Explore the proposal

The site - part of the Golden Mile

The development site is close to Chiswick Roundabout, in the triangle between Larch Drive, the elevated section of the M4 motorway and Gunnersbury Avenue.

The site has been vacant for many years and has been the subject of several planning applications. The first major proposal in 2000, was the Pinnacle, a 26 storey office block & restaurant, withdrawn after concerns from the Secretary of State. The Citadel, a 13-storey office block was approved in 2009. The Octopus, a spherical office and retail project was approved in 2012, and, in 2019, the Chiswick Curve, a 120m tall building was rejected by the Secretary of State.”

The historically industrial area designated as the “Golden Mile” is now being regenerated. This Golden Mile has a rich heritage, a vibrant present, and an ambitious future. It's the UK’s largest-creative tech innovation district providing the workspaces for 45% of London’s broadcast sector jobs, and is a location many people call home. In 2018 it was designated a Mayoral Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) and an Opportunity Area in the 2021 London Plan. The Golden Mile is 8 miles west of London, runs through Osterley, Brentford and Chiswick, has both the A4 and M4, and is very close to the world’s most connected airport Heathrow.

In November 2024, the site received planning permission for a 24-storey block on this site, called ‘Holly House’. with 255 homes. This scheme optimised the triangular site for a multi-use building which included office and retail spaces, including apprenticeships. However, construction became undeliverable due to prevailing market conditions.

ABOVE: Aerial view showing site within dotted orange line.

ABOVE: the approved 'Holly House' scheme.

Next door to our site is currently occupied by the B+Q store and car park, which, following planning consent secured from the London Borough of Hounslow, will be developed as the London Motorsport Campus - LMC. Both our site and the LMC will sit at the gateway to the ‘Golden Mile’, the capital’s renowned automotive innovation corridor that was first conceived just over 100 years ago in 1925. The LMC is designed to be an international centre for motorsport, engineering and innovation. At its heart lies the 11,000m² Motorsport Experience Centre, a public venue for innovation and storytelling, surrounded by flexible commercial, leisure and university-led engineering and technology spaces designed to develop future skills.

ABOVE: The LMC campus.

The proposal

The James Chiswick is a proposed hybrid co-living & affordable residential development on Larch Drive, Chiswick, in Hounslow. The proposal includes approximately 60 family homes with a mix of affordable and private rented, around 500 co-living rooms and associated shared amenities, and flexible retail space. The James is both the developer and the long-term operator of our buildings, so will safeguard our founding vision and their continuing purpose. This distinguishes this proposal from earlier ones.

We have prepared an image showing how the development will look, which is the first image below.

The proposed building does not exceed the height of the consented Holly House scheme, which is indicated by the orange outline on the second image. The building in blue to the left is the co-living accommodation: that in pink to the right are the affordable homes.

ABOVE: Wire frame aerial view of the proposals.

ABOVE: Here is an image of the proposed section.

Views from nearby

Below are indicative views from nearby main roads. The buildings shown in white represent buildings with planning consent that have not yet been constructed.

ABOVE: Indicative view from Gunnersbury Avenue.

ABOVE: Indicative view: Entrance approach.

ABOVE: Indicative view from the roundabout.

ABOVE: Indicative view from Larch Drive.

About The James

The James is a co-living operator building co-living communities across the UK.

The James is a fast-growing portfolio of co-living communities in key UK regional cities. Our communities are designed to empower residents to reach their goals with a perfect balance of spacious private studios and complementary communal areas, supported by the latest property technology and excellent service.

About Co-Living

The benefits of co-living models are increasingly being recognised within the UK housing market. Co-living consists of purpose-built studio apartments combined with generous communal areas with a variety of uses and activities, which create a community ethos. This enables residents in co-living buildings to benefit from living in prime locations whilst paying more affordable rents. Each private room is fitted with an en-suite bathroom, double bed, small kitchen area, table and chairs. The shared-amenity approach has been described as being “poised to radically reshape the urban rental landscape” (Financial Times, January 2026), reflecting its growing role in meeting the needs of a changing demographic. Ackroyd Lowrie, the project architects, are the author of “The How-To Handbook for Co-Living”, a guidance document that examines the demand for co-living accommodation and sets out best-practice principles for its successful delivery.

Some clear benefits of this proposal

Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy, have undertaken a study to look at potential demand for co-living at the Larch Drive Site. This includes the following findings:

“The provision of co-living at the subject site would offer the following clear benefits:

Relieving pressure on existing housing stock;

Offering greater choice of housing types for renters;

Diverting demand away from HMOs (Homes of Multiple Occupation);

Releasing lower cost HMOs for those on lower incomes;

Releasing HMO and sharer stock (including unlicensed HMO homes) back to single household occupants, including families.

“Overall, the provision of a co-living scheme at the Chiswick Roundabout would provide high quality, purpose built and professionally managed accommodation suitable for a growing number of PRS (Private Rented Sector) sharers in the local authority, and would relieve pressure on sub-divided, HMO-style housing stock.”

This co-living accommodation will free up larger homes in Chiswick, Brentford and elsewhere currently occupied by typically younger people in house shares, allowing families to rent or buy these properties, in turn generating the opportunity to rebuild local communities. Increased numbers of economically active residents will encourage retail and food & beverage start-ups, creating jobs, with higher footfall contributing to safer streets.

Other studies

We have undertaken careful wind testing to remove potential safety issues.

We have also undertaken a careful study on the impacts of noise and air pollution. This graphic below illustrates the design features which will mitigate the impact of noise on residents and maintain high levels of air quality in the building.

Hounslow's Design Review Panel

Engagement with Hounslow's Design Review Panel (DRP) has resulted in:

Radical re-imagining of Larch Drive in line with the Golden Mile Vision.
Residential entrances both positioned on Larch Drive with a shared canopy.
Retail colonnades lead users towards entrances and provide activity and overlooking.
Increased planting will help to improve the existing hostile environment and give a visual/physical buffer to pollution and cars.

There is a dedicated loading bay on Larch Drive, in line with the consented scheme, that has room for 2 vans at the same time, or one refuse vehicle. Flexible retail spaces are proposed, maximising active frontage and public amenity at this level.