, anchored by John Lewis and Fenwicks. • The White City and Wembley (Quintain) shopping and leisure developments are currently under construction. The former will comprise significant new retail and leisure space, to be anchored by major high profile department stores and national multiples. It is scheduled for completion in 2008.

22 Ealing town centre Spatial Development Framework

Fig. 2.11: The ten metropolitan centres in London, and their core catchment areas. Ealing draws its customers from a much smaller geographic area when compared with a number of the other Metropolitan Centres. This partly reflects the level of competition from other shopping locations in West London, but it also reflects, in GVA Grimley’s view, the fact that the scale and quality of Ealing’s retail and wider town centre offer is falling behind other Metropolitan Centres, many of which have experienced significant new retail development and investment over the last decade.

Fig. 2.12: Ealing Comparison Goods Market Share. Ealing draws the majority of its comparison spending from the immediate area. However a significant amount of comparison spending is leaking out of the immediate catchment to other retail destinations. 23 Context and Issues

2.5.14 Housing Key issues for the town centre strategy: • 65% of households in Ealing are currently owner-occupiers with 19% living in • The quality of the business environment and the existing stock. the social rented sector, and the remainder are in the private rented sector. • The suitability of the existing stock to meet the needs of future businesses. • Just under three-quarters of all households in the Borough live in flats/ • The diversity and range of business facilities in the town centre to cater for maisonettes or terraced houses, and over a third of all households contain demand. two or more adults, and no children. • The actual availability of sites to cater for demand in the projected longer • Ealing has experienced significant levels of growth in house prices in recent term. years. Ealing has grown by an estimated 224% over the last 10 years. Although average prices are below London averages, this rate of growth is • The integration of high quality office accommodation as part of mixed use comparable to London as a whole, which has experienced an estimated 218% development. rise in average house price growth over the same period. • The average residential property price in Ealing is £298,132. This is lower than 2.5.16 Commercial Leisure the average for nearby Hammersmith and London as a whole (£395,599 and • Ealing has several privately operated health & fitness/ leisure centres in Ealing £356,822 respectively). Broadway including: • Sales analysis indicated that average house prices in Ealing are below London - Virgin Active (formerly Holmes Place) in the Broadway Centre. and Hammersmith averages. - Ealing Squash Club (which has planning consent to extend its premises to • Local agents have indicated that they expect house prices in Ealing to provide 2,750 sqm of leisure floorspace, incorporating a swimming pool continue to grow at a strong rate stimulated by demand from people moving and additional squash courts), 41 Haven Green. out of central London. - Energize gym at the West London College. • Demand is particularly strong from family housing reflected by rising average prices of semi-detached and detached properties. - The Eden Health Club, 46-50 Uxbridge Road.

• Analysis indicated high levels of pipeline development in relation to past • There are currently no private leisure centres and/ or health clubs in West completions. It appears, however that strong demand will be able to absorb Ealing, which represents a potential ‘gap’ in the market. this supply. This means that there will be continued pressure for change of use away from employment to residential. • There are no Council-operated leisure centres in either Ealing Broadway or West Ealing. • The Council’s Housing Strategy 2004-2009 shows that there is a shortfall of affordable housing in Ealing of around 5,062 per annum. Two to three • The West London Study highlighted capacity for an additional 12 (2006), 19 bedroom properties are in particular short supply. (2011) and 34 (2021) cinema screens within West London to meet demand for future population growth. Ealing has only one small and outdated cinema, • In July 2005, the GLA published the results of its 2004 Capacity Study. The namely the 3-screen Empire cinema along the Uxbridge Road. A resolution study established a new housing target for Ealing of 915 dwellings per annum was made to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of the site for 2007-2017. This means Ealing will have to make provision for a total of to provide a 16-screen multiplex but it has not been progressed. There is 9,150 dwellings over the next 10 years. no cinema in West Ealing following the closure of the ‘Gosai’ Cinema on • The Annual Monitoring Report (2005-2006) Northfield Avenue, which has since been redeveloped for residential with estimates that as at mid-2006, extant planning permissions equate to a ground floor community uses. The study concludes that even if the Empire net pipeline of approximately 2,100 units. If all these planning permissions cinema is redeveloped as planned, the West London Study indicated there are implemented there would be a residual requirement in Ealing of would still be a qualitative deficiency in the west of Ealing borough for a approximately 7,050 units up to 2017. The delivery of higher density town smaller mainstream cinema (of circa 3-6 screens). centre schemes will go a considerable way to meeting this demand. • The independent theatre (Questors) in Ealing Broadway is the largest independent theatre in Europe, and has over 3,000 members. It stages a Key issues for the town centre strategy: number of quality productions, but its location behind the main shopping • Demand for new housing is likely to remain strong, hence the need to centre on Mattock Lane means that is does not have a strong visual presence increase the supply and choice of housing within the town centre across the on Uxbridge Road. full range of social, key worker and affordable housing in response to demand. • There are currently no branded hotels within Ealing town centre, apart from • The successful integration of new high quality and higher density mixed a Ramada Hotel by Ealing Common. There are several small independent residential development into the fabric and grain of the existing town centre. operators on the edge of the centre. These are, however poor by modern standards. In addition, planning permission was recently granted for a hotel at 22-24 Uxbridge Road. There could be a potential need has been identified for 2.5.15 Business and office accommodation a high-end and/ or budget hotel to be provided as part of the town’s overall • Based on forecast employment growth rates and GLA estimates GVA Grimley offer. estimate that there will be a net additional requirement for approximately 2,000-4,000 sqm of office floor space in Ealing Town Centre up to 2011. Key issues for the town centre strategy: This reflects the large amount of pipeline stock estimated by the GLA to be • The lack of publicly accessible indoor leisure, health and fitness facilities. either under construction or in extant planning permissions (see appendix 3). However there will be a net additional requirement for approximately 25,000- • The qualitative deficiency in cinema provision in both Ealing Broadway and 40,000 sqm and 40,000 - 60,000 sqm of office floorspace in Ealing town West Ealing. centre up to 2016 and 2021 respectively. • The lack of presence and effective integration of Questors Theatre into the • The existing business quarter in the London Borough of Ealing provides town centre. an appropriate location to accommodate new high quality office • The accommodation of a high-end and/ or budget hotel in the town centre. accommodation.

24 Ealing town centre Spatial Development Framework

• Secondary school provision: Within 1,500 metres of the town centre there are 2.5.17 Social & Community Infrastructure four Council operated secondary schools which are over subscribed by 166 The social and community infrastructure comprise facilities and services that pupils (a 3% deficit) (17). benefit the wider community and include: Although the town centre has a relatively low percentage of secondary school age children should these figures rise to levels similar to the rest of the • Health – primary care facilities. Borough, school capacity will become even more of an issue. The school age • Education – early years, primary, secondary and further/ higher. population in the surrounding wards is expected to rise in the next five years • Open space – formal and informal recreational space. although over a longer period there is expected to be an overall decline. • Social facilities – libraries, faith, meeting places etc. - In the last four years all of the schools have performed above average at both a local and national level. The average percentage of 15 year olds Based on the current population and the demographic makeup of the area achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and Maths for GCSE results at and applying relevant benchmarks GVA has identified the current demand for these schools over the last 4 years is 57%. community infrastructure. Comparing the current demand with current supply - Three of the four secondary schools already have a sixth form. GVA has identified the current over or under supply in community infrastructure. Park will be opening a 200 place sixth form in September 2009.

The full baseline assessment is available on Ealing’s website at www.ealing.gov.uk. - As with primary schools, no area within the town centre is of concern in The key findings, however may be summarised as follows: terms of proximity. Again the only concern is that although there are Secondary high schools in the east of the Study Area both these schools • Doctors: According to the Local Primary Care Trust (PCT) five of the GP are selective, one an all girl school and the other Church of England. practices have capacity for additional patients on their list. However, the • Further / higher education: There are two higher and further education maximum number of patients that a practice feels able to register without establishments in the local area both of which are campuses of larger compromising patient care varies from practice to practice. If there are large establishments. Ealing, Hammersmith, & West London College provide both scale developments in the area bringing a large influx of people over a short sixth form and further education to the local community. Thames Valley period of time, the PCT consider that it is unlikely that these practices would University also have a campus near Ealing town centre and provide a higher be able to cope with the extra demand created. The Primary Care Trust is level of education from NVQ to Post-Graduate qualifications. currently looking at a number of options including plans to extend local services to accommodate the Mattock Lane, Coldershaw Road and Avenue • Open space: There are 65 hectares of open space within 10 minutes walk of Surgeries into a new facility in West Ealing and the relocation of the Florence the Study Area (16) (this does not include local greens and sports fields). The Road practice into a new health care facility in Ealing Broadway. three largest contributors to this figure are Walpole Park, Lammas Park and Ealing Common. Another key issue with primary care in the area relates to the quality of provision and the range of services on offer. The PCT has confirmed that a In total there is around 850 hectares of formal open space in the Borough of number of existing surgeries are not DDA compliant. In addition the majority Ealing which makes up 3% of the total London figure. The London average of premises comprise converted terraced or semi-detached houses and the of 21.4 sq metres per head is much higher than the 7.8 sq metres for every room sizes do not comply with the latest requirements for clinical areas to resident in the 800 metres surrounding the Study Area, which would be deliver the wider range of primary care procedures. expected for a town centre location. Open space provision in Ealing as a whole is much higher than the rest of London as it provides its residents with • Dentists: To serve its current populations needs, the area has a requirement of 28.2 sq metres of open space each. If all open space, local greens, sports 6 dentists (one dentist for every 2000 people). There are currently 13 surgeries fields and churchyards are included the total open space would be just over operating in an 800m radius of the town centre. 79 hectares. This gives an adjusted figure of 9.5 sq metres per head. • Early years provision: There are 59 schools in the Borough providing nursery • Sports facilities: There are no public sports centres within a 10-minute walk of places and a further 87 private nurseries operate in Ealing Borough. In the the Study Area although there is provision for tennis, bowling, squash, cricket local Ealing and West Ealing area there are 30 nursery schools (16) or facilities and an informal running track for athletics. The nearest sports centre is just providing nursery places, 7 of which are in schools in the 800m surrounding over 800 metres from the town centre at Elthorne Sports Centre. This houses the Study Area (17). a sports hall, floodlit outdoor sports area and a privately managed gym. In • Primary school provision: There are 6 Council run primary schools and 1 addition there are a number of additional sporting facilities in the area but infant school (St Saviours, CE) and one junior (Christ Church) within the town these are all privately run and include restrictions in terms of membership and centre and the area 800 metres around it. In total 2,852 pupils are enrolled cost. at these borough run schools, with 10% surplus across them. All schools, Based on a current population the town centre should be provided with a Drayton Green, Grange and St Johns, Montpelier, St Joseph’s, St Saviours and minimum of 13 hectares of playing pitches, 2 lanes of a 25-metre pool, and 4 Christchurch Primary Schools are operating with a surplus of places (17). leisure centre courts (a typical sports hall). All of the homes in the town centre have at least one primary school within Current supply of playgrounds and play areas in the area cater primarily for 600 metres. However, there maybe concern for non Church of England young children and there is a distinct lack of informal space for older children children living to the east of the town centre as the only schools in this area are church run. The West of the town centre has a far wider choice of to play. Such areas would include skate parks and basketball hoops. schools both religious and secular. In the area to the north east there is a • Social facilities: The town centre and the area within 10 minutes walk of it lack of Borough run schools, which is also the area where most of the private has three libraries; , West Ealing and Ealing Broadway (currently being schools are located. refurbished). There is one youth club within 10 minutes walk from the Study It is predicted that as a result of population increases schools in the area are Area which among other things provides youth participation classes. The likely to reach capacity in the coming years and some are likely to require nearest community centre is located at Northfield, just outside the study area. expansion. Additionally Hanwell Library has an upper room which is available for hire to the local community. •

(16) London Borough of Ealing. (17) Ealing Autumn Term School Census, 2007. 25 Context and Issues

- Ealing Community Network undertook a borough-wide community premises needs audit in November 2006 to look at the premises needs of the local voluntary and community sector and identify issues and barriers around premises and their use. The main conclusions were: affordability - many facilities have pricing policies which put them out of reach of the majority of VCS groups; access in terms of awareness of the existing premises and their conditions of use; the poor state of repair of many premises and issues of access for the disabled.

Key issues for the town centre strategy: • The impact of future population projections on the existing infrastructure capacity. • The lack of capacity in the secondary schools, and the potential capacity constraints in primary schools that will arise in the future as a result of the projected trends in the population. • The opportunity provided by existing large greenspaces to meet the recreational/leisure needs of existing and future populations. • The lack of provision of indoor sports facilities or swimming pools. • The lack of informal children’s play facilities (all ages). • The quality of existing social/community facilities and their affordability. • The quality of existing doctor’s surgeries and the need to bring them up to modern standards. • The ability of existing GP practices to cope with a large influx of the population.

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