Kensington & Chelsea Council’s planning committee approved the £1.3 billion proposal last night (11 November) following more than 150 minutes of deliberation and objections from residents concerned about contaminated soil from the site’s former use as a gasworks.
The project, for a 7.7ha canalside brownfield site, is a joint venture between Ballymore and Sainsbury’s, which has a store on the eastern edge of the plot.
The scheme will deliver 2,519 homes, parks, 16,000m² of non-residential floorspace, and a 23,200m² replacement Sainsbury’s supermarket. Of the new homes, 500 are set to be affordable, of which 342 would be delivered at social rent and 158 at intermediate rent.
The masterplan has been drawn up by FaulknerBrowns Architects, which has also designed the individual buildings and residential blocks on plots 1, 5 and 6 (see below).
Meanwhile, Maccreanor Lavington is overseeing plot 4, which includes 500 homes and a large public garden fronting the canal.
Hutchinson & Partners is leading on plot 2, which will house 950 homes, the new Sainsbury’s, and commercial and community space.
According to the team, the architectural approach is inspired by ‘local Regency and Victorian design, as well as its setting close to Kensal Green Cemetery, the Grand Union Canal and the wider area’s rich cultural mix’.
The proposal includes two public parks and inclusive play spaces, designed by landscape architecture and design practice, Spacehub. It also includes restoring the existing canal basin and creating a new high street with shops and workplaces.
The scheme was lodged in October 2023 following three years of consultation with the local community and stakeholders. Amended plans with minor tweaks were then submitted and a second public consultation took place between April 2024 and May 2025.
FaulknerBrowns partner architect Ben Sykes said: ‘Planning approval is a significant milestone following eight years of design work and consultation.
‘Our thanks go to our clients and design collaborators, whose energy and shared ambition have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.
‘We’re proud to contribute to the continued evolution of one of London’s most distinctive neighbourhoods. We look forward to working with residents, the council and the full project team to deliver the masterplan in the years ahead.’
Maccreanor Lavington director Gavin Finnan commented: ‘We’re thrilled to be part of the Kensal Canalside project. It’s an exceptional opportunity to help shape a vibrant new canalside neighbourhood in west London. Reaching this important milestone is a testament to the collaborative spirit of everyone involved, and we’re excited to see the team’s vision for this place getting one step closer to being realised.’
The site was previously owned by housing association Peabody, which submitted a planning application back in 2006 but later withdrew it. This application preceded the site designation as an opportunity area in the 2011 London Plan.
In recommending the plans for approval, Kensington & Chelsea planning officers said councillors should support the scheme because of its ‘significant public benefits’ and a need for new homes in the borough, amid the ‘council’s failure of housing delivery’ between 2020-2023, when it only built 855 new homes out of a requirement of 1,361 (63 per cent).
Responding to concerns over soil contamination, planning officers said ‘land contamination has been satisfactorily addressed in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework’.
The area between the Grand Union Canal to the north and railway tracks to the south has most recently been occupied by industrial uses, including a scrap metal processing facility and commercial storage. The site is part of the Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area, identified in the Mayor’s London Plan, and is one of the largest brownfield sites in the borough.
Ballymore said after the hybrid application was submitted in October 2023 that as individual plots were brought forward for development, ‘architects will be involved in the applications for reserved matters approval and the detailed design and delivery of the buildings’.
The scheme is set to be built over 11 years.
Site ownership and plots – FaulknerBrowns (plots 1, 5 and 6); Maccreanor Lavington (plot 4); Hutchinson and Partners (plot 2, including new Sainsbury’s superstore)
Project team
Location Kensal Canalside, Ladbroke Grove, London W10
Local authority Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Type of project Residential and mixed-use commercial
Client Ballymore
Masterplan architect FaulknerBrowns
Plot architects FaulknerBrowns (plots 1, 5 and 6); Maccreanor Lavington (plot 4); Hutchinson and Partners (plot 2, including new Sainsbury’s superstore)
Landscape architect Spacehub
Planning consultant Rolf Judd
Structural engineer Walsh
M&E consultant Hoare Lee
Quantity surveyor Gardiner and Theobald
Principal designer FaulknerBrowns
Main contractor N/A
Funding N/A
Tender date N/A
Start on site date 2025
Completion date First homes estimated to be complete by 2030
Contract duration 12 years
Gross internal floor area
Residential: 272,794m²
Sainsbury’s: 23,173.50m²
Community: 3,000m²
Form of contract and/or procurement N/A
Annual CO2 emissions To be confirmed
Total cost £1.325 billion