Ealing Council said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ after an unexpected appeal by John Lewis over the firm’s plans to build rental homes.
An appeal on the grounds of non-determination was launched by the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) because the London borough council had not reached a decision on its planning application after almost a year.
But Ealing said it had ‘consistently’ raised concerns about the proposals, which involve redeveloping West Ealing Waitrose and building 428 homes, including 83 for affordable rent, above the shop.
The council said that until yesterday morning, it had believed the JLP was still considering how it would amend its plans to address these concerns.
The appeal means the application will now be considered by a planning inspector.
The director of build-to-rent at JLP, Katherine Russell, said: ‘An appeal is not something we take lightly; however, we believe we have strong grounds to be successful given the opportunity to transform an under-used brownfield site close to the publicly-funded Crossrail station with new homes and investment that will benefit the wider community.’
