Countryside Properties : COMMUNITY SPIRIT AT HEART OF ACTON GARDENS REGENERATION

06/02/2018

With Phase 6 well under way, homebuilders Countryside and L&Q are set to provide vital community-focused facilities at Acton Gardens, re-establishing the area as a desirable neighbourhood and supporting a reinvigorated community spirit.

Phase 6.1 will see a new community centre, a new youth club, a retail outlet that will be occupied by Sainsbury's Local, a dental surgery and neighbourhood office, all situated in the space where Hardy Court previously stood; completion for this phase is set for early 2019. The Oaktree Community Centre and Bollo Youth Club, which have been temporarily housed, will relocate here. The new community centre has been designed in consultation with local residents and user groups to deliver a space that provides the right facilities for everyone.

Phase 6.2 begins in Spring this year and will see the construction of a new nursery, a doctor's surgery, small retail spaces and incubator office space. These facilities will be located where Charles Hocking House currently sits. Both phases will be completed by Summer 2020.

In terms of residential development, there will be a total of 308 homes in Phase 6 in addition to the community facilities, and award-winning London architects Levitt Bernstein have been engaged to undertake the design work. In Phase 6.1, 148 new homes will be built above the retail units located on the ground floor. The building, made up of three residential cores called Munster (after the South Acton Laundry), Barbour and Donne Court, have been named by the development's resident community board members through a ballot. The names were originally suggested by the Acton History Group and local stakeholders. The homes will be ready from Winter 2018 through to Spring 2019.

Councillor Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council commented:'The next phase at Acton Gardens will bring more genuinely affordable high-quality homes and state-of-the-art community facilities to this neighbourhood. Acton Gardens is undergoing a tremendous transformation, with award-winning homes being built in a great location. I look forward to this next stage of the area's regeneration bringing more benefits to the local community.'

Mike Woolliscroft, Managing Director for West London at Countryside Partnerships South, said: 'From the outset we have been committed to placemaking whilst ensuring we maintain the thriving South Acton community. Phase 6 is crucial to the long-term success of Acton Gardens, given that a strong community spirit is at the heart of any desirable location.

'The purpose-built community hub is at the centre of the Acton Gardens scheme and will allow for all the occupiers to co-exist and ensuring easy access to key facilities for all ages in the area.'

Darren Parker, Director of Project Management and Development at L&Q, said: 'We are particularly delighted to see this crucial phase progressing because it will provide fantastic new community facilities, which the local community helped design, and other much needed amenities that will benefit all of Acton Gardens.'

Expected for completion in 2026, Acton Gardens is an ambitious £600m project being delivered by Countryside and L&Q, creating 2,500 brand new homes, and new community facilities, encompassing 52 acres. The development is forming a new community in Acton, designed to connect to surrounding neighbourhoods through a range of new walking routes.