Policy information sourced from the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1

ED2 - MAINTAINING THE BOROUGH’S EMPLOYMENT LAND SUPPLY

Our approach

We will consolidate the London Borough of Hounslow’s major industrial and office sites to secure the continued major representation of international companies, business headquarters and SMEs within the borough, and to ensure that the supply chain opportunities created by Heathrow Airport are retained within the borough.

We will achieve this by

  • In accordance with the London Plan, protecting designated Strategic Industrial Locations (the Great West Corridor Industrial Business Park, Transport Avenue Preferred Industrial Location and North Feltham Trading Estate Preferred Industrial Location) and designated Locally Significant Industrial Sites, as identified on the Policies Map
  • Setting the monitoring benchmark for the loss of industrial land to 6ha to ensure that an adequate supply of industrial capacity is maintained in the borough throughout the plan period. The loss of industrial land will be regularly monitored against this figure; and
  • Managing and protecting Key Existing Office Locations as identified on the Policies Map namely the borough’s four town centres (Hounslow, Chiswick, Brentford and Feltham), Chiswick Business Park, Bedfont Lakes and sections of the Great West Road.

We will expect development proposals to

  • Provide an assessment demonstrating that development proposals do not compromise the objectives of the SIL or LSIS designations and/or accord, where relevant, with the objectives of the Great West Strategic Outer London Development Centre;
  • Submit the following information where a loss of B1a, B1b, B1c, B2 or B8 or similar employment uses is proposed outside of SILs and LSISs:
    • Evidence of active marketing of the site for employment uses for a period of at least two years in Key Existing Office Locations or for a period of at least one year in other locations;
    • An assessment demonstrating that the introduction of non-employment uses is necessary to achieve sufficient viability to deliver a development scheme. Preference will be given to the provision of new employment uses, followed by a mix of employment and non-employment uses. Proposals for non-employment uses will only be considered once the retention of employment uses has been shown to be unviable; and
    • Evidence that surrounding employment uses/ sites will not be undermined;
  • Facilities that support and enhance employment uses such as a workplace crèche or café may be acceptable where they are of a small scale ancillary to the overall employment function of the site.

Supporting facts

Employment land in Hounslow

Strategic Industrial Locations (SILs)

The Mayor of London has identified three strategically important industrial locations within the borough in the London Plan. These are North Feltham Trading Estate, the Great West Road (part) and Transport Avenue (part) in Brentford. These SILs are identified as London’s main reservoir of industrial land, comprising approximately 40% of the capital’s total supply. SILs are split into two types to reflect their role in supporting the requirements of different sorts of industrial occupier:

Preferred Industrial Locations (PILs)

PILs are designated for industrial uses that do not require a high quality environment. Such uses may require heavy goods access by road, rail and/or water, need to operate outside normal hours and require sufficient distance or other barriers to noise-sensitive uses. Two PILs are designated in the borough, at North Feltham Trading Estate and Transport Avenue, Brentford and these are shown on the Policies Map.

Industrial Business Parks (IBPs)

IBPs are for firms that need better quality industrial surroundings, including B1b, B1c and high value B2 activities. The borough has one designated IBP on the Great West Road the extent of which is shown on the Policies Map. The Great West Road IBP also forms part of the Great West Corridor Strategic Outer London Development Centre (SOLDC) which is identified in the London Plan as a strategically important area for digital and media related industries.

Development of SILs for non-industrial or related uses should be resisted other than as part of a coordinated process of consolidation, or where it addresses a need for accommodation for SMEs or new emerging industries, or where it provides local, small scale ‘walk to facilities for industrial occupiers or office space ancillary to industrial use. In the context of the two SILs located in the Great West Corridor mediarelated industries, which are largely office based, are recognised as a new emerging industry of strategic importance which in principle, are an appropriate industrial use in this location.

Locally Significant Industrial Sites (LSISs)

LSISs are employment areas of Borough wide significance providing industrial and warehousing capacity. Sites have been identified and reviewed as continuing to be locally significant through the Hounslow Employment Land Review 2004 and 2011. A number of these sites are also sufficiently close together to form important local employment clusters. The majority of LSISs are located in the west of the borough where there is significant demand for industrial land related to airport operations. The borough has 36 designated LSISs which are shown on the Policies Map namely:

  • Airlinks Industrial Estate
  • Ascot Road Industrial Estate
  • Ashford Industrial Estate
  • Bedfont North Industrial Park
  • Bollo Lane Industrial Estate
  • Bulls Bridge Industrial Estate
  • Cargo Service Centre
  • Challenge Road Industrial Estate
  • Clock Tower Road Industrial Estate
  • Feltham Corporate Centre
  • Feltham Marshalling Yards
  • Felthambrook Industrial Estate
  • Five Ways Business Centre
  • Hanworth Trading Estate
  • Harlequin Centre
  • Haslemere Heathrow Industrial Estate
  • Heathrow Causeway Estate
  • Heathrow International Trading Estate
  • Heston Industrial Estate
  • Heston Phoenix Business Park
  • Kew Bridge Distribution Centre
  • Maple Industrial Estate
  • Parkway Trading Estate
  • Phoenix Trading Estate
  • Plane Tree Crescent
  • Popham Close
  • Power Road Industrial Estate
  • Prologis Park
  • Radius Park
  • Serco
  • Spitfire Estate
  • Sun Life Trading Centre
  • The Heston Centre
  • Victory Business Centre
  • Victory Way
  • Worton Hall Industrial Estate

Key Existing Office Locations (KEOLs)

The council has identified the borough’s four town centres together with existing office developments at Bedfont Lakes, Chiswick Business Park and on the Great West Road (2 areas) which serve a strategic role in providing office floorspace for businesses that demand large premises. Whilst the KEOLs at Bedfont Lakes and on the Great West Road do not have high levels of accessibility by sustainable modes of transport, the offices in these locations make a significant contribution to the local and regional economy. The council will also support initiatives to better serve them and to better link them with the nearest local facilities and town centres and to achieve improvements to the transport connectivity and capacity of these places.

Other employment sites

Existing undesignated industrial and business sites which are not of borough or strategic importance but which usefully contribute to local employment and economic activity in the borough.

For more information please see the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1