Policy information sourced from the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1

CI1 - PROVIDING AND PROTECTING COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Our approach

We will protect existing community facilities in the borough that continue to serve the community and direct new community facilities to the most appropriate locations.

We will achieve this by

  • Ensuring that existing community facilities continue to be used for the benefit of the community where they are still providing the intended community service;
  • Promoting the co-location of different uses and users within community facilities where there are opportunities for effective management of dual use; and
  • Promoting new community facilities in areas of growth and where identified in the council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

We will expect development proposals to

  • Meet the following criteria if the scheme will result in the loss of a community use and is not re-providing the existing community use elsewhere, at an equivalent capacity that suits existing and future needs and has been agreed with the council;
    • The facility has been vacant or significantly underused for a continuous period of 18 months and is not appropriate for any other community uses as demonstrated by the applicant through evidence of sufficient marketing;
    • The facility is no longer required by the body that operates it (for example NHS England); and
    • Robust evidence has shown that the use is no longer required to serve its catchment area; and
  • Locate new community facilities within or at the edge of town centres, unless the new facility is local in nature and scale and where a local need for the facility can be demonstrated.

For more information please see the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1